Outgoing [New Hampshire] Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter implied the Chinese cost her re-election in November and secretly funneled money to help her Republican opponent Frank Guinta during a post-election interview with ABC News.Ms. Shea-Porter is a liberal and a Democrat.
“They’re in the halls of Congress everywhere,” Shea-Porter said in the interview with ABC’s Jonathan Karl. “[A]nd it means, for example, that you sit on a committee and you say something about concern about Chinese influence or something, you don’t even know if in the next election, somehow or another, they manage to send some money to some group that now doesn’t even have to say where they got it.”
Outgoing [New Hampshire] Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter implied the Chinese cost her re-election in November and secretly funneled money to help her Republican opponent Frank Guinta during a post-election interview with ABC News.Ms. Shea-Porter is a liberal and a Democrat.
“They’re in the halls of Congress everywhere,” Shea-Porter said in the interview with ABC’s Jonathan Karl. “[A]nd it means, for example, that you sit on a committee and you say something about concern about Chinese influence or something, you don’t even know if in the next election, somehow or another, they manage to send some money to some group that now doesn’t even have to say where they got it.”
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDSIf our bishops had shown such firm resolve dealing with predator priests who raped adolescent boys, there is no telling what better repair Holy Church would be in these days. God grant us more bishops like Olmstead.
Staff Journalist
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix is planning to strip a local medical center of its Catholic status tomorrow if it does not meet his demands to guarantee compliance with Church teachings.The Arizona Republic is reporting that Bishop Olmsted sent a letter on Nov. 22 to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, the same hospital where Sister Margaret McBride gave approval for an abortion to be performed on a woman allegedly suffering from pulmonary hypertension last year. In the letter, the bishop is demanding that the hospital comply with Catholic health-care rules, educate its medical staff on those rules, and acknowledge what is the correct Church position on the abortion that took place. If the hospital’s parent company, Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), does not agree to these demands by tomorrow, he will strip the facility of its Catholic status.
“There cannot be a tie in this debate,” Olmsted wrote. “Until this point in time, you have not acknowledged my authority to settle this question...”
“Your actions communicate to me that you do not respect my authority to authentically teach and interpret moral law in this diocese,” he writes. (Emphasis added.)
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDSIf our bishops had shown such firm resolve dealing with predator priests who raped adolescent boys, there is no telling what better repair Holy Church would be in these days. God grant us more bishops like Olmstead.
Staff Journalist
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix is planning to strip a local medical center of its Catholic status tomorrow if it does not meet his demands to guarantee compliance with Church teachings.
“There cannot be a tie in this debate,” Olmsted wrote. “Until this point in time, you have not acknowledged my authority to settle this question...”
“Your actions communicate to me that you do not respect my authority to authentically teach and interpret moral law in this diocese,” he writes. (Emphasis added.)
Morning Bits
By Jennifer Rubin
A headline liberals can't bear to see: "Bush job approval rating higher than Obama's." Yup, faster than anyone imagined: "This is the first time Gallup asked Americans to retrospectively rate Bush's job performance. And it was a stunning turnaround from his low point of 25 percent in November 2008. The 47 percent number is 13 points higher than the last Gallup poll taken before Bush left office in 2009 and the highest rating for him since before Hurricane Katrina in 2005."
Morning Bits
By Jennifer Rubin
A headline liberals can't bear to see: "Bush job approval rating higher than Obama's." Yup, faster than anyone imagined: "This is the first time Gallup asked Americans to retrospectively rate Bush's job performance. And it was a stunning turnaround from his low point of 25 percent in November 2008. The 47 percent number is 13 points higher than the last Gallup poll taken before Bush left office in 2009 and the highest rating for him since before Hurricane Katrina in 2005."
