Pope Benedict uses his cleverly-disguised Kindle to catch up on some papist news.

(Yes, it could be true.)

Photo: AFP/HO

I’m happy to announce that I’ll be attending this year’s Catholic New Media Celebration in Boston, August 6-7th.

I will be hosting a section at CNMC’s new feature this year: the blogging track. Other notable presenters include Lino Rulli, Fr. Roderick Vonhogen (of European podcasting fame), Mac and Katherine Barron (Catholic in a Small Town), Lisa Hendey and well, the list goes on and on. I’m especially excited for a panel discussion I will be having along with Jimmy Akin and Mark Shea. We will also receive remarks from the Archdiocese of Boston’s Sean Cardinal O’Malley.

Registration is full but sponsorships are still available. CatholicVote is a proud sponsor of CNMC 2010. If you are unable to attend you may follow the events on the CNMC Ustream and join the live chat room here (what else would you expect from a group of web-savvy papists?). Get your twitter decks ready, too!

I look forward to seeing you in Boston!

A tragic reminder why the Roman Catholic Church, in its wisdom, has often chosen against full immersion of infants for baptism:

A shocking incident occurred in the village of Mihaileny of Rishcansky district of Moldova with a boy named Laurentiu, who was born six weeks ago in the family of 24-year-old Ludmila and Dmitry Gaydeu.

.. Approximately twenty of the closest relatives and friends came to the church at 4:30PM. Father Valentin began the baptism ceremony.

“He dipped the baby in the water without even covering the baby’s mouth with his hand to prevent him from drowning,” recalls Dmitry Gaydeu, the father of the six weeks-old Laurentiu. “He put his hand on his stomach and dipped him in the water three times.”

The Godparents saw that the boy was not well and warned father Valentine. He answered it was not the first time that he was conducting the ceremony and knew what he was doing. When they saw that the child showed no signs of life, he was immediately taken to the district hospital. (Pravda.ru)

I do not mean to take away at all from the sadness of the story, but the parents may find some small solace that this child surely died in a state of perfect grace.

This is a breaking story.

Miles Jesu has communities in the United States in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Diocese of Phoenix, and also operates in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. In England the group operates in the Diocese of Westminster. It is a community of both consecrated men and lay associates (”Vinculum”).

Yesterday they issued a statement on the homepage of their website. Evidently they have just finished completing an Apostolic Visitation. The situation affords many parallels with the recent visitation undergone by the Legionaries of Christ. Here is the most important part of thecommuniqué:

In a Decree issued on March 25, 2009, Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the Pope’s Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, named me, Fr. Barry Fischer, C.PP.S., as Commissary for Miles Jesu invested with full authority. The mandate is to write a new Constitution which defines the charism, spirituality, and apostolic nature of the Institute; to develop adequate vocational discernment and formation policies (ratio formationis); to review the financial policies, and in general to completely revise all its practices and customs.

During the past seventeen months, I have worked closely with the membership in pursuit of this mandate, as well as with former members who have left during or after the Apostolic Visitation. In time it has become clear and undeniable, that the Founder, Fr. Alfonso Durán, presented erratic behaviors that were totally beyond the scope of the powers given to him. Some members have identified wounds caused by the inappropriate exercise of authority under his leadership. The mistaken sense of allegiance and obedience instilled in the membership facilitated his behavior, which was totally unacceptable and not in accord with the discipline of the Church nor supportable in any way by a healthy sense of consecrated life.

Members who challenged his actions or behavior were often ostracized. The internal discipline and customs of the Institute provided protection for the Founder. It must be said in justice, that most of the members had no idea of the improper conduct of the Founder. Some of the allegations against Fr. Duran are hearsay and have not been verified. However, many are factual. It is important for all that the truth be disclosed, which is the reason for this public statement.

I have several quick observations to make:

• In sharp contrast with the situation of the Legionaries, it does not appear that Fr. Alfonso Duran, founder of Miles Jesu, was guilty of grave sexual sin. Rather, his infraction was “authoritarian” in nature. In other words, he considered himself above some of the laws of the Church, and used this false sense of authority to the detriment of those in consecrated life.
• As in the case of the Legion, Milus Jesu struggles with an accurately-defined charism, proper discernment techniques and practices, possible financial misdealings, and lack of competent oversight concerning its practices and customs.
• These failings have resulted in many members of the religious community leaving the order.
• As with the Legion, many in Milus Jesu live worthy lives dedicated to pursuing the will of God. The purpose of the visitation has been to free them of the harmful practices that are keeping them from living their vocation fully.
• On behalf of the Church, the visitator (Fr. Barry Fischer, CPPS): has “expressed [his] deep concern for all those members, former members and family members who may have been hurt in the past due to the manner in which authority was exercised.” He is also thankful for the courage of those who made the problems within the order known to the Holy See.

