Priests For Life Cleared

I'm not sure if you heard the news, but in case you didn't, just a note: the Holy See has issued its conclusions following its visitation of Priest for Life and its examination of Fr Frank Pavone. 

You may remember that he and the organisation were in some strive recently and Fr Pavone's bishop and even the Archbishop of New York were none too pleased with him. Accusations of financial mismanagement were being hurled about and demands for independent audits were being made. Fr Pavone rejected the first accusation and answered the second by insisting that independent audits of the association's accounts were made every year and all this information was available. Fr Pavone mused on whether this was an issue of control rather than irregularities in his organisation. He was suspended by his bishop and sent to live with a contemplative community in what many saw as an exile. That exile was suddenly lifted and he was restored to ministry but no light as been shed as to why the decision was reversed.

Well the Holy See has found that Priests for Life are completely above board on the financial issues, they have found that there are no substance to the allegations and that Fr Pavone is directing a work which is of great benefit to the pro-life cause and the Church: a ringing endorsement. Here is the text of the letter from the Holy See:

Dear Father Pavone,

In response to your recent update about your many activities, I wish to encourage you and your team to continue the fruitful work that Priests for Life is doing.

You have every reason to proceed with confidence, because you have welcomed the assistance of the Church to strengthen your ministry as it continues to grow around the world. At the inception of Priests for Life in 1991, when it was given recognition as a Catholic Association of the Faithful, it was a relatively small apostolate focused within the United States on assisting priests to proclaim the Gospel of Life.

Since then it has grown and diversified into an entire family of ministries, and an international apostolate. While continuing to be faithful to your original vision of assisting and training the clergy, you have sought to follow the Spirit’s lead and respond to the needs of the pro-life movement, and therefore have integrated into your ministry the work of Rachel’s Vineyard, Silent No More, the Youth Outreach of Stand True, outreach to Hispanic and African-American communities, and much more.

Of particular note, you have integrated into your family of ministries the international work of Marie Smith and the Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues, assisting lawmakers in many other countries to defend the most vulnerable human lives. You have also become an NGO at the United Nations and continue to assist the Holy See Mission.
As you do all of this, the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy has encouraged you to update your statuses so that they reflect this tremendous growth and development. As the Congregation has indicated, if you eventually want to apply to the Vatican for recognition as an international Association of the Faithful, then those revised statutes can be presented to the competent authority.

In the meantime, however, the value of your apostolate continues to be recognized. As the Visitation Report from the Congregation for the Clergy states:

PFL is present in more than 50 nations, and its work benefits the Church both in the United States and beyond … Without doubt, PFL has offered to the Church a great service in the Pro-Life movement. By all indications, Father Pavone is a truly charismatic leader who has led PFL to significant heights … [The work and finances of PFL are in order … The Association has been well administered financially … [The administrative costs of PFL are in keeping with other groups receiving similar funding in the United States.” (Visitation Report, Sacred Congregation for the Clergy, November 2013).

Moreover, as the Congregation has indicated in a subsequent letter, “there is nothing to prevent ‘Priests for Life, Inc’, together with its numerous affiliated agencies, from continuing to labor on behalf of the pro-life movement,”  with “the many excellent works which Priests for Life continues to do in promoting respect  for the sanctity of human life.” (Letter of His Eminence, Cardinal Beniamino Stella, Prefect, Sacred Congregation for the Clergy to Fr. Pavone , February 6, 2015, Prot. N. 20150367). Please know, then, of my continued support as an ecclesiastical advisor and friend. I encourage all the supporters of Priests for Life to increase that support and work harder than ever to build on the progress you have already made in bringing about a Culture of Life.

Sincerely,
Yours,
Renato R. Card. Martino

Sadly the whole fiasco did a lot of damage to Priests for Life and to the pro-life cause. As to why the accusations were made against Fr Pavone and the organisation is unclear, and I imagine it will remain so. We will see if his bishop or the Archbishop of New York make any statement to clarify things, and perhaps offer an explanation as to why they were so insistent in their accusations and why New York cut off all contact with the organisation. 

