While watching and reading the latest news on the upcoming papal conclave, I've noticed that the major American news outlets (AP, Reuters, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and MSNBC) all seem to go to the most progressive-minded "catholics" for their perspectives on the next Pope.
Most of them come from ultra-progressive rags such as the National Catholic Reporter, The Tablet, America magazine, Commonweal magazine, etc.
I would find it hard to believe that the same news outlets would look for opinions on the U.S. presidential election from the likes of Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, or Vladimir Putin.
These so-called "catholic" publications tend to employ numerous public dissenters, such as Richard McBrien, Thomas Reese, Joan Chittister, etc.
It seems that FoxNews is alone in it's object coverage, preferring to focus on the positive aspects of the papal election, and not descend into muckraking and partisan religious politics.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Personal Responsibility vs. Other People's Money
After watching two nights of the Democratic National Convention, and a week after the RNC in Tampa, I've come to this conclusion: it's all about Personal Responsibility vs. OPM (Other People's Money).
The Republicans will tell you that there's a finite amount of money available to fund the government, therefore, we must be fiscally frugal, and share in the overall responsibility, especially those who benefit most from government dollars (a hand-up).
The Democrats, on the other hand, will tell you that debt is not an issue. The DNC is willing to throw money at every problem, no matter what the consequences (a hand-out), in order to garner the most votes.
Republicans believe that those who benefit from taxpayer money the most, should pay their fair share in return.
Sadly, 47% of all Americans are on some sort of government assistance. They tend to vote for whoever is best for them (i.e., whoever promises to give them the most free stuff).
Difficult economic decisions in areas like MediCare, Social Security, Military, etc., can't keep getting kicked down the road. We will drown in our own debt if we don't stand up and address the problem of overspending.
The Republicans will tell you that there's a finite amount of money available to fund the government, therefore, we must be fiscally frugal, and share in the overall responsibility, especially those who benefit most from government dollars (a hand-up).
The Democrats, on the other hand, will tell you that debt is not an issue. The DNC is willing to throw money at every problem, no matter what the consequences (a hand-out), in order to garner the most votes.
Republicans believe that those who benefit from taxpayer money the most, should pay their fair share in return.
Sadly, 47% of all Americans are on some sort of government assistance. They tend to vote for whoever is best for them (i.e., whoever promises to give them the most free stuff).
Difficult economic decisions in areas like MediCare, Social Security, Military, etc., can't keep getting kicked down the road. We will drown in our own debt if we don't stand up and address the problem of overspending.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Back to the Future.
In a recent article in the NcR, John Allen describes the current situation of the LCWR, and what their future may hold. In one of the online comments, a writer describes the members of the LCWR as "the backbone of the Catholic denomination."
I would hardly call the nuns of the LCWR the "backbone of the Catholic denomination". That may have held true 50+ years ago, but that "backbone" is now pushing a median age of 80, and most of those wonderful Catholic schools that operated under the aegis of women religious are now closed, due (in part) to teaching sisters becoming extinct.
If these great communities of strong women would've stayed committed to their corporate apostolates, continued living in viable communities, placing the Mass and Divine Office at the center of their prayer lives, things may be different today.
Instead, the vast majority of women religious belonging to the LCWR have gone astray, deciding instead to focus on politically-charged, left-leaning agendas, and all but abandoning their original charism of educating Catholic youth.
They've abandoned traditional spirituality in exchange for New Age philosophies, including the enneagram and labyrinths. They have discarded their habits (a symbol of poverty and sign of their community to one another) for polyester pantsuits.
None of this was even remotely recommended by the Second Vatican Council. Maybe George and Sister Joan are right. The LCWR should disband as the canonically-recognized representative of women religious, and continue on their path of self-destruction.
As a vital part of Catholic America, the LCWR is dead. Long-live the CMSWR!
I would hardly call the nuns of the LCWR the "backbone of the Catholic denomination". That may have held true 50+ years ago, but that "backbone" is now pushing a median age of 80, and most of those wonderful Catholic schools that operated under the aegis of women religious are now closed, due (in part) to teaching sisters becoming extinct.
If these great communities of strong women would've stayed committed to their corporate apostolates, continued living in viable communities, placing the Mass and Divine Office at the center of their prayer lives, things may be different today.
