An Opportunity?

It has been announced by the government that they must hold a referendum on the EU Fiscal Compact Treaty which is being drafted to help ease the Euro crisis.  This is the treaty Britain has refused to enter into.

It will be most interesting to see how the government handles this one.  In Ireland we tend to have issues with EU treaties and we usually reject them until the government orders a second vote and threatens us, and so the referendums are passed second time round, usually out of fear.  That, my friends, is Irish democracy - not quite the Syrian model, but sometimes not too far off it.

Reading some of the news articles and the comments under them, I think the government may have a lot to fear.  Now for the treaty to be passed the consent of only twelve countries is required, so the Irish cannot hold the EU to ransom, so there is not as much fear.  However, it would be important for it to be passed here given the state of Ireland's economy and the fact that our begging bowl is well and truly planted in Germany.

Some are saying that we may have an opportunity here: if the government wants us to vote yes, then we might bargain for the vote.  It might also be possible to get the Troika to sit down and have another look at the austerity measures and some of the debt to unsecured investors which we are being forced to honour, giving these investors huge profits on their original investments.   Any chance of reopening the embassy to the Holy See?  Many Catholics are very angry and "yes" may not be a word they would be inclined to utter in the government's favour. 

We will watch this one carefully.  We will need to examine the treaty carefully - it may not be in Ireland's best interests in the long run - Britain has serious issues with it, and I think it might be a good idea to listen to what they have to say.

Unacceptable

Two things, as a dear friend of mine would say.  The first is the news that Cardinal Dolan has signed the "Unacceptable" letter which rejects Barack's Obama HHS Mandate.  You can view the letter and its latest signatories here.  Note that those who signed it are not "fundamentalist Catholics", but rather people from all walks of life and numerous religions, Christian and non-Christian.

The HHS Mandate is not about contraception - it is about undermining religious freedom.    And this issue is just as important to Ireland and the rest of the world as it is to the US because if the "land of the free" undermines religious freedom, other countries may well follow suit.  I could see our own lot, who are cutting and pasting a healthcare plan at the moment, doing the same thing.

Secondly, a post from Fr Z.  We all know that the secularists, atheists, Democrats and liberal Catholics have been attacking Republican Rick Santorum as he attempts to get the nomination to go forward in the US Presidential election later this year.   He is a man of faith and an orthodox Catholic and that just sends some people into outer space with rage.  Anyway, lest you think that all attacks on the man and his Catholic faith are modern and sophisticated, think again.  Here is a piece written by Larry Doyle on the Huffington Post. Read it and pray for the man. 

Mother Dolores Hits Tinsel Town

As you all know, no doubt, Mother Dolores Hart, once an actress who worked with some of Hollywood's leading men, Montgomery Clift, Stephen Boyd, Robert Wagner and Elvis among them, and now a Benedictine nun, was at the Oscars last night.  A documentary dealing with her life was nominated for a gong, and so Mother Dolores got permission to attend the ceremony in LA. 

What a wonderful example!  A Benedictine nun in full habit walking down the red carpet - there's witness for you!  She was radiant - the most beautiful woman there I think, as her life of prayer and dedication to Christ shine through her eyes and her whole demeanour. 

As members of the Fraternity we should be delighted with this: a most obvious witness to the Christian faith in the midst of the glitz and glamour.  I hope her presence touched some of those in the business, not only as a challenge, but as a reminder that Christ is everywhere, seeking to reach out to everyone, even those dolled up for the gongs.

Another Patron For The Cause Of Life

Speaking of Saints and future Saints in recent days, I see the Cause of Jerome Lejeune is progressing: the diocesan phase has been completed and the documents are to be sent to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and, I presume, the Postulator will begin to write the positio, the position document which will summarise his life and virtues and propose him as a candidate for beatification.

As the assault on life seems to gain momentum, God is giving us patrons and models to help us in our struggle to witness to the Gospel of Life.  St Gianna Beretta Molla has been canonised, and now Jerome who was a great defender of life is on his way.  Lejeune was a paediatrician and geneticist - he is best known for his discovery of Trisomy 21 which is the cause of Down Syndrome.  A discovery, which should have helped humanity became, in the hands of the anti-life brigade, a weapon to destroy life.  Following his discovery, Dr Lejeune had to defend the unborn, and particularly those who Down Syndrome, from abortion.

A friend of Blessed John Paul II, Lejeune assisted him in the cause of life and was appointed President of newly founded Pontifical Academy for Life, but only served for a few months as lung cancer claimed his life on Easter Sunday 1994.    We pray for a speedy outcome to the Cause, the granting of a miracle and the joy of his beatification soon. 

