Ecumenical news: Pope & Patriarch recite the Creed in Greek (without "and the Son")!

People, you really need to check out Fr. Z's blog... very insightful, and full of goodies like this...

Today during the Mass for the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Benedict XVI and Bartholomew I recited the Creed together in Greek.

This is just a wonderful gesture, if nothing else. However, I think it's more than just a gesture, we're slowly getting somewhere here; I really believe it. We (Orthodoxy and Catholicism) need each other. I hate to say it, but I bet I know a few Orthodox who'd think this is stupid and/or dislike it. They'd say that the pope is trying to manipulate the patriarch into a deal by providing such gestures, or that the pope is a relativist because he's not reciting the Creed with the "filioque" as he should if he's truly Roman. Go figure. As Fr. Z. notes, this really, at the end of the day, should now be a non-issue. Maybe I'm naive, but it really should, after all we know about the Holy Ghost. No reason to keep pouring salt on this wound. It's a done deal. The Roman Church believes the same thing as the Orthodox Churches about the Holy Spirit, and everyone knows that as a fact (too many pointless, semantical battles); to pretend otherwise is just intolerance and hatred. I'd be hard-pressed to find a Catholic (a serious one too) who'd balk at the prospects of not reciting the "filioque" for ecumenical reasons; and I really don't think you'd have to call them a relativist either. Yet part of me would like to see the same thing from the Orthodox, but I doubt I'll ever see a patriarch recite the Creed in Latin with the "filioque". Dare to dream. It seems somewhat clear that part of the essence of being Orthodox (for SOME), part of the identity itself (sadly), is to be anti-Roman. That's just one practical reason (and other theological reasons such as the papacy, of course), why I could never consider converting to Orthodoxy - it's tempting if you love liturgy though, but liturgy and correctly painted icons are NOT the faith (albeit important). At the end of the day, SOME Orthodox, not all, are just down-right anti-Roman no matter what. Well, God bless the patriarch for such generosity during the commemoration of the Pauline Year.

[Here them reciting the Creed! AWESOME!!! Real ecumenism in action.]

This is interesting for several reasons.

First, for so long it has been nearly obligatory to have the whole congregation sing the Creed alternating with the Sistine Chapel "Choir".

Apparently it isn’t so obligatory as we thought that the whole congregation recite the Creed.

Second, the text of the Creed is that the 381 Council of Constantinople, and thus it is the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed:

The Patriarch and the Pope both use the singular "I believe", rather than "We believe" of the conciliar formula. The conciliar form of the Creed was a group document, that needed a plural form. The liturgical form is a personal declaration made together with everyone else gathered.

This brings the third point: It did not contain the so-called "Filioque" clause. This is why they could recite it together easily. The Filioque clause has been a source of division from the time when the Latin Church and the Greek Church were talking past each, with a lack of comprehension on both sides of the theology of the Holy Spirit and His relationship to the Father and the Son. Now that there is greater comprehension about this relationship and what each side means when they talk about the Holy Spirit, there is far less reason to stress the differences that historically surround the Filioque clause.

Thus, the fourth point is notice how well the Holy Father reads the Greek text.

Fifth, could you local priest, seminary instructor, or bishop do the same, even with the Creed in Latin?

Thanks, Fr. Z.!

Parish fashion: "the original human nature was not like the present..."

This redefines the meaning of the term "girlie-men". It's amazing what people will say when they believe any and every thing they think.

My emphasis and [my comments].

The notion of wardrobe androgyny was the fitting theme of Yves Saint-Laurent's men's collection, the house that kicked off the just-ended Paris men's shows where men's fashion won a feminine touch.

At YSL, designer Stefano Pilati used quotations from Plato to explain why he combined female detailing with a masculine silhouette.

"The original human nature was not like the present ... the sexes were not two as they are now." [What does that mean? Is he really serious? If he is, I hope he doesn't really think that, but rather he has lied to himself so much that he believes everything he thinks.]

Pilati underscored the union of genders with a line for men made in fabrics normally worn by women -- crepe de chine, organza, shantung and silk voile, all fabrics which float rather than fall.

In an era obsessed with global warming and sustainable development, the 44 spring/summer 2009 collections displayed at the four-day men's fashion shows ending Sunday featured light airy see-through linens, silks and soft feathery cottons. [Will somebody explain the connection between global warming fanaticism and gay fanaticism???? Or is it just fanaticism that's in common here?]

Bright colours, more often the domain of women's wear, also figured strong.

As Gay Pride marches took place across Europe, pink was popular in Paris.

Louis Vuitton, a house with a predominantly masculine view of the world, chose pink for shorts, pants and waistcoat, and even shoes.

A huge pink sail served as the backdrop for an otherwise frankly male take on fashion from Emmanuel Ungaro designer Franck Boclet, who said fuschia was simply one of the house's signature colours.

"I wanted a gay fresh style," Boclet said of what he told AFP was "a Paris 60s look" [yes, nothing fresher than re-hashing the 60's style...] of hip-hugging tight-thighed pants, chequered suits, and the odd item in day-glo orange, bright blue or purple.

Read the rest of this crap here.

"Let's celebrate diversity! (the 'hermeneutic of continuity' way)" Pope says old-rite Latin Mass should be on offer in every Catholic parish

You gotta admit, the Trid mass (pictured below) looks way cooler and more mysterious (it's all about the Sacred Mysteries!), and far more reverent to actually be the Holy Sacrifice of the mass. However, we need to remember, that the Novus Ordo should look the same if actually done faithfully to the Council's wishes.

The Vatican is writing to seminaries to request all student priests are trained in how to say the Tridentine Mass, a liturgy abandoned for Mass in the vernacular in the 1960s.

by Bess Twiston Davies

Pope Benedict XVI wants every parish in the West to offer believers the Mass in the Tridentine or Gregorian Rite, the Latin-language liturgy used until the 1960s by every Catholic church in the world.

The Vatican is now writing to seminaries to ask that student priests be required to learn the rite, which, in widescale liturgical changes following the modernising church council Vatican II (1962-5), was largely replaced by Mass in the vernacular.

The Pope wishes every parish to offer both rites for Sunday Mass, an eminent Vatican Cardinal announced in London on Saturday. Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, President of the Ecclesia Dei Commission, said: “The Holy Father is willing to offer to all the people this possibility, not only for the few groups who demand it but so that everybody knows this way of celebrating the Eucharist in the Catholic Church.”