Instead, the vast majority of women religious belonging to the LCWR have gone astray, deciding instead to focus on politically-charged, left-leaning agendas, and all but abandoning their original charism of educating Catholic youth.
They've abandoned traditional spirituality in exchange for New Age philosophies, including the enneagram and labyrinths. They have discarded their habits (a symbol of poverty and sign of their community to one another) for polyester pantsuits.
None of this was even remotely recommended by the Second Vatican Council. Maybe George and Sister Joan are right. The LCWR should disband as the canonically-recognized representative of women religious, and continue on their path of self-destruction.
As a vital part of Catholic America, the LCWR is dead. Long-live the CMSWR!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
5 Lies regarding the LCWR Doctrinal Assessment
Well, it's been one week since the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released its 8-page Doctrinal Assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). Of course, the left is having it's usual spittle-flecked nutty over the whole thing.
Sadly, many of the typically level-headed reports are falling prey to some of the blather coming from the progressive wing of the Church. The top 5 errors (or lies, depending on your viewpoint) go something like this:
1. The evil bishops (men) are just trying to push around the nuns (women) and silence them.
It's not about men vs. women. The bishops are the true Magisterium of the Church. They teach the faith in an authoritative manner. This is doctrine. While other men (and women) can collaborate with the bishops, they have the final say.
2. It's all about the LCWR supporting "Obamacare", much to the chagrin of the US bishops.
The Doctrinal Assessment followed a Visitation of ALL women religious in the United States, not just the members of the LCWR. This Visitation was announced in 2008, while George W. Bush was still President. That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if those involved in the Visitation to into account the recent comments by members of the LCWR over and against the US bishops, creating their own "Magisterium of Nuns", and diminishing the bishops' authentic role as shepherds of the Church.
3. The LCWR is too busy with it's "social justice" agenda to focus on the pro-life mission of the Church.
Not only have the sisters of the LCWR lost their focus regarding abortion, contraception, etc., they actively OPPOSE the bishops and Church doctrine. Nuns have even worked FOR abortion clinics! A member of the Sisters of Providence in Terre Haute, IN, even commented that she gives out condoms at the health care clinic she works at.
4. The Church is misogynistic in it's view of women and the priesthood.
The members of the LCWR still think that the issue of women's ordination is up for discussion. Blessed Pope John Paul II ended all discussion, when he stated that it is a difinitive teaching of the Church that only men can be ordained ot the priesthood.
5. The bishops are meddling in the sisters' spirituality.
Spirituality that is based on enneagrams, labyrinths, and other New Age beliefs. You will be hard-pressed to find a conference sponsored by the LCWR that doesn't involved at least one of these. Absent from their "spirituality" is any link to the official worship of the Church: The Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.
Also absent from these meetings are traditional spiritual prayers, such as the Rosary, Stations of the Cross, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Ignatian Exercises, etc.
Sadly, many of the typically level-headed reports are falling prey to some of the blather coming from the progressive wing of the Church. The top 5 errors (or lies, depending on your viewpoint) go something like this:
1. The evil bishops (men) are just trying to push around the nuns (women) and silence them.
It's not about men vs. women. The bishops are the true Magisterium of the Church. They teach the faith in an authoritative manner. This is doctrine. While other men (and women) can collaborate with the bishops, they have the final say.
2. It's all about the LCWR supporting "Obamacare", much to the chagrin of the US bishops.
The Doctrinal Assessment followed a Visitation of ALL women religious in the United States, not just the members of the LCWR. This Visitation was announced in 2008, while George W. Bush was still President. That being said, it wouldn't surprise me if those involved in the Visitation to into account the recent comments by members of the LCWR over and against the US bishops, creating their own "Magisterium of Nuns", and diminishing the bishops' authentic role as shepherds of the Church.
3. The LCWR is too busy with it's "social justice" agenda to focus on the pro-life mission of the Church.
Not only have the sisters of the LCWR lost their focus regarding abortion, contraception, etc., they actively OPPOSE the bishops and Church doctrine. Nuns have even worked FOR abortion clinics! A member of the Sisters of Providence in Terre Haute, IN, even commented that she gives out condoms at the health care clinic she works at.