In related news, the Holy Father has urged Catholics to shun artificial methods of procreation - that means IVF, AI and surrogacy.  These methods are deeply sinful and denigrate the act of procreation, and the life and dignity of the child. 

With regard to IVF alone there are so many moral problems with it it is a veritable nightmare.  Unfortunately many Catholics are so desperate to have a child that they resort to this evil and in doing so allow the creation and destruction of many children.  The awful statistic is that for every live birth in IVF around thirty children have perished - this does not include the children who are suspended in freezing facilities, most of them forgotten: they are alive, but "on hold" - not even able to die so they can be released.   

Another problem with this method is that those who are using it close their hearts to the truth - they deny that it is wrong, or if they know its wrong, they are prepared to suspend their consciences and God's law to get their child.  This is serious as it places those souls in immortal peril.  I have even heard of Catholic priests encouraging couples to go down the road of IVF, telling them that it is not a sin to do so.  God forgive these priests - they are leading souls into sin: if they do not repent of this and try to undo the damage they have done, they may well be damned.

We certainly need the prayers and example of the Servant of God, Jerome Lejeune: through his intercession may the Lord bring us out of this Dark Age into the light of the Gospel of Life, where human life is cherished and protected.

The Living Tomb: storage tank in which children conceived through IVF are frozen.

Neither Praise Nor Threats

One of my great heroes is Blessed Clemens von Galen - I have mentioned him before on this blog.  In the face of Nazi persecution, he stood up and preached the Gospel of Life fearlessly.  Hitler both hated and feared him: the power of God, his mercy and justice emanated from this bishop, and his voice and message thundered around Germany and beyond.  Last year I was given a relic of the Blessed and I can tell you, in prayer with it, the strong presence of this fearless witness can be felt.

Well my attention has been drawn to a good article on the Blessed Cardinal, concentrating on his episcopal motto: Nec laudibus, nec timore which means "Neither praise nor threats", meaning nothing will prevent him proclaiming the Gospel.  It is worth reading. 

We are in dark times, and Blessed Clemens stands as an example to all of us to raise our voices in defence of our faith and the moral order.  If the prevailing culture wants us to stay silent in face of the great evil which is claiming innocent human life in abortuaries and clinics all over the world, then we defy that culture and proclaim the Gospel of Life. 

Blessed Clemens serves as a model and intercessor for our bishops the world over: may they, like him, find the courage given them in the Sacrament of Holy Orders to do what he did.  We pray for the bishops of Ireland and the US who must deal with anti-Catholic governments intent on aborting the Church from public life and forcing believers to violate their consciences.   May the great "Lion of Munster" put his strong hand on the shoulders of our beloved pastors and assure them of his presence and intercession, and may he rally all of us to the cause of Christ and the cause of life!

In related news: the Thirsty Gargoyle has taken on The Irish Times and its Patsy. 

Msgr Giussani's Cause: The Whinging Begins

I was going to leave blogging for the weekend, but I have an update to the opening of the Cause of Msgr Giussani which I would like to share with you: the resistance has begun, it seems.

The London Independent has the story, and, strangely, juxtaposes the opening of the Cause with the Holy Father's recent speech about the need for more humility and less hunger for power.  They are implying that one contradicts the other. 

Describing Msgr Giussani as anti-Marxist we are told that even "moderate Catholic groups" oppose the aims of the movement he founded.  I wonder what they mean by "moderate Catholic groups" - I presume We Are Church would be one of them for the critics of C&L.  According to the article above, Giussani and his movement are dangerous because they oppose stem cell research (by which they mean embryonic stem cell) and "assisted dying" (by which they mean helping something commit suicide or, if they are unable to do so, killing them).  They describe this as a right wing agenda. They also try to make him a buddy of Berlusconi.  Interestingly they are raising the same sort of objections they have thrown at St Josemaria Escriva for years.

Well people, that should get us all praying for Msgr Giussani's beatification: if the Marxist liberals are spitting venom, then this man will be a great saint indeed.  He might even be a patron and intercessor for the faithful as they continue to endure the whining and hand-wringing of dissidents who want to twist the Gospel into Marx's table talk and have little or no respect for vulnerable human life.  We need such a patron in these times!

Right, get your pens ready and write to Communion and Liberation for a prayer card, and start sending those petitions!   I'm off to buy another one of the holy man's books - he can be a tough read!  But then once you've tried to tackle von Balthasar, you're game for anything!

Communion and Liberation website here, contact your local group for information.

Denial: A Swamp In Ireland...?