It was a “gift” and a “treasure,” Castrillon Hoyos said, hours before celebrating a Tridentine liturgy attended by some 1,500 worshippers at Westminster Cathedral on June 14. “This kind of worship is so noble, so beautiful – the deepest theologians’ way to express our faith. The worship, the music, the architecture, the painting, makes a whole that is a treasure.”

[snip]

Used worldwide in Catholic parishes from 1570 until the 1960s, the Tridentine Rite also differs in key aspects from the modern Catholic liturgy. In the modern Mass, a priest will face the congregants, in the Tridentine Rite, he will pray facing the altar, traditionally placed facing East, towards Jerusalem, and thus the direction of the place from which Christ is believed to have ascended to heaven.

In July 2007. Benedict XVI announced that every priest who wished to do so might celebrate Mass in the Tridentine Rite – without requiring, as had previously been the case, permission from their local bishop.

Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos added: “Today for many bishops it is difficult because they don’t have priests who don’t know Latin.Many seminaries give very few hours to Latin – not enough to give the necessary preparation to celebrate in a good way the Extraordinary Form.”

Read full article.

Benedict bios [Times Online]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article4100545.ece

The best on Benedict: a selection of papal biographies
Following reports that Benedict XVI is a now best-selling author, Luke Coppen, editor of The Catholic Herald newspaper chooses his five favourite books on the Pope.

1. Tracey Rowland: Ratzinger's Faith: The Theology of Pope Benedict XVI, Oxford University Press (£11.69 Times Books) An acute and sympathetic study by an Australian academic. The perfect introduction to the ideas of Joseph Ratzinger.

2. Aidan Nichols: The Thought of Benedict XVI: an Introduction to the Theology of Joseph Ratzinger, Burns and Oates (£16.19, Times Books)

A classic guide to Pope Benedict's theology by one of the England's most creative theologians.

3. John Allen: Pope Benedict XVI: a biography of Joseph Ratzinger, Continuum (£12.59, Times Books)

A controversial biography by a leading Vatican-watcher. Lots of juicy ecclesiastical politics and critical judgments about Ratzinger's role as the Vatican's doctrinal policeman.

4. In the Footsteps of Joseph Ratzinger: Alessandra Borghese, Sebastian Creswell-Turner, Family Publications (£7.95 Times Books)

A charming account of the Pope's childhood and formative years in Bavaria.

5. Pope Benedict XVI: The Conscience of Our Age: D. Vincent Twomey, Ignatius Press (£6.41, Amazon price)

A warm, insightful portrait of the Pope by a former student who is now a prominent priest in Ireland.

Gay rites: 'Bishop' Gene Robinson

From The Times
April 29, 2008
Gay rites; New Hampshire's Bishop Gene Robinson is about to enter into a civil union
In a new book the Anglican clergyman explains why he wanted to formalise his 20 year relationship

[The article is by Gene Robinson]

“I always wanted to be a June bride.” [great start!] As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew there'd be trouble. I'd just delivered an hour-long lecture on the relationship between religion and public discourse, and why religious fervour over homosexuality plays such a large and negative role in the securing of full civil rights for gay people.

During the question-and-answer period, someone asked me about the forthcoming civil union between me and Mark, my partner of 20 years. The audience had been welcoming and sympathetic, full of laughter and understanding, and for one moment, I forgot that the C-SPAN cameras were rolling and that every word I said would be parsed by my critics. Within hours, those eight words had made it around the world, thanks to conservative bloggers and the magic of the internet.

No context; nothing about the preceding hour of carefully constructed comments; nothing about my defence of - and love for - the Scriptures; nothing about the loving God to whom I constantly pointed. Just this one sentence.

Surely no one thinks that I'll don a wedding gown and wear flowers in my hair. But I suspect that a lot of people are uncomfortable with me using the word “bride” - a word associated with women as property - to describe a man. For many centuries marriage was about the transfer of property (the bride) from one man (the father) to another man (the groom), in some places accompanied by the payment of a dowry or bride price. Is calling myself a “bride” offensive because it relegates a “privileged” man to the status of a woman? I'll be the first to admit that it would have been better if I'd never uttered those eight words - not because they aren't true, but simply because they gave the conservative forces something else to use against me. It was a stupid thing to say, and I should have known better.

Read the rest...

Here's what online readers said (I love the St. Paul, MN guy!)

"Not my will thine be done," prayed Jesus, the Good Shepherd. He surrendered. Men like Gene Robinson do not. He has a docile manner yet is defiant, forcing his own will above God's. Unfaithful. Scripture warns about leaders intentionally sinning and encouraging others to do the same.

Cheryl, Foothill Ranch, USA

I want my daughters! I want my boyfriend! I want to marry him! I want to be Bishop with all its trappings! I will lead my flock astray! I will go to Lambeth even if I've been uninvited! I want, I want! Me, me, ME! Where is CHRIST in your life? You are bereft of self-sacrifice and self-denial.

Aileen, London, UK

To live free from criticism? To live without having to think about what you say before you say it? Who lives life in that way, gay or straight? [HA!] From weakness of character, Gene Robinson is demanding of the world more than any reasonable adult would expect; certainly any religious leader.

christopher menzhuber, St. Paul, USA

Thinking Anglicans...

I ran accross an interesting blog...
http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/

Here's how it describes itself: my emphasis & [my comments].

Thinking Anglicans is a website for thoughtful contributions to the proclamation of the gospel message. Here writers reflect on what it means to be a Christian, particularly in Britain today.

Thinking Anglicans will actively report news, events and documents that affect church people, and will comment on them from a liberal Christian perspective [too bad, I thought the site would be useful].

Thinking Anglicans proclaims a tolerant, progressive and compassionate Christian spirituality, in which justice is central to the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom of God. Our spirituality must engage with the world, and be consistent with the scientific and philosophical understanding on which our modern world is based. It must address the changes which science and technology have brought into our lives.