Anglican bishop lays his mitre and crozier at the feet of Our Lady as he leaves for RomeA detail from Bishop Andrew Burnham's final sermon as an Anglican:
But I love the Church of England – the mainstream bit – and shall miss her. She taught me the psalms and the Revised Standard Version. She taught me about music in the service of God. She taught me about the beauty of holiness. Oh yes, the naughty excitement of the Folies Bergère may be available in Anglo-catholic worship but the dull dignity of cathedral worship, the seemliness and the decency, is something I shall also miss. I have tried to gather some of that up in today’s service. There is nothing more Anglican than Herbert Howells’ Collegium Regale, ‘Let all mortal flesh keep silence’ by Edward Bairstow, one-time organist of York Minster, and the psalm chant by George Thalben-Ball, long-time organist of the Temple Church. There is little more beautiful in literature than the Cranmerian cadences of the traditional language of the Prayer Book, which, rather unusually, we are using today. I shall even miss some of those in the mainstream whom I have known and with whom I have worked.It is fairly touching His Grace's sentiments mirror almost exactly mine when I decamped for Rome nearly three years ago.
Anglican bishop lays his mitre and crozier at the feet of Our Lady as he leaves for RomeA detail from Bishop Andrew Burnham's final sermon as an Anglican:
But I love the Church of England – the mainstream bit – and shall miss her. She taught me the psalms and the Revised Standard Version. She taught me about music in the service of God. She taught me about the beauty of holiness. Oh yes, the naughty excitement of the Folies Bergère may be available in Anglo-catholic worship but the dull dignity of cathedral worship, the seemliness and the decency, is something I shall also miss. I have tried to gather some of that up in today’s service. There is nothing more Anglican than Herbert Howells’ Collegium Regale, ‘Let all mortal flesh keep silence’ by Edward Bairstow, one-time organist of York Minster, and the psalm chant by George Thalben-Ball, long-time organist of the Temple Church. There is little more beautiful in literature than the Cranmerian cadences of the traditional language of the Prayer Book, which, rather unusually, we are using today. I shall even miss some of those in the mainstream whom I have known and with whom I have worked.It is fairly touching His Grace's sentiments mirror almost exactly mine when I decamped for Rome nearly three years ago.
Why we waited 15 years for an Ordinariate: the inside story
In the words of Cardinal Ratzinger then, ‘what are the English bishops afraid of?’
(excerpt)
One day, I received a phone call from Rome. It was from a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, whose former prefect was now Pope. I was asked for an undertaking to mention to nobody either the name of my interlocutor or, at that time, even the fact that the conversation had taken place. Things were at an early and delicate stage, he said: but there was a real possibility of movement along the lines of the former negotiations. They had read my book. Could we talk?
I told them that I wasn’t as closely in contact with the Anglican side as I had been, for obvious reasons. But there was one thing I was sure of: that the whole thing would be sunk unless the English bishops were kept firmly out of the loop: they should be told nothing. There was a silence. “Your remarks are noted,” he said. But it was clear to me that if the English bishops hadn’t been told yet, that was a decision that had already been made.
Why we waited 15 years for an Ordinariate: the inside story
In the words of Cardinal Ratzinger then, ‘what are the English bishops afraid of?’
(excerpt)
One day, I received a phone call from Rome. It was from a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, whose former prefect was now Pope. I was asked for an undertaking to mention to nobody either the name of my interlocutor or, at that time, even the fact that the conversation had taken place. Things were at an early and delicate stage, he said: but there was a real possibility of movement along the lines of the former negotiations. They had read my book. Could we talk?
I told them that I wasn’t as closely in contact with the Anglican side as I had been, for obvious reasons. But there was one thing I was sure of: that the whole thing would be sunk unless the English bishops were kept firmly out of the loop: they should be told nothing. There was a silence. “Your remarks are noted,” he said. But it was clear to me that if the English bishops hadn’t been told yet, that was a decision that had already been made.
Jesse Jackson isn't the only activist that can use corporate boycotts for political purposes. Starting next year, the huge Tea Party organizer FreedomWorks will urge supporters to punish huge corporations like General Electric and Johnson and Johnson for backing President Obama's progressive agenda.This is all to the good. Corporate welfare, whatever its form, is more damaging to the national fisc than that for individuals (it is telling the most heinous villains in Ayn Rand's novels are rent-seeking corporate chieftains). It is high time captains of industry, the putative champions of free markets, are called out for sticking their hypocritical snouts in the public trough.
In an exclusive review for Whispers of their plan, FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe says: "Tea Party activists are willing to tackle progressive CEOs just as they tackled progressive politicians. Judging by the results of the midterm elections, progressive CEOs should buckle up, because Tea Party activists are going to give them a very bumpy ride."