It is a fact that persecutors never consider themselves persecutors - their campaign against a certain group makes utter sense to them, and if people are complaining or objection, then they are just creating trouble.  We know this attitude to be "denial", and it seems The Irish Times is in denial when it comes to the fact of aggressive secularism and its mission to exorcise religion from society.

David Quinn takes the paper to task in his column in The Irish Catholic.  It is a must read.  Living in Ireland in these times we meet this denial every day.  Catholics can be treated badly, made fun of, attacked in the media, and yet the media and some public representatives cannot actually see that they are being prejudiced.

On Tuesday night, as I was coming back from our Film Club, I was listening to Marc Coleman on Newstalk.  He is a fine broadcaster, one of the fairest in Ireland.  At one point he raised the issue of prejudice against Catholics, citing some of the points David Quinn makes in his article above.  The reaction was most interesting: his guests were taken aback that such treatment of the Church was unjust or prejudiced; after all, they said, the Church abused children and the Vatican covered it all up. 

Coleman did his best to explore their reaction, but it was obvious the anti-Catholic prejudice was so deep his guests could not see that there was anything wrong.   The old anti-Catholic myths are well engrained, and thanks to the growth in aggressive secularism in Ireland (and, I suspect, knee jerk reactions against the Church's moral teachings - many Irish are now happily contracepting, cohabiting, aborting).  They are desperate to believe that all evil is now found in the Catholic Church, they will not listen to anything that contradicts their prejudice or might shake them out of their denial.

It seems denial is not merely a river in Egypt, but a swamp in Ireland.

Youcef Nadarkhani, his wife and children

In related news I see that the Iranian pastor convicted of apostasy from Islam (though he was never formally a Muslim, just from a Muslim background) is due to be executed quickly.   Youcef Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009, tried and convicted: his appeal was lost.  He was offered a chance to recant his Christian faith three times in order to save his life: he refused.  The order for his execution has been signed.

God grant him strength.  Please remember him, his wife and their two children in your prayers.  Martyrdom is glorious and brings an eternal reward, but it is difficult and the sorrow of loss is no less painful.  May the Lord grant him and his family the graces they need at this time.  If he is to shed his blood, may it bring about the conversion of those who killed him and of the whole of Iran.   There is no better "revenge" than to see one's enemies come to embrace Christ and be reconciled with those they have oppressed.

And here's something we all knew for some time.  Evidence of sex-selection abortions is coming to light and SPUC are trying to lobby David Cameron's government in the UK to cut its ties with private abortion providers.  Sex-selective abortions are the norm in China - with the one child only policy, many couples, when they discover they are expecting a girl, abort the child in the hope of having a boy next time.  This has led to a serious gender imbalance in China. 

Elective abortions tend to sex-based, and it is females who are being killed.  That is the ultimate irony: the radical feminists want abortion for the sake of their "liberation", yet it is females who comprise the larger number of those "terminated" - there's liberation for you!  If this continues we may not have to worry about feminism at all - women will end up as a minority gender, as in China, and guess what, we might just see the return of the old monster, Inequality. 

The same is true of black people: in the US the majority of those who are aborted are Afro-American - indeed 60% of Planned Parenthood clinics in the US are situated in Afro-American neighbourhoods even though Afro-Americans only make up 12.2% of the population - doesn't add up, or does it?  We might need to consult Margaret Sanger to understand that one. 

By the way I am told that, given demographic changes, the population of Afro-Americans in the US should be 16% by now, but it seems since Roe v Wade, the expected 3% never made it.    The Rev. Martin Luther King must be turning in his grave: I do not think this is the dream he was talking about - rather it seems to be a nightmare.

And to end on an upbeat note.  Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury is issuing a Lenten pastoral letter on Sunday in which he will deal with the reality of hell.  Bishop Davies is one of the more remarkable bishops in England and a wonderful teacher and defender of the faith.  In fact I think he may well be tipped for Westminster: he would make a fine Archbishop and Cardinal.

Hell is one of the "no-no" topics when it comes to homilies: I remember greeting a delegation seven months into my first appointment in Drogheda: the concerned delegation consisted of one man who felt he represented the whole parish.  The gentleman wanted to point out how dreadful a priest I was because I was always preaching about hell.  In the seven months I had only mentioned it once or twice, and then only in passing but it was enough to send this man over the edge.  I took note of his objections, and resolved to preach a full homily on hell the next time it popped up in the readings, which I did.  He was not impressed. 

I'd say there will be many who will not be impressed with Bishop Davies's letter, but thank God for his forthrightness in teaching the fullness of the faith.  Thanks to the prevalence of "therapeutic Catholicism", many people cannot accept that there is always a possibility that we may not make it to heaven: that we have to take personal responsibility for our lives in order to avoid damnation.  That's not being negative, it's just being real.

