Pope Benedict the
Great
Many friends have asked me what I think about Pope
Benedict's decision to retire. Pope Benedict has been my ideal of
a Pope. His book Jesus of Nazareth is the greatest work of
theology I've ever read. I do encourage everyone out there to read
any of his books. He makes me proud to be Catholic in these
difficult times. He makes sense of Covenant theology
and how our faith is deeper in history than we imagine. I liked Pope John Paul II's writing but his
long poetic sentences made for heavy
reading. Pope Benedict has
a gift for making theology easy for the layperson as well as very
uplifting. Pope Benedict has been my favorite Pope, like an Uncle. I admired him
as Cardinal Ratzinger. I recall when he was elected
some people didn't know who he was. He was the right
hand man of Pope John Paul II and the most famous theologian in
Rome.Joan's Rome a great site for news of the Vatican.
http://www.ewtn.com/news/blog.asp?blogposts_ID=1671&blog_ID=1
What Pope Benedict and Hilary Clinton have in common
Pope Benedict didn't retire in order to rest. Pope's are notorious for not complaining. The Pope has suffered with heart trouble, a pace maker. He's been told he cannot fly long distances. A report has just come out that he cannot see well out of one eye. I suspect, he was told not to fly for a clotting problem. Hilary Clinton has had to step down from her duties as Secretary of State because she could not fly. She had a blood clot and now has double vision in one eye after a fall. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/01/25/the-medical-issue-that-closeup-pictures-of-hillarys-glass-may-reveal/
Pope Benedict also fell. Could it be that he and the former First Lady suffer from a similar condition?
We will have a new Pope by Easter
Next year, world youth day, a tradition begun by John Paul II and carried on by Pope Benedict, won't happen without a new Pope. Gone are the days when a Pope can reside in the Vatican and pray, hidden from the world. We live in a world which not only loudly voices hate speech towards the gentle Catholic Church but makes laws prohibiting Catholics from living as Catholics. At least that is the case in the United States of America with the President's HHS Mandate. The Pope is carrying a heavy cross now. Just the opposite of what some are saying in the press.
http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/Vatican.php?id=7032 So far from shirking responsibilities and other conspiracy theories, the Pope is acting on behalf of the Church and the world. Please remember him in your prayers along with all those Cardinals who will be voting for the next Pope. We'll let the Holy Spirit choose the one we need as has been done since Jesus called St. Peter, "the rock on which I will build MY CHURCH." Singular not plural.
Show your support with prayers and messages to Pope Benedict!
http://www.priestsforlife.org/novenas/papal-election.htm
On the lighter side, show your support for Pope Benedict with groovy buttons and bumper stickers.
http://wdtprs.com/blog/2013/02/show-your-support-for-pope-benedict/
Struck by lightening
The Vatican is one of the highest places in Rome so lightening strikes happen all the time. No one notices. Until a Pope retires. It makes me smile
We can tell the world, "not to worry". Lightening
bolts hit the Vatican whenever they have a shower in Rome. There is actually a
lightening rod on top. It didn't happen when the Holy Father made the
announcement, it actually looks like evening. But many news sources, anti
Catholics and anti Vatican II "Catholics" took this to justify whatever
complaint they had against the Church or Pope Benedict. It's funny how secular
networks chide superstitious people for relating a natural disaster to God.
Then they jump on a story like this saying, "ooooo see, see?". (I surfed to
see the secular news from the NYT to CNN with conspiracy theories saying the
Pope isn't sick. Then off track bets and what ifs about the new more liberal
pope they hope to have. As Flannery O'Connor wrote 'the church without
Christ.')
The Church must change? or "Let your unformed worldly conscience be your guide."
Or is it Catholics who need to conform to Christ's teaching? I found this appalling editorial and decided it needed a rebuttal. It cries out for one.
www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/the-catholic-church-must-change/2013/02/13/5790689a-7606-11e2-95e4-6148e45d7adb_blog.html
I don't see the sisters in the photo throwing rocks. The author, Mr. Salt is the executive director of Catholics United, a non-profit, non-partisan national lay Catholic advocacy organization which wants a church of sorts to conform to their vision of modernity. I post not because I agree, all nine accusations are false, in my opinion and I am not alone. A brief perusal of a few Catholic news sources like EWTN, Al Kresta's Blog, Life Site News,
Women of Grace, Zenit, The National Catholic Register just to name a few, would prove this on all counts. And yet, the Washington Post prints such editorials as if they were true and not just one man's biased personal diatribe. Just look at the feeding frenzy of anti Catholic and anti Christian hate speech this article incited in the comments. Who is the better for this?