Novena to St Genesius Day 8

Called to be Prophets

One of the dark aspects of human existence has been the way vulnerable life has been treated. Too often in history the weak and powerless have been mistreated, oppressed and killed because those who were stronger sought to take advantage of that weakness. Our age is no different despite our belief that we are better and more enlightened than past ages. We may may technologically more advanced, but in many areas we are less enlightened than our ancestors: chronology is no guarantee of authentic progress. The very existence and defence of abortion, euthanasia and various technologies that manipulate and destroy human life, be it embryonic or post-natal is a sure sign that we are as brutal, if not more so, than the tyrants of the past. Being a Christian today, responding to our call to be prophets, means that we must testify to the sacredness of human life particularly when it is at its weakest and most vulnerable, The Servant of God, Cardinal Terence Cooke, a man who suffered from cancer for many years, teaches us that human dignity increases when it s vulnerable and burdened - he learned this lesson from Christ himself who revealed his divine strength on the cross. As Pope St John Paul II teaches us human beings are not objects, we are not to be used for the benefit of another person. As disciples of Christ, his prophets in the world, we are to testify to the unique value of every human life, to the Gospel of Life.

NOVENA PRAYERS

Prayer to St Genesius

Holy St Genesius,

martyr for Christ,

by the grace of the Holy Spirit

through your acting 

you came to discover

the truth of the Christian faith.

In your first profession of that faith

you were baptized through the shedding 

of your blood,

offering your life for the praise and glory

of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Pray for those who dedicate their lives

to the theatrical and cinematic arts.

Like you may they find the presence

of the Lord in their work 

and generously open their hearts

to his teaching,

living it in the midst of the challenges 

and demands of their calling.

In this novena, I remember most especially…., commending him/her to your care.

Let us pray: 

Eternal Father, in your love you call all men and women to come to know you and to share in your divine life. Through the intercession of your martyr, Genesius, who responded so generously to the grace of conversion, grant that the same grace may be given to those who as yet do not know you, and may be renewed in those who do. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for healing through the intercession of St Genesius

Lord Jesus,

you took pity on the blind Bartimaeus

and healed him;

you raised Lazarus from the dead

and freed Mary Magdalen from seven

devils to count her among your disciples.

You made the blind see, the deaf hear,

the dumb speak, the lame walk,

you cleansed lepers and cast out demons.

You preached the Good News to the poor 

and bless those who are faithful to you.

Through the intercession of your 

faithful martyr, Genesius, 

grant your healing and consolation to the sick. 

Give them the strength to carry their Cross 

in union with you.

(We remember in particular _________.)

Help us to remain faithful to you in health 

and in suffering, conformed to your Cross; 

open our hearts to your will 

so your grace may transform our lives. 

The New Aggression, A New Evangelisation

Yesterday members of the pro-life groups of Ireland gathered in Dublin for their annual pro-life rally. Organizers estimate that about 30,000 attended, though Irish media have reported that there were only 10,000 - you can decide for yourself which figure is correct, bearing in mind the Irish media's rather fluid relationship with the truth when it comes to such matters

As expected there was a counter-demonstration by pro-abortion advocates, but this year they were even more aggressive than usual. I have taken part in many pro-life demonstrations and usually the pro-abortion protesters will hold up signs, chant and there would be a few who would be aggressive. However this year there seems to have been a escalation in the aggression, a serious escalation. Civility has gone, and has been replaced by anger, intolerance and verbal violence. All of this found expression not just on the streets with swearing, insults, offensive signs and explicit gestures - all in front of children, but also on Twitter (no surprise there) and with the hacking of pro-life websites. Nor, it seems, is any of this spur of the moment reactions to pro-lifers, it has all the hallmarks of an organised campaign - one centred on the campaign to repeal Constitutional protection for unborn children.

I believe the gay marriage referendum was a watershed in Ireland in terms of protest and demonstration. The ugliness and sheer brutality of a certain quarter has left us with a legacy which we may well find very difficult to exorcise from Irish society. Empowered with their victory it seems social progressives feel that they can do and say anything to their opponents to order to quash them. This does not augur well for the future here, not for the stability of Irish society. It may well be that the Nietzschean "might is right" principle will become the dominant philosophy in our brave new society and that will not be good.

I have often noticed that when a Christian society abandons its faith and Christian culture, it turns bad very quickly. The void produced by the expulsion of faith is filled with a primitive brutality, it loses not only civility but also its very civilisation as its citizens crawl back into the caves puffed up with the delusion that they are making progress. If you need examples of this just look to revolutionary France, or to Russia, Mexico, Germany and Spain in the last century.

When this happens, there is an onus on us Christians to get cracking and do what we can to resist this process and work towards the re-Christianisation of society, to move from the primitive back to civility. For us in these times that will be the work of the New Evangelisation proclaimed by St John Paul II and prepared for by the Second Vatican Council in which the Church sought to renew to meet the challenges ahead. 