4. The Church is misogynistic in it's view of women and the priesthood.
The members of the LCWR still think that the issue of women's ordination is up for discussion. Blessed Pope John Paul II ended all discussion, when he stated that it is a difinitive teaching of the Church that only men can be ordained ot the priesthood.
5. The bishops are meddling in the sisters' spirituality.
Spirituality that is based on enneagrams, labyrinths, and other New Age beliefs. You will be hard-pressed to find a conference sponsored by the LCWR that doesn't involved at least one of these. Absent from their "spirituality" is any link to the official worship of the Church: The Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.
Also absent from these meetings are traditional spiritual prayers, such as the Rosary, Stations of the Cross, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Ignatian Exercises, etc.
Misplaced accusations of misogyny
During this whole kerfuffle regarding the recently-announced results of the doctrinal assessment conducted on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, we've heard numerous claims that this was a "misogynistic attack" on women. The loudest complainers then run off a list of all the good things that the women religious of the LCWR have done in the past.
Of course, this just deflects from the real issues of heresy and illicit/invalid liturgical celebrations that are part and parcel of many LCWR-sponsored events.
But was is routinely overlooked, is the fact that the Holy See ordered a visitation of all U.S. seminaries in 2005, similar to the visitation of the LCWR and CMSWR in 2009-2011. Lest we forget, the seminaries are ALL-MALE.
I don't remember hearing all the whining, screeching, etc. during the seminary visitation, or claims that the Holy See "hates men."
Of course, this just deflects from the real issues of heresy and illicit/invalid liturgical celebrations that are part and parcel of many LCWR-sponsored events.
But was is routinely overlooked, is the fact that the Holy See ordered a visitation of all U.S. seminaries in 2005, similar to the visitation of the LCWR and CMSWR in 2009-2011. Lest we forget, the seminaries are ALL-MALE.
I don't remember hearing all the whining, screeching, etc. during the seminary visitation, or claims that the Holy See "hates men."
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The beginning of the end?
Word has come out that the Doctrinal Assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious has come to an end. The results of the assessment are devastating for the LCWR.
As posted by Rocco Palmo:
The eight-page summary written by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is pretty straightforward. In part, it gives the LWCR cudos for "a great deal of work on the part of LCWR promoting issues of social justice in harmony with the Church’s social doctrine".
Nonetheless, "it is silent on the right to life from conception to natural death, a question that is part of the lively public debate about abortion and euthanasia in the United States."
The LWCR is silent because it doesn't believe, for the most part, in any type of "right to life" as the Church defines it. Many sisters in the LWCR are vocal proponents of abortion and/or artificial birth control. Sister Barbara Battista, SP, is one of those sisters of dissent.
Hopefully, real change is in store. If not, we may see the wholesale collapse of the LCWR. Maybe their charter will be revoked, and the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR) will be the sole representative for women religious in the United States.
The congregations that are part of the CMSWR are traditional, young....and growing. Compare photos of members of the CWSWR to those of the LCWR.
This is a photo of LCWR members from the Sisters of Providence:
Below, a photo of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist:
As posted by Rocco Palmo:
Citing "serious doctrinal problems" found over the course of a four-year study of the umbrella-group representing the majority of the US' communities of nuns, the Holy See has announced a thoroughgoing shake-up of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), naming Archbishop Peter Sartain of Seattle as its delegate to conduct an overhaul of the group.
Among other concerns raised in an eight-page summary of the doctrinal inquest released today, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith cited addresses at LCWR conferences that, it said, manifested a "rejection of faith," protests of church teaching on homosexuality and the ordination of women by officers of the group, and a "prevalence of certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith" in some of the conference's events.
"The current doctrinal and pastoral situation of the LCWR is grave and a matter of serious concern," the dicastery said.
The eight-page summary written by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is pretty straightforward. In part, it gives the LWCR cudos for "a great deal of work on the part of LCWR promoting issues of social justice in harmony with the Church’s social doctrine".
Nonetheless, "it is silent on the right to life from conception to natural death, a question that is part of the lively public debate about abortion and euthanasia in the United States."
The LWCR is silent because it doesn't believe, for the most part, in any type of "right to life" as the Church defines it. Many sisters in the LWCR are vocal proponents of abortion and/or artificial birth control. Sister Barbara Battista, SP, is one of those sisters of dissent.