Thinking Anglicans takes the form of weblogs (or ‘blogs’) in which writers place their thoughts in public for all to read. We each take responsibility for our own words. There is no central definition or declaration of faith to which contributors must subscribe, although most of our writers are active Christians in communion with the see of Canterbury. [So, basically like Anglicanism itself= no clear creed, doctrine, or orthodoxy] Rather there is a range of opinions, which contributes to debate, and is legitimate diversity within the Christian faith. The site will be updated frequently, with regular contributions from our team of writers, commenting on news events and exploring wider issues and deeper meanings.

Thinking Anglicans is a focal point where you can find the words of informed contributors to the contemporary understanding of Christian faith, as well as the views of ordinary ‘Anglicans in the pew’. In a world where the voices of fundamentalism and conservatism are frequently heard, Thinking Anglicans is a place for a tolerant, thoughtful and understanding exploration of Christian faith. We hope this shared witness of the vision of God’s kingdom in the world will help and encourage both Christians and others.
Posted by Simon Kershaw on Saturday, 9 August 2003 at 7:00pm BST | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Pray for the soul of this sweet, young girl [ VISITATION TIMES UPDATED]

Below, I added today's story from the Pioneer Press, which says more about Andrea and her counselor.


Sad news today. I learned of the tragic passing of one of the female students at the school where I teach. She was always very kind and sweet when I met her in the hallway. Please pray for her and for her family. Hard times ahead for them.

Here's the story...

2 die in North Shore river's waterfalls

By PAUL WALSH and LARRY OAKES, Star Tribune

Last update: June 26, 2008 - 6:20 PM

Two people ending a daylong outing with a Maple Grove church group along a hard-flowing North Shore river with cascading waterfalls waded in to wash up, were pulled over the falls by a strong current and sent a half-mile or more to their deaths.

Climbing camp participant Andrea Evans, 17, of Rosemount, and counselor Julie Steiskal, 29, of Maple Lake, Minn., died shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday in the Temperance River near Hwy. 61, according to the Cook County sheriff's office.

"It seems that ... an undercurrent started to take Andrea away," Shelly Evans, Andrea's mother, said this afternoon after being briefed by the sheriff's office. "The counselor was holding on to the rock and holding on to her, and they went over the falls and into the gorge."

The group of three adults and five kids from the Church of the Open Door group was wrapping up a day hike to a rocky promontory known as Carlton Peak, said Sheriff Mark Falk. The hikers waded in to rinse off in a pool that empties into a gorge full of waterfalls and rapids, where the Temperance tumbles toward Lake Superior.

"They were bathing in knee-deep water, Julie had some shampoo, and they were going into chest-deep water to dunk themselves," Falk said. "It appears Andrea slipped, and Julie was trying to hang onto her, but unfortunately the current was too strong, and it swept them both into the gorge."

The pair went through a series of rapids and over several waterfalls as witnesses ran to a lower pool about a half-mile downstream. Those witnesses watched as the victims' bodies tumbled over a final waterfall and into the pool, where they floated, lifeless. Eight to 10 minutes passed from when the victims were swept away until their bodies emerged below.

Bystanders, including a Becker, Minn., minister unaffiliated with the church group, dragged the bodies from the pool and tried in vain to revive them. Similar efforts by first-responders and a nearby deputy also failed.

----------[UPDATED]--------------------

River sweeps 2 to their deaths
Counselor and camper die on North Shore trip
By Nick Ferraro and Bao Ong
nferraro@pioneerpress.com
Article Last Updated: 06/27/2008 12:59:38 AM CDT

A daylong hiking trip along the North Shore ended in tragedy Wednesday when a 17-year-old Rosemount girl and a 29-year-old Maple Lake, Minn., woman were swept away by the rain-swollen Temperance River and drowned.

The victims were Andrea Evans, who would have been a senior next year at Trinity School at River Ridge in Eagan, and Julie Steiskal, a volunteer youth counselor from Maple Lake.



At the time of the accident, they were wading in the river, which was high and fast-flowing from recent heavy rains.

The two were on a camping trip for children with parents in prison.

A group of three adults and five youngsters was visiting Temperance River State Park for the day, Cook County Sheriff Mark Falk said. On the way back to their campground in Finland, Minn., they stopped near Overlook 7 to "take a dip and clean up," he said.

About 8:30 p.m., Evans apparently slipped, the sheriff said. Steiskal tried to save the girl by grabbing her hand while grasping a rock with her other hand.

"The current was just too strong, and it pulled them both into the river and into the gorge," said Falk.

He said the rocky gorge includes a series of waterfalls and rapids.

Members of the youth group and bystanders found the bodies at the end of the gorge, about a quarter-mile away, Falk said. Efforts to resuscitate the two failed, and they were pronounced dead at the scene about 9 p.m.

Andrea's mother, Shelly Evans, described her daughter as a peacemaker who was devoted to her family.

"I was a single parent a long time, and Andrea was everything in this house," she said.

Andrea became involved with Angel Tree Ministry, a co-sponsor of the camp, after her father was sent to an Illinois prison.

"(The ministry) would take her to camp every summer and bring Christmas gifts to her every year," Evans said.

Shelly Evans' moved her family, including Andrea's two younger siblings, from North Minneapolis to Cambridge, Minn., when Andrea started high school.

The next year, when Evans came to Trinity in Eagan as a sophomore, she worked hard and "was incredibly tenacious in overcoming any gaps in her background," headmaster Bill Wacker said.

Evans' 13-year-old brother, Jashaun, and 12-year-old sister, Nicole, also went to Trinity last year.

Andrea's hard work paid off and she made the honor roll, her mother said.

Her classes at Trinity included calculus, computer programming, Spanish and drama. She also competed on the varsity softball team her sophomore and junior years.

A scholarship to Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich., was waiting for Evans after graduation, school officials said.

Evans had expressed a desire to become a teacher or lawyer one day.

On a profile questionnaire that incoming seniors fill out, Evans described herself as "a hard worker, love to learn, nice and determined."

Wacker remembered Evans as friendly and bubbly, but most of all, he recalled how "her bright smile would light up the hallway."

"She was a popular girl," he said. "There will be a big hole in our hearts for all of next year."

For the class of about 60 seniors, the loss will be difficult because all the students know each other well, school spokeswoman Rochelle Platter said.

"It's a real deep loss for our school and families," Platter said.

Evans worked alongside her mother at a Perkins Restaurant in Edina. "She just got promoted to serve and was supposed to start serving this week when she got back from camp," Shelly Evans said.