I believe a seminal document in this process is St John Paul's Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Inuente in which the saintly Pontiff urged us, the disciples of Jesus Christ, to push out into the deep to proclaim the Gospel. Beginning with our lives and families, we move out into the parishes (many of which need serious renewal), our dioceses, the universal Church and then the secular world. If I may use martial imagery, we are in the middle of a war and we must wake up and prepare for battle. The weapons we use are not those of the world, they are not violence and aggression, but virtue and holiness. However we must not be naive, as many tend to be. We need to be wise, strategic and resourceful - that is what Jesus meant when he told us to be as innocent as doves and as wise as serpents. Piety is good, fasting is necessary, but so is engagement in society.

In this process we aim to make our enemies our friends, either through bringing them to embrace the Gospel or failing that, at least bringing them to mutual respect and the vision of the sanctity of human life and a recognition of what is ultimately good for true human flourishing. We will have an uphill battle but we must remember first of all that God is in charge, it is his work and we must be attentive to him and his will: every effort we make must be immersed in prayer and openness to the Holy Spirit. That said we must also make ourselves useful instruments, we must be informed and trained to have the knowledge and skills so God can use us as his apostles and agents in the war. I believe this is what Vatican II was urging when it spoke of the laity and their role in the Church - it was not empowering them to make the Church a democracy, to decide the doctrine of the Church by means of a vote, but rather empowering them through the faith and history of the Church to make the Church more missionary by sending them out into the world to evangelise. 

Hiding The Baby

There is an excellent piece by Dr Ruth Cullen on the recent abortion issue here in Ireland. I recommend you read it. She hits the nail on the head. Well done Ruth. The inconvenient truth at the heart of the pro-choice/abortion industry is the fact that there is a child's life at stake.

Just a quick look at the comments beneath the article reveals the level of blindness that exists in the pro-abortion lobby. We human beings are God's greatest creation, and what blessed creatures we are, but when we fall, my word, we plummet!

For Those Who Stand In Witness

In Jerusalem there is a monument called Yad Vashem, it commemorates the victims of the Soah, that is the Holocaust - the murder of millions of Jewish men, women and children during the Nazi regime in Germany and German occupied Europe.  It is a poignant place where a fire burns as an eternal flame, and those who come to honour the dead are invited to stoke the fire as an act of commemoration. While we Catholics have our issues with the monument, particularly it's presentation of the role of the Venerable Pius XII during the Second World War (the full historical facts about the Pontiff and his efforts to save Jews have yet to be accepted), we do see the monument as an important place, a poignant reminder of great evil inflicted on a people, a place that urges the world to acknowledge and to ensure that such an evil should never happen again to any other people. 

There are those in the world who deny that the Holocaust happened, and those who downplay what happened. Most people in the world treat such people with contempt and some countries even hold such denials as a criminal act. So what would be the reaction if someone should say this: 

“In the past we have concentrated too much on the Holocaust. It mustn’t be this way because in the middle there’s real life which is constantly changing...I don’t identify with the expressionless person who stands at Yad Veshem stoking the flames, but with young people, who are still against this practice, but are instead fighting for quality of life, their health, their right to work.”

I'd imagine there would be an outcry, and rightly so. Such a statement would dishonour the dead, and the living who remember them. We cannot forget such events for to forget them may well lead us to repeat them.  The Jews rightly say "Never again". Indeed, "Never again" for anyone, regardless of who they are. 

Well, those words were not uttered with regard to the Shoah, but about another Holocaust, the murder of millions of innocent unborn children, one which is not a historical event, but is happening now in most countries around the world. You know who uttered these words and why. In presenting them as I did I want to show you how shocking they are, how removed from reality and from the thrust of the Gospel to reach out to the weak and suffering. Those who seek to defend the lives of the unborn threatened with abortion, those who risk their freedom praying outside abortion clinics, deserve better than to be dismissed. 

The struggle against abortion is not a minor issue on the social justice agenda, it is THE ISSUE. It is as important as poverty and jobs because it is tackling the legalised and systematic extermination of innocent human beings at the most vulnerable stage of their lives. Indeed it is at the top of the social justice agenda, because if we cannot defend the right to life, then our work for the poor and unemployed is selective and smacks of hypocrisy.  The defence of the unborn is the most heroic work because, unlike our work for the poor and marginalised (worthy as it is), it is not fashionable and not popular in the eyes of many today. It is work that makes one an outcast in the eyes of polite society, in the eyes of legislators and even in some jurisdictions, a criminal. Men and women, priests and religious, and not a few bishops, now have criminal records in some countries because they simply stood across the road from an abortion clinic and quietly prayed the rosary for the unborn dying that day, for the mothers and for the medical staff committing the act. 