Hopefully, real change is in store. If not, we may see the wholesale collapse of the LCWR. Maybe their charter will be revoked, and the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR) will be the sole representative for women religious in the United States.
The congregations that are part of the CMSWR are traditional, young....and growing. Compare photos of members of the CWSWR to those of the LCWR.
This is a photo of LCWR members from the Sisters of Providence:
 |
| Shown are the Sisters of Providence 2010 general officers, from left, Sister Dawn Tomaszewski, Sister Jeneen Howard, Sister Mary Beth Klingel, Sister Lisa Stallings and Sister Denise Wilkinson, who was re-elected general superior |
Below, a photo of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist:
 |
| The average age: 28. |
Saturday, April 14, 2012
The many faces of Sister Battista
In our last post, we discussed how the dissenting views of a local religious sister were brought to the public eye in a weekly Indianapolis Star political column by Dan Carpenter. Mr. Carpenter brings up an email conversation he had with Sister Barbara Battista, SP, regarding the views of artificial contraception by the U.S. bishops.
After doing some digging (which didn't take much work, actually), it was discovered that Sister Barbara is no newcomer to the protest scene.
Sister Barbara has been protesting at the School Of America's (SOA) at Ft. Benning, for years, and appears to be a proud suporter of SOA Watch, a human rights group founded by former Maryknoll priest, Roy Bourgeois.
Fr. Bourgeois is a proud (I would say infamous) dissenter in his own right. He was excommunicated in November, 2008, for participating in a mock ordination of women to the priesthood a moth earlier. He has refused to recant his support for women's ordination. According to Wiki, the Vatican is currently considering Fr. Bourgeois removal from the priesthood.
Photos of Sister Battista and Fr. Bourgeois at this protest rally can be viewed here. I cannot post them due to copyright issues.
Sister Battista's public Twitter account shows a recent (Jan. 19, 2012) post asking readers to click on a link to a NARAL site. "Get the shocking facts on the 2011 War on Women from NARAL's infographic.", she shouts with glee.
Once on that site, NARAL asks "If you think that it's wrong for politicians to interfere in women's personal, private, medical decisions, please share this infographic with your friends." It then urges the reader to "post it on your Facebook wall, Tweet it, and email it far and wide."
Like the good foot-soldier of death that she is, Sister Barbara heeds their call.
For those of you who don't know, NARAL Pro-Choice America (formerly National Abortion Rights Action League) is is an organization in the U.S. that engages in political action to oppose restrictions on abortion, and expand access to abortion. NARAL uses numerous tactics to lobby for liberalized access to abortion.
After doing some digging (which didn't take much work, actually), it was discovered that Sister Barbara is no newcomer to the protest scene.
Sister Barbara has been protesting at the School Of America's (SOA) at Ft. Benning, for years, and appears to be a proud suporter of SOA Watch, a human rights group founded by former Maryknoll priest, Roy Bourgeois.
Fr. Bourgeois is a proud (I would say infamous) dissenter in his own right. He was excommunicated in November, 2008, for participating in a mock ordination of women to the priesthood a moth earlier. He has refused to recant his support for women's ordination. According to Wiki, the Vatican is currently considering Fr. Bourgeois removal from the priesthood.
Photos of Sister Battista and Fr. Bourgeois at this protest rally can be viewed here. I cannot post them due to copyright issues.
Sister Battista's public Twitter account shows a recent (Jan. 19, 2012) post asking readers to click on a link to a NARAL site. "Get the shocking facts on the 2011 War on Women from NARAL's infographic.", she shouts with glee.
Once on that site, NARAL asks "If you think that it's wrong for politicians to interfere in women's personal, private, medical decisions, please share this infographic with your friends." It then urges the reader to "post it on your Facebook wall, Tweet it, and email it far and wide."
Like the good foot-soldier of death that she is, Sister Barbara heeds their call.
For those of you who don't know, NARAL Pro-Choice America (formerly National Abortion Rights Action League) is is an organization in the U.S. that engages in political action to oppose restrictions on abortion, and expand access to abortion. NARAL uses numerous tactics to lobby for liberalized access to abortion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)