Steiskal had worked as a receptionist at Church of the Open Door in Maple Grove since 2004, said Sandi Lubrant, communications manager at the church, which was another co-sponsor of the camping trip.

Steiskal volunteered to be a camp counselor because the role combined her passions for kids, the outdoors and photography, Lubrant said.

"I saw her the day she left, and she was so happy," Lubrant said. "She was just glowing."

The river has been the scene of four other drowning-related deaths since 1996, the Cook County sheriff said. The most recent death occurred in June 2001, when a 22-year-old Finnish man died of head injuries after he slipped and fell into the river while climbing down a steep rock face.

Shelly Evans' co-workers at Minco, a Fridley-based manufacturing company where she works full time, have set up a memorial fund for the family. Donations to the Memorial for Andrea Evans can be made at any Wells Fargo branch.

----------[UPDATED]--------------------

Evans, Andrea age 17 of Rosemount. Student at Trinity at River ridge School. Survived by her parents, Johnnie & Shelly Evans; step father, Ronald McClure; brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. Memorials are preferred to the Andrea Evans Memorial Funds, C/O Wells Fargo Bank. Visitation Sunday, 5-8 pm. Service Monday, 11 am, with visitation 1 hour before, all at Washburn-McReavy Eden Prairie Chapel 952-975-0400 7625 Mitchell Road (1 blk N. of Hwy 5)
Published in the Star Tribune on 6/28/2008.

St. Augustine on today's Gospel (Sat., June 28th)

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 8,5-17.

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully." He said to him, "I will come and cure him." The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth." And Jesus said to the centurion, "You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you." And at that very hour (his) servant was healed. Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him. When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: "He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases."

Commentary of the day :

Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Sermon 231

"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof"

When he came here from another country, Christ found nothing here but what there is in abundance: afflictions, sorrows and death. That is what you have here; that is what there is here in abundance. He has eaten with you what is to be found in abundance in the poor house of your misfortune. He has drunk vinegar, he has tasted gall (Jn 19,29): this is what he has found in your poor house.

Yet he has invited you to his splendid table, his table in heaven, to the table of angels where he himself is the bread (Jn 6,35). Coming down to be with you and finding misfortune in your poor house, he was not too proud to be seated at your table, such as it was, and promised you his own... He has taken away your misfortune; he will give you his own happiness. Yes indeed, he will give it you: he has promised us his life.

And what he has accomplished is yet more unbelievable: he has given us his own death in pledge. As if he were to say to us: «I am inviting you into my life, to the place where none dies, where true happiness is to be found, where the food never stales, where it revives, where it never lacks but satisfies all. See, this is where I am inviting you: to the land of angels, to friendship with the Father and Holy Spirit, to the meal of eternity, to my brotherly friendship. In sum, I invite you to myself, to my own life. Are you unwilling to believe that I will give you my life? Take my death as your witness.

Benedict & Barthowlemew inaugurate the Pauline Year together

Solemn Vespers for the Inauguration of the Pauline Year.

Photos from The New Liturgical Movement.

New Papal pallium...

From The New Liturgical Movement, a great liturgy site.

A new form of the papal pallium, seen to the right, will be introduced on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. I had seen rumours about this as early as the middle of May, but now it is confirmed in tomorrow's edition of the Osservatore Romano. Msgr. Guido Marini, the papal MC, explains the change in an interview with Gianluca Biccini. Here is the relevant part in an NLM translation:

"This is the development of the Latin form of the pallium used up to John Paul II," explains the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations, Monsignor Guido Marini, explaining historical and liturgical reasons for the new insignia in this interview to "L'Osservatore Romano."

What are the elements of continuity and innovation compared to the past?

In light of careful studies, regarding the development of the pallium over the centuries, it seems that we can say that the long pallium crossed over the left shoulder was not worn in the West as from the 9th century onwards. Indeed, the painting in the Sacred Cave of Subiaco, dating back to ca. 1219 and representing Pope Innocent III with this type of pallium, seems to be a deliberate archaism. In this sense the use of the new pallium intends to meet two requirements: first of all to emphasize more strongly the continuous [organic] development which in an arch of more than twelve centuries this liturgical vestment has continued to have; in second place the practical [requirement], because the pallium used by Benedict XVI since the beginning of his pontificate and has led to several annoying problems from this point of view.

There remain differences between the papal pallium and the one which the Pontiff imposes on the archbishops?

The difference remains even in the current pallium. What will be worn by Benedict XVI from the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul onwards takes the form of the pallium used up to John Paul II, albeit in a larger and longer cut, and with the color red for the crosses. The different form of the papal pallium vis-à-vis the one of the metropolitans highlights the diversity of jurisdiction which is signified by the pallium.

Perhaps you will remember a post on this same subject which I wrote in January, The Pallium - History and Present Use. It is both consoling and encouraging to know that my own critical thoughts concerning the form of Pallium introduced in 2005 by the former papal MC are in concert with those of the present papal MC and, it seems reasonable to assume, the Holy Father himself.

It is also very rewarding and important for the reform of the reform seeing the emphasis which is given to the principle of organic development, which I have highlighted in the interview above.

Progress (or not) toward communion with the SSPX?

Bishop Fellay, head of the SSPX.

The SSPX stands for the Society of St. Pius X, a uber tradionalist Catholic group. They are schismatic in that their founder, Bishop Lefebrve, rejected much of the Second Vatican Council's documents on religious freedom. More importantly, he began elevating other bishops without permission from Rome, hence the formal excommunication and schism.

This would be a huge win for the Church and Pope Benedict if he can gain their trust. Benedict sees the good in their community, and he hopes for the million strong group to be leaven for the Church in need of a stronger Catholic identity.

In any case, I think Benedict has worked the situation to be a win for the Church ultimately; if SSPX doesn't want to negotiate, then it proves that Rome doesn't deal with fanatics on the left or the right- the Pope is authentically orthodox in the middle. Second, if Bishop Fellay, now the head, rejoins with Rome it would be a big win for Catholic identity and bolster the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.

We'll see.