None of our pastors should be embarrassed by these men and women, those who quietly stand in witness and in prayer, who stoke the flames to make the world aware of a new forgotten Holocaust, who remember and pray that the day will come when the people and governments of this world will weep and say "Never again". Our pastors from the Pope himself to the humblest deacon should commend them and pray for them, support them and learn from them. For in their silent testimony they stand like Christ before Pilate and they utter to the world: "Ecce Homo: here is the human person hidden in the womb who now endures a painful death with the approval of many in the world; and there are few who will speak up for them, defend them".

Let us all pray for the Pro-Life Cause, for our pastors that they may guide and support those involved in this work; for those who die in the abortion clinics of the world; for their mothers; for those who commit the act; for those who promote it; for those who legislate for it; for those who think, mistakenly, that this most grave evil is a good.  We pray for those who should understand, but don't. We call upon the mercy of God and the intercession of Our Lady and the Saints.

For further reflection on this issue see Edward Peter's article and SPUC's John Smeaton. 

A Saint Consoles A Future Saint

During our pilgrimage to Rome for the canonisation of St John Paul, our group of pilgrims spent a few days in San Giovanni Rotondo in the company of St Pio. They were wonderful days of prayer and reflection even if the weather was not great. While there I was able to browse through some of the Italian books on St Pio among them volume four of his Letters which has yet to be published in English. This volume is a gathering of letters he wrote to various people. 

The first in the volume was the letter he wrote to the Venerable Pope Paul VI expressing his obedience and support upon the promulgation of Humanae Vitae: the letter which brought great consolation to the Pontiff. St Pio was very fond of Pope Paul, and Pope Paul held the Capuchin friar in great esteem. Following St Pio's death, just a couple weeks after he wrote his letter to the Pontiff, Paul spoke in glowing terms of the priest. Indeed it was Paul who lifted the restrictions which St John XXIII had imposed on Pio. With the Venerable Pope Pius XII, Pope Paul believed that God was working in a dramatic and dynamic way in the stigmatised friar.

I thought I'd share with you this letter St Pio wrote to Pope Paul for your meditation, and as a consolation for all those who devote their lives to the pro-life cause. We have powerful friends in heaven.

San Giovanni Rotondo, 12th September, 1968.

Your Holiness:

Availing myself of Your Holiness' meeting with the Capitular Fathers, I unite myself in spirit with my Brothers, and in a spirit of faith, love and obedience to the greatness of Him whom you represent on earth, offer my respectful homage to Your August Person, humbly kneeling at Your feet.

The Capuchin Order has always been among the first in their love, fidelity and reverence for the Holy See. I pray the Lord that its members remain ever thus, continuing their tradition of seriousness and religious asceticism evangelical poverty, faithful observance of the Rule and Constitutions, renewing themselves in vigorous living and deep interior spirit—always ready, at the least gesture from Your Holiness, to go forward at once to assist the Church in her needs.

I know that Your heart suffers much these days on account of the happenings in the Church: for peace in the world, for the great needs of its peoples; but above all, for the lack of obedience of some, even Catholics, to the lofty teachings which You, assisted by the Holy Spirit and in the name of God, have given us. I offer Your Holiness my daily prayers and sufferings, the insignificant but sincere offering of the least of your sons, asking the Lord to comfort you with His grace to continue along the direct yet often burdensome way—in defense of those eternal truths which can never change with the times.

In the name of my spiritual sons and of the "Praying Groups" I thank Your Holiness for the clear and decisive words You have spoken in the recent encyclical, "Humanae Vitae", and I reaffirm my own faith and my unconditional obedience to Your inspired directives.

May God grant truth to triumph, and, may peace be given to His Church, tranquility to the people of the earth, and health and prosperity to Your Holiness, so that when these disturbing clouds pass over, the Reign of God may triumph in all hearts, through the Apostolic Works of the Supreme Shepherd of all Christians.

Prostrate at Your feet, I beg you to bless me, my Brothers in religion, my spiritual sons, the "Praying Groups", all the sick—that we may faithfully fulfill the good works done in the Name of Jesus and under your protection.

