What Was I Saying About The Government Coming For Our Priests?
Slowly... slowly

In overwhelmingly Catholic Columbia, an arrest warrant was issued against Archbishop Fabio Betancourt Tirado of Manizales. His crime? The archbishop refused to comply with a lawsuit over his decision to dismiss a seminarian for robbery and homosexual activity.

From Life Site News;

MANIZALES, Colombia, April 27, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An arrest order against Archbishop Fabio Betancourt Tirado has been temporarily suspended for ten days by a Colombian court in Manizales--the order was issued after the archbishop refused to comply with a lawsuit over his decision to dismiss a seminarian for robbery and homosexual activity, according to a Catholic News Agency report April 26.

The former seminarian accused Archbishop Betancourt of discriminating against him over his homosexual activity while he was in seminary--he is now enrolled in a Protestant seminary.

The Manizales court must decide within ten days whether or not to revoke the arrest order.

If something like this can happen in Columbia, how much further in the future do you think it'll be before the round-ups commence right here in the good ol' US of A?

Especially is House Resolution 1592, better known as The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Protection Act of 2007.

This bad-boy is a fast-tracked congressional plan to add special protections for homosexuals to federal law would turn "thoughts, feelings, and beliefs" into criminal offenses. In other words... this bill adds "enhancement punishments" to anyone deemed guilty of a so-called "hate crime" against any given homosexual. Example; if someone should have the audacity to speak an 'anti-gay epithet' during any given crime, more punishment is tacked on.

From World Net Daily (linked above);

Keep in mind that in New Jersey, it's already a "hate crime" to communicate in a manner likely to cause "annoyance or alarm."

"One would not expect a reasonable person to feel threatened or feel fear of harm as the result of an innocuous communication. Nevertheless, the entire faculty at Ohio State University's Mansfield campus apparently agreed that university librarian Scott Savage was guilty of threatening behavior for a simple statement in 2006. His 'threat'? Recommending four books for freshman reading… The four books were "The Marketing of Evil" by David Kupelian (which I posted about back in 2006), The Professors by David Horowitz, Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis by Bat Ye'or, and It Takes a Family by Sen. Rick Santorum."

The recommendation made three professors feel "unsafe" on campus and the entire faculty voted to file charges of sex discrimination and harassment against Mr. Savage for "anti-gay hate mongering," Lavy wrote. The charges were dismissed later, and Savage now has responded with a lawsuit against several university professors.

Just how far off are we from having our own priests carted away for stating from the pulpit that acting upon homosexual desires is an "act of grave depravity"? Or even by saying that acting upon same desires is "intrinsically disordered"? Oh, by the way... both of those specifics I gave are straight out of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2357 to be specific.

But anyhow, I don't think that the majority of the USCCB should ever worry about the PC Gestapo coming for them. Hell... I can't think of many groups that are more "gay-friendly" then our very own stalwart defenders of The Magesterium.

Is You Is, O' Is You Ain't...
A Roman Protestant?

I sure do use the phrase Roman Protestant a lot, don't I? Do I mean that as some sort of insult to Protestants? Nahhhh. I don't exactly hide my disagreements with much of what Protestants believe, but I wouldn't say that I hate or am trying to insult them.

However, who I am trying to insult with that particular phrase are the more theologically liberally minded within our own Church.

If you're unsure if the phrase "Roman Protestant" pertains to you, here are a few well aimed questions that may help. Here we go ~

If you categorize yourself as a Catholic, plus....

1. If you consider the Eucharist to be a mere symbol of Jesus, you're a Roman Protestant.

2. If you consider the primary purpose of the Mass to be that of a communal meal/gathering, you're a Roman Protestant.

3. If you purposfully dress-down for Mass (shorts, flip-flops, a Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy t-shirt), and you present yourself more like your on your way to either the beach or a barbecue vice God's House, you're not necessarily a Roman Protestant. You're just a disrespectful slob.

4. If you hold/raise your hands during the Our Father because you consider doing such "the primary a sign of unity for Catholics", you obviously don't know what the purpose of the Eucharist is. And guess what? You're a Roman Protestant.

5. If you purposfully don't go to Confession, but go to Communion every Sunday... and your rationale is "I'm basically a good person. I don't commit any REALLY bad sins, and besides, I know God loves me just the way I am", you're a Roman Protestant.

6. If you stand during the Consecration instead of kneel because standing displays "fuller participation", that doesn't mean you're a Roman Protestant. But it does mean you should consider doing calisthenics during the Consecration. Could you even imagine how "full" your participation would be then?

7. If you think that Purgatory is just something that The Church invented during The Middle Ages to bring in money, you're a Roman Protestant.

8. If you prefer On Eagle's Wings over Hail Holy Queen, that doesn't make you a Roman Protestant. That just means that you have really, really bad taste in music.

9. If you think that the pope is nothing more than just another bishop, you're a Roman Protestant.

10. If you classify yourself as "Charismatic", technically you're not a Roman Protestant, but c'mon... who ya tryin' to bullshit?

In closing, to those who call themselves "Progressive Catholics" or "Reformed Catholics", let me tell you that Catholicism already has a word for folks like that... they're called Protestants.

BOW TO YOUR SEN.SEI!
Fear (and common sense) does not exist in this dojo (or the Democratic Party)

Yesterday at the California Democratic Party Convention & Same Sex Orgy/Bake Sale, the political orgasm-of-the-moment, Sen(sei). Barack Hussein Obama, is still trying to legislate away terrorism.

His latest Polly-Anna pronouncement is that “we are now one signature away from ending this war.” Wow... I feel safer already. And I can just picture all those wacky Democrats running in a ring around Obama chanting "Kobra Kai! Kobra Kai!".

Yet again... The Caveman asks the musical question; if we leave Iraq right this moment, does that mean The War on Terror is over? Well, some people believe it. Small gullible children and Democrats, to name two.

But lo and behold, I stumble across this story (that for some odd reason, the same type of story that the MSM largely ignores);

US Troops Seize Gang 'Smuggling Bombs From Iran'

This report also stated that the very same Iranians are sending Iraqi militants to Iran for terrorist training. I wonder how much money Sensei Obama plans on throwing at this problem?

A Child Prodigy – Catholic Style
Can YOU name all the saints?

James Higgins is a walking, talking Catholic encyclopedia. He knows the names of all the saints plus their feast day and relevant biography. Sheesh, if a kid has to be an over-achiever, I guess this is the way to go.

No only that, the seven-year-old Red Sox fan, has attended daily Mass since he was 3 (God bless his parents) and is really proud of a nearly 200-day Communion streak. Who wouldn’t be?

Golly, I thought I had done something when I was around 8 and cinched a Happy Death by making receiving Communion on nine consecutive First Fridays. (Of course, back then you had to fast from midnight, not today’s wimpy one hour fast. Did I mention I walked two miles uphill to school everyday...both directions?)

James has amassed a knowledge and understanding of all things Catholic that would send even the most devout nun's head spinning. On a small table in his room are statuary, crucifixes, icons, holy cards, and a mini Vatican flag. Plus a few baseball cards and a Red Sox pennant.

He can also explain the joys and sorrows of Mary, how all the martyrs of the church have died, the seven deadly sins, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, the 14 holy helpers, and the 33 doctors of the church -- in order, including the pope who appointed them.