The final paragraph of the communiqué is instructive:

Though this communication may come as a surprise and be painful to many members, Vinculum members, and friends of Miles Jesu, the truth cannot be hidden. Only in truth can a better and healthier future for Miles Jesu be achieved. The work of renewal is already in progress and there is enthusiasm for the future that the members are building together. United in prayer and in fraternal love, and assured of the Church’s motherly care, we will get through this time of difficulty and come to the dawning of a new day. We walk towards that day in hope and trust in God’s loving care and protection.

Would that the Legionaries of Christ, for instance, had operated under the principle that the truth cannot be hidden, and that only in the truth can a better and healthier future be achieved.

The Milus Jesu website states, “All our members will be very grateful for your prayerful support in this time of renewal.” 

They can be assured of my prayers personally, and I would ask the AmP community to join in this prayer.

Remember that story I did last month on the iPad application for celebrating Mass? Jeff Miller actually found a real-life instance of it being used.

I think it makes an appropriate subject for a papist photo caption call:

I should make clear (because this has caused issues before) that I am certainly not taking this as an opportunity to make fun of the Mass, but rather to make fun of the humorous human elements in the situation … so have at it … respectfully!

This story serves as a sad reminder that there really are crazies out there who wish to banish the Church back into the catechombs.

Tim Graham at Newsbusters calls this out for what it is:

“For all the daily talk on the Daily Kos that conservatives are dictatorial, their cast of bloggers isn’t without grand designs for social control. Take this post: “Time to begin working for the death of religion (a rant).” The diarist “BlueMoon” expressed no attempt to disrupt free speech, but the “end of organized religion” must be attempted.” [Read more at NewsBusters.]

I can’t even begin to imagine the waves that would be generated if a church said that legal action should be pursued to eliminate the expression of progressive-liberalism. That’s because Christians believe in free speech, and in freedom in general.

More to the point, we believe in religious freedom, which this writer in the Daily Kos clearly does not.

Jack Smith points out an awkward example of cognative dissonance (or blindness) from USCCB Director of Media Relations Sister Mary Ann Walsh.

Now, to be fair, I love most of what Sr. Mary Ann writes, and I believe she has been a strong defender of the Church in the public square.

But in this case, maybe Sister should cast the net of criticism a bit wider.

Diane at Te Deum Laudamus is doing a great job of keeping track of all the new responsibilities being given to (former) Archbishop (of St. Louis) Raymond Burke over in Rome:

1. June 2008: Appointed as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura
2. October 19, 2009: Appointed a member of the Congregation for Bishops
3. July 6, 2010: Appointed a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship
4. July 26, 2010: Appointed a member of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints 

This avalanche of appointments would seem to play against the gambit posed by liberal Catholics that Archbishop Burke was summoned to Rome because his orthodoxy was mistrusted here in the United States.

Meanwhile, I have it from an unconfirmed source that five new Cardinals will be named in October, and that the first one being mentioned is Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York City. More on that if some of my other sources come through with the (spiritual) goods!

A good reminder that electing Catholic officials who adhere to Catholic principles has good consequences for society, and for the most vulnerable in particular:

 ”As New Jersey’s Republican Governor Chris Christie continues to fulfill a campaign pledge to restore state government to fiscal sanity, he has vetoed a bill that would have dedicated $7.5 million in state to “family planning” clinics, most of which are run by Planned Parenthood.

New Jersey’s Star Ledger reported that Christie in his veto message said that “the state simply cannot fund every worthy program” and would not restore $7.5 million for family planning clinics that he had cut from the state’s budget for fiscal year 2011.

Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life, praised Christie for standing by his decision to cut funds for Planned Parenthood.” (LSN)

Planned Parenthood and their ilk often make the claim that abortion and contraception are “cost-saving measures” (the catholyc Nancy Pelosi claimed that Stimulus funding for contraception made sense for this reason), because – obviously – contraception and abortion result in less pregnancies and more dead babies … so there are less costs associated with caring for and raising these new human lives. Christie’s veto of the legislation is therefore not, in their eyes, a move to limit government expense, but a choice to raise the costs of government.

What a sad vision, to see innocent human life as a “cost” on a financial sheet.

This post marks one milestone (and hopefully another) … it’s post #5,000 since I began AmP almost five years ago!

Hopefully it will also be the occasion to round up the last twenty or so papists with Facebook accounts to join my official AmP page - now 4,979 papists strong!

The picture at right was my first profile picture on americanpapist.blogspot.com … way back in the day.

