Inedible Ink

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday told U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic who supports abortion rights, that Catholic politicians have a duty to protect life “at all stages of its development,” the Vatican said.

via Pope to Pelosi: Politicians must protect life - USATODAY.com.

I have one question. What did Mme. Speaker think she could possibly get out of this meeting besides ’schooled’? Did she think it was possible to influence the Church? Did she not know that her views oppose those of the Church? Or perhaps the deeply cynical view is the most realistic: She just wanted to look important.

An open letter to the people of the Archdiocese of Denver:

(here)

The study referenced from “Proceedings of the Royal Society” is literally about how the contraceptive Pill alters both a woman’s sense of smell and her taste in men.
Thomas at AmericanPapist: Not Your Average Catholic!says: Finally, some honesty about the effects of The Pill on relationships

The UK Times Online, in its typical British-tabloid way, published an article yesterday entitled: “The Pill may put you off smell of your man and ruin your relationship.”

Caustic, sure. But accurate? Yes!

While this information has long been available, a scant few publications have actually spoken about it, leaving such pro-life, pro-Humanae Vitae catholics such as Janet Smith trying to get the word out.

More from the Times article:

A study by British scientists suggests that taking the Pill can change a woman’s taste in men — to those who are genetically less compatible.

Road trip for some Sisters of  St. Cecilia:

U.S. ‘Nashville Dominican’ Nuns Evangelize the Young in Sydney, Australia - Catholic Online
The nuns are in Sydney at the invitation of Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Fisher, World Youth Day 2008 coordinator and fellow Dominican. Normally they would be at home teaching, but their motherhouse in Nashville has sent delegations to assist with preparations for each World Youth Day since Denver was the host city in 1993.

“If I love you, what business is it of yours?”

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Jews and the Vatican: A New Clash - TIME
Good Friday prayer from the ancient liturgy that had called for the conversion of the Jews. The text of the updated version — released this week in the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano — deletes offensive language referring to Jews’ “blindness” and the need to “remove the veil from their hearts.” But the substance is left in place: “Let us pray for the Jews,” the prayer says, according to an unofficial translation from Latin. “May the Lord our God illuminate their hearts so that they may recognize Jesus Christ savior of all men.”

This is a seriously dysfunctional ecumenical conversation. If I pray for what I understand to be for your wellbeing, what business is that of yours? If I understand human wellbeing differently than you, what business is that of yours? Are you going to correct me every single time I hold a different belief than you, or only when I exercise my belief in love for you? Do you want me to respect your world view and disrespect my own?
‘Offended’, it’s the new ‘Repressed’.

Did you hear that? Did you hear that, eh? That’s what I’m on about. Did you see him offending me? You saw it, didn’t you?

Father John Z. at “What does the prayer really say?” points out a silver lining in these clouds of anger, namely, that the Traditional Latin Mass is relevant enough to update and squabble over.

Remember the cigarette ads? the tagline was “I’d rather fight than switch”

You’ve gotta love Archbishop Chaput, I think he’d rather fight than switch too.

EWTN.com - Vatican Cardinal Sides with Denver Archbishop in Debate over Catholic Charities
Last week, Chaput objected to a proposed measure before the Colorado legislature which would bar charitable agencies that receive state funding from discrimination on the basis of religion in personnel policies. Chaput argued that such a measure would compromise the Catholic identity of church-run charities, and that he would rather see those charities stop delivering services rather than comply.

I wonder if Bishop William Lori of Connecticut is a fighter or a switcher. The Catholic hospitals in Connecticut recently chose to comply with a state requirement to provide “emergency contraceptive” (CWN Story) in cases of rape.

Archbishop O’Malley of Boston looks like a fighter, not a switcher, in this 2006 story from The Boston Globe:

In a stunning turn of events, Archbishop Sean P. O’Malley and leaders of Catholic Charities of Boston announced yesterday that the agency will end its adoption work, deciding to abandon its founding mission, rather than comply with state law requiring that gays be allowed to adopt children.

The Chaput story and EWTN link was by way of The Curt Jester.

Murdered, Martyred this day in Canturbury Cathedral in the year 1170.

Thomas Becket - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Source)…The wicked knight leapt suddenly upon him, cutting off the top of the crown which the unction of sacred chrism had dedicated to God. Next he received a second blow on the head, but still he stood firm and immovable. At the third blow he fell on his knees and elbows, offering himself a living sacrifice, and saying in a low voice, ‘For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.’ But the third knight inflicted a terrible wound as he lay prostrate. By this stroke, the crown of his head was separated from the head in such a way that the blood white with the brain, and the brain no less red from the blood, dyed the floor of the cathedral. The same clerk who had entered with the knights placed his foot on the neck of the holy priest and precious martyr, and, horrible to relate, scattered the brains and blood about the pavements, crying to the others, ‘Let us away, knights; this fellow will arise no more.’