Jesse Jackson isn't the only activist that can use corporate boycotts for political purposes. Starting next year, the huge Tea Party organizer FreedomWorks will urge supporters to punish huge corporations like General Electric and Johnson and Johnson for backing President Obama's progressive agenda.This is all to the good. Corporate welfare, whatever its form, is more damaging to the national fisc than that for individuals (it is telling the most heinous villains in Ayn Rand's novels are rent-seeking corporate chieftains). It is high time captains of industry, the putative champions of free markets, are called out for sticking their hypocritical snouts in the public trough.
In an exclusive review for Whispers of their plan, FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe says: "Tea Party activists are willing to tackle progressive CEOs just as they tackled progressive politicians. Judging by the results of the midterm elections, progressive CEOs should buckle up, because Tea Party activists are going to give them a very bumpy ride."
Pope Benedict says condom use may be justified in some specific cases, such as when a male prostitute is trying to prevent HIV infection, in a new interview that has the pontiff deviating from the Catholic Church's line on contraception.Since I am reasonably certain male (as well female) prostitution falls outside Church teachings and since I am also reasonably certain prostitutes generally do not look to the Holy Father or the Holy Catholic Church for moral guidance, the undoubted clamorous reaction to this statement of the Pope by media and birth control advocates will be wildly out of proportion to its significance.
The Pope's comments are published in a new book, scheduled to be published next week, entitled "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times." The Vatican's newspaper published excerpts from the book on Saturday.
While the Catholic Church is staunchly against artificial contraception, Benedict said condoms for male prostitutes may be justifiable "in the intention of reducing the risk of infection."
He also pointed out that condom use among prostitutes is "a first step toward moralization," and said condoms are "not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection."
Pope Benedict says condom use may be justified in some specific cases, such as when a male prostitute is trying to prevent HIV infection, in a new interview that has the pontiff deviating from the Catholic Church's line on contraception.Since I am reasonably certain male (as well female) prostitution falls outside Church teachings and since I am also reasonably certain prostitutes generally do not look to the Holy Father or the Holy Catholic Church for moral guidance, the undoubted clamorous reaction to this statement of the Pope by media and birth control advocates will be wildly out of proportion to its significance.
The Pope's comments are published in a new book, scheduled to be published next week, entitled "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times." The Vatican's newspaper published excerpts from the book on Saturday.
While the Catholic Church is staunchly against artificial contraception, Benedict said condoms for male prostitutes may be justifiable "in the intention of reducing the risk of infection."
He also pointed out that condom use among prostitutes is "a first step toward moralization," and said condoms are "not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection."
Implementation of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus
The Establishment of a Personal Ordinariate in England and Wales
Much has been achieved over many years as a result of the dialogue and the fruitful ecumenical relations which have developed between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. Obedient to the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ to His Heavenly Father, the unity of the Church remains a constant desire in the vision and life of Anglicans and Catholics. The prayer for Christian Unity is the prayer for the gift of full communion with each other. We must never tire of praying and working for this goal.
During his visit to the United Kingdom in September, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI was therefore keen to stress that the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus: "…should be seen as a prophetic gesture that can contribute positively to the developing relations between Anglicans and Catholics. It helps us to set our sights on the ultimate goal of all ecumenical activity: the restoration of full ecclesial communion in the context of which the mutual exchange of gifts from our respective spiritual patrimonies serves as an enrichment to us all."i
It is now just over one year since the Apostolic Constitution was published. The Pope’s initiative provided for the establishment of personal Ordinariates as one of the ways in which members of the Anglican tradition may seek to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. As the Holy Father stated at that time, he was responding to petitions received "repeatedly and insistently"ii by him from groups of Anglicans wishing "to be received into full communion individually as well as corporately."iii Since then, it has become clear that a number of Anglican clergy and their faithful do indeed wish to bring their desire for full ecclesial communion with the Catholic Church to realisation within an Ordinariate structure.
In collaboration with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in Rome, the Bishops of England and Wales have been preparing for the establishment of an Ordinariate early in January 2011. Although there may be practical difficulties in the months ahead, the Bishops are working to address these at a national and local level.