Thanks again for everything you have done over the years to make AmP a strong, vibrant community of hopefully-committed papists.

Here’s to another five years and five thousand posts!

The photo I chose for yesterday’s Papist Picture of the Day is making waves today. The UK tabloids happily chirped little editorials such as this:

“Pope Benedict donned the trendy hat as he walked around his estate in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome.”

The latest papal accessory has also inspired the inevitable photoshop entries:

It’s good to see people having a bit of fun with this (and in good taste!).

The surprise pinch hitter was the person you least expected…

Photo: Reuters/Osservatore Romano

Two questions: what’s with all the craziness in the Archdiocese of Vienna, and what is with religious in Austria and spa treatments?

From the Associated Press:

Some Catholics may well sweat in the confessional as they admit to things they shouldn’t have done. But Vienna’s archdiocese has ruled that the box-like structure where believers confess their sins cannot be turned into a sauna.

Bidding on a confessional described on eBay as ideal for conversion into a one-person sauna, a small bar or a children’s playhouse was ended when the archdiocese stepped in.Archdiocese spokesman Erich Leitenberger told the daily Salzburger Nachrichten that auctioning “objects that were used for dispensing the sacraments is not acceptable.”

Confessionals “should not be converted into saunas or bars,” he was quoted Tuesday as saying. Leitenberger did not return calls to the AP. The confessional was offered for auction by a Vienna church undergoing renovations. 

Curiously, the highest reported amount offered by one of the 40 bidders before the item was yanked from the internet Monday was 666.66 euros.

I don’t find that fact curious in the least – we all know “he who shall not be named” was probably bidding on it!

If you are looking for some weekend reading:

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a set of guidelines for using social media, especially as social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter continue to gain in popularity.

“Social media are the fastest growing form of communication in the United States, especially among youth and young adults,” the guidelines say. “Our church cannot ignore it, but at the same time we must engage social media in a manner that is safe, responsible and civil.” (CNS)

You’re welcome to discuss your thoughts by replying to the AmP twitter feed, uploading a video to the AmP YouTube page, or posting on the AmP facebook wall, all while contemplating the photos on the AmP Flickr stream. ;-P

The Vatican is known to conduct surprise matching-socks inspections.

Photo: AP Photo

Facebook, as those with accounts on the popular social-networking website know, has a habit of suggesting people, politicians and organizations to connect with, based on shared interests.

I’m a “friend” of Planned Parenthood on Facebook in order to keep up on what they are doing. This is who Facebook suggested I “Like”, noting that many people who like Planned Parenthood, like him:

Supporters of Barack Obama, you’re in “fine” company.

It’s been a few days since I’ve posted an update on the Dr. Ken saga, but today there is legitimate reason to do so.

The University of Illinois has responded, as CNSNews reports:

 Threats of legal action persist after the University of Illinois responded to demands by the Alliance Defense Fund to fully reinstate a professor relieved of duty for teaching Catholic doctrine on homosexuality in a Catholic doctrine class.

The university said that the professor had not been “fired” — and “there is no case or controversy” at this time.

This, of course, is total baloney:

In its response to Veazie’s letter, the ADF reiterated that Howell’s First Amendment and 14 Amendment rights were violated when the university relieved the professor of his duties, due to the content of his speech.

“While he continues to hold his appointment as adjunct professor, that title is virtually meaningless if he has no classes to teach,” ADF attorney David Hacker wrote in a letter to the university.

Hacker pointed out that Dr. Howell was scheduled to teach during the fall 2010 semester, but currently has no teaching assignment.

The next stage:

“Thus, absent written assurance that Dr. Howell will continue to teach his regularly assigned courses in the fall of 2010, he will proceed to litigation,” Hacker wrote. The legal group is demanding Howell’s reinstatement by July 27.

It’s disappointing to see that the University attempt to dig a hole for itself. You would think thousands of emails would have made them wake up to the fact that there is a problem here. 

Trisha Tan, who has been organizing the pro-Dr. Ken efforts (including his facebook support group – now at almost 6,000 members, as well as the new Facebook fanpage), recommends these two action items:

1) If you have not already done so, call the University of Illinois Foundation at 217-333-0810 and the College of LAS Office of Advancement at 217-333-7108, and inform them that you will not be donating any money until Dr. Howell is reinstated.

2) Write to President Hogan and Chancellor Easter in support of Dr. Howell (presmike@uillinois.edu and reaster@illinois.edu, respectively), and impress upon them the importance of reinstating Dr. Howell NOW.

I have not heard about the results of the meeting between the University and the Catholic Diocese of Peoria which took place yesterday (more details when I hear them). The University of Illinois Board of Trustees holds its monthly meeting today so we may something come out of that. You may email the board at uibot@uillinois.edu (but I doubt the board will actually see it). The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education is also joining ADF in demanding action from the University.

