Legislators can be dismissive of clergy. In fact, elected officials are, whether they will admit it in public or not, downright cynical about collared folk. Anyone who’s been through a political campaign and had the experience of a member of the clergy lying about them from the pulpit is bound to be changed by the experience. In my young life, I’ve had clergy of many denominations stand behind the pulpit and call me everything but a nice person. Much of this... Read more
Prosecutors filed criminal charges against the Archdiocese of St Paul Minneapolis due to what prosecutors claim was “mishandling” of “repeated complaints of sexual misconduct adjacent a priest.” According to news reports, the archdiocese was also charged with “failing to follow through on pledges to protect children.” There’s also a civil penalty in there somewhere, as well. The six charges filed against the Archdiocese were all misdemeanor charges of failure to protect children. They carry a $3,000 fine. The civil petition... Read more
My Uncle Gene was there. Or rather, he was off-shore in one of the ships. He said that the bombardment which preceded the invasion at Normandy was the most incredible fireworks he ever saw. He’s over 90 now, and still traveling the world. He has his wits and his health and enjoys his life. But today, he remembers. He knows that the fireworks show he watched from that ship preceded a bloody invasion by ground troops. Despite the bombing from the ships,... Read more
The church that Christian-bashers try to equate with all 2 billion Christians plans to demonstrate at the funeral of the son of the America’s Vice President. Beau Biden, the son of Vice President Joe Biden died recently of brain cancer. He will be buried after a funeral mass in the Catholic Church. Vice President Biden will attend his son’s funeral, and according to the Westboro Baptist Church’s press release, he will pray the Rosary. This is the “reason” that Westboro... Read more
Transexuality, otherwise known as gender dysphoria, is not alone. It turns out that there are lot of identity challenged people out there. Gender dysphoria is not even alone in having its very own political movement, agitating for “rights” for those who are afflicted with this mental illness. Of course and always, the number one “right” that these groups agitate for is an end to regarding their affliction as an illness in need to concern, compassion and treatment. What they want... Read more
The Church teaches us to love and care for the elderly, disabled, weak and helpless. It teaches us that every human life has immense value. It reminds us over and over again with a consistent voice that human life is sacred and we may not murder. The world is doing its best to teach us to love euthanasia. The difference, my friends, is Jesus. I often get comments when I write about my own elderly mother, telling me that if... Read more
The Catholic Patheosi are writing about why we chose to stay in the doomed Catholic Church. I mean, it’s been in all the news lately that the Catholic Church is on the way out. We’re supposed to be over and done for, or at least going down for the count. Catholic teachings are irrelevant to the world today, or so we’re told. So why would anyone stay in the Catholic Church? Is staying Catholic a twisted desire for irrelevance and... Read more
UPDATE: I first published this post in 2013. I am publishing it again today because the concerns it raises are still valid. Should Medicare pay for sex change surgery? I don’t think so. The Obama Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services ruled in 2014 that Medicare would pay for sex change surgeries. Meanwhile, agitation to reduce coverage for Medicare payments for elderly health care, and agitation to euthanize the frail elderly continues. I’m going to get roasted and toasted... Read more
CNN recently polled Americans’ approval of President Obama’s job performance. It turns out that President Obama’s approval ratings have now sunk lower than the approval ratings of former President Bush. The article I’m citing makes a big deal about that, but it’s really a non-sequitur since former President Bush hasn’t been on the hot seat for quite a while now, and Americans tend to wax nostalgic about former presidents. President Obama’s approval ratings fell most sharply in the areas of illegal... Read more
Every morning, I re-tweet Pope Francis’ tweet. The Holy Father’s tweets are, without fail, a drop of sunshine. They remind us of the love and mercy of our Precious Lord. I don’t know about you, but I can use all the love and mercy I can get. Jesus is the unfailing source of love and mercy when everything in life has been upended. When everybody else has la la la-ad right past you and your problems, you can turn to... Read more
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