Playing The Jewish Card
The pathetic last gasp of the Ecumaniacs

There have been reports swirling that certain so-called experts are concerned that the Tridentine Mass, in and of itself, may be "harmful" to Catholic-Jewish relations. I'm sure all these "experts" will soon be renting a studio apartment so they can get together and bitch about how much they hate the Latin Mass.

But what exactly is it that has the ecumaniacs all in an uproar? According to Reuters (via the San Diego Union), it's because;

The problem is that the traditional texts include passages that say the Jews live in 'blindness' and 'darkness' and pray 'that the Lord our God may take the veil from their hearts and that they also may acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ.'

(Insert sarcasm here) Nooooooo! Do you mean to tell me that it's the official teaching of The Catholic Church that those who live without Jesus in their hearts are theologically considered blind and living in darkness? And we even have the audacity to pray that non-Catholics will accept Jesus? (Insert even more sarcasm here) Nooooooo!!! Who da thunk it!?

(Insert seriousness here) I'm sure that many a Jew would consider me blind and living in darkness because I refute Judaism. I can live with that. I may not agree with 'em, but at least I can respect 'em for sticking by their guns. The same can't be said of these wishy-washy "Progressives" within our own Church?

Also, that particular prayer isn't part of the standard Tridentine Mass itself. It's only used during Good Friday, and ONLY on Good Friday, not year-round. And the words "blindness" and "living in darkness" and "acknowledging (accepting) Jesus" have not a damn thing to do with anti-Semitism... but are more correctly prayers of Christian Charity. After all, as it not The Great Commission itself that Our Lord and Savior gave us to "go forth ye, to all nations and Baptize..."?

Who better to pray for the conversion of, if not the Jews? The same ones who God Himself called His Chosen People? The same ones who Christ was born of? The same ones who were His first followers?

Catholicism is the natural theological flow for Judaism. And many Jews did the correct thing and DID follow Christ. Unfortunately, most didn't. And like The Prodigal Son, we await their return. Not with hate, but with prayerful joy. Yes, it really is that simple.

Anyhow, want even more proof that The Latin Mass breeds hate and discontent? Again, from Reuters;

In a statement on the issue, the Boston College Centre for Christian-Jewish Learning warned the old prayers could also offend Muslims, because they urge the conversion of 'infidels.'

Aw hell... whatever we do... don't piss off the moslems! Oh, by the way, by definition, moslems most certainly are infidels. Sheesh... since when did "Thou Shalt Not Offend" become the 11th Commandment?

But the one thing about this news story that has me the most concerned is a quote from some mysterious, and of course... unnamed... "Church source" who stated that even if the Latin Mass was freed, that 'Vatican II theology is not being invalidated by this,' he said.

Wh-wh-WHAT!!?? "Vatican II theology"? What the hell is that? Did God change in 1962... or is it true that "The Spirit of Vatican II" crowd really have been trying to form an entirely new religion? I tell ya, I wish the Motu Proprio would hurry up and see the light of day so all these Roman Protestants can haul ass and become the Episcopalians they've always had wet dreams about.

And don't let the door hit yer ass on the way out.

The BBC Knows About This, But The Pope Doesn't?
The silence from Rome is deafening
Helmet tip to my buddy, Tara

BBC To Broadcast Gay Mass From San Francisco

The BBC is to relay a 'gay Mass' from San Francisco this Sunday, the first time such a service has been broadcast. The 50-minute Mass at the Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in the predominantly gay Castro district of the city will feature prayers and readings tailored for the gay community.

Its parish priest, Father Stephen Meriweather, blesses participants in the San Francisco's annual gay pride march. But it has also infuriated many Catholics in the U.S. who have complained about such activities as transvestite bingo nights during which sex toys and pornographic DVDs were handed out as prizes.



The BBC is to relay a 'gay Mass' from San Francisco the first time such a service has been broadcast. Above, Members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

Weeks after the BBC finished recording the service last October, it emerged that a transvestite group calling themselves the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence regularly staged lewd and irreverent bingo nights on the church premises.

The San Francisco archdiocese-stopped the events when it was discovered that prizes of a sexual nature were being handed out by the group, who dress as nuns. In the past members of the group have paraded naked through the city advertising a 'hunky Jesus' contest. Their motto is: 'Go and sin some more.'

As A Caveman-American, I Demand Reparations!
The scars of millions of years of oppression are now re-opened
Helmet tip to my goomba, Paul, just this regular guy, you know?

Some people have way too much time on their hands. And are WAAAAAAYYYYYYY too Politically Correct.

To Mella I have just two words... lighten up.

Wanted: Orgasm Seekers
While that earthquake is flushing SF in to the ocean, take the Diocese of Oakland with you

In a stunning (well, maybe not THAT stunning) turn of events in the other major city in the Gay Area, the Diocese of Oakland's Gay outreach ministry will show a film that teaches homosexuality “is as natural for homosexuals as heterosexuality is for heterosexuals”.

Uh-huh... do tell. And it's natural for alcoholics to get rip-roaring drunk? It's natural for wife beaters to thump the daylights outta their spouses and kids? It's natural for serial killers to go on a rampage? Why not? There's been scientific research stating that all three examples I've given are genetic in nature.

In other words... "I was born to be;
~ a drunk
~ a wife beater
~ a serial killer

After all, the (junk) science is there.

But speaking of junk (as in theology), let's get back to the Diocese of Oakland. Their Gay and Lesbian Outreach Ministry Team will be presenting the documentary film “Straight from the Heart” during an evening of discussion and reflection for parents and friends of gay and lesbian persons at St. John Vianney Church in Walnut Creek.

The documentary comes with a study guide which states that "the only real difference between heterosexuals and homosexuals is the gender of their mate". The guide promotes equal civil rights for homosexuals, including adoption and “gay marriage.”

“Sexologists,” says the guide, have shown that “human beings are orgasm seekers,” achieving orgasms “in a variety of ways.” Sexologists say humans “use sex for reproductive purposes; they also use sex and sexuality for pleasure,” “masturbation is a universal, healthy form of sexual expression,” “the brain is the largest sex organ,” and homosexuality “is as natural for homosexuals as heterosexuality is for heterosexuals.”

Golly gee. Talk about lowering human beings to the lowest common denominator. Are we humans are nothing more than swine looking for something to eat... looking for someplace to defecate... looking for our next orgasm... running from danger. No, that would be the French.

And let's not forget that this is a Catholic bishop who is officially authorizing this little get together.

I wonder what the e-mail address is for the Diocese of Oakland's Gay outreach ministry? Possibly OaklandHeresy@org.gasm

Is It REALLY Asking Too Much For An Earthquake To Flush San Francisco Into The Pacific Ocean?
And take Barry Bonds with you

Castrati to the left of me. Castrati to the right of me. Castrati all around me. Between the psychologically neutered in San Francisco, and the morally gutless in Washington, DC, I can feel my own sperm count dropping.

Anyhow, here's the latest... the poster boy for the new and improved free-thinking Vatican II Catholic Church, that nationally renown moral relativist and still yet to be excommunicated San Francisco pro-abortion and pro-queer mayor Gavin Newsom vowed Sunday to maintain San Francisco as a sanctuary for immigrants and do everything he can to discourage federal authorities from conducting immigration raids.

The mayor cannot stop federal authorities from making arrests, Newsom told about 300 mostly Latino members of St. Peter's Church and other religious groups supporting immigrants. But no San Francisco employee will help with immigration enforcement.

