WED, MAY 29
-- Shortly after being installed in 1984, "Archbishop Bernard F.
Law took the opportunity to question Boston College's commitment to
Catholicism" at their commencement exercise. "Two years later,
Law returned to the campus as a cardinal, and his criticism was even
more pointed." Globe article,
sympathetic to BC's dissent, needless to say. Unfortunately, the
cardinal has not followed through with sanctions against BC, per canon
law and Ex Corde Ecclesiae.
TUE, MAY 28 --
John
Leo of Newsweek: "...if you make a vow to stay celibate,
you ought to keep your word. And in the seminaries, Catholic sexual
morality should be taught by people who actually believe it. Is this
controversial?"
SAT, MAY 25 --
To The New York Times (5-25) Archbishop Rembert Weakland is
apparently one of the "good guys." While some might consider a
Catholic bishop who disagreed with the Church whose teachings he was
vowed to uphold, "divisive" or "extremist" -- terms
very readily applied to conservatives -- the Times approvingly
characterized Archbishop Weakland as "one who often challenged
Vatican traditionalists." On what? Guess: ". . . on abortion,
sexuality and the role of women." What else?
THU, MAY 23 -- Archbishop
Rembert Weakland denied an accusation Thursday that he sexually
assaulted a man but acknowledged he reached a settlement with his
accuser and asked the Vatican to speed action on his resignation (AP).
TUE, MAY 21 --
Australian
Catholic bishops refuse Communion to homosexual activists (CNSNews.com)
THU, MAY 15 --
Gays
in Catholic Seminary (Newsweek)
-- Depending on whom you ask, gay and bisexual men make up anywhere
from 30 percent to 70 percent of the student body at the college and
graduate levels of St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, Calif. Though the
pope has not addressed the issue of gay seminarians publicly, last year
the Most Rev. Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of the Vatican’s Doctrinal
Congregation, declared, “Persons with a homosexual inclination should
not be admitted to the seminary.”
Editor's note: If the above report is true, is
it any wonder that pro-life efforts at the parish level are generally
dampened?
MON, MAY 6
-- Cloning
researcher from ACT lectures about ethics at Holy Cross Dr. Jose Cibelli, vice president
of research at Advanced Cell Technologies (ACT), said "This is the
power of cloning: Cloning can take a body cell and turn it into an
embryo. What we do with this embryo depends on society. We can make an
individual, or we can make a stem cell. These issues are currently being
debated. Once we decide what to do, we will have to live with it."
SAT, MAY 4
-- "Denial
of the Eucharist to pro-abortion politicians" is the title
of an article by canon lawyer Dr. Edward N. Peters that was recently
brought to our attention.
FRI, MAY 3
-- Companion articles from Insight magazine: Report
of Church troubles proved prophetic; and
Catholic
Church was warned to take action -- "The
Problem of Sexual Molestation by Roman Catholic Clergy" is how the
report begins. It is a
confidential document written nearly 17 years ago . . .
An
open letter to US bishops by Philip F. Lawler.
The Director of Worcester, MA Respect
Life office, Rev. Chester Devlin, was placed on administrative leave
by Bishop Daniel Reilly following an allegation sexual misconduct with a
minor in the 1980s. -- Telegram & Gazette, April 30, 2002.
SAT, APR 27
--
What
really happened in Rome?
--
analysis by Phil Lawler.
Thomas
Drolesky (4-16 column): "I am not a policeman; I am a
shepherd." Bishop Daily (of Brooklyn) thus betrays a woeful
misunderstanding of the simple fact that one of the jobs of a shepherd
in herding his sheep is indeed to police his flock.
THU, APR 25 --
BC Law School is pleased [!!] to announce
that Ambassador to Canada and former Massachusetts Governor [and arch-abortion
advocate] Paul
Cellucci will be the school’s
commencement speaker in 2002" -- Boston
College Law School web site.
Planned Parenthood abortion clinic
"escort" Howard Brown is still employed at Boston's Catholic
Charities.
SUN,
APR 14 -- Cardinal Law broke the suspense
Friday,
and issued a statement of his intent to continue on as Boston's archbishop
"as long as God gives me the opportunity." Saturday's news is that the
cardinal did offer his resignation to the pope Thursday -- which, in a fitting
piece of irony, is the feast of St. Stanislaus -- but it was rejected, allegedly
out of fear that a domino effect of bishops' resignations would set in across
the USA. One theory is that the Vatican is preparing the cardinal's exit, but at
its own pace, not under a media stampede.
HOLY
THURSDAY, MAR 28 -- "Catholic"
Shannon O'Brien, candidate for Massachusetts governor has
"evolved" and now advocates abortion:
When she first ran for the Legislature
in 1986, O'Brien said she would have banned abortion except in cases
of rape, incest, and endangering the mother's health.
First elected in 1986 at 27, O'Brien said her
evolution occurred after she spoke with more women voters about the
issue. ''As a Catholic and a public official, I had to balance some
differing thoughts,'' she said.
Over time, she said, ''I came to believe that the
health of a woman really included the woman's right to control her own
body.''
''I am passionate about making sure that a woman
has a right to control her body,'' O'Brien said yesterday. ''I can't
make it any plainer than that.''
Homosexual priest scandals: Should
gay priest adopt? by Ann Coulter
(3/22) Clean
house in the Catholic Church by Pat Buchanan (3/20)
Harold Brown (Catholic Charities
counseling director / Planned Parenthood "escort") still on
duty as of a week or so ago.