Your Holiness' most humble servant,
PADRE PIO, Capuchin

Annunciation Day: Day For Life

In the midst of Lent, solemnities are most welcome, and here in Ireland, all in the space of a week and a half, we have three: St Patrick, St Joseph and the Annunciation of the Lord.  One might ask how can a body do any fasting in the middle of Lent with all these feast days popping up? Well that's just the hard task of being Catholic - we fast, we feast and sometimes we feast in the fast; isn't it great?!

Today's solemnity is, after Easter and Christmas, a most momentous one: the feast of the Incarnation of the Lord in the womb of the Virgin Mary. On this day we mark that most mysterious event when the Word was made flesh. This feast is bridged to Christmas and begins, for us Christians, a nine month programme of prayer and reflection on God's becoming man as part of his plan to redeem us.  Today, we might say, a great novena to Our Lady of Expectation may well begin.  There would be no Christmas without the Annunciation. 

This feast brings us to reflect on many things: the fulfillment of God's promise to his people; the willing participation of Our Lady in God's plan of salvation; and of course the wonderful mystery of the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son, the Word, being conceived in a human womb and growing there for nine months before being born.  For this reason we can regard today's feast as a pro-life feast, one which reminds all Christians that they must be pro-life.  To be pro-abortion and Christian is not only contradictory, but almost heretical for to deny that a unique human being exists at the moment of conception is to deny that God became man in the womb of Our Lady at his conception: that at the first stages of life the embryo was not human and not God.  

Today, then, we can celebrate life - the Incarnation of the Lord of life in the womb of Our Lady, and the beauty of life in the womb sanctified by the Word's becoming flesh, transforming humanity by his entering into it.  Let us pray, then, for the cause of life; for the unborn; for expectant mothers; for women contemplating abortion; for women who have aborted their children so they may find reconciliation and healing.

Happy feast day!

Damien Hirst's Pro-Life Art

 

Yes, I know, that headline may have shocked you.  And let's face it, when it comes to Damien Hirst the natural reaction is shock.  But thanks to Matthew Archbald over at Creative Minority Report (great guys the Archbald brothers),I was made aware that Hirst has created a series of sculptures which reveal the progress of life within the womb.  See Matthew's article here.  Looking at the photographs of the statues they seem to be very beautiful and made with great respect and even affection.  So kudos to Damien Hirst for that.

 

And if you are keen to see what the Archbalds are up to you could do worse than follow Patrick's struggle with his chickens.  It seems they are taking a long time to get into the laying game and Patrick is beginning to threaten them with a deep fat fryer.  However hope is on the horizon as an egg was found: a single, solitary egg.  As one Irish Churchperson would say: "Ah, a great sign of hope!"

Saving Baby S

In the High Court in Dublin today an important judgement with regards to the practice of surrogacy in Ireland was made.  You can get the details here.   Surrogacy is a problem, and it creates more problems than it solves, like all alternative means of procreation. When you start to mess with nature, life gets very complicated.

 

And here's another complicated story for you: a surrogate mother told to abort a baby because the genetic parents did not want a handicapped child,even offering her $10,000 to do so.  This is where we are now.  Note what must be the most grotesque phrase in the article: the surrogate mother describes the reactions she got when she refused to kill the baby:

"I can't tell you how many people told me that I was bad, that I was wrong, that I should go have an abortion, that I would be damned to hell." 

"Damned to hell" for refusing to kill a child?  This is where our wonderful permissive society has led us.  Marantha!

UPDATE:  Matthew Archbald over at CMR has a post on this in which he gives a sample of the comments left on Ms Kelley's blog - pro-choicers who are upset (to put it mildly) at her decision not to abort.  As he correctly points out - they are not pro-choice, they are pro-abortion. 

Saintly Master, Master of Saints

Oh to be in Turin today!   The festivities at the Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians will, no doubt, be wonderful as the Salesians celebrate the feast of St John Bosco.  I remember with fondness the Fraternity pilgrimage to Turin for the Exposition of the Holy Shroud a few years ago when we also had the joy of visiting the Basilica and venerating the sacred remains of Don Bosco and of celebrating Holy Mass in the crypt - it was wonderful.  Anyone who has visited the Basilica can testify to its air of prayerfulness and beauty. 

Don Bosco was a most remarkable man as you all know.  He was a fervent apostolic figure, founding the Salesians, writing and serving the young, but he was also a mystic, experiencing various visions and dreams many of which proved to be prophetic and of great assistance to many, particularly today.   He must be one of the first saints to be photographed so much - we have lots of photos and these appear to reveal a hearty soul in love with life. 