Here are the Vatican's requests of this schismatic group (who says their not schismatic, by the way):

Conditions resulting from the 4 june 2008 meeting between Dario Card. Castrillon Hoyos and Bishop Bernard Fellay:

1. A commitment to a proportioned response to the generosity of the Pope.
2. A commitment to avoid any public speech which does not respect the person of the Holy Father and which can be negative for ecclesial charity.
3. A commitment to avoid the pretense of a Magisterium superior to the Holy Father and to not put forward the Fraternity [SSPX] in opposition to the Church.
4. A commitment to demonstrate the will to behave honestly in full ecclesial charity and in respect to the authority of the Vicar of Christ.
5. A commitment to respect the date – fixed at the end of the month of June – to respond positively. This will be a required and necessary condition for the immediate preparation for adhesion to have full communion.

Not too shabby.

Bishop's Fellay's remarks so far...
(Translation by Rorate Caeli)

Fellay: "I have already written a response
and we will see how Rome will react"

...
[17:45][Fellay:] Perhaps it is false to say, in such a way, directly, that I reject, that I propose a total rejection [of the conditions], that is not true. Rather, I see in this ultimatum a very vague, confused thing. But, in fact, I have already written a response and we will see how Rome will react.
...
[18:53] [Fellay:] For me, this ultimatum has no sense, because we have relations with Rome which go forward in a certain speed, which is truly slow. And it is true, on the other hand, that both the Cardinal [Castrillón Hoyos] and the Holy Father would wish for a rather accelerated speed. For me, the only meaning of this ultimatum is the expression of this desire of Rome to give it a little bit of hastiness. And for me it is not a reconsideration of all our relations.

[Interviewer:] "Then, you expect to continue in the dialogue, still?"

[Fellay:] Yes, yes, it is possible that there will now be a time of more, of coolness, but, frankly, for me, it is not over, no.

and............

30 Days magazine managed to obtain a long interview with the Superior General of the SSPX, H.E. Bishop Bernard Fellay. Although the written interview omitted certain reservations made by Bishop Fellay, one sentence resounded in the Vatican corridors: : "If he calls me, I go. Right away. Or rather, I run. This is certain. Because of obedience. By filial obedience with regard to the head of the Church."

Quoted from Newsletter of the [SSPX] District of Asia of Jan-Jun 2001, "Roman talks – An Update", by Fr. Pierre-Marie Laurençon SSPX, Superior of the French District taken from Letter to Priests, no.9, March 2001.

Here's what Fr. Z recommends:

In a few minutes, at the bottom of this hour, I will say Mass, again for the intention of the closer unity of the SSPX with the Roman Pontiff. Join your intentions to this Mass.

Remember, as Augustine says, where there is charity there are no distances.

Ask your angel guardian to be present.

Pray that God’s holy angels will protect all those involved from the incessant attacks of the Enemy.

O God, Who settest straight what has gone astray,
and gatherest together what is scattered,
and keepest what Thou hast gathered together:
we beseech Thee in Thy mercy to pour down on Christian people,
the grace of union with Thee,
that, putting disunion aside and joining themselves to the true shepherd of Thy Church,
they be able to render Thee worthy service.

(From the Mass for the Unity of the Church (1962 MR) translation from the Roman Catholic Daily Missal – Angelus Press)

C of E bishop returning with his flock to Rome?

Check out this news...
The Anglican Communion is in shambles, bogged down by relativism; this is a win for all of Christianity if it happens. Praise God.

At least one Church of England bishop will defect to Rome soon after the Lambeth Conference, I gather from Anglo-Catholic sources. And there could be more to follow.

[snip]

Fortunately, Pope Benedict XVI is more open to experiment than Pope John Paul II. He is taking a close interest in the progress of the rebel Traditional Anglican Communion towards reunion - a process which is under the control of the Congregration for the Doctrine of the Faith, not the Vatican's woolly-minded ecumenists.

I can't betray confidences, but my advice is: look at the new church structures, such as Old Rite parishes, that the Pope is already encouraging, and ask yourself how those models might be adapted for the use of former Anglicans.

But I've already said too much...

Read it all here.

Spanish parliment - defending the 'rights' of apes...

Yes, yes, yes... of course. My favorite line, from the liberal-material fascists interviewed was: "This is a historic day in the struggle for animal rights and in defense of our evolutionary comrades, which will doubtless go down in the history of humanity." Indeed, it will go down in history...
It certainly made it on this blog half-way around the world already, but probably not for the reasons Pedro Pozas was intending! Dumba$$.

Spanish parliament to extend rights to apes
By Martin Roberts

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's parliament voiced its support on Wednesday for the rights of great apes to life and freedom in what will apparently be the first time any national legislature has called for such rights for non-humans.

Parliament's environmental committee approved resolutions urging Spain to comply with the Great Apes Project, devised by scientists and philosophers who say our closest genetic relatives deserve rights hitherto limited to humans.

"This is a historic day in the struggle for animal rights and in defense of our evolutionary comrades, which will doubtless go down in the history of humanity," said Pedro Pozas, Spanish director of the Great Apes Project.

Spain may be better known abroad for bull-fighting than animal rights but the new measures are the latest move turning once-conservative Spain into a liberal trailblazer.

The rest.

‘You lose everything’

This is a sad story. What is most depressing is that the message most strongly communicated here is "you get pregnant and you lose your freedom"... pregnancy = bad things. Sad. Having a baby is such a blessing. Notice what mom is 'missing out' on in the story -depressing.

[My comments and emphasis]

Teen mom on pregnancy pact: ‘You lose everything’

By Mike Celizic
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 9:03 a.m. CT, Fri., June. 20, 2008

Christen Callahan is 18 and wouldn’t give up her 3-year-old daughter for anything. But, warned the teen mom from Gloucester, Mass. — where a virtual epidemic of high school pregnancies has been tied to a pact reported in TIME magazine — having a baby at such a young age comes at an enormous price.

“You lose everything,” Callahan told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira Friday in New York. “You lose your friends. [but don't you gain a child?] You lose being able to go out. I know a lot of people that like to go out every night. You can’t really do it. You lose — you lose everything. [going out and 'friends' - like the ones who knock you up - is EVERYTHING???]”

Callahan was on TODAY to talk about the epidemic of teen pregnancy at Gloucester High School in her hometown. As TIME reported this week, 17 girls at the high school have become pregnant this year, with half of them sophomores who had entered into a pregnancy pact. All but one of the seven or eight girls who set out to become pregnant are 15 years old; the other is 16. Most got pregnant by their boyfriends, but one father is reportedly a 24-year-old homeless man.