Five Anglican Bishops who currently intend to enter the Ordinariate have already announced their decision to resign from pastoral ministry in the Church of England with effect from 31 December 2010. They will enter into full communion with the Catholic Church early in January 2011. During the same month, it is expected that the Decree establishing the Ordinariate will be issued and the name of the Ordinary to be appointed announced. Soon afterwards, those non-retired former Anglican Bishops whose petitions to be ordained are accepted by the CDF, will be ordained to the Catholic Diaconate and Priesthood for service in the Ordinariate.
It is expected that the retired former Anglican Bishops whose petitions to be ordained are accepted by the CDF, will be ordained to the Catholic Diaconate and Priesthood prior to Lent. This will enable them, together with the Ordinary and the other former Anglican Bishops, to assist with the preparation and reception of former Anglican clergy and their faithful into full communion with the Catholic Church during Holy Week.
Before the beginning of Lent, those Anglican clergy with groups of faithful who have decided to enter the Ordinariate will then begin a period of intense formation for ordination as Catholic priests.
At the beginning of Lent, the groups of faithful together with their pastors will be enrolled as candidates for the Ordinariate. Then, at a date to be agreed between the Ordinary and the local diocesan Bishop, they will be received into the Catholic Church and confirmed. This will probably take place either during Holy Week, at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday or during the Easter Vigil. The period of formation for the faithful and their pastors will continue to Pentecost. Until then, these communities will be cared for sacramentally by local clergy as arranged by the diocesan Bishop and the Ordinary.
Around Pentecost, those former Anglican priests whose petitions for ordination have been accepted by the CDF will be ordained to the Catholic Priesthood. Ordination to the Diaconate will precede this at some point during Eastertide. Formation in Catholic theology and pastoral practice will continue for an appropriate amount of time after ordination.
In responding generously and offering a warm welcome to those seeking full ecclesial communion with the Catholic Church within the Ordinariate, the Bishops know that the clergy and faithful who are on that journey of faith will bring their own spiritual treasures which will further enrich the spiritual life of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. The Bishops will do all they can to ensure that there is effective and close collaboration with the Ordinariate both at diocesan and parish levels.
Finally, with the blessings and encouragement they have received from Pope Benedict’s recent Visit, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales are resolved to continue their dialogue with other Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities on that journey towards the communion in faith and the fullness of unity for which Christ prayed.
Footnotes
i Oscott College, 19 September 2010
ii Apostolic Constitution 'Anglicanorum Coetibus', 4 November 2009
iii ibid
Implementation of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus
The Establishment of a Personal Ordinariate in England and Wales
Much has been achieved over many years as a result of the dialogue and the fruitful ecumenical relations which have developed between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. Obedient to the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ to His Heavenly Father, the unity of the Church remains a constant desire in the vision and life of Anglicans and Catholics. The prayer for Christian Unity is the prayer for the gift of full communion with each other. We must never tire of praying and working for this goal.
During his visit to the United Kingdom in September, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI was therefore keen to stress that the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus: "…should be seen as a prophetic gesture that can contribute positively to the developing relations between Anglicans and Catholics. It helps us to set our sights on the ultimate goal of all ecumenical activity: the restoration of full ecclesial communion in the context of which the mutual exchange of gifts from our respective spiritual patrimonies serves as an enrichment to us all."i
It is now just over one year since the Apostolic Constitution was published. The Pope’s initiative provided for the establishment of personal Ordinariates as one of the ways in which members of the Anglican tradition may seek to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. As the Holy Father stated at that time, he was responding to petitions received "repeatedly and insistently"ii by him from groups of Anglicans wishing "to be received into full communion individually as well as corporately."iii Since then, it has become clear that a number of Anglican clergy and their faithful do indeed wish to bring their desire for full ecclesial communion with the Catholic Church to realisation within an Ordinariate structure.
In collaboration with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in Rome, the Bishops of England and Wales have been preparing for the establishment of an Ordinariate early in January 2011. Although there may be practical difficulties in the months ahead, the Bishops are working to address these at a national and local level.
Five Anglican Bishops who currently intend to enter the Ordinariate have already announced their decision to resign from pastoral ministry in the Church of England with effect from 31 December 2010. They will enter into full communion with the Catholic Church early in January 2011. During the same month, it is expected that the Decree establishing the Ordinariate will be issued and the name of the Ordinary to be appointed announced. Soon afterwards, those non-retired former Anglican Bishops whose petitions to be ordained are accepted by the CDF, will be ordained to the Catholic Diaconate and Priesthood for service in the Ordinariate.