"I will not allow any of my department heads or anyone associated with this city to cooperate in any way shape or form with these raids," Newsom declared. "We are a sanctuary city, make no mistake about it."

Now I'm smart enough to admit that absolutely no one in the Bush Administration will do anything of substance to the mayor of San Francisco... like possibly cutting off every single penny that goes either directly or indirectly into the city coffers. No, that would make too much freakin' sense. I guess arresting his ass is out of the question.

After all, no one in the Bush Administration will do anything to secure our borders. So why in the world should I think they'll do anything of solid consequence to those who commit conspiracy to violate federal immigration laws?

In the Marine Corps, we call that "lack of moral courage".

Who Could Get Mad At This Guy?
He's such a nice Catholic boy
Helmet tip to my buddy Mac at Mulier Fortis

Good ol' Father Finigan over at The Hermeneutic of Continuity has the Roman Protestants over at ICEL (International Commission on English in the Liturgy) trying to strong arm him and giving a none too veiled threat of legal action against him (at least that's how I see it).

Swing on over to Father Finigan's site and see what's up. Fairly disgusting and arrogant attitude from the ICEL/PC Gestapo. Not exactly a big shocker, huh?

By the way... yes, I called them Roman Protestants. Why? Simple. As if the Mass of Paul VI wasn't Protestant inspired enough, these mooks want to dumb it down to such an even greater degree. If they have it their way, the Catholic Mass will be indistinguishable from a Baptist Tent Revival.

Well, golly gee... I can't figure out what "mankind" means! Quick, someone send for the ICEL!

By the way, before anyone flips out on me for referring to the Mass of Paul VI as "Protestant inspired"... please take a gander at this and this.

Throw More Money At The Problem!!
Typical Democratic answer to everything

Remember how Bubba Clinton dealt with North Korea's nuclear threat? He flat-out gave N. Korean dictator Kim Jong Ill hundreds of millions of dollars in food, cash, and fuel oil. All Kim had to do was just promise to cease and desist his nuclear weapons program. No independent verification, either. Not even someone to just take a peek every now and then. Just the word of a Marxist-Leninist dictator is good enough for Clinton.

And we all see what a foreign policy triumph that was, huh?

Now we have presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, stating that his plan to fight world-wide terrorism is to double the amount of American foreign aid. He failed to say where the other $25 billion would come from... but we all know, don't we fellow taxpayers?

If the American people are stupid enough to elect this idiot president, we deserve to be attacked by the terrorists.

CAREFUL -- HE'S GOT A HAM SAMMICH!!!
Drop it and step away from the ham sandwich, sir!

Back in 1966, Charles Whitman went to the top of the now infamous clock tower at the University of Texas and decided to start blowing people away. Thankfully, the police finally capped him. but prior to that, the cops tried negotiating.

COPS: You can't stay up there forever. You'll starve!
WHITMAN: No problem. I've got a high powered rifle and a ham sandwich!

Well, looks like some unnamed kid in Lewiston, Maine is already halfway to being just like Charles Whitman. But now the weapon of choice is just the ham sandwich.

It turns out that said unnamed kid decided to pull a prank on some moslem students at their local Middle School. This kid thought it would be funny to put a paper bag with a ham slice in it at the table where five Somali moslem kids were sitting. Not exactly the funniest (or smartest) thing ever done. One would think that a good ass chewin' would remedy the problem.

Ahh... but not so fast, crime stoppers. The Superintendent of Schools of Lewiston, Leon Levesque, has decided to treat this as a "hate incident". Superintendent Levesque has even decided to bring in the big guns for this one... The Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence (feel free to tremble with fear at this point).

Both the school district and the CPHV are already formulating a "ham sandwich response plan". I hate it when ham goes bad.

Here some of the story from Maine's The Sun Journal;

A 14-year-old Somali boy, whose mother asked that his name not be published, said he was eating lunch with four other Somali students on April 11. He noticed many others in the cafeteria "standing up, looking at us." One boy came near, began laughing and threw a bag on the table while other students laughed and said, 'Good job.'

"We didn't know what was in this bag," the boy said. "One of my friends reached inside it. It was a big ham steak. There were five of us at the table, all Somali. It was intended for us." The boy said he looked up at students he thought were his friends. "I felt angered, offended."

He suddenly felt like he was alone. "At the school the next day, I didn't feel safe. I felt like everybody was against me. Before I felt like I fit in, and everything was normal."

He began to think white students didn't like him, and the act was their way of letting him know. On Thursday, several students came up to him and said, "Those guys who did it were jerks. I apologize for them, and I hope you feel better."

The boy said they did make him feel better. "But for the rest of my life when I remember middle school, this will pop up right away."

Cry me a river, mama's boy. Wan't my advice, kid? Suck it up. We all got picked on at one point or another back in our school days. How we deal with bullies is what builds character (or lack thereof). If someone placing a paper bag with a ham steak in it on your table is your biggest problem in life... you don't have a whole helluva lot to bitch about.

In fact, consider yourself pretty damn lucky. Having some middle school bully taunt you with a piece of ham there in warm, safe Lewiston, Maine... I'd say that sure beats the hell out of dodging bullets and/or starving to death back home in good ol' Mogadishu. Ya think?

But on second thought, I think I'll call The Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence. After all, I've been subjected to non-Catholics eat meat right in front of me every Friday. And they KNOW that I observe meatless Fridays for religious resons!! Doesn't that qualify as a hate incident?

What Was I Just Saying About The Government Rounding Up Priests For Execution?
Amazing how these news stories are always on the heels of each other

In 1951, a seemingly minor treaty between France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg resulted in a little something called the European Coal and Steel Community. The ECSC agreement eventually grew into something called The European Union.

Amazing how something so small can grow into something to grand.

I'm sure we all remember about a year ago when the San Francisco Board of Supervisors officially referred to The Catholic Church as 'hateful, discriminatory, insulting and ignorant' when The Vatican stated that homosexual adoption does "violence" to the child.

So much for being all inclusive, huh? Oh... and where was the great outcry against this obvious bigotry from our esteemed USCCB? Conspicuously quiet, weren't they?

Well, now we have breaking news that in its brief filed last week with the U. S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Thomas More Law Center urged the court to reverse a federal judge's ruling that an anti-Catholic resolution of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors was constitutionally justified because the Church opposed adoptions by homosexual couples.

District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel, a President Carter appointee and one-time counsel for the National Organization for Women (big shocker, huh?), ruled that the Board resolution condemning Catholic moral teaching on homosexuality and urging the Archbishop of San Francisco and Catholic Charities of San Francisco to defy Church directives does not violate the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

In other words... Catholic-Bashing is not only justified, it's also judicially protected.

In her written opinion upholding the resolution against the Law Center's constitutional challenge, the federal judge defended the City by essentially claiming that the Church invited the attack by publicly expressing its teaching on moral issues. The judge stated, "The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith provoked this debate, indeed may have invited entanglement, by its [doctrinal] statement. This court does not find that our case law requires political bodies to remain silent in the face of this provocation."

"Provocation"? Catholics being Catholic is now judicially defined as a "provocation"? Does this mean that the US 9th Circuit Court and the City of San Francisco just might declare war on The Vatican? I sure hope The Swiss Guard Auxiliary will accept this slightly beat-up, old, retired Marine Corps Master Sergeant. Hell, where do I sign up?