Read the rest here.

"Latin Days Are Here Again?" by Geoge Weigel

Here are some excerpts from Weigels interesting Newsweek piece.

Is Pope Benedict XVI determined to restore the Latin mass that many Roman Catholics thought had been consigned to the dustbin of history? The answer, in short, is both yes and no. But neither the "yes" nor the "no" quite fits the conventional speculations in several recent media reports following off-the-cuff remarks to a small Catholic association in Great Britain by a Vatican official. In unraveling this, it helps to begin at the beginning.

As he reminds us in his memoir, "Salt of the Earth," the young Joseph Ratzinger was deeply influenced, both spiritually and intellectually, by the mid-20th-century movement to reform the Roman Catholic Church's public worship--a movement that helped pave the way for the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Father Ratzinger was a peritus, a theological expert, at the council, and like many others, he welcomed the council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy: here was a ratification of the liturgical reform movement he had long supported and a blueprint for further organic development of the celebration of mass. In the immediate aftermath of Vatican II, however, Ratzinger became convinced that organic development had been jettisoned for revolution, the liturgical Jacobins being a cadre of academics determined to impose their view of a populist liturgy on the entire Catholic Church.

In the decades between Vatican II and his election as Benedict XVI, Ratzinger became a leader in what became known as "the reform of the reform": a loosely knit international network of laity, bishops, priests and scholars, committed to returning the process of liturgical development in the Catholic Church to what they understood to be the authentic blueprint of Vatican II. Seeing a Gregorian chant CD from an obscure Spanish monastery rise to the top of the pop charts in the 1990s, they wondered why much of the church had abandoned one of Catholicism's classic musical forms. Finding congregations that seemed more interested in self-affirmation than worship, and priests given to making their personalities the center of the liturgical action, they asked whether the rush to create a kind of sacred circle in which the priest faces the people over the eucharistic "table" might have something to do with the problem.

And they reminded the entire church that Vatican II had not mandated many of the things most Catholics thought it had decreed: for example, the elimination of Latin (and chant) from the liturgy and the free-standing altar behind which the priest faced the congregation.

Over the past 40 years, the Catholic liturgical wars have tended to be fought among specialists and activists. The largest post-Vatican II splinter group, associated with the excommunicated French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, certainly had its problems with the new liturgy; but the deeper cause of the Lefebvrists' march into schism was their rejection of Vatican II's teaching on religious freedom, which they deemed heresy. The overwhelming majority of Catholics throughout the world have welcomed the new form of the mass that became normative in 1970, a mass celebrated entirely in English (or Spanish or French or Polish, or whatever language the congregation speaks). Over time, the silly season in Catholic liturgy that peaked in the 1970s--"clown" masses (with the priest vested as Bozo or somesuch), free-for-all prayers that ignored the prescribed rite, dreadful pop music, inept "liturgical dance," a general lack of decorum--began to recede. A re-sacralization of Catholic worship became evident in many parishes. What Ratzinger and other specialists had called "the reform of the reform" was underway at the grass roots, and under its own steam.

[SNIP]

Will this Benedictine reform-of-the-reform mean that every Catholic parish will soon have at least one Sunday celebration of mass in Latin, using the Missal of John XXIII? It seems unlikely, not least because very few priests today are competent Latinists. But in those places where the Latin mass of 1962 is celebrated reverently and without nostalgic accretions (lace-bedecked older vestments, for example), it will be a source of spiritual nourishment for the minority that prefers this way of worship, even as it introduces a new generation to what will be, for them, a new form of liturgy. In international settings, the use of this rite in Latin may help revive that ancient tongue as a common Catholic language for common worship--no small matter in an increasingly diverse and pluralistic church. Among scholars and parish clergy alike, the more widespread celebration of mass according to the Missal of John XXIII may prove to be the reformist magnet that Benedict XVI wants it to be, encouraging those who are already at work re-sacralizing the liturgy.

And the net result, over time? Almost certainly not "Latin days are here again" in every Catholic parish but rather a more reverent, more prayerful celebration of mass according to a reformed missal of 1970--and according to what the Second Vatican Council actually prescribed.

Again, read the whole thing here.

Demented: more robot 'partners' in Japan

From Reuters...

TOKYO - She is big-busted, petite, very friendly, and she runs on batteries.

A Japanese firm has produced a 38 cm (15 inch) tall robotic girlfriend that kisses on command, to go on sale in September for around US$175, with a target market of lonely adult men.

Using her infrared sensors and battery power, the diminutive damsel named "EMA" puckers up for nearby human heads, entering what designers call its "love mode".

"Strong, tough and battle-ready are some of the words often associated with robots, but we wanted to break that stereotype and provide a robot that's sweet and interactive," said Minako Sakanoue, a spokeswoman for the maker, Sega Toys.

"She's very lovable and though she's not a human, she can act like a real girlfriend."

EMA, which stands for Eternal Maiden Actualisation, can also hand out business cards, sing and dance, with Sega hoping to sell 10,000 in the first year.

Japan, home to almost half the world's 800,000 industrial robots, envisions a $10-billion market for artificial intelligence in a decade.

Watch the video of "Japan's sexy robot..." if you dare.

Liturgy Language: Soaring Poetry vs. Bumpy Prose

A photo of mass celebrated during the Second Vatican Council by Pope John XXIII; don't tell me that the Novus Ordo is the mass of Vatican II! Just look at that beautiful photo... oh, the Council fathers are rolling in their graves.

A pretty interesting read. The progressive bishops tried to put a stop to good liturgical translations; their argument was that the laity are too stupid to understand poetic language, yet they (when it's convenient for progressive/liberal social justice and 'reforms') argue that we are the smartest laity in the Church's history. Indeed, we know lots of worthless facts, but we know nothing of our faith, thanks to the horrid translation of the Novus Ordo, now very, very stale after over 30 years of use and abuse.

Column From Chair of US Bishops' Committee on Scripture Translations

PATERSON, New Jersey, JUNE 19, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is this week's column from Bishop Arthur Serratelli posted on the Web site of the Diocese of Paterson.

Bishop Serratelli is the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Ad hoc Committee for the Review of Scripture Translations.