It is expected that the retired former Anglican Bishops whose petitions to be ordained are accepted by the CDF, will be ordained to the Catholic Diaconate and Priesthood prior to Lent. This will enable them, together with the Ordinary and the other former Anglican Bishops, to assist with the preparation and reception of former Anglican clergy and their faithful into full communion with the Catholic Church during Holy Week.
Before the beginning of Lent, those Anglican clergy with groups of faithful who have decided to enter the Ordinariate will then begin a period of intense formation for ordination as Catholic priests.
At the beginning of Lent, the groups of faithful together with their pastors will be enrolled as candidates for the Ordinariate. Then, at a date to be agreed between the Ordinary and the local diocesan Bishop, they will be received into the Catholic Church and confirmed. This will probably take place either during Holy Week, at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday or during the Easter Vigil. The period of formation for the faithful and their pastors will continue to Pentecost. Until then, these communities will be cared for sacramentally by local clergy as arranged by the diocesan Bishop and the Ordinary.
Around Pentecost, those former Anglican priests whose petitions for ordination have been accepted by the CDF will be ordained to the Catholic Priesthood. Ordination to the Diaconate will precede this at some point during Eastertide. Formation in Catholic theology and pastoral practice will continue for an appropriate amount of time after ordination.
In responding generously and offering a warm welcome to those seeking full ecclesial communion with the Catholic Church within the Ordinariate, the Bishops know that the clergy and faithful who are on that journey of faith will bring their own spiritual treasures which will further enrich the spiritual life of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. The Bishops will do all they can to ensure that there is effective and close collaboration with the Ordinariate both at diocesan and parish levels.
Finally, with the blessings and encouragement they have received from Pope Benedict’s recent Visit, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales are resolved to continue their dialogue with other Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities on that journey towards the communion in faith and the fullness of unity for which Christ prayed.
Footnotes
i Oscott College, 19 September 2010
ii Apostolic Constitution 'Anglicanorum Coetibus', 4 November 2009
iii ibid
BALTIMORE, Maryland, November 16, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a surprise vote, the strongly pro-life Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has been elected the next president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops at the bishops’ annual general meeting in Baltimore.There ought not be controversy over Archbishop Dolan and the way he has dealt with priestly rapists of young men (which is what they really are and more accurately described thus). As Archbishop of Milwaukee Dolan, charged with cleaning up the mess left behind by retired and unmissed church vandal Archbishop Weakland, took swift action against offending parties, even going so far as to post the names of priests of whom charges against were substantiated, on the diocesan website.
Archbishop Dolan’s election departs from the U.S. Bishops’ tradition of elevating the sitting vice president of the conference. Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona had been expected to take the role, but was the subject of controversy in the lead-up to the election over his connection to a Chicago priest convicted of child molestation.
Additionally, numerous Catholic commentators had warned that Bishop Kicanas follows in the path of his mentor Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who is known for his support of liberal movements in the Church.
BALTIMORE, Maryland, November 16, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a surprise vote, the strongly pro-life Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has been elected the next president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops at the bishops’ annual general meeting in Baltimore.There ought not be controversy over Archbishop Dolan and the way he has dealt with priestly rapists of young men (which is what they really are and more accurately described thus). As Archbishop of Milwaukee Dolan, charged with cleaning up the mess left behind by retired and unmissed church vandal Archbishop Weakland, took swift action against offending parties, even going so far as to post the names of priests of whom charges against were substantiated, on the diocesan website.
Archbishop Dolan’s election departs from the U.S. Bishops’ tradition of elevating the sitting vice president of the conference. Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona had been expected to take the role, but was the subject of controversy in the lead-up to the election over his connection to a Chicago priest convicted of child molestation.
Additionally, numerous Catholic commentators had warned that Bishop Kicanas follows in the path of his mentor Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who is known for his support of liberal movements in the Church.
Vatican Radio reported Nov. 10 that the head of the English Anglicans, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, will travel to the Vatican next week. He is to take part in celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Nov. 17.After mutual assurances of their good health and a discussion of the weather in Rome, what else will they talk about?
Vatican Radio reported Nov. 10 that the head of the English Anglicans, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, will travel to the Vatican next week. He is to take part in celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Nov. 17.After mutual assurances of their good health and a discussion of the weather in Rome, what else will they talk about?
The Fed’s worst nightmare... Ron Paul to chair Monetary Policy SubcommitteeAmong the things the Federal Reserve System is charged with is to "maintain the stability of the financial system and contain systemic risk in financial markets." What cost a dollar 1913, the year of the Fed's creation, cost $21.57 in 2008; there have also been some undeniable unpleasantnesses in the financial markets since then. Res ipsa loquitur; it's time for a fresh approach.
For years, the Federal Reserve had a good friend in their pockets when Congressmen Barney Frank was chairman of the Monetary Policy subcommittee. That is about to change, and taking Barney's place is the one man who would see the Federal Reserve dissolved.
That man is Congressman Ron Paul...
The Fed’s worst nightmare... Ron Paul to chair Monetary Policy SubcommitteeAmong the things the Federal Reserve System is charged with is to "maintain the stability of the financial system and contain systemic risk in financial markets." What cost a dollar 1913, the year of the Fed's creation, cost $21.57 in 2008; there have also been some undeniable unpleasantnesses in the financial markets since then. Res ipsa loquitur; it's time for a fresh approach.
For years, the Federal Reserve had a good friend in their pockets when Congressmen Barney Frank was chairman of the Monetary Policy subcommittee. That is about to change, and taking Barney's place is the one man who would see the Federal Reserve dissolved.
That man is Congressman Ron Paul...
Linz Bishop "Concelebrates" with Women in Priestly Robes
The relationship of ludicrous vestments to ghastly innovation must surely be a direct proportion (further examples here).
(h/t Augustine)
Linz Bishop "Concelebrates" with Women in Priestly Robes
The relationship of ludicrous vestments to ghastly innovation must surely be a direct proportion (further examples here).
(h/t Augustine)
In a deposition taken in October 2007, regarding a multiple-properties dispute in the Diocese of Virginia, attorney Gordon Coffee asked Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori: “If the congregations had decided to join the Roman Catholic Church, would you have pursued litigation?”That should bode well for the Church of Mount Calvary in Baltimore as it prepares to cross the Tiber. Still, they might want to keep handy a certified copy of that deposition for possible use as an exhibit.
She responded: “If the Diocese of Virginia had negotiated an agreement that seemed to provide appropriate value for the property, and if it were a decision that did not seem to be contrary to our mission strategy, yes, I could see that that was possible.”
In a deposition taken in October 2007, regarding a multiple-properties dispute in the Diocese of Virginia, attorney Gordon Coffee asked Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori: “If the congregations had decided to join the Roman Catholic Church, would you have pursued litigation?”That should bode well for the Church of Mount Calvary in Baltimore as it prepares to cross the Tiber. Still, they might want to keep handy a certified copy of that deposition for possible use as an exhibit.
She responded: “If the Diocese of Virginia had negotiated an agreement that seemed to provide appropriate value for the property, and if it were a decision that did not seem to be contrary to our mission strategy, yes, I could see that that was possible.”
Swiss Catholics distribute condoms, against papal teaching, as part of AIDS awareness campaignNo doubt, in time these churches will start distributing contraceptives and making referrals to abortion clinics.
By Frank Jordans (CP) – 12 hours ago
GENEVA — Catholic churches in the central Swiss city of Lucerne have sparked controversy among believers with an AIDS awareness campaign that involves giving teenagers condoms bearing the slogan "protect thy neighbour as thyself."
The churches started handing out some of the 3,000 condoms Monday as part of an effort to engage young people, many of whom may be turned off by the Vatican's long-standing opposition to the use of condoms, said a spokesman.
"We needed something to appeal to people who wouldn't dream of talking to the church about that kind of issue," Florian Flohr told The Associated Press.
Swiss Catholics distribute condoms, against papal teaching, as part of AIDS awareness campaignNo doubt, in time these churches will start distributing contraceptives and making referrals to abortion clinics.
By Frank Jordans (CP) – 12 hours ago
GENEVA — Catholic churches in the central Swiss city of Lucerne have sparked controversy among believers with an AIDS awareness campaign that involves giving teenagers condoms bearing the slogan "protect thy neighbour as thyself."
The churches started handing out some of the 3,000 condoms Monday as part of an effort to engage young people, many of whom may be turned off by the Vatican's long-standing opposition to the use of condoms, said a spokesman.
"We needed something to appeal to people who wouldn't dream of talking to the church about that kind of issue," Florian Flohr told The Associated Press.
Regarding the physical property of Mount Calvary Church and its assets, Canon 7,Section 4 of the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church states:All real and personal property held by or for the benefit of any Parish, Mission or Congregation is held in trust for this Church and the Diocese thereof in which such Parish, Mission or Congregation is located.”That paragraph was almost certainly included at the insistence of diocesan lawyers, looking to reserve the rights of their client, as all lawyers must do. Of greater interest is the paragraph that follows:
The bishops and the Standing Committee will work with the remaining parishioners of Mount Calvary to discern the future ministry of the parish and its urban community.Notice there is no suggestion that the few parishioners of Mount Calvary who choose not to pope and remain Episcopalian may expect to retain the fairly substantial holdings of the departing parish. That, to me, implies not only is the Diocese of Maryland open to making a deal with Mount Calvary but that they already are in negotiations with the parish and well advanced toward an agreement.
Regarding the physical property of Mount Calvary Church and its assets, Canon 7,Section 4 of the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church states:All real and personal property held by or for the benefit of any Parish, Mission or Congregation is held in trust for this Church and the Diocese thereof in which such Parish, Mission or Congregation is located.”That paragraph was almost certainly included at the insistence of diocesan lawyers, looking to reserve the rights of their client, as all lawyers must do. Of greater interest is the paragraph that follows:
The bishops and the Standing Committee will work with the remaining parishioners of Mount Calvary to discern the future ministry of the parish and its urban community.Notice there is no suggestion that the few parishioners of Mount Calvary who choose not to pope and remain Episcopalian may expect to retain the fairly substantial holdings of the departing parish. That, to me, implies not only is the Diocese of Maryland open to making a deal with Mount Calvary but that they already are in negotiations with the parish and well advanced toward an agreement.
Nine suspected pirates had to row themselves back to the Somali shore "with their tails between their legs" after the British Navy confiscated their whaler, moved them into a tiny boat and blew up their motor and weapons, an international naval task force said Monday.The advantage to meeting out the more draconian punishment is, of course, it assures the thugs will never doing it again. Still, just seeing them humiliated is a major accomplishment in these wimpy times and a cause for cheer.
"One cannot help but get a sense of satisfaction at the sight of a bunch of chastened suspected pirates being landed ashore, tails between their legs and the tools of their trade disappearing with a boom and a flash of flame," British Col. Mark Gray said in a news release.
Nine suspected pirates had to row themselves back to the Somali shore "with their tails between their legs" after the British Navy confiscated their whaler, moved them into a tiny boat and blew up their motor and weapons, an international naval task force said Monday.The advantage to meeting out the more draconian punishment is, of course, it assures the thugs will never doing it again. Still, just seeing them humiliated is a major accomplishment in these wimpy times and a cause for cheer.
"One cannot help but get a sense of satisfaction at the sight of a bunch of chastened suspected pirates being landed ashore, tails between their legs and the tools of their trade disappearing with a boom and a flash of flame," British Col. Mark Gray said in a news release.