Waiting for the movie to come out? Wait no longer, you’re not going to get a better cast than Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole anytime soon. Becket, the film on Wikipedia.

…and thinking she is is not Catholic.

Six Arkansas nuns excommunicated for heretical teachings.

NWAnews.com :: Northwest Arkansas’ News Source
The nuns are involved with the Community of the Lady of All Nations, better known as the Army of Mary. Catholic authorities say the Quebec, Canadabased group elevates the Virgin Mary to the level of God and believes its founder is a reincarnation of the mother of Jesus.
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Excommunication bars members from leading the church liturgy or receiving communion and the other sacraments.

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But, he said, the nuns had elevated Giguere over Christ’s teaching.

The nuns can still attend Mass. If they renounce the group’s teachings, they can return to full communion with the church.

-*-*-*-*-*-  denotes my snipping the juicy bits.

By way of Bill Tammeus’ Faith Matters blog.

At the end of a post about Kabbalah Scott Adams asks a thought provoking question:

The Dilbert Blog: Kabbalah

A number of celebrities, notably Madonna, are embracing a religion called Kabbalah. Celebrities I say! That is all the endorsement I need. I decided it was time to look into it.
-*-*-*-
What would be the most disturbing thing you could find out about God?

His line is that he’s not going to pursue Kabbalah any farther since it might lead to disturbing knowledge about God. Learning that He prefers squirrels lives over human lives would be unsettling, but I prefer my answer:

I don’t think anything could be more disturbing than the possibility that an all-powerful eternal God became human and suffered death by whipping and crucifixion. That his death is an atonement for my sins. That he is present body blood soul and divinity in a timeless sacrifice of bread and wine. That I have eaten and drunk said sacrifice. That I will one day be found to have done so unworthily and in direct disobedience.

Between us, as frightened as I am of this possibility, it is the dearest hope of my soul.

What would be the most disturbing thing you could find out about God?

Comments open, for a change.

These stories are everywhere, and if you don’t read them carefully you might think someone is being wronged. All of the indented text that follows is from a single Sioux City Journal article.

Sioux City Journal: Former Catholic teacher says suing church is difficult
lost his job and benefits — all because he broke church law by not getting an annulment.

1. “Lost” should probably read “forfeited”.
2. “all because he broke church law” trivializes the issue.
3. “by not getting an annulment” is not possible and is a misrepresentation of the facts.

Girsch has taken the matter to court, suing the Cedar Valley schools and the Dubuque Archdiocese for breach of contract.

We shall get to this contract soon enough.

“Fighting the church is difficult for us,” said Girsch, 59. “They never want to talk about the legal part of this; they want to push the church part. They wrote a contract stating if I fulfilled it I could teach. I fulfilled it.”

How odd, the church wants to push the church part, Girsch must be perfectly flummoxed. He fulfilled this contract when he submitted his resignation. They were within it when they accepted.

In the year after his second wedding, Girsch negotiated a revised contract, the school board took two votes on whether he could stay, and the archbishop weighed in on the controversy. In the end, the social studies teacher was forced to resign.
However, after a widespread showing of support for Girsch, the school and archdiocese negotiated a revised contract. The agreement, signed Sept. 7, specified that Girsch would immediately seek an annulment through the archdiocese. If the annulment wasn’t granted, he would submit his resignation, which the school board could accept or reject.

I presume that this revised contract is the one Girsch and his lawyer call breached. It sounds like the school is making an effort to be accommodating.

Although many Catholics receive annulments, Girsch’s request was denied. The annulment proceedings are secret.

This strikes me as an unnecessary jab.

Girsch submitted his resignation July 12, but the Cedar Valley school board voted not to accept it, despite urgings from the archdiocese attorney to enforce church law.

When the 8-6 vote was announced, the room burst into applause.

This show of support for a popular teacher is nice, but does not make the situation of his second marriage right with the church.

“I thought it was over,” Girsch said. “I was so relieved that people stood up for us and that everybody was honorable.”

I wonder what he meant by “honorable”.

His sense of relief evaporated soon after, when Dubuque Archbishop Jerome Hanus sent a letter to the school board insisting that the board follow church law and archdiocesan policy.

A special board meeting was called for Aug. 6 in which the board reversed itself, voting unanimously to accept Girsch’s resignation.

As an employer, Catholic schools have the right to expect certain conduct from employees. I personally expect them to be particularly attentive to the public lives of teachers and the impressions those make on students. I think we can safely assume that the original contract gave the school ground to dismiss a teacher for a marriage against church law. You can see that it is the invalid marriage
The following is a very telling paragraph:

“We didn’t think the marriage was going to cause trouble,” Girsch said. “But a few days after the ceremony, I got called to the office. … They asked if I ever got an annulment. I said I hadn’t. Then they asked if I was aware that they could terminate me.”

If Girsch was wronged in this affair, it was by the school board’s July 12th vote when they told him he could stay.