At their spring meeting last week, the bishops voted on a new translation of the Proper of Seasons and other texts. However, the vote was not finalized because there were not enough members present to reach the two-thirds majority required for approval. Bishops who were not at the meeting will vote by mail over the coming days.

* * *

The Language of the Liturgy: The Value of the New Translations

In Act III, Scene II of The Tragedy of Hamlet, the young prince gives this advice: "Suit the action to the word, the word to the action." Ever since the publication of the third edition of the Missale Romanum in 2000, translators have been grappling with the challenge of suiting the word to the liturgy. Translators working to provide a fresh translation of the liturgical texts face a number of challenges.

Words, like people's dress, change from one generation to the next and from one group to another in the same society. What one individual calls a "swamp," another more ecologically conscious individual calls "wetlands." A politician waxes eloquently about "public participation." His audience understands him to say "self-denial." The corporate world routinely uses the noun impact as a transitive verb. People follow happily along.

Today, politically correct as well as linguistically conscious individuals carefully circumvent the word "man" not to offend women. Past generations pronounced the word with never the slightest intention of excluding women. But times have changed. We speak now about humankind. Certainly, we have gained inclusivity. Yet, we have sacrificed language that is not so abstract.

English always has been an open language, ready to welcome neologisms. The Internet has enriched our speech with new phrases and words. Text messaging is altering our spelling and our syntax. Language is a human expression. As people change, so does the way they speak.

In his popular rhetorical guide, De duplici copia verborum ac rerum, Erasmus, the 16th century Dutch humanist and theologian, showed students 150 different styles they could use when phrasing the Latin sentence, Tuae literae me magnopere delectarunt (Your letter has delighted me very much). Clearly, no single translation of any sentence or work will ever completely satisfy everyone. Even the best of all possible translations of the new Missal will have its critics.

But there is something more at stake than pleasing individual tastes and preferences in the new liturgical translations. The new translations aim at a "language which is easily understandable, yet which at the same time preserves ... dignity, beauty, and doctrinal precision" (Liturgiam Authenticam, 25). The new translations now being prepared are a marked improvement over the translations with which we have become familiar. They are densely theological. They respect the rich vocabulary of the Roman Rite. They carefully avoid the overuse of certain phrases and words.

The new translations also have a great respect for the style of the Roman Rite. Certainly, some sentences could be more easily translated to mimic our common speech. But they are not. And with reason. Latin orations, especially Post-Communions, tend to conclude strongly with a teleological or eschatological point. The new translations in English follow the sequence of these Latin prayers in order to end on a strong note. Many of our current translations of these prayers end weakly. Why should we strip the English translation of the distinctive theological emphases of the Latin text? A slightly non-colloquial word order can lead the listener to a greater attention to the point of the prayer.

Our present liturgical texts are framed in simple syntax. The new translations use more subordinate clauses. This, in and of itself, does not render them unproclaimable. By the very fact that, in some instances, the new translations require thoughtful and careful attention to pauses when speaking helps to foster and create a less rushed and more reverent way of praying. Not a small gain for a proper ars celebrandi.

The new translation at times may use uncommon words like "ineffable." The word is not unspeakable! For sure, this word does not come from the street language of the contemporary individual. But, then, why cannot the liturgy use words that elevate the language from the street to the altar? People may not use certain words in their active vocabulary. This does not mean they will be baffled by their use in the liturgy. "If indeed, in the liturgical texts, words or expressions are sometimes employed which differ somewhat from usual and everyday speech, it is often enough by virtue of this very fact that the texts become truly memorable and capable of expressing heavenly realities" (Liturgiam Authenticam, 27).

Liturgical language should border on the poetic. Prose bumps along the ground. Poetry soars to the heavens. And our Liturgy is already a sharing of the Liturgy in heaven.

The liturgical texts that we are now using are not perfect, but they are familiar. This familiarity makes celebrants at ease with the present texts. The new texts are better. When the new texts are implemented, they will require more attention on the part of the celebrant. But any initial uneasiness will yield to familiarity and to a language that is well suited to the Liturgy.

A language suited for the Liturgy: this is the one of great advantages of the work being done on the new translations. There is more to the Liturgy than the human language of any age or any one country. In the new translations of the Roman Missal, a conscious effort is being made to suit the human word to the divine action that the Liturgy truly is. As Pope Benedict XVI has said, the "central actio of the Mass is fundamentally neither that of the priest as such nor of the laity as such, but of Christ the High Priest: This action of God, which takes place through human speech, is the real 'action' for which all creation is in expectation. ... This is what is new and distinctive about the Christian liturgy: God himself acts and does what is essential" (The Spirit of the Liturgy p. 173).

In his early work Enchiridion militis christiani, Erasmus states the obvious about human speech and the divine. He argues that words always fall short of their task of miming the Logos. Reaching back to Exodus 16, he argues that the smallness of the manna rained down on the Israelites "signifies the lowliness of speech that conceals immense mysteries in almost crude language." Until the end of history, we must be content with imperfect language that will never fully unveil the divine mystery we celebrate. But the new translations, imperfect as they are -- as all human speech will be -- are good translations that have passed through the hands of many scholars and bishops. The language of the new texts, while not dummied down to the most common denominator, remains readily accessible to anyone. Most assuredly, these new translations of liturgical texts will help us better approach God with greater reverence and awe. We gladly await their final approval from the Holy See and their use in the Liturgy!

Illicit administration of the Holy Eucharist...

One of my friends was married recently. My friend is a Lutheran in name, but does not seriously practice, his fiancee is Catholic, somewhat practicing. At the wedding, the priest gave my friend and anyone in the church Communion. This, obviously, is inappropriate and sacrilegious according to any orthodox Christian who believes in the Real Presence (Anglican, Catholic, Orthodox etc.). I wrote that priest a letter, and here it is... and we thought Senator Kerry was spineless!

Dear Father so-&-so,

I was in attendance at the wedding of ------ and ---------, on Saturday,
June 7th, at Our Lady of Victory chapel on the college campus of St. Catherine's.
I apologize that I did not send this important message earlier, but time did not permit.

I was very disappointed that you gave the Eucharist to ------- who
is not in communion with the Catholic Church.
I was also saddened at the fact that you took time
to let the congregation know that you'd be standing in front of the altar (an obvious fact),
distributing the Eucharist, but did not state the norms for reception of Communion.
Thus, --------'s family also received without being in Communion as surely did others
in attendance.