"They'd been miming it up to the dress rehearsal, but on that occasion, he showed up with a real deer corpse and said he expected the singers, soloists and chorus, to skin the animal on stage and cut it up - he also wanted everybody involved in this spotted with authentic animal blood. Oh, it gets worse. Several people complained about the smell, and he made some kind of comment to the effect they had better get used to it, because he had ordered a fresh deer corpse for each of 12 scheduled performances, and besides, that stench is what the world really smells like and he hopes it wafts into the auditorium. He also had a fish tank containing both the soprano and real fish, which explodes at the end, dumping her and the fish into a watery grave, but the aroma of the dying fish was so acrid they switched to rubber fish, over his furious protestations. In any event, somebody in the company "ratted" on him to the press, and there was a front-page headline in the Abendzeitung including a fairly graphic description of what has been going on, and what was being planned. That brought a whole bunch of government officials and animal protection advocates into the discussion, to which the response was "the dead animals have already been ordered from the butcher." When some serious reservations were raised from both sides of the political aisle, to which the theatre director fumed: "It's just a cheap excuse for the yellow press to distract its readers from the significant issue of artistic freedom, and besides, in 'Rusalka', deer hunting figures significantly in the plot". Hello? In any event, the "yellow press" and the politicians won, and, although they admitted there is no specific law prohibiting the use of dead animals in theatrical performances (by law, however they must be thrown away and under no circumstances be made available as food.) The deer will be plastic - they are also hanging all over the stage. My friend in the chorus said: "With every new director, the theatre dips just a little deeper into the toilet." I'm waiting for the reviews when some pseudo-intellectual nerd of a critic discusses the revolutionary vision of a visionary producer hamstrung by the advocates of the cheap and trivial. Somebody has already used the expression "Bambi-Hugger" in reference to the animal protection people."One of the favorite deep-sighing laments of the left in this country is our meager public funding of the arts in comparison with that of the enlightened Europeans; but for the chronic financial worries of our cultural institutions a thousand flowers would bloom. In Germany the opera is a ward of the state; no companies need concern themselves unduly over funding. The result is outrageously high ticket prices (when you don't have worry about revenue from the sale of tickets, you don't have to worry about what you charge for them) and megalomaniacal directors who are indulged, at public expense, whatever perverted fantasies they please themselves to see enacted on the stage by others. The result of this toxic combination, not surprisingly, is row upon row of empty seats.
"They'd been miming it up to the dress rehearsal, but on that occasion, he showed up with a real deer corpse and said he expected the singers, soloists and chorus, to skin the animal on stage and cut it up - he also wanted everybody involved in this spotted with authentic animal blood. Oh, it gets worse. Several people complained about the smell, and he made some kind of comment to the effect they had better get used to it, because he had ordered a fresh deer corpse for each of 12 scheduled performances, and besides, that stench is what the world really smells like and he hopes it wafts into the auditorium. He also had a fish tank containing both the soprano and real fish, which explodes at the end, dumping her and the fish into a watery grave, but the aroma of the dying fish was so acrid they switched to rubber fish, over his furious protestations. In any event, somebody in the company "ratted" on him to the press, and there was a front-page headline in the Abendzeitung including a fairly graphic description of what has been going on, and what was being planned. That brought a whole bunch of government officials and animal protection advocates into the discussion, to which the response was "the dead animals have already been ordered from the butcher." When some serious reservations were raised from both sides of the political aisle, to which the theatre director fumed: "It's just a cheap excuse for the yellow press to distract its readers from the significant issue of artistic freedom, and besides, in 'Rusalka', deer hunting figures significantly in the plot". Hello? In any event, the "yellow press" and the politicians won, and, although they admitted there is no specific law prohibiting the use of dead animals in theatrical performances (by law, however they must be thrown away and under no circumstances be made available as food.) The deer will be plastic - they are also hanging all over the stage. My friend in the chorus said: "With every new director, the theatre dips just a little deeper into the toilet." I'm waiting for the reviews when some pseudo-intellectual nerd of a critic discusses the revolutionary vision of a visionary producer hamstrung by the advocates of the cheap and trivial. Somebody has already used the expression "Bambi-Hugger" in reference to the animal protection people."One of the favorite deep-sighing laments of the left in this country is our meager public funding of the arts in comparison with that of the enlightened Europeans; but for the chronic financial worries of our cultural institutions a thousand flowers would bloom. In Germany the opera is a ward of the state; no companies need concern themselves unduly over funding. The result is outrageously high ticket prices (when you don't have worry about revenue from the sale of tickets, you don't have to worry about what you charge for them) and megalomaniacal directors who are indulged, at public expense, whatever perverted fantasies they please themselves to see enacted on the stage by others. The result of this toxic combination, not surprisingly, is row upon row of empty seats.
Chen Wei-yih has posed for a set of photos in a flowing white dress, enlisted a wedding planner and rented a banquet hall for a marriage celebration with 30 friends.Now that is a concept the Episcopal church can enthusiastically embrace.
But there is no groom. Chen will marry herself.
[snip]
"It's not that I'm anti-marriage. I just hope that I can express a different idea within the bounds of a tradition," she added.