But on a more serious note... what was I just saying about the government rounding up priests? Just like the European Coal and Steel Community eventually becoming the European Union, how far do you think the time span will be between judicially protected Catholic-Bashing, and priests being rounded up? Think about that real hard... and let it sink in.

Now let me say this... not if, but when that day comes, where do you think the various members of the USCCB will be? Where will your Vicar General be? Where will your Dean be? Where will your Parish Priest be?

Where will you be?

180 Degree Turn
"Springtime of The Church", my ass
Obviously, a harsh language alert is in effect. (I'm in a particularly bad mood)

Below pictured is Blessed Miguel Pro. He was a Catholic priest who was executed during the Cristeros Uprising in Mexico during the late 1920's. The anti-Catholic, Communist inspired dictator, El Presidente Plutarco Calles, was butchering Catholics by the bushel load


Bl. Pro was sentenced to death for the high crime of being a Catholic priest. As he was led before the firing squad, he held a Crucifix in one hand and a Rosary in the other. Seconds before they opened fire, Blessed Pro shouted out "iViva Christo Rey!" (Long live Christ the King!) at the top of his lungs.

What are we treated to today? Breaking news concerning Catholic leaders in Poland who collaborated with the Communists. Articles concerning the likes of the Archbishops of both Washington, DC and San Francisco who steadfastly apologize for and/or defend baby-killer bar none, Nancy Pelosi.

And one that especially bothers me concerning the Knights of Columbus out in California....

In spite of its lip service to defending life, at least three prominent California politicians who support “abortion rights” continue to be Knights in good standing. They include: State Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, state Assemblyman Rudy Bermudez, D-Norwalk, and retired congressman and former Al Gore confidant Tony Coelho

The late Congressman Edward Roybal died a “Lifetime Honorary Member” of the Knights, even though he had a 100 percent rating from the National Abortion Rights Action League. The Knights of Columbus national web site features a listing of “Pro-Life Programs and Initiatives,” which seems to contradict the voting records and public policies supported by Correa, Bermudez, Coelho and Roybal.

But in all fairness to the California K of C, I saw the same thing when I was active with The Knights when I was stationed in Maryland.

But anyhow, when are we going to have some clerics who have the guts to stand up and say that enough is enough? You know, today I had to have a quick word with my parish priest after Mass. I congratulated him for having the 'nads to preach a sermon where he actually DEFENDED the One, True, Catholic Church.

Then it hit me as I was driving home... I was all excited because a Catholic priest defended the Catholic Church. Things are pretty shitty when a priest like him are in the minority.

Now here's something for us all to think about... if there were a modern day Presidente Calles in charge and Catholic priests were being rounded up for execution, where would your parish priest be? Standing before the firing squad screaming out iVIVA CHRISTO REY! at the top of his lungs... or issuing weak-kneed statements defending the butcher? Here's an even better question... where would you be?

I know where my parish priest would be. And if that day were to ever come, I hope that God would grant me the courage to be standing next my priest.

New Teaching On Limbo?
Don't get too wound up just yet

New Catholic over at Rorate Caeli posted a terse, yet concise, comment about the latest that has the secular media (and Roman Protestants) all in a tizzy.

It is not worthwhile to write a lengthy post on the study by the International Theological Commission, which: (1) did not (and could not...) "abolish" limbo; (2) is not a Papal document neither a Magisterial document of any kind; (3) is not binding for anyone, but purely a theological exercise.

Well-informed Catholics cannot fall into the traps set by ill-informed or malicious secular journalists.

And a couple of wonderful examples of those within The Church who saddle up with those very same ill-informed or malicious secular journalists ---

"...everyone is born in the state of grace," said the Rev. Richard McBrien, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame. Baptism does not exist to wipe away the "stain" of original sin, but to initiate one into the Church." (And this goomba teaches theology? Notre Dame, Our Mother... pray for us)

And this little gem;

"Parents who are mourning the death of their child are no longer going to be burdened with the added guilt of not having gotten their child baptized," said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. He said the document also had implications for non-Christians, since it could be seen as suggesting that non-baptized adults could go to heaven if they led a good life.

I think it shows that Benedict is trying to balance his view of Jesus as being central as the savior of the world ... but at the same time not saying what the Evangelicals say, that anyone who doesn't accept Jesus is going to hell," he said in a phone interview.

(Ummm... Father Reese... Catholicism has been teaching that for 2,000 years now, with Invincible Ignorance being the exception. But anyone who is even vaguely familiar with the Woodstock Theological Center already knows that it's a den of heresy that's enamored with Universal Salvation, etc. That bunch would make Cdl. Mahony of Los Angeles blush. By the way, did anyone else notice that Fr. Reese referred to Pope Benedict simply as "Benedict"? Not "The Holy Father" or "His Holiness" or even "Pope"... just Benedict. Interesting.)

OK, gang... I have just a few questions that we can all ponder as we get ready to attend Mass this fine Sunday morning -

1. Does Original Sin exist anymore?

2. Did it ever exist?

3. Is Baptism even a necessary Sacrament anymore, or just some type of Ecclesiastical Debutantes Ball as Fr. McBrien describes?

As a father who has buried an un-Baptized son, let me say this... there is no doubt in my mind that my Paul James is in a spiritual state of perfect happiness. He's in a "special part of Heaven", so to say, even though he'll never experience the Beatific Vision.

After all, if my son IS experiencing the Beatific Vision... if EVERYONE is born into a State of Grace... if anyone can attain Salvation "just by being a good person"... then why did Jesus have to die?

I Guess I've Been In The South Too Long
For the sake of the unedjumacated

My British buddy, Mac McLernon, has a tough time understanding me when I type Southern. So to assist the Scottish, English, Irish, Germans, Italians, Canadians, Australians, New Yorkers, and other assorted foreigners... here's a quick lesson on how to speak Southern.

Nekkid (neck-id) adj.
1. Having no clothing on the body; nude.
2. 'At boy was jus' runnin' 'round buck-ass nekkid!!

Yannah (yawn-nuh) n.
1. Presiding judge in a court of law.
2. Yannah, 'at boy just needed killin'! (Considered a legitimate legal defense in most Southern courts of law. As it should be.)

Wo (whoa) n.
1. A state of open, armed, often prolonged conflict carried on between nations, states, or parties.
2. I ain't never seen someone 'at messed up since the WO!

Sebmupp (sebb-muhp) n.
1. A colorless, carbonated soft drink.
2. Jimmy Ray, gimme a sebmupp, an' a Co-Cola fo' mah wife.

Tollit (tall-it) n.
1. A fixture for defecation and urination, consisting of a bowl fitted with a hinged seat and connected to a waste pipe and a flushing apparatus; a privy.
2. The tollit's runnin'. Someone go giggle the handle!

Yale (Yay-ull) n.
1. A loud cry; a shout.
2. Boy, ain't you never heard a Rebel Yale?

To-Up (tow-upp) adj.
1. Intoxicated with alcoholic liquor to the point of impairment of physical and mental faculties.
2. I was to-up from the flo' up!

America's Premier Holocaust Denier
The only thing she's missing is the little mustache and the swastika armband

Our nation's very own Angel of Death, Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the dissenting opinions on the recent Supreme Court decision to federally ban the monstrous Partial Birth Abortion procedure.

I find this amazing. Ginsburg has been described as "having her Jewish identity shaped by World War II and the Holocaust". She also has spent much of her adult life advocating for a woman's "right" to kill her unborn child.

In a perfect example of hypocrisy in action, and also a case of becoming what you once hated, Ginsburg finds no problem with making the German nation, under penalty of law, acknowledge the 12 million killed in the Holocaust. [By the way, it was 6 million Jews, and "The Forgotten 6 Million". Mostly Catholics]

Do I think it should be a crime to deny the Holocaust? That is a very difficult question. What's right for one society is not necessarily right for another. And given the history of what went on in Germany—that this most civilized nation succumbed to the worst inhumanity—it may be that for Germany such a law is appropriate.

But Ruthie, for some odd reason, can't/won't come to grips with the 35 million and counting that this nation has liquidated in the name of science, progress and civil liberties. Gee, the Nazi's used the same rationale, didn't they?

Personally, I don't see much difference between this

And this.

Thanks to Ginsburg and her ilk, we've out-Nazied the Nazis. Thanks Ruth.

When Franciscans Go Bad
This one's waaaaaaay beyond his expiration date
Helmet tip to Carolina Cannonball and the enigmatic Hazardx

WARNING!!! Crude language alert!

In the immortal words of Ricky Ricardo... Brother Robert Lentz, OFM has some splainin' to do.

I gather that he works for Trinity Stores of Santa Fe, NM (here and here). Let's just say that Bubba Bobby has... "interesting", shall we say... notions on how Jesus and His Saints should be portrayed.

Yes, this is suppose to be Jesus. But we can thank Brother Robert for giving us proof positive that the whole "Lord of the Dance" crap (that the progressives love to sing about) really isn't about Jesus at all. It's about worshipping some pagan god. Haven't we Traddies have been saying that all along. By the way, is it just me, or is the LOTD really in need of a serious bikini waxing or what? Dude, put on some skivvies.

Next up, we have the Chick Jesus, complete with Grotesquely Obese Barbie (AKA the pagan goddess of fertility). Forget about The Duality of Christ. We now have Quad-Jesus. God, Man, Goddess, Woman. I don't know about you, but I'm sooooo in touch with my feminine side right now, I think I'm ovulating.

Ahhh... now we have "Saint" Mohandas Gandhi of India who once stated "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ". Golly, is it just me, or does Dandy Gandhi care more about personalities or learning the Truths of Christ? But what do you expect from someone who worships cows while millions are starving to death all around him? No Kool-Aid for me, thanks.

Which brings us to "Saint" Martin Luther King of Georgia. I'm sure he was a swell guy and all, but depicting him as a Saint? The very same guy who consistently denied The Eucharistic Christ? The very same guy who consistently denied Sacramental Confession? The same guy who denied most of the Sacraments? Gosh, I guess all those martyrs who died defending The Church from the Heresy of Protestantism died for nothing, huh?

Got AIDS? That's right, sports fans... it's the Patron Saint of Turd Burglars everywhere, Harvey Milk. Poor old Harv. If he'd had spent a little less time pole vaulting, and a little more time learning how to duck, he'd be on this side of the dirt. Sucks to be him... literally.

And my all time fav... "Saint" Merlin the Magician. You know, we had a saying in the Marine Corps -- "I'm gonna skull **** you to death!" Looks as if Merlin beat me to it.

By the way, is it just me... or does Br. Robert have a thing about portraying nearly nekkid guys?

Want To Know The Best Way To Get A Roman Protestant To Go Apoplectic?
Read 'em these quotes

Just to name one of the mant things they set the "progressives" all a titter, I'd say it was Communion in the hand. With that said, who said this concerning the Protestant inspired practice of recieving Communion in the hand?

'Wherever I go in the whole world, the thing that makes me the saddest is watching people receive Communion in the hand.'

Was it Archbishop Marcel Lefevbre of the SSPX? Nooooo....

Was it Cardinal Ottaviani of the famous Ottaviani Intervention? Nooooo....

Was it any of the contributors to The Lair of the Catholic Cavemen? Nooooo....
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Get ready for this...
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It was Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

And while I'm at it... one of the things that get the "progressives" skivvie drawers all in a wad is The Traditional Latin Mass. With that said, who was it that stated the following?

The Church's language must be not only universal but also immutable. Modern languages are liable to change, and no single one of them is superior to the others in authority. Thus if the truths of the Catholic Church were entrusted to an unspecified number of them, the meaning of these truths, varied as they are, would not be manifested to everyone with sufficient clarity and precision. There would, moreover, be no language which could serve as a common and constant norm by which to gauge the exact meaning of other renderings. But Latin is indeed such a language. It is set and unchanging.

Was it Archbishop Marcel Lefevbre of the SSPX? Nooooo....

Was it Cardinal Ottaviani of the famous Ottaviani Intervention? Nooooo....

Was it any of the contributors to The Lair of the Catholic Cavemen? Nooooo....
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It was Pope John XXIII in the Apostolic Constitution, Veterum Sapientia.

The Renewed Call To Ban Guns
Why do they overlook the obvious?

In the wake of the Virginia Tech Massacre, the anti-gun crowd is, yet again, screaming to outlaw firearms. Allow me to remind said anti-gun crowd that you don't wrap an inanimate object in legislation and then call it a solution.

Like I just said... a weapon is an inanimate object. Never in the history of firearms has a weapon ever loaded itself, cocked itself, aimed itself, and then pulled it's own trigger. A gun can no more commit a crime than a carpenters tool-box build a house.

I'd also like to remind said anti-gun crowd that America has always been one heavily armed nation. Think about it --- from our pre-colonial days until just after WWII, it simply wasn't strange or out of the ordinary to find a gun (or a whole buncha guns) in your average American household. But what was it that happened in the 50's, 60's and 70's?

Hell, we all know the answer to that. Moral Relativism and Radical Liberalism were the watch-words of the day. America went from Rugged Individualism to The Nanny Government. Sheesh... why was it that the crime rate was less during the Great Depression than it is now? Simple, we had moral absolutes back then. Not any damn more.

Oh, and let's not forget that criminals (and would-be criminals) simply aren't afraid of prison. A stint in The Big House is a badge of honor nowadays. Once we quit screwing around and start executing some of the more evil individuals that have been on growing old and gray on death row, and also make prison in general an all around nasty place.... maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to take our country back from the savages.

A Lone Voice Crying Out In The Wilderness
In the Archdiocese of SAN FRANCISCO of all places!!??

Interesting story from The California Catholic Daily. Believe it or not, this is from a parish bulletin. Here's a taste;

News from the Trenches
(Reprinted from today's Weekly Bulletin of Saints Peter & Paul parish, San Francisco)
By Fr. John Malloy, pastor

There is a “wave of theological and moral dissent that is in danger of overtaking the Church in America. The dissenters are systematically trying to subvert and ‘reconstruct’ the very foundations of our Catholic faith.”

Karl Keating (“Catholic Answers”) has written many times to warn people about Call to Action, Women’s Ordination Conference, Catholics for a Free Choice, CORPUS (the National Association for a Married Priesthood), Dignity, FutureChurch, and many other self-proclaimed “change agents” present in the Church today. They all have a similar agenda: to dismantle the existing structure and essence of the Catholic Church and then re-make it in their own image and likeness.

