Many priests in parishes this weekend recounted this piece by Father Fessio, the editor and Founder of Ignatius Press, dealing with the consistent attacks on Pope Benedict XVI.
Father Fessio writes: The so-called “stalled pedophile case”, blame for which has been laid at the feet of then-Cardinal Ratzinger, had nothing to do with pedophilia and everything to do with strengthening marriage and the priesthood.
Read full article here.
Last week was a crazy and confusing week given the latest twists and turns emanating from the final days of the health care battle. Pro-government run health care forces are doing all they can to play parliamentary games to try and pass pro-abortion, pro-euthanasia, government imposed health care on the American people, despite the peoples’ fairly obvious objection — over and over again.
SMS has covered the health care debate ad nauseum. This is because of the tremendous life-altering impact health care “reform,” as proposed by pro-abortion/euthanasia forces in Washington, mainly President Obama and his allies in Congress, Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, will have on the American people and our culture. Obama, Pelosi and Reid are trying to pull out every trick in the book to force the American public, the taxpayer, to fund elective abortion on demand and sign up for policies that lead to rationing of care, as well as force doctors to perform abortions and engage practices that ration care.
A new study out by the New England Journal of Medicine says that almost 1/3 of Doctors say they would leave the health profession if the Obama Democrats version of health care passes. Yet we see little of this in the national media.
The USCCB issued a Call to Action that will appeared in many bulletins on Sunday urging Catholics to call their Represenatives and Senators and once again make our voices heard in defense of the sanctity of life, from conception to natural death. It also declares that a conscience protections clause must be in the final bill, protecting the rights of doctors, nurses and other pro-life medical professionals who refuse to engage in life ending practices or counseling on abortion or euthanasia.
You can read the Call to Action and bulletin insert here.
Additionally, SMS is asking our supporters to pass the word in joining Bishop Paul Loverde, Bishop of the Diocese of Arlington, VA in his call for Monday, March 15th to be a national day of prayer and fast to protect the sanctity of life in any health care legislation that comes from Congress.
Learn more about the fast here.
Make no mistake, the health care bill that will be voted on this week will include taxpayer funding for abortion, will lead to rationing of health care and is devoid of sufficient protections for pro-life doctors, nurses and medical professionals. The culture of death is knocking on Congress’ door. Given that no life-protecting measures are in the bill to be voted on next week, SMS urges our supporters to call their Representatives and Senators and tell them to vote NO!
Call your Congressman at 202-225-3121
Call your Senator at 202-224-3121
As we near the end of the healthcare debate, the Most Rev. Paul Loverde, Bishop of the Arlington Diocese of Northern Virginia, has declared tomorrow Monday, March 15th a day of prayer and fasting for the intention of “protecting the life, dignity, health and conscience rights of every human person in any legislation that Congress considers.”
The St Michael Society applauds this initiative and, with your participation, can help make this a National Day of Fasting and Prayer.
Bishop Paul Loverde
Catholic teaching tells us that our support for the dignity of life includes access to affordable health care. This support, however, cannot come at the expense of the respect for life at all stages, from natural conception to natural death …
… Through our fasting and prayers, we ask the Lord to lead the hearts and minds of our nation’s leaders as they make crucial decisions concerning the protection of life.
Read his full letter here, and please pass this onto fellow Catholics to join us in solidarity for these crucial intentions.
You can also brush up on the power of “true” fasting here.
There’s a new calendar by the Archdiocese of Washington that is causing a stir among some critics for its focus on Catholics cutting their carbon footprint this Lent.
The calendar, created by the Diocese’s Environmental Outreach Committee, provides 40 carbon-fasting suggestions in order to be “wise stewards of God’s Creation” in preparation for Lent and the Easter Season. Some of the measures include:
The full calendar is viewable here, and more detail on the calendar and the promotion of this “new twist on Lent” by the California bishops is at the California Catholic Daily.
While these are good suggestions to be stewards of God’s creation, how appropriate is it to focus an entire 40 days on cutting your carbon footprint? Is that more important than the grave issues like abortion, adultery, euthanasia and others that could inform Lenten sacrifices such as volunteering at a Pregnancy Resource Center or taking time to help an elderly neighbor? Some, like the Sweetness & Light blog, have questioned the calendar’s focus saying
Is nothing sacred? This isn’t your father’s Catholicism.
Others, like this Catholic who must remain anonymous, shared a keen insight saying
We have clear guidelines on how to follow the liberals on saving the planet but we cannot have clear guidelines when it pertains to their votes on killing babies?
What do you think?
By now you’ve probably heard about the devestating earthquake that hit Haiti last night. A quake with the magnitude of 7.0 would be destructive anywhere, but it is proving to be nothing short of catastrophic for the third world country and its capitol of Port-au-Prince that is enduring utterly tragic loss of life, with some reportedly still stuck in the rubble.
Catholic Relief Services was among the first on the ground to respond.
Karel Zelenka, a Catholic Relief Services representative in Port-au-Prince, told U.S. colleagues before phone service failed that “there must be thousands of people dead,” a spokeswoman for the aid group told The Associated Press.
Fox News also reports that Haiti’s Archbishop was killed in the quake, and that hundreds of religious were trapped in the rubble.
The body of Msgr. Joseph Serge Miot, 65, was found under the rubble of the archdiocese, and may be one of only hundreds of victims trapped in the ruins of Church buildings on the island.
The apostolic nuncio in Haiti, Msgr. Bernardito Auza, said that the cathedral and all the major churches and seminaries in Port-au-Prince
were leveled by the most powerful temblor to strike the island in two centuries. Hundreds of seminarians and priests were trapped in the rubble, he told Vatican Radio.
Pope Benedict XVI has enlisted the worldwide network of Catholic Charities to offer help to the Haitians. Watch the video of his Papal Address, calling for solidarity with the victims:
And President Obama addressed the nation this morning to promise the United States’ full support in relief aid to the Haitians who are “no strangers to hardship and suffering”
Catholic Online also reminds us that
Many Catholic parishes in the United States have “twinned” with parishes in Haiti and taken a personal concern for assisting the Haitian people, many of whom are Catholics. Calls for prayer have gone out around the Nation and throughout the world.
We at the St. Michael Society urge all our members to join us in lifting up our Haitian brothers and sisters in prayer, asking the Lord to send them healing, hope and courage in a time of tremendous strife and to bless and help the relief crew workers and empower them to save as many lives as possible in the rescue efforts.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
If you would like to help assist the victims of the Haiti earthquake and all of workers on the ground, please 1) pray 2) donate. Two Catholic organizations you can donate to are:
CRS has launched a major aid operation to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake. The CRS team in Haiti is in place to distribute emergency relief.
Caritas Haiti
Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-based umbrella organization for Catholic charities, said it was mobilizing to provide immediate assistance to Haiti. On Jan. 13 it had already assembled an emergency relief team to fly to Haiti to assist Caritas members already working in the country.
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have a new insert for bulletins that urges Catholics to contact Congress now about healthcare reform legislation.
As long-time advocates of health care reform, the U.S. Catholic bishops continue to make the moral case that genuine health care reform must protect the life, dignity, consciences and health of all, especially the poor and vulnerable. Health care reform should not advance a pro-abortion agenda in our country.
It’s very heartening to see the Bishops take such a powerful stance against the healthcare reform legislation and government funding of abortion. This bill, if passed, will be the largest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade. The Bishops know it and want all Catholics in this country to know it.
MESSAGE—HOUSE:
“I am pleased that the House health care bill maintains the longstanding policy against federal funding of abortion. I urge you to work to uphold essential provisions against abortion funding, to include full conscience protection and to assure that health care is accessible and affordable for all. Until and unless these criteria are met, I urge you to oppose the final bill.”
MESSAGE—SENATE:
“I am deeply disappointed that the Senate health care bill fails to maintain the longstanding policy against federal funding of abortion and does not include adequate protection for conscience. I urge you to support essential provisions against abortion funding, similar to those in the House bill. Include full conscience protection and assure that health care is accessible and affordable for all. Until and unless these criteria are met, I urge you to oppose the final bill.”
WHEN: Votes in the House and Senate on the final bill are expected in January. Act today! Thank You!
Here's the full bulletin insert: http://www.usccb.org/healthcare/UPDATED-bulletin-insert.pdf
Senator Ben Nelson has sold out the unborn and has announced that he is ready to support Senator Harry Reid’s abortion funding health care bill. If passed, Senator Reid’s health care bill will lead to the largest expansion of abortion since the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision allowing abortion on demand. (One has to wonder what that decision would have been if the Court had been shown sonograms.) Nelson’s fascade came to an end when Reid offered money to Nelson for his home state of Nebraska. In return for this scam, Nelson has watered down his bill which will allow federal funding of abortion, but, oh, states can opt out of the government exchange if they want. This move undercuts the pro-life, pro-Hyde Stupak-Pitts Amendment. But as Senator Nelson caves, Congressman Stupak is digging in, calling the Nelson abortion funding compromise, “unacceptable.”
Senator Ben Nelson
Here is how the following days will play out.
The manger’s amendment released by Senator Reid now appears to have the 60 votes necessary to end debate and pass the health care reform bill in the Senate. The first in a series of cloture votes (vote to end debate on an amendment or bill) is expected around 1 am Monday morning. If all goes as currently projected, the Senate would pass the health care bill sometime next week. If the Senate passes its bill, there will then likely be a House-Senate Conference to negotiate the differences between the House and Senate language. The House and Senate would then have to approve the modifications made in the conference. In a statement released today Pro-life Caucus Co-chair Bart Stupak (D-MI) said “While I and many other pro-life Democratic House members wish to see health care coverage for all Americans, the proposed Senate language is unacceptable.”
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops responded immediately to the Nelson abortion funding Amendment. Statement here.
For more information please visit:
www.stoptheabortionmandate.com, National Right to Life Committee, and Americans United for Life
How ironic that as we ready for the coming of our Lord in this Advent season, that during Christmas week, the week of the birth of our savior, the United States Senate is going to pass a health care bