Category: Uncategorized

I thought a bit more about the Vatican’s statement on celebs wearing fancy crucifixes as jewelry. In all the news clips and photos I saw they don’t appear to be wearing crucifixes, but rather crosses without the corpus of our Lord. Are they protestants perhaps? It takes me back to what St. Francis of Assisi said about the empty cross. He called it “the cross of the bad thief.”

Note to amatuer and pro bloggers alike – always check your sources! And your spelling!

Who are the victims? Rod Dreher says they are the Catholics in Milwaukee. This from NRO today:

Here’s a tiny portion of what the Free Man of Milwaukee has meant for the Church in his city: He directed Catholic schools there to teach kids how to use condoms as part of AIDS education, and approved a graphic sex-education program for parochial-school kids that taught “there is no right and wrong” on the issues of abortion, contraception and premarital sex. He has advocated for gay rights and women’s ordination, bitterly criticized Pope John Paul II, denounced pro-lifers as “fundamentalist,” and declared that one could be both pro-choice and a Catholic in good standing.
A local church riven with heresy and anti-Roman dissent, a bare, ruined cathedral, demoralized priests, and a scandalized flock: This, tragically, is the legacy of Rembert Weakland.

And I said: Hear, you leaders of Jacob, rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not your duty to know what is right, you who hate what is good, and love evil? You who tear their skin from them, and their flesh from their bones! They eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from them, and break their bones. They chop them in pieces like flesh in a kettle, and like meat in a caldron. When they cry to the LORD, he shall not answer them; Rather shall he hide his face from them at that time, because of the evil they have done. MICAH 3: 1-4

From the Catholic League. And before you read this, here’s the news story.
And let me just say that this is the dumbest thing I have ever seen from the Catholic League. How do we “Chill Out” about stuff like this when the people accused have not even dealt with the issues? It’s a standing Archbishop who was accused of sexual misconduct and paid out a $450,000 settlement. That is serious, serious business. There’s no statute of limitations on what we’ll see come Judgement Day – which is why I’m praying to God for mercy.
I can just see the headlines now:
Catholic League Calls on Everyone to Chill Out
Finally, here’s the quote –
THE CASE OF ARCHBISHOP WEAKLAND:
TIME FOR AN ETHICAL STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS
Responding to reports that Archbishop Rembert Weakland paid $450,000 to a man who accused him of sexual assault two decades ago is Catholic League president William Donohue:
“Any priest who violates his vow of celibacy is guilty of wrongdoing. Married men and women who break their marital vows are also guilty of wrongdoing. But it needs to be asked what social good is served when current disclosures of past indiscretions are made public. The time has come to invoke an ethical statute of limitations.
“Rumors abound everyday about the alleged sexual misconduct that a clergyman once committed. The motives are not pure. Some are interested in making headlines; some are engaged in blackmail; and others are promoting politics. This kind of sexual McCarthyism serves no constructive purpose.
“To be sure, American society is culturally schizophrenic: we sponsor a libertine understanding of sexuality that puts a premium on genital liberation and yet are appalled by the psychological and physical consequences that such a vision entails. We also expect that every person of the cloth will at all times restrain his libido while everyone else is free to throw constraint to the wind. The immaturity that characterizes this response is deep-seated.
“Voyeurism is usually considered an individual property but in the United States it has taken on a collective identity. It is now a society-wide phenomenon and is sustained by an appetite that is apparently insatiable. But that does not justify its perverse indulgence. To make matters worse, those who always harbored an agenda against their most-hated prelate think it’s time to rejoice. Count the Catholic League out. It’s time everyone—on the left and on the right, straight as well as gay—chilled out. Enough is enough.”

I’m not on the Parish council of St. Blog’s, but think it’s a appropriate to open the floor for discussion of launching a St. Blog Capital Campaign. The financial needs of the parish I see are as follows:
Development of a Crying Room for all the whiners who complain about my posts.
Installing Organ Pipes near my computer workstation to enhance overall sound quality
Removal of ads from all bona-fide Catholic blogs (we’ll need a Catholic Blog Inquisition.. er… Review Committee to make sure the blogs are legit.)
Upgrades to Blogger Pro for all Bloggers receiving > 1,000 hits per day.
Catholic Outreach: Buying Mark Shea’s, Amy Welborn’s and Michael Dubruiel’s books and air-dropping them over wayward Catholic institutions such as all Jesuit residences in the USA.
I will personally smack anyone who says we need to remove the communion rail. Seriously – I will look you up on four11.com, find you, and smack you.