They desperately want the Church to change its “rigid” stand on such issues as abortion, contraception, divorce, homosexual activity, women's ordination, and married priests. It’s almost hard to believe that these people are serious. But they are. For many of us, it may even be hard to believe that they pose a serious threat to the Church. But they certainly do. Did you know that at a recent Call to Action national convention (in Milwaukee, Wisconsin), a couple of hundred priests were in attendance? It’s true. Also present were many radical feminist nuns, religious educators, chancery officials, liturgists, theologians, and various Church bureaucrats. Altogether, about 4,000 to 5,000 people were in attendance.

It is a powerful force within the Church today! And they have a clear, systematic agenda: to tear down the Church as we know it and then re-build it into a different “New Church” structured around their own agenda.

Quite a bit different from what I posted not too long ago concerning Holy Redeemer Catholic(?) Parish, who happened to be active participats in the SF Gay Pride Parade, huh?

And How Much Of My Hard Earned Taxpayers Dollars Were Spent On Pointing Out The Obvious?
Hmmm...

There's a new study out from Columbia University that enlightens us with the epiphanous newsflash that homersexuals have a "far higher" risk of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.

I wonder if the study also pointed out that said Back-Door Conquistadors also are slaves to fashion, watch a lot of Lifetime movies, cry a lot while watching the very same Lifetime movies, hang on Rosie O'Donnell's every word, like frilly things, and wet their pants at the mere mention of the Backstreet Boys or Sanjaya.

There's a word for "guys" like these... they're called girls.

Vir Speluncae Catholicus' Take On Former Altar Boy's Latest Post
You know... the one about why some priests can't/won't learn the Traditional Latin Mass

One thing I'll say about my buddy, Former Altar Boy... when he posts a barn burner, he don't screw around! 39 posts in the ComBox and counting. Hey, that's an all time Lair record.

But anyhow, somewhere in all of the comments flying, someone mentioned that one of the possible reasons as to why some priests refuse to learn how to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass, is because they're afraid that they may be ostracized by their own fellow priests.

With that said, there're a handful of priests here in my diocese (who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons) who have an affinity towards the Tridentine Mass. And as I have recently found out, they are (behind their backs) referred to by their fellow priests as "The Indulterers". And not in a friendly, joking manner either.

Also, I've even personally heard Catholic priests, from the pulpit no less, ridicule the Tridentine Mass. I've also heard those same priests describe those that attend the Latin Mass as some sort of gaggle of superstitious rubes who will all, hopefully, die out real soon so The Church can get on with the business of modernizing Herself. Or as they put it... itself.

So now we have two entire generations of Catholics who have been taught to sneer at, revile, and snicker at the Latin Mass as well as those who attend such. And they were taught this by Catholic priests. Is it any wonder that some Traditionalists have an "us against them" mentality?

I know I sure had it for a long time.

No Pain, No Gain
What gain? This hurts like hell!

As many of you already know, I was in the hospital not too long ago. My doctor tells me that I can finally start bangin' weights again. It's been almost 3 months since I've lifted, so I'm really excited to start knocking the iron around.

Well, after my first work-out, I'm starting to realize that I'm not 25 years old anymore. A picture's worth a thousand Tylenols.

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Thoroughly Dispicable
Further proof that the jihaadists are going to hell

From Spero News, the headline "Mentally Handicapped Children Used In Iraq Attacks".

Here's a few snippets --

“Some children were given by their families but many others were kidnapped by insurgents when they knew that those children had mental problems. Some of them were even taken from the doors of their houses or schools,” the NGO’s spokesperson [who refused to be named for security reasons] said. “We have registered many cases of the disappearance of children with mental problems. According to information we got from Anbar province, those children are working with insurgents.”

Nine-year-old Saleh Ahmed (not his real name) said he was forced to help insurgents after they forced their way into his home and threatened to kill his mother and sisters if his father did not hand him over.

“They told me to say that I’m happy working with them but it's not true. I want to go back home and stay with my mother,” Saleh told IRIN in privacy. When his trainer, Abu Ahmed, returned to the room, Saleh changed his tune and said he was happy to fight US forces and would die to save his country.

But silly me... these jihaadists aren't terrorists, after all. They're freedom fighters standing up to the horrid, horrid invading Americans. Right?

Don Imus, Rosie O'Donnell, Nappy Headed Hoes, And Catholic Bashers
Hmmm..... I think I know what The Caveman's getting at

WARNING! Exceedingly harsh language alert.

As we all know by now, Don Imus has just been (rightly) slam dunked for is unChristian and ungentlemanly comments towards the Rutgers University womens basketball team. The jerk got what he deserved.

And of course I have to ask... where was the outrage when known Catholic-basher and grand apologist for Iran, Rosie O'Donnell, when she stated (as she squinted her eyes) "The fact is that it's news all over the world. That you know, you can imagine in China it's like: 'Ching chong, ching chong, ching chong, chong, chong, chong". Followed by uproarious laughter from her oh, so progressive audience.

Funny stuff, huh? But then again, O'Donnell is the Poster Thing for everything liberal, so she get's a pass.

Anyhow, I like what the Catholic League just released. But be forewarned, the language, even though censored, is still pretty rough.

CATHOLIC BASHERS SPARED IMUS TREATMENT

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on the way Catholic bashers are treated as compared to Don Imus:

“Two years ago, Penn Jillette (of the comedy team Penn and Teller) went on Showtime calling Mother Teresa ‘Mother F—king Teresa’ and called the nuns who worked with her ‘f—king c—ts.’ Showtime is owned by Viacom and that is why I wrote to its chief, Sumner Redstone, to register a complaint. He wrote back extolling the merits of ‘artistic freedom’ and ‘tolerance.’ Last year, on Viacom-owned CBS radio, Jillette said Mother Teresa ‘had this weird kink that I think was sexual,’ compared the saintly nun to Charles Manson and said she ‘got her [sexual] kicks watching people suffer and die.’ Again, nothing was done about this.

“In 2005, Bill Maher went on HBO at the time of the death of Pope John Paul II and said, ‘For those who could not make the funeral, the Vatican has asked that in lieu of flowers, just stop touching your d—k.’ He also said that the whole story of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and the Resurrection was ‘grafted from paganism’; he ended by mocking the death of the pope and the upcoming conclave. The letter I received from HBO said that ‘it’s a free country, and people are free to say silly things—even on HBO.’

“Right before Easter, the Catholic League protested the chocolate Jesus with his genitals exposed that was to be shown in the art gallery of the Roger Smith Hotel in midtown Manhattan (located on street level, the public was invited to eat him). Air America radio co-host Cenk Uygur, writing on ‘The Huffington Post,’ said, ‘So is the argument that Jesus didn’t have a d—k? Or were people offended because it was too big? Too Small? Too immaculate? Not immaculate enough?’ Regarding Imus’s remark, Uygur called it ‘derogatory and insulting.’

“Similarly, Joan Walsh on Salon.com said the chocolate Jesus was not ‘a big deal,’ and advised people not to go see it if they didn’t like it. She has now called on Imus to be fired. Even New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg said ‘don’t pay any attention’ to the chocolate Jesus, but he now finds it necessary to brand Imus’ comments ‘repugnant.’

“In other words, Catholic bashing is humorous and an exercise in liberty. Racism is awful. Bigotry, then, is neither good nor bad—it just depends who the target is.”

Paramedic Girl Is 100% Correct
As usual

My good buddy, Paramedic Girl, recently posted the correct Church Teaching concerning Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus (Outside The Church, there is no salvation).