There was something extraordinary about him and many who knew him acknowledged it.  But are we surprised?  He was surrounded by Saints and he helped produce Saints.  His mother is on the path to beatification, priest friends who formed him have already been canonised - St Joseph Cafasso being one.  His next door neighbour in Turin is a Saint - St Joseph Cottolengo.  Two of his students have been canonised: St Dominic Savio and St Luigi Orione.  His co-foundress is also canonised, St Mary Mazzarello, and some of his companions in the Society are on the way to canonisation, Blessed Michael Rua being one. So Don Bosco and sanctity seem to go hand in hand: he lived in a community of holiness - surely that is the best example for all of us since we are all called to live in a community of holiness where each is to be sanctified.

There is a wonderful story about Don Bosco and St Joseph Cottolengo which shows the holy trust in God of the latter and the holy resourcefulness of the former.  St Joseph founded the Little House of Divine Providence where he cared for the poor of Turin.  In his deep trust, he resolved to end the day penniless and allow divine providence provide for the next.  So each night before he went to bed he took what was left of the finances, put them in a bag and threw it out the window for some poor soul who might be passing.  Of course there was a poor soul passing, and he passed every evening at that particular time waiting for the bag of money to be tossed out - Don Bosco!   St Joseph's "excess" was put to good use for the boys, and each morning the Little House of Divine Providence found enough money to get it through the day with a little left over for its holy founder to toss out the window later that night.

At the moment relics of Don Bosco are circling the globe as part of the preparations for the bicentenary of his birth which will take place in 2015.  That will be some year as it is also the 500th anniversary of our foundress's birth.    The relics will visit our diocese in March, so we look forward to that.

In other news.  Mary O'Regan has an excellent article on the struggle for life here in Ireland: she reflects on Enda Kenny and the difficulties he is creating not only within Irish society, but also within his party.  Yet, he has done the pro-life movement a service in uniting them.  For years there were tensions between the groups which was sad because there are wonderful, committed and gifted people in each of the pro-life organisations.  Now they see we have a common enemy and they have decided to work together and, I hope, they are reconciled and their differences will be overcome.   The fruit of their reconciliation is the powerful campaign which is emerging from their working together. 

We have a long, hard struggle ahead of us so strong bonds must be formed between the various groups to create a powerful pro-life movement in Ireland, one which is so strong that it will be able to face any challenge that comes.  There is another important thing - they also need to listen to each other - they all have something to learn from each other.  Between them they have huge experience be it legal, social, medical, in terms of lobbying and indeed in terms of dealing with persecution as some pro-life people have been arrested.  Public order Acts have been used against pro-life protesters in the past and we can be sure they may well be used again - pro-abortion Taoiseachs, ministers, TDs and senators may well try to quash opposition as they attempt to impose an "Elizabethan settlement" following the passing of legislation. 

Here is a very good article on how the Archbishop of Trieste coped when he was confined to his house when it was surrounded by pro-gay marriage supporters - he took the opportunity to sit back, relax and read a good book!   There is a lesson for all of us there.  The protesters accused him of homophobia and racism because he upholds the universal truth that marriage is between a man and woman.  Now could someone please tell me where the racism comes in.  How is it racist?  I thought we defined maleness and femaleness in terms of gender/sex not race.  But it all just goes to show you that logic and common sense have been eradicated in these gender wars.  In related news, it seems as things get hotter in the US Bishops have said that they are prepared to go to prison rather than accept Obama's Mandate.   It's like the early days of the Church again as Christians are being persecuted by secular authorities because they will not violate their consciences. 

And finally, in these days Germany is reflecting on Hitler's rise to power which took place eighty years ago this year with his appointment as Chancellor in 1933.  The present Chancellor, Angela Merkel spoke of how the ordinary German people permitted this rise if not by actual support, certainly by their tolerance.  Of course not all remained silent: many voices rose in opposition to Hitler and a number of them were Catholic.  The great Lion of Munster, Blessed Clemens von Galen preached against the Nazis and suffered for it.  Many Catholic priests and religious were interned in concentration camps and murdered because they would not cooperate with the regime and defied it.  Simple actions like hanging a crucifix was enough to raise the wrath of the Nazis and bring a death sentence on your head as Blessed Restituta Kafka found out.  There are many lessons to be learned from this period of history and unfortunately we see history repeating itself now in our modern society and few take any notice.  I sometimes wonder if human beings are not just a little bit thick - it seems so difficult for us, and particularly those in power, to learn from the mistakes of the past.  I suppose we can put that down to Original Sin. 