So here goes. If you don't believe me here are nine sites that contradict what Mr. Salt believes.
1. Woman dies because she is denied abortion in Ireland. Not true.
What the papers don't say is abortion is not a cure for E.coli or blood poisoning. Reports were put on line before anyone knew her cause of death.
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/in-ireland-abortion-case-pro-lifers-warn-against-snap-judgments/
2. Assistant School Administrator fired for defending same sex marriage. Not true.
The gentleman in the beany cap, see photo, placed a comment on his personal web site knowing if might cause contraversy. He was not fired, only asked to recant or leave and he chose to leave. No need for a site here. Simply common sense. Or is it? The school Administrator said he followed his conscience. Jesus never said, "let your conscience be your guide." That was Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney's Pinocchio. Church teaching says a properly formed Catholic conscience which means study of the Catechism. A book which many Catholics have not read. Why not? It is available, affordable, easy to understand.
3. Teen refused confirmation. Not true.
A sacrament in which the Holy Ghost is given to those already baptized in order to make them strong and perfect Christians and soldiers of Jesus Christ. Catholic Encyclopedia.
Teen said pastor would not "loosen up" on issues like gay marriage. Teen had photo on line supporting gay marriage. Teen declined sacrament of this own free will.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/parents-claim-minnesota-priest-denied-son-confirmation-over-gay-marriage-vi/
4. Hospital denied Catholic status after performing life saving abortion? Not true.
The hospital performed an abortion which was not necessary. So the Bishop did his job.
http://wdtprs.com/blog/2012/10/bp-olmsted-removes-catholic-status-from-another-phoenix-hospital/
5. Bishop of Peoria compares President to Hitler and Stalin. Not true.
Bishop Jenky's homily was superb and absolutely true. If anyone saw an indirect link between the President's mercenary HHS Mandate and the policies of tyrants who persecuted Catholics in the past, so be it. However, the Bishop never said the President was another Hitler or Stalin at all. This knee jerk reaction must be due to a guilty conscience about taking away the civil rights of one's fellow citizens. The intelligentsia railed against this Bishop and demanded he apologize for saying Catholics have been persecuted in the past. One even claimed the Bishop, "needed a history lesson". If anyone thinks Catholics haven't been persecuted, I suggest they blow the dust off their history books and take a good look at the policies of the President they supported.
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/notre-dame-faculty-show-support-for-bishop-jenkys-recent-homily-remarks
6. Bishop Finn convicted of protecting guilty priest, still on duty? Not true.
If you read this case you will see a political morass. Try putting yourself in the Bishop's shoes.
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/criticisms-of-bishop-finn-described-as-misleading-dishonest
Read how Bishop Finn wasn't popular because he was a "theological conservative" and pro life. Read how Kathleen Sebelius, governor, fits in when the Attorney General had to fight to investigate abortion clinics who failed to report the rape of minors. Revealing and sickening.
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/can-bishop-robert-finn-get-a-fair-hearing
7. Inquisition of Nuns for caring for the poor? Nunsense!
8. Lesbian denied Communion. Not true. She received Holy Communion.
9. Church forces Catholics to take unheard of oath. Not true.
If you teach Sunday school or at a parochial school for a Roman Catholic parish, you teach the Catholicism. It's expected. Loyalty oathes should present no problem to any faithful Catholic. If you think infanticide is merely a hot button political issue which people may form their own opinions on, you need to re think being a teacher at a Catholic school. It's the Jiminy Cricket song again, "Let your unformed wordly conscience be your guide." I don't think so.
Peace and a fruitful Lent,
Citizeness Journalist
I don't see the sisters in the photo throwing rocks. The author, Mr. Salt is the executive director of Catholics United, a non-profit, non-partisan national lay Catholic advocacy organization which wants a church of sorts to conform to their vision of modernity. I post not because I agree, all nine accusations are false, in my opinion and I am not alone. A brief perusal of a few Catholic news sources like EWTN, Al Kresta's Blog, Life Site News,
Women of Grace, Zenit, The National Catholic Register just to name a few, would prove this on all counts. And yet, the Washington Post prints such editorials as if they were true and not just one man's biased personal diatribe. Just look at the feeding frenzy of anti Catholic and anti Christian hate speech this article incited in the comments. Who is the better for this?
So here goes. If you don't believe me here are nine sites that contradict what Mr. Salt believes.