Well, it seems my goomba-ette is taking some flak for her bad manners in actually posting infallible Church Teaching. So to prove that chivalry isn't dead (not that PMG could ever need saving from the likes of me. She handles herself well!), I'm posting the following; BTW, can you guess what Council this is from?

This Sacred Council wishes to turn its attention firstly to the Catholic faithful. Basing itself upon Sacred Scripture and Tradition, it teaches that the Church, now sojourning on earth as an exile, is necessary for salvation. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church. Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved.

Is this from the Council of Trent? Noooooo...

The Council of Hippo? Noooooo...

The Council of Florence? Nooooo....

Give up?
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It's from The Second Vatican Council ~ DOGMATIC CONSTITUTION ON THE CHURCH ~ Chapter II ~ Paragraph 14

This should come as quite a shock to the Roman Protestants who think that The Catholic Church didn't even exist until 1962. Also, The Dogmatic Constitution of V2 was one of the VERY few portions of that particular council that were binding upon pain of sin. The vast majority of V2 is simply non-binding.

Maybe Darwin Was Right All Along?
Well, Social Darwinism anyway

Riddle me this, fellow bloglodytes... what do you get when you cross a government "multimillion dollar project" with twenty endangered Pygmy Rabbits who were released to the wild and then fourteen were promptly eaten by natural predators?

I'll tell ya what you get. Long haired, 1960's burn-outs who are now armed with a government grant, who do nothing better than piss away money that was earned by hard working taxpayers.

To these tree-huggin', granola eatin', carbon footprint frettin', Save The Whales but who gives a damn about the unborn humans, hippie pukes... I have just one question. Why the hell do you think the Pygmy Rabbit is endangered anyways?

Sheesh... this whole thing reminds me of my recent post concerning "Catholic" women who have left The Church to become Episcopalian priestesses. No matter how hard The Great Unwashed try, both the Pygmy Rabbit and the Poncho Ladies will die out. After all, the strong survive and the weak die out.

Say Hello To My Lil' Friend!
The soon to be Rev. Mr. Watkins

Discerning a vocation? Know anyone who may be? If so, point them in the direction of this 1st rate Opus Dei, Roman Catholic Vocations.

So Long, Farewell, Auf Weidersehen, Goodbye
And don't let the door hit your ass on the way out

An interesting story from The California Catholic Daily

A Really Cool Church
“It is plausible that the all-male priesthood has caused some Catholic women to convert to the Episcopal Church to be ordained?”. “I didn’t realize how much pain I had from growing up in a church that did not permit women as pastors,” said Melanie Donohoe. [She] was talking about growing up Catholic.

“I was not one of those girls who wanted to be a nun,” said Donohoe. “I always loved the spiritual, the mystical, and the sacramental, but I did not sit around dreaming of being a priest.” But, today, Donohoe is a priest -- or what some would call a priest. She is an Episcopal minister and associate rector of Transfiguration Episcopal Church in San Mateo. “I'm really happy being a priest,” she said, “and I love my parish.”

Some have said a disproportionate number of Protestant female clergy are made up of former Catholics. Do they leave because the Catholic Church forbids women’s ordination? Examining this question, Paul Perl, writing in the Dec. 22, 2005 edition of the journal Sociology of Religion, said, based on the statistics (and the latest were from 1994), it is impossible to judge why, but a significantly larger percentage of female than male converts from the Catholic Church entered the Protestant ministry -- 5.1% as opposed to 2.5 percent.

But the percentages for the Episcopal Church are significantly higher. From 1980 to 1994, 13.7% percent of female clergy were former Catholics as opposed to 9% of male clergy. Over the years, the percentage of formerly Catholic Episcopal priestesses increased: 1980-84, it was 10%; 1985-1989, 13%; and 1990-94, 17%. This, coupled with the fact that the percentage of formerly Catholic Episcopal female converts did not grow in like proportions, led Perl to conclude that “it is plausible that the all-male priesthood has caused some Catholic women to convert to the Episcopal Church to be ordained.”

Though Donohoe said of the Episcopal Church, “we’re a really cool church,” she admitted, “We’re not perfect.” For instance, “there’s still a couple of dioceses that won’t ordain women,” one of those being her neighbor, the Diocese of San Joaquin.

Allow me to reinterate... a woman can no more be ordained, as a tree be given Last Rites, or a goldfish be Baptized (or me being a nun). Obviously, these gals were never taught (or have purposfully rejected) some of the basics of both Sacred Sripture and Tradition.

When The Bar Of Excellence Is At The Same Level Of A Sewer Pipe...
Don't be surprised by what you get

This story from Catholic World News should come as a surprise to no one.

Survey shows Italian Catholics ignorant of faith
Apr. 9, 2007 (CWNews.com)

A survey of Italian Catholics has discovered a startling lack of basic information about the content of the faith.

A poll of 600 Catholics, conducted by the firm Ferrari, Nasi and Grisantelli for the newspaper Il Giornale, found that just 50% of respondents knew that Jesus Christ had composed the “Our Father,” while 56% could correctly identify the Holy Trinity, and 23% did not know that Easter is the feast celebrating Jesus’ resurrection. 59% were unable to name the four evangelists while 24% do not recognize that Jesus is both God and man.

While 60% of respondents identified themselves as very or moderately religious, only 9% answered all survey questions correctly; 17% were wrong in their answers to every question.

I posted not too long ago concerning some of the embarrassingly dismal stats pertaining to the state of The Church here in America.

From the Kenneth Jones book Index of Leading Catholic Indicators: The Church Since Vatican II (stats and studies from sources such as the USCCB, Fordham University, the Jesuits, etc.

Here's a wee bit --

The same is true for the once-proud religious orders of men. For example, in 1965 there were 5,277 Jesuit priests and 3,559 seminarians; in 2000 there were 3,172 priests and 389 seminarians.

There were 2,534 OFM Franciscan priests and 2,251 seminarians in 1965; in 2000 there were 1,492 priests and 60 seminarians.

There were 2,434 Christian Brothers in 1965 and 912 seminarians; in 2000 there were 959 Brothers and 7 seminarians.

It does not require special training in statistics to conclude that by 2050, if these trends continue, the Jesuits, the Franciscans, and the Christian Brothers, will be the virtually extinct in the US.

Other statistics on the life of the Catholic Church in America tell the same story. At the time of the Council there were 4.5 million students in US parochial schools; now there are 2 million.

Before the Council there were less than 400 marriages annulled by Catholic diocesan tribunals in an average year; now there are 50,000.

Before the Council 3 out of 4 Catholics attended Mass each week; now the figure is 1 in 4.

"Springtime of The Church"? Yeah... right.

What Liberal Bias!!??
Noooo, not the BBC!

Here's a small snippet concerning the latest from Pravda on the Thames (as reported by the Sunday Telegraph)...

Hero's tale is 'too positive' for the BBC
By Chris Hastings, Arts and Media Editor, Sunday Telegraph

Amid the deaths and the grim daily struggle bravely borne by Britain's forces in southern Iraq, one tale of heroism stands out. Private Johnson Beharry's courage in rescuing an ambushed foot patrol then, in a second act, saving his vehicle's crew despite his own terrible injuries earned him a Victoria Cross.

For the BBC, however, his story is "too positive" about the conflict.

The corporation has cancelled the commission for a 90-minute drama about Britain's youngest surviving Victoria Cross hero because it feared it would alienate members of the audience opposed to the war in Iraq.