We are living in interesting times.  The new translation is bringing back reverence to the Mass, the HHS mandate in the US is uniting bishops and reminding Catholics of the inherent sinfulness of contraception, abortion and sterilization, and an English bishop is preaching the fullness of the faith: these may well be signs that the reform has started.  "From your lips to God's ears" as my friend Pat in New York would say: Amen!

EWTN President Speaks

Michael Warsaw, President of EWTN, has written an article for the New York Times, outlining the Network's objections to Barack Obama's HHS Mandate.  I'm quoting it in full:

CONTRACEPTION, AGAINST CONSCIENCE 

Michael Warsaw

THIRTY years ago, a cloistered nun named Mother Angelica Rizzo started a small television station in her garage to spread the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Since then the station, EWTN, has grown into one of the largest Catholic media networks in the world, but we haven’t strayed from our values. And we won’t — even though our commitment has landed us in the cross hairs of the Obama administration.

EWTN cannot comply with the recent mandate from the Department of Health and Human Services requiring the insurance plans of all employers, with the exception of some houses of worship, to cover the contraceptives and sterilization procedures approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These include emergency contraceptives like Plan B and Ella that can destroy human embryos — an act that we consider a violation of church teaching that all life is a sacred gift that begins at conception.

Earlier this month, in response to widespread opposition to the mandate, the president announced an “accommodation” for some religious organizations — like, potentially, EWTN — that would shift the responsibility for the coverage from the employer to the employer’s insurance carrier. But this would do nothing to solve the problem. First, EWTN self-insures, so we are the insurer. Second, even if we had an outside insurer, we would still be in the untenable position of facilitating access to drugs that go against our beliefs. And if we refused to comply with the directive, we could be hit with annual fines starting at around $600,000.

The administration’s supporters say that by opposing the rule, religious employers like EWTN are guilty of trying to coerce our employees and impose our values on them. But we are simply choosing not to participate in the use of these drugs. Our 350 employees, many of whom are not Catholic, freely choose to work here and can purchase and use contraception if they want to. They are aware of the values we practice, and I hear regularly from Catholic and non-Catholic employees alike how much they love working for an organization that is defined by its Catholic beliefs — beliefs that we think result in a better workplace and more expansive benefits over all.

Instead, it is the government — which does not accept EWTN’s religious choice and can punish that choice by imposing fines — that is coercing us. But under the Constitution and federal religious liberties law, we cannot be forced to give up our beliefs as the price of participation in the public square. That is why the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has filed a lawsuit on our behalf seeking to overturn this illegal mandate.

But religious liberty isn’t even the only thing at risk; the mandate also threatens the financial viability of any organization that disagrees with the administration’s politics. They could be forced to stop offering health insurance and be saddled with fines, which are immense competitive disadvantages. They’ll have to take money away from their core missions to pay fines. They’ll lose employees who can’t afford to work for employers who offer no health insurance. They’ll lose donors who are scared off by the penalties.

The end result: organizations that agree with the administration or are willing to compromise their beliefs will thrive. Organizations that don’t will shrink or die.

Businesses will suffer, too. The mandate’s effect will be most visible on not-for-profits like EWTN. But small businesses owned by men and women of faith, which have been given no protection whatsoever in the administration’s accommodation, will also take a hit. While some charities might be able to weather the storm thanks to donations or strong endowments, these small businesses almost certainly won’t.

Mother Angelica didn’t create EWTN to be a weak Catholic voice. Our donors send us money to spread Catholic teachings, not to subvert them. The mandate makes it impossible for us to live up to that core mission, giving us the choice of either compromising our beliefs or being crushed by fines. That ultimatum is unfair, unconstitutional and repugnant — which is why we have no choice but to fight it in court.

The fines to be imposed by the Obama administration remind me of the fines the English monarch imposed on Catholics who refused to attend Protestant services following the Reformation.  The idea was to either force them into the Protestant ecclesial community or impoverish them.  Because of this many English Catholics capitulated in order not to starve to death.  Seems to me that this mandate seeks to do the same thing. 

Another piece of news: it seems the Holy Father will make his final decision with regard to the Society of St Pius X before the summer.  I see from Traditionalist websites that they are expecting him to bring them back into the full life of the Church.  To be honest I cannot see that happening.  Despite their claims of being obedient to the Pope and faithful, they have not budged one inch and still reject Vatican II.  In their eyes, it seems to be, all of us are Modernists.  We will leave it to the Holy Father, but I think there are few options open, one of them being the declaration of a formal schism.

A priest who has been in prison since 1994 for abuse may soon be a free man after new revelations appear to expose his accuser.  Fr Gordan McRae, who blogs from his prison cell, was convicted of abusing Thomas Grover.  However, Mr Grover's history is far from pristine, and it seems new witnesses have come forward to say that he admitted to them he was never abused by Fr MacRae, among other evidence being presented by the priest's lawyers.  It is being claimed that Mr Grover fabricated the accusations to get money out of the Church - it wouldn't be the first time.

If Fr MacRae is innocent, it will be one of the most serious miscarriages of justice in American history.  After twenty years in prison, he will be due a huge settlement in compensation - which he should get.  Mr Grover should also face charges: while we as Christians must forgive, we must also ensure that we do not lead people into sin - to let accusers off scott free gives them the idea that people can make false accusations against innocent Catholics and get away with it even if they are found out: there is no charity in that.  Anyway, we shall watch this one with interest.

And finally, some good news.  At the Mass to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the death of their founder, the leaders of Communion and Liberation have formally petitioned the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Scola, to open a Diocesan Informative Enquiry into the life, virtues and reputation of sanctity of Mgr Luigi Guissani with a view to opening the Cause for his beatification and canonisation.   

Mgr Giussani has left the Church an enormous legacy not only through founding and guiding one of the most influential new movements in the Church, but also through his writings and personal holiness.  We pray that the Cause, once opened, will proceed quickly to a successful conclusion.  In spite of all the difficulties the Church is facing in these times, God has given us magnificent holy men and women who serve as bright and inspiring lights to console and guide us.  Deo gratias!

Mgr Giussani with Blessed John Paul II, and his tomb in Milan

Catholic Education

Pontifical University of Peru

Well, I've been a good priest this morning and, so far, have marked a fair number of parishioners with the ashen cross.  I am just back from the schools, as I as left them, the pupils were all comparing the size of their ashen crosses.   I have two schools in my parish - St Louis's in Rathkenny and St Patrick's in Stackallen.  Both are excellently run, two fine principals and dedicated staff.  I am a blessed priest!

Of course you will know that we in Ireland are getting ready for a battle to keep our Catholic schools.  Thankfully both my principals and their staff are committed to providing Catholic education which the people of the parish want for their children.  And we will do everything we can to keep that service.

Catholic education goes beyond primary schools, even into Universities, and I see the Rector of the Pontifical University of Peru has been given an ultimatum by Cardinal Bertone: comply with the Church requirements for Catholic colleges, as laid down by Ex Corde Ecclesiae, by Easter Sunday or else....   By the way, this problem with the University has been going on since the 1970's - so we can't say the Vatican is acting rashly. Here's the background.

I'm sure staff in the University must be in shock - the Holy See rarely issues such ultimatums.  No doubt we will hear the mantra of "academic freedom".  This ultimatum does not interfere with academic freedom, it just reminds the University that it has to be true to the honours and privileges it has received, or else lose them. 

A Pontifical University has to follow certain guidelines, and it must not become an institute which acts in a manner which is contrary to Church teaching.  By all means embrace the secular agenda, but if a University does so, it must not expect the patronage of the Church or her benefactors.  One of the problems we have with organisations which were once Catholic but have since disavowed their relationship with the Church, is that they want to hang on to benefices and privileges which were conferred because they were Catholic and because they were dedicated to promoting the faith.  I know of one charitable organisation that was trying to break its link with the Church, but still wanted to be the charity which the Church promoted during the Lenten period.  That's not on. 

The Pontifical University of Peru finds itself in a very difficult position - it has no choice but to accept the Holy See's decision otherwise it looks like it will lose its Pontifical status and that means they lose their campus - the donor when giving the land for the University did so on condition that it remains a Pontifical University - if it no longer has that privilege, then the land goes to the Archdiocese of Lima.  That will mean the end of the University, or at best, a desperate attempt to rent from the Archdiocese or find alternative accommodation - I'd imagine the latter would be the most likely outcome.

I notice that in response to this news story, some are saying that the Vatican should look at other Catholic colleges.  I have to agree with that.  A review of Catholic education in these third level institutes might be a good idea.  Too many people, organisations and institutes are trading under the title Catholic and yet they represent not the teaching of the faith, but the exact opposite.   In such cases, the greatest irony is that the very Church they are attacking and rebelling against is the one which is providing them with their livelihood. 

We have so much to pray for as we weep for our own sins!   Thank God for Lent - it is a time for us to get our lives straight again and do some good, honest fasting.  I wish you all a Blessed Lent!

A Blessed Lent

Wishing you all a good Lent!  May the Lord give us all the graces we need to remain faithful to our observance.