Undoubtedly you are aware of the divisions between Christians; these, as you must
also surely know, are not because of unjust rules or old traditions, but rather because
of what we know and believe about God as Catholics; not things to be taken lightly.
My friend, -------, does not believe in
the Catholic teaching about the Eucharist, therefore, when you presented the host to him
you put him in an awkward place: we, as Catholics, state "Amen"; ---------, grabbed
it in an embarrassed manner and headed for his seat near the altar.

This is really a tragedy on a number of levels.

First, recalling the passage from Corinthians (Cor 11: 23-30)
where St. Paul reminds us that we put the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on our hands when
we receive the Lord's body in an unworthy manner. Certainly, when -------and others
received the Eucharist, they did not put such a condemnation on themselves, for they
probably did not understand otherwise; however, I grieve for you, having given the
Lord's body to them, knowing they shouldn't receive.

Second, you have also provided ------- and ------ (and everyone else in attendance) with
a terrible witness. By denying Church teaching (based even in Scripture), you have
only strengthened the relativistic culture within which we live. Let's say ------
converts to Catholicism; forever in his mind he will justify disregarding the Church's
teaching (which is there to guide us toward the Lord) because on his wedding
day a Catholic priest failed to respect that most sacred gift to the Church: the
Eucharist. Why would he or ------- ever consider obeying the Church's teaching on
something such as contraception when the priest who married them disobeys the teaching on
communio and the Eucharist?

Basically, you have cheapened what it means to be a Catholic to ------ and ------,
and what it means to be a Christian. You've stated by your actions: "we make the
call on truth; there is no objective reality- we as individuals make it up as we
go along. The local bishop's, the pope's, the councils', and the magisterium's teaching
authority is a naked fiction." Very disturbing. When I asked a -------- family member
if ------ was converting, for he received the Eucharist, they replied,
"Oh no, father's really cool about that stuff."
Does this imply that similar actions have preceded this one, or that you have engaged
in other dissenting practices?

Third, what's more is the fact that such a pastoral call is not ecumenical, but in
fact destroys authentic ecumenism. You did not respect the intelligence or the sensibilities
of those in the church that day when you failed to inform them what the Catholic Church
teaches about the bread and wine becoming Christ's body and blood. You also did not
respect the identity of the Catholic Church with this action, thus undermining and confusing
ecumenical dialogue with your autonomous choice. One can only imagine what
serious members of other Christian communities thought, knowing what you were doing was wrong
more than you; you were an irresponsible ambassador of Christ and His Church on that day.

Finally, at the very least, this was an act of disobedience to our local bishop and his predecessors,
as well as the entire Universal Church, headed by our pope. You most likely did not want to represent
the true teachings of the Catholic faith because they are often difficult; you wanted to avoid
upsetting the status quo of superficial consensus, hoping to not 'offend' someone.
Let me remind you something important about your vocation- it's not about you, it's about Him: our Lord.
It is saddening to think of those who have died for their faith rather than renounce even one iota,
and then how you so cheaply gave away the body of our Lord in the Eucharistic bread.

In closing, I direct you to the Holy Father's Apostolic exhortation "Sacramentum Caritatis"
(found here: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_sacramentum-caritatis_en.html )
as well as the United States Council of Catholic Bishops' "Guidelines for the Reception of Communion"
(found here: http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/intercom.shtml );
finally, I would appreciate an explanation or response regarding this tragic occurance.

yours in Christ,
Old Books Club

More on gay marriage & its affects....

NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty lays out what's about to happen to religious liberty in America in the wake of gay civil rights victories:

As gay couples in California head to the courthouse starting Monday to get legally married, there are signs of a coming storm. Two titanic legal principles are crashing on the steps of the church, synagogue and mosque: equal treatment for same-sex couples on the one hand, and the freedom to exercise religious beliefs on the other.

The collision that will play out over the next few years will be filled with pathos on both sides.

More:


As states have legalized same-sex partnerships, the rights of gay couples have consistently trumped the rights of religious groups. Marc Stern, general counsel for the American Jewish Congress, says that does not mean that a pastor can be sued for preaching against same-sex marriage. But, he says, that may be just about the only religious activity that will be protected.

"What if a church offers marriage counseling? Will they be able to say 'No, we're not going to help gay couples get along because it violates our religious principles to do so? What about summer camps? Will they be able to insist that gay couples not serve as staff because they're a bad example?" Stern asks.

Stern says if the early cases are any guide, the outlook is grim for religious groups.

A few cases: Yeshiva University was ordered to allow same-sex couples in its married dormitory. A Christian school has been sued for expelling two allegedly lesbian students. Catholic Charities abandoned its adoption service in Massachusetts after it was told to place children with same-sex couples. The same happened with a private company operating in California.

A psychologist in Mississippi who refused to counsel a lesbian couple lost her case, and legal experts believe that a doctor who refused to provide IVF services to a lesbian woman is about to lose his pending case before the California Supreme Court.

More:


Georgetown University professor Chai Feldblum says it is a compelling case of what happens in a moment of culture clash. Feldblum, who is an active proponent of gay rights, says the culture and state laws are shifting irrevocably to recognize same-sex unions. And while she knows it's hard for some to hear, she says companies and religious groups that serve the public need to recognize that their customers will be gay couples.

"They need to start thinking now, proactively, how they want to address that. Because I do think that if a gay couple ends up being told their wedding cannot be filmed, five couples will not sue, but the sixth couple will."

And as one legal expert puts it, the gay couples "would win in a walk."

Rod Dreher notes:

Really and truly, read the whole thing. Next time somebody asks, "How can gay marriage hurt anybody else?" -- well, here's one answer. You don't compromise your religious beliefs to fit their orthodoxy, your church, synagogue, mosque or religious institution will pay a price. You can't deny it.

Traditionalist religious groups and religious-liberty activists had better get busy right now building momentum toward passing an amendment to the US Constitution granting a religious exemption to civil rights laws with regard to homosexuality. Or give up the fight, and conform. I don't see any middle ground.

Padre Pio incorrupt

Here is the great saint... 40 years after his death. Absolutely amazing. No tricks here. God never intended us to decay and rot, and there certainly is a correlation between decay and holiness.