As a reminder, all emails to university officials should be forceful and uncompromising, but also charitable.

I believe that, with continued and focused pressure, we will prevail on behalf of Dr. Ken, and on behalf of the freedom to teach according to the principles of our Catholic conscience.

I have great faith in Pope Benedict. That’s why I’m not worried about what otherwise would be a very worrisome situation: his visit to England in September.

Before the pope’s visit to Turkey I asked readers to pray for his safety. Now I’m asking readers again to do so, especially in light of stories like this:

The controversy surrounding Pope Benedict’s September trip to the United Kingdom has kicked up a bit after an Islamic website invited Muslims to “tell the pope just what they think of him after his insults against the Prophet Muhammad.”

The Islamic Standard welcomed the change of venue for an event on the last day of the pontiff’s visit, Sept. 19, from Coventry to Birmingham.

Birmingham, the second-largest city in England after London, is about 15 percent Muslim, and the website said it was a good opportunity for Muslims to confront “disbelievers” and to “tell the pope in no uncertain terms what Muslims think of his evil slanders against the last Prophet of God and his message.”

Speaking of evil slanders, look at what else the Muslims are saying about the pope:

The Islamic Standard also referred to the Catholic Church as the “sodomite child-molesting Church of Rome.”

Pray for the pope’s safety, and pray for the conversion of those who hate him.

If we are to witness the reestablishment of relations between the Orthodox and Roman Catholics in our lifetime, signs such as this are encouraging:

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, praised Pope Benedict and blasted Protestant bodies that have accepted women’s ordination and caved in to the secular culture on homosexuality.

Noting that the Pope is criticized by “liberal theologians and liberal mass media in the West,” Patriarch Kirill said that “on many public and moral issues his approach fully coincides with the approach of the Russian Orthodox Church. This gives us an opportunity to advocate Christian values together with the Catholic Church, in particular at international organizations and on the international arena.”

On the other hand, some Protestant bodies have “let sinful elements of the world enter their internal world and justify these elements, if they are offered by secular society … secular philosophical liberal stock phrases are repeated within Protestant churches and take root in religious thinking.”

For example, “the word of God is distorted to please the secular liberal standard” on homosexuality, the patriarch noted. “It is written in black and white that it is a sin.” (Catholic Culture) 

This sort of public agreement between leaders of Christianity reminds me of the charter established by the Manhattan Declaration (which, by the way, is approaching half a million signatures).

Last week I wrote about Obamacare abortions coming to Pennsylvania.

This news set off a flurry of back-and-forth between the Obama administration, pro-life groups, and pro-abortion groups. I’ve written a report on the APP blog about where the dust has settled, and here are the highlights:

• of the five state plans examined by the NRLC so far, three of them contained abortion funding (PA turned out to be even less explicit than New Mexico and Maryland in their coverage of elective abortion).
• the pro-abortion side is now admitting “nothing in federal law actually restricts the use of federal or state money for abortion in [high-risk pools].” In other words, pro-lifers who opposed Obamacare because they believed it provided new public money for abortions were … absolutely right.
• Kathryn Lopez has summed it up best, when talking about the news that state plans are covering abortions, she wrote: “[This] means the lie is up: Obamcare never prohibited abortion funding. It’s a matter of administrative discretion.”

Now, the good news is that every time (so far) that pro-lifers have pointed to specific examples of Obamacare providing public money for abortions, the administration (or the department of Health and Human Services) has promised to take action to remove it. What this means, however, is that wherever pro-lifers do not search, new abortion funding can be created, thanks to Obamacare.

Which was exactly what pro-lifers claimed this bill would do leading up to the final vote.

update – Richard Doerflinger at the USCCB Pro-Life office appears to agree with my verdict:

“… pro-abortion groups [have been] crying foul, with the interesting complaint that this pro-life outcome goes beyond anything in PPACA or the executive order. In other words, they are saying the bishops’ analysis of loopholes in these documents is right.

The high-risk pool program is just one funding stream left open to abortion by PPACA. For now it seems pro-life forces have won the first round, through careful research and a prompt public response. But PPACA needs a legislative fix to close such loopholes once and for all. That fix is offered by the “Protect Life Act” (H.R. 5111) sponsored by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) and 115 other House members, including 13 Democrats. Whether these or other billions of dollars in taxpayers’ funds are used to help kill unborn children is not a matter we should leave to shifting politics or to chance.” (USCCB Media Blog)

It goes without saying that if you haven’t signed our petition in support of the Protect Life Act, you should!