Hey, isn't the Beeb tax-payer funded?

Motu Proprio... Out By Easter?
Yeah, right

I knew I shouldn't have got my hopes up. You're such a blockhead Cavey Brown!!


Maybe next Easter I'll dash your hopes... again.

Don Corleone Would Be Proud
Shame on the Bishop of San Diego

How are you suppose to deal with a Man of Faith who does nothing but act in Bad Faith?

As those who frequent The Lair already know, I've been following the recent goings on the diocese of my hometown... San Diego, California.

The latest is just beyond the pale.

~ First the bishop protects kiddie-rapists "priests".
~ Then he dances the legalese two-step with the District Attorney and police.
~ He treats the victims as if they were the criminals.
~ And the latest from the bishop is that he tries to hide $1.5 million that would be owed to the victims.

With shepherds like Presider Brom, who needs wolves?

Anyhow, it's rare that I post entire articles... but this op/ed piece from the San Diego Union pretty much (sadly) says it all.

Diocese's asset giveaway is shabby at best
April 7, 2007

Given that today is the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we regret having to discomfit the San Diego area's nearly 1 million Catholics with a fresh rebuke of their wayward diocese. But the San Diego diocese's actions leave us no choice. Yesterday's Union-Tribune story – documenting how the diocese gave away more than $1.5 million in assets in the months before filing for bankruptcy in February – appears to be a jarring act of bad faith.

We say “appears to be” because the diocese won't explain itself, and it is possible to conceive of a benign explanation for the asset transfers. Still, the logical assumption is that the diocese was following a standard strategy of organizations that have filed for bankruptcy: reducing assets to lessen what's available to pay creditors. But there are limits to this approach – reducing assets by simply giving them away to avoid paying debts could qualify as fraud under bankruptcy laws.

Unfortunately, no one should be surprised that the diocese would go this route in its response to the 150 lawsuits it faces over alleged sexual abuse by diocese priests. The diocese has played hardball at every turn with clergy victims, using legal trickery to try to keep damning internal documents from prosecutors and police, and seeking to endlessly delay trials that would spotlight its own perfidy.

San Diego Bishop Robert Brom even suggested the Catholic Church is being punished unfairly for the actions of a few miscreants, ignoring the fact that the church's hierarchy – thanks to its practice of transferring known abusers and molesters instead of turning them over to police – was responsible for thousands of new assaults.

As we have observed before, the diocese is undeserving of sympathy. This view is confirmed anew by its latest tactic.

Why Some Priests Won’t Learn the Latin Mass
We can blame ourselves

A number of years ago, when I still thought there was hope the Novus Ordo might someday become relatively orthodox, I attended Mass at an NO parish in my city. One day, a young priest, a Navy veteran, arrived to be the new associate pastor. He was everything anyone who lived before Vatican II could hope for.

+ He wore a cassock around the parish grounds.
+ He started having the church bells in the belfry rung before Mass. (I didn’t know they existed until he got there!)
+ On Sundays, he only used – and usually sang – the Roman Mass, i.e. Eucharistic prayer #1 (the same one they use at the Vatican).
+ He often began Sunday Mass with the Asperges.
+ His Masses were always very reverent.

He was everything the pastor, God bless him, was not. A number of us thought a new day was in store. Not so. The young associate was transferred out in a year or two.

I mention all of this to indicate that if a young, conservative priest was likely to ever learn the traditional Latin Mass, it might have been he. So, when I recently saw the group Una Voce was offering scholarships for priests wanting to learn the Traditional Latin Mass to go back to the FSSP seminary in Nebraska this June, I called him to tell him the news.

He cordially told me that while he often said the Novus Ordo in Latin, and had concelebrated the Traditional Latin Mass, he had no interest in learning the TLM. Why? Because, he told me, while the strict rubrics were certainly daunting, he was surprised how nasty some of the congregants were after Mass in pointing out all his mistakes. They, he said, obviously knew the Mass better than he did and made no bones of telling him were he screwed up.

I apologized for their lack of charity and thanked Father for his time and candor.

There is no question, and especially in this age, the Church needs holy and reverent priests, even for the Novus Ordo. But here was a priest who would have been an excellent candidate to minister to those who prefer the traditional rite, with its 1,500 year track record, and those who like the “New” Mass of 1969. Instead of exercising the virtue of patience, and understanding that every new priest will be in a “learning curve” like a rookie in any endeavor, some know-it-all, holier-than-though, more-Catholic-than-the-Pope (a trait I see among a number of so-called “traditionalists”) 21st Century Pharisee decided to instruct this member of the clergy on how to say the Mass.

Who can blame him – or any priest in the same situation – for being disillusioned and asking if it effort is really worth it given the lack of appreciation and charity by Tridentine-loving members of his flock.

It’s time for some of us to look in the mirror.

How Many More Have To Die Before We Take Illegal Immigration
Seriously?
Unfortunantly, many more

OK, we're all familiar with the Bill O'Reilly-Geraldo Rivera blowout concerning the illegal alien drunk driver who killed Virginia Beach teen-agers Tessa Tranchant and Allison Kunhardt.

Now it's coming to light that the drunk driver that killed "A Christmas Story" director Bob Clark and his son were, you guessed it... an illegal alien.

But hey... I guess I shouldn't be so harsh. After all, illegal aliens have *only killed 45,625 Americans since 9-11. That's the total number of Americans killed in Iraq multiplied by 15 since September 11th.

*as of Nov, 2006.

With "Catholic Republicans" Like Him...
Who needs Ted Kennedy?

From a recent interview with CNN reporter Dana Bash;

BASH: So you support taxpayer money or public funding for abortions in some cases?

GIULIANI: If it would deprive someone of a constitutional right, yes, I mean, if that the status of the law, then I would, yes.


And just to drive the point home... here's a blast from the past.

"Today, He was hung on a piece of wood, The Man who hung the world above water.... We kneel before your Passion o' Christ....We kneel before your Passion o' Christ."



Sung by Lebanese artist, Fairouz.

And Immediately There Fell From His Eyes As It Were Scales...
Acts 9:18 Douay-Rheims Bible

The Catholic News Service, which is also the mouthpiece for the USCCB, has the following story entitled;

New study of U.S. Catholics cites young adults as problem for church

These dopes just get it, do they? It isn't that young adults are a problem for The Church... it's the Church that has failed young adults. THAT'S the problem!

~ Young people have been force-fed a steady diet of questioning everything we've held dear for 2,000 years.

~ Young people witness Bernard Cardinal Law takes flight to Rome in the dead of night (just one step ahead of the District Attorney) for protecting kiddie-rapists.

~ Young people witness Archbishop Rembert Weakland pay out almost a half million dollars in hush money to his boyfriend.

~ Young people witness that without fear of punishment, Roger Cardinal Mahony consistently invites heretics of every stripe to his Archdiocese on a regular basis.

~ Young people have witnessed Catechitical instruction lowered to the intillectual equivalent of a Barney video.

~ Young people witness diocese after diocese file Chapter 11 bankrupcy protection due to bishops protecting rapists and other sundry perverts and law-breakers.

But let's not forget... it's the young adults that are the problem. When will the scales fall from the eyes of the USCCB?

By the way, I find it.... shall we say "interesting" that this story was published on Maundy Thursday. The same day that The Head of The Church was betrayed.