Fr Pavone Vindicated

It seems Fr Frank Pavone of Priests for Life has been vindicated by the Vatican.  Fr Pavone had been "suspended" by his Ordinary, Bishop Patrick Zurek of Amarillo, and not allowed to continue his work with Priests for Life, and sent to an isolated monastery in Texas to work as chaplain.

The Bishop alleged that there were financial irregularities in the charity and that the accounts had not been submitted to him.    The charity had responded, with evidence, proving that there were no financial irregularities and that the accounts had always been available and financial reports had been submitted.  The board of Priests for Life include a few bishops who were aware of the charity's financial situation.  In a letter to his fellow bishops, Bishop Zurek asked them to encourage their people not to support Priests for Life financially. It seems the bishops followed this advice and the pro-life charity has suffered.   Bishop Zurek also alleged that Fr Pavone had not shown him the proper respect and deference due to him as bishop.

Fr Pavone appealed to the Holy See, and on the 12 May 2012 a decision was made in the priest's favour: Priests for Life have issued a statement.  In its decision the Holy See recognised that a bishop has the right to assign a priest to whatever appointment he chooses. 

Bishop Zurek has also issued a statement confirming the Vatican decision and indicating that Fr Pavone will remain in the monastery as chaplain for the time being.  He has indicated that he will consider, on a case by case basis, any request Fr Pavone may make to participate in certain pro-life activities, providing he (the bishop) decides on what Fr Pavone's role and function in those activities may be.  NCR has an interesting article on the decision here.

On one level this is all very strange, and there may be more going on beneath the surface.  We do know that the Holy See rarely makes a decision against a bishop, even innocent priests tend to lose out so the Vatican may not be seen to be undermining a bishop - priests must accept the sacrifice in a Christ-like way.  Whenever the Vatican does make a decision against a bishop it will do so very carefully and I think that is what is going on here.   My reading of this decision is that the Holy See has said that Fr Pavone was right and unjustly treated, but it is being careful not to hang Bishop Zurek out to dry and so confirmed that as the priest's superior he may reassign him whenever he likes.

Perhaps there has also been a word in the bishop's ear, and perhaps a move might be on the cards in the near future, who knows.  At the moment Fr Pavone, now vindicated, must be obedient to his bishop, and wait on the Lord.  If God wants him for the service of the pro-life cause, then things will happen to ensure that.  In the meantime we must keep Fr Pavone, Bishop Zurek, Priests for Life and the pro-life cause in our prayers. 

This debacle has seriously damaged the cause for life in the US and given fuel to the pro-abortion lobby as they have danced on Fr Pavone's reputation, and the good work of Priests for Life has been damaged and hampered.  Let's hope things will get back on track for them and donations will come in once again for the fine work the charity is engaged in.

In Memory Of The Lost

You may have seen this article on Zenit, if not, read it - it is very important.  For years IVF has been hailed as a great move forward in treating infertility - thousands of children have been born to childless couples, bringing them great joy and easing the burden and stigma of childlessness. 

The Church, however, has its difficulties with the procedure, and rightly so - it fulfills the prophecy Pope Paul VI uttered in Humane Vitae.  This article shows why the Church has her issues with the procedure.

Some interesting facts:  since 1991 100,000 children have been born of the procedure, out of 3 million children conceived.  Of these children 1.5 million have be discarded during treatment - think about that - 1.5 million children have been thrown out, destroyed by doctors and scientists.  The abuse crisis pales in comparison with that!   And many, many more remain frozen in IVF centres, most of them destined to be destroyed also.  These are human beings we are talking about.

Other interesting facts: one man has fathered 150 children so far through the process.  There are cases of other men fathering 50 or more children.   This means incest is going become an issue in the years ahead, and when siblings marry there are genetic consequences.    As regards those born of so called "sperm donors", while there is no definite figures, there are estimates that there could be as many as 60,000. 

And all of this costs money - people are getting rich through these processes, and that, my friends, seems to make children a commodity - a "product" which is desired and then "made.  As we see now, if the "product" does not fit the bill, then it can be discarded (aka abortion) and another made. 

I have no desire to offend anyone, and certainly not those burdened with infertility, but life is precious, it is a gift, it cannot be made and discarded, subject to the will and whim of another human being.  IVF might seem to solve problems, but it creates even more, and while it may seek to bring the joy of a new life into the lives of loving couples, it does so by killing hundreds of thousands of other lives. 