THU,
MAR 21 -- NOW
at Loyola University:
MON,
MAR 18 -- Villanova
University’s Office for Mission Effectiveness has invited former Senator
George Mitchell, a strong supporter of violence against the unborn,
to keynote a March 22nd modern peacemakers conference.
Mitchell, a
pro-abortion Maronite Catholic, authored the Freedom of Choice Act to
federally legalize abortion. National Right to Life Committee reports
that between 1986 and 1994 Mitchell had 41 pro-abortion votes and not
one single pro-life vote. The National Abortion and Reproductive Rights
Action League gives Mitchell an “A” rating. “Former Senator George
Mitchell's position on choice, like that of many lawmakers, evolved over
the course of his career,” states NARAL. “And from 1986 on, Mitchell
had a stellar NARAL rating and was an unwavering leader on this
issue.”
“Inviting a
pro-abortion Catholic like Mitchell is typical of our administration.
Last year Vice President of Student Life Father John Stack told me
‘Well, if you look at everything that Planned Parenthood does, they
really aren’t that bad an organization,’” said Villanova senior
Chris Lilik. “Two years ago this Catholic University even confiscated
a newspaper because of a photo of an aborted fetus."
WED,
MAR 13 --
"There's a subculture of gay priests and everyone knows it"
according to a
diocesan priest in Boston, reports Joe Fitzgerald in the March 6 Boston Herald.
Needless to say, this subculture is not likely to accelerate
the pro-life agenda.
MON,
MAR 4 -- [Misplaced
link] was first printed in Catholic
World Report: "Canon lawyers are dubious
about the prospects for excommunication of Catholic politicians who
support abortion, but other disciplinary measures are available."
We're skeptical of some of the opinions offered in this article, but it
is still of interest.
THU,
FEB 14 -- The Worcester Telegram covered yesterday's
protest of the Vagina Monologues. A letter
from a disgusted alumnus also appeared. Wednesday's Worcester
Telegram had a front page article on the play and the planned
protest. Channel 7 and the Worcester News Channel covered the protest, thanks to diligent organizational efforts by Laurie Letourneau of the
Life Action League of Massachusetts, based in Worcester.
For a full (but very graphic!) report on the play, go
to the Culture Wars article.
"Catholic" Marygrove College to host a
Valentine's Day dance: for homosexuals!!
"Cardinal Adam Maida 'will not get involved' in a conservative
effort to get a Valentine's Day dance for gays cancelled by Saturday --
even though some say the event violates the directive of Pope John Paul
II.
"The 8th Annual Sweethearts Ball for the Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community is a fund-raiser that has
been held for seven years at Marygrove College, a private Catholic
college in Detroit." -- Detroit News, February 14, 2002.
SAT,
FEB 9 -- The pedophilia bombs keep going off in the
Archdiocese of Boston. The world is quick to blame celibacy, but
strangely -- not surprisingly -- homosexuality is unindicted by the
pro-homosexual news media.
We are reminded of "The
Gay Priest Problem" in the November 2000 Catholic World
Report. A letter
to the editor ("Believe it!": May 2001) relates one
seminarian's experience at St. John's Seminary in Boston.
THU,
FEB 7 -- Holy Cross College of Worcester will host the pornographic
play "Vagina Monologues" on Ash Wednesday! Another performance is also scheduled for the day before,
Tuesday, February 12. It is being sponsored by the Holy Cross Women's Forum,
which began advertising for auditions in early January. Recently,
a large sign posted in the Campus Center advertising the play had the
logo of N.O.W. on it. The administration has agreed to sanction the
play, and it is advertised on official Holy Cross College calendars as
well.
When the head of the Holy Cross Students For Life
found out that part of the proceeds for the play were supposed to go to
a pro-abortion agency, they were able--reportedly, with difficulty--to
get the proceeds directed elsewhere. However, the College has still
refused to cancel the play.
SAT,
JAN 26 -- Seton Hall University scheduled attorney Mary Jo
White to receive the 9th
Annual Sandra Day O'Connor Medal of Honor (!!) on Tuesday, January
15. On the other hand, at
the last minute, pro-abortion Governor
James E. McGreevey cancelled his first official "town hall" at
Seton Hall University. Thanks go to Father Peter West of Priests for
Life and loyal readers of Judie Brown's
Communique. (Article
in Newark's Star Ledger, 1/19/02)
MON,
JAN 14 -- Cardinal Law blessed pro-abortion Mayor Menino’s third
term, according to a Pilot article.
At the inauguration Mayor Menino announced a new public high school
planned for construction in Boston. The Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation ($billion+ to international population control /
"family planning") will fund the establishment of this
technology school. Wonder what they'll teach about the technology of
cloning, abortion, population control, etc.?
WED, JAN 9
--
Cardinal Law's statement on the issue of sexual abuse of minors by
clergy
MON,
JAN 7, 2002 -- The Boston Globe, in
a front page "Spotlight"
series (including related articles) on pedophile priest John Geoghan -- reports that Fr.
Geoghan told his MGH therapist that his misconduct occurred,
"during a time of sexual exploration for this country." And,
we would add, during a time that Church teachings were rejected,
accompanied by a near blackout on these matters from Church pulpits that
continues to this day. Whatever the actual culpability of Church
officials in this case, credibility is lent to the charges by many other
instances of the negligence of discipline on the part of the hierarchy:
dissident theologians, professors, catechists, clergy, and politicians
are mostly given the laissez faire treatment.
Pedophilia differs in that its victims can recover
civil damages. Perhaps some consumer fraud suits brought by people who
paid for a Catholic education -- and instead got a Boston College
education -- could stimulate some reform.