Pope Francis defended the way the Church has responded to the clergy sexual abuse scandal. He says the Church has “grown in its understanding” of the “monstrous” problem. I normally support the Pope and back him in what he says and does. But not this time. How does one “grow in understanding” that raping little children is wrong? More to the point, how do mean who have excellent educations, years of experience in pastoral work, enormous amounts of power and... Read more
Life expectancy for Americans took the biggest hist of any country in the world this year. We dropped from 46th in life expectancy (which wasn’t all that good) to 64th. At the same time, Spain came out number one in life expectancy in the world, edging out Japan for the top spot. The bottom line is that American’s have a congregate life expectancy of 79.8 years, while people in Spain get an average of 5 1/2 years of life. From... Read more
I t isn’t your talk. It’s you walk. That’s what God looks at. That’s what the world sees. Following Christ means you have to take up your cross and follow Him. He told us that. Read more
Norway’s Supreme Court has granted Dr. Katarzyna Jachimowicz the right not to perform medical procedures that go against her conscience. Dr. Jachimowicz, a Roman Catholic, had refused to insert IUDs because they can have an abortifacient effect. From Lifesite: The Norwegian Supreme Court has made history by upholding a Polish physician’s right not to dispense abortion-inducing devices. The court set a new precedent for freedom of conscience for doctors in the northern country on October 11 when it decreed that Dr.... Read more
I am always surprised and gratified when anyone accords the people who stand up for rape victims a bit of the respect they deserve. Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to someone who helps rape victims and to an activist who works to end rape is a huge step in the right direction. To see this reported in a Christian magazine, especially now, when rapists have had such overwhelming support from America’s Christian clergy, is not only a surprise, but a... Read more
Pope Frances addressed the fuller meaning on the 10th Commandment, Do not kill at his General Audience recently. From Vatican News: Pope Francis said that, read in the context of St John’s Gospel, “Jesus reveals a deeper meaning of this commandment”. Even anger against a sister or brother “is a form of murder”. But Jesus does not stop at this, continued the Pope: in the same logic, Jesus adds that even insult and contempt can kill. Indifference kills The Pope continued to... Read more
Boko Haram, the Islamic terroist group most active in Nigeria, is threatening to murder 15-year-old Leah Sharibu. Ms Sharibu was one the 112 girls that Boke Haram kidnapped from a boarding school a few months ago. The government of Nigeria paid a ransom to free the other girls. Leah Shariba is still in captivity because she refused to renounce her Christian faith. From CNN: Christians in Nigeria are desperately praying for 15-year-old Leah Sharibu as the one-month deadline to save... Read more
Boko Haram has threatened to kill two of the aid workers it abducted in a raid on a girls’ boarding school in which it took 110 girls captive. It is believed that they are already murdered an aid worker. Also, the 15-year-old Christian girl who they are still holding captive because she has refused to disavow her faith in Christ is in danger. From CNN: Two International Red Cross Society (ICRC) aid workers kidnapped by a faction of Boko Haram... Read more
Lay Catholics have long been expected to “pray, pay and obey.” This is so engrained in a lot of Catholics that literally thousands of them stood by while priests molested and raped their own children. When bishops bullied them into silence, they allowed themselves to be silenced. Catholics have also long accepted the notion that they have to right to know or be a part of any decisions that are made by their Church. If a bishop wants to close... Read more
Archbishop Oscar Romero was murdered in 1980 by a right wing death squad for the crime of advocating for the poor people of El Salvador who were being murdered, tortured and disappeared in great numbers. Whole villages were slaughtered. Most of the other priests and bishops stood by while all this happened. The pope himself failed. The same Holy Spirit that moved Oscar Romero to speak out to such great peril to himself also motivated a few other priests and... Read more
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