1. Woman dies because she is denied abortion in Ireland. Not true.
What the papers don't say is abortion is not a cure for E.coli or blood poisoning. Reports were put on line before anyone knew her cause of death.
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/in-ireland-abortion-case-pro-lifers-warn-against-snap-judgments/
2. Assistant School Administrator fired for defending same sex marriage. Not true.
The gentleman in the beany cap, see photo, placed a comment on his personal web site knowing if might cause contraversy. He was not fired, only asked to recant or leave and he chose to leave. No need for a site here. Simply common sense. Or is it? The school Administrator said he followed his conscience. Jesus never said, "let your conscience be your guide." That was Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney's Pinocchio. Church teaching says a properly formed Catholic conscience which means study of the Catechism. A book which many Catholics have not read. Why not? It is available, affordable, easy to understand.
3. Teen refused confirmation. Not true.
A sacrament in which the Holy Ghost is given to those already baptized in order to make them strong and perfect Christians and soldiers of Jesus Christ. Catholic Encyclopedia.
Teen said pastor would not "loosen up" on issues like gay marriage. Teen had photo on line supporting gay marriage. Teen declined sacrament of this own free will.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/parents-claim-minnesota-priest-denied-son-confirmation-over-gay-marriage-vi/
4. Hospital denied Catholic status after performing life saving abortion? Not true.
The hospital performed an abortion which was not necessary. So the Bishop did his job.
http://wdtprs.com/blog/2012/10/bp-olmsted-removes-catholic-status-from-another-phoenix-hospital/
5. Bishop of Peoria compares President to Hitler and Stalin. Not true.
Bishop Jenky's homily was superb and absolutely true. If anyone saw an indirect link between the President's mercenary HHS Mandate and the policies of tyrants who persecuted Catholics in the past, so be it. However, the Bishop never said the President was another Hitler or Stalin at all. This knee jerk reaction must be due to a guilty conscience about taking away the civil rights of one's fellow citizens. The intelligentsia railed against this Bishop and demanded he apologize for saying Catholics have been persecuted in the past. One even claimed the Bishop, "needed a history lesson". If anyone thinks Catholics haven't been persecuted, I suggest they blow the dust off their history books and take a good look at the policies of the President they supported.
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/notre-dame-faculty-show-support-for-bishop-jenkys-recent-homily-remarks
6. Bishop Finn convicted of protecting guilty priest, still on duty? Not true.
If you read this case you will see a political morass. Try putting yourself in the Bishop's shoes.
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/criticisms-of-bishop-finn-described-as-misleading-dishonest
Read how Bishop Finn wasn't popular because he was a "theological conservative" and pro life. Read how Kathleen Sebelius, governor, fits in when the Attorney General had to fight to investigate abortion clinics who failed to report the rape of minors. Revealing and sickening.
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/can-bishop-robert-finn-get-a-fair-hearing
7. Inquisition of Nuns for caring for the poor? Nunsense!
The Church laudes holy
women who care for the sick, the elderly and the poor and who pass on the faith
the Church teaches. This is about dissident religious who have becomed bored and
follow a new age, secular mind set. Religious sisters who say they are "beyond Jesus".
Sounds scary doesn't it? That's because it is and it should have been
investigated long ago. Sisters who speak for a small minority of dissidents not
for all consecrated religious. Things move slow at the Vatican but I guess the
Church converts like Christ, one person at a time.
or you may also
like
8. Lesbian denied Communion. Not true. She received Holy Communion.
For those who have thought they'd seen everything.
The Washington Post printed anything but the facts. The real victim here was
the good priest who was first scandalized and then publically libelled for being
"insensitive". Don't miss this story!
http://www.cfmpl.org/blog/2012/03/06/washington-post-guilty-malpractice/
http://www.cfmpl.org/blog/2012/03/06/washington-post-guilty-malpractice/
Further information: the on
line confessions the accusor made prior to this event. The priest should get a
medal but he's got something better. He suffered something for the
Eucharist.
or you may
like
9. Church forces Catholics to take unheard of oath. Not true.
If you teach Sunday school or at a parochial school for a Roman Catholic parish, you teach the Catholicism. It's expected. Loyalty oathes should present no problem to any faithful Catholic. If you think infanticide is merely a hot button political issue which people may form their own opinions on, you need to re think being a teacher at a Catholic school. It's the Jiminy Cricket song again, "Let your unformed wordly conscience be your guide." I don't think so.
Peace and a fruitful Lent,
Citizeness Journalist
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