Here is a very disturbing fact - when you see a child born of IVF, 30 other children were "created" in the procedure that brought this one to birth: where are they?  Dead?  Discarded?  Experimented on?  Frozen?  Do not forget that they too are children. 

If we are supposed to be putting children first, and as the great mantra "Best Practice" is repeated over and over again like a Eastern chant, is it not time to really put children first -  not just install and sign register books in sacristies and hoard forms filled by everything that moves within a mile of a church property??   For years the Church has been silent about IVF for fear of offending those who avail of it - God forbid we catechise!    Time to stop being selective - time to think of children - all children, particularly those who fall victim to the culture of death.

Day For Life

Christopher McCamley over at Catholicus blog has an interesting post on the recent Day for Life, which we marked last Sunday.

Personally I am inclined to agree with his point - that a too broad understanding of the commemoration has been taken, and that this approach has led to a perceived ambiguity on the issue of life and, as been said by some who work in the Pro-Life cause, a falling into the temptation to avoid the contentious matters in favour of a more acceptable canon of concerns. 

Last Sunday's theme was about solidarity and hope, and the document released by the Episcopal Conference was not great.  Given the threats to life that are growing, we may need to return to Blessed John Paul II's encyclical Evangelium Vitae to recover what the commemoration was supposed to be about - promoting the culture of life in the face of a culture of death, defending the unborn and vulnerable.  That can be a broad canvas, but the difficulty that may be arising now is that the canvas has been stretched so far holes are starting to appear.

Thank You, My Lord!

Bishop Seamus Hegarty of Derry (right) marching for life at last Saturday's Pro-Life Rally in Dublin

Christopher McCamley has an interesting post today on the Pro-Life Rally which was held in Dublin on Saturday.  To my joy I see that the Bishop of Derry, Dr Seamus Hegarty, was among those marching for life: congratulations to him for his witness, it will inspire many working for the cause of life in Ireland.  There may have been other bishops there, if so congratulations to them also.

In Ireland we not used to seeing bishops walking the streets in protest marches, not since the Civil Rights movement when the then Fr Edward Daly, future Bishop of Derry, was marching with oppressed Catholics.  Dr Daly was actually present at Bloody Sunday when British soldiers indiscriminately opened fire on innocent people killing thirteen of them.  Perhaps the reason we have not seen bishops out protesting is simpy because they were really part of the establishment in Ireland.  That is no longer the case and this is one of the things the Church in Ireland has now to realise and accept; when we do we will find the freedom to be prophetic, as Christ intended. 

In the US Catholics are used to their bishops standing side by side with them not only in marches, but also outside abortion clinics leading peaceful prayer vigils.  Indeed some American bishops have "criminal records" having been arrested for their peaceful activities.  They often remind me of those heroic bishops, many who became martyrs, suffering with their people for Christ.  

The prophetic witness of a bishop can much to increase the faith and trust of their flock.  With things are they are in Ireland at the moment, a lot of PR work has to be done, and we need to see our bishops taking a more prophetic role.  The advance of the abortion and gay marriage agendas will provide plenty of opportunity for bishops, priests and religious to stand side by side with their fellow Catholics in defence of life, marriage and now our right to religious freedom, which is being eroded  bit by bit.

Given recent history, it may fall to the new generation of bishops due to take over within the next five to ten years to take up this prophetic mantle.  I believe between twelve and sixteen bishops are due to retire in that time frame.  But we must support our present bishops for the times they have proved prophetic, and today we must thank Bishop Hegarty for his stance for life.  If there were other bishops there, please let me know and I will update this post: credit must be given where it is due.  Let's hope more will follow in these footsteps. 

Who knows, but perhaps in the next ten years many of us will have the privilege of sharing a cell at Store Street Garda station with a few bishops, all of us saying the Rosary and singing hymns having been arrested for peacefully praying outside an abortion clinic.  I hope we never see abortion, but if it comes, may we all, bishops, priests, religious and laity, have the courage to take a stand.

American Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville praying the rosary on his knees in a peaceful prayer vigil outside an abortion clinic in Louisville.

"Bella" Tonight



Our film club is showing the movie Bella tonight at 7pm in Ely House, Ely Place, Dublin.  All welcome to come.  I have been asked to introduce the movie and give a pro-life talk.   The movie had been postponed from last month due to snow.   Please come, bring a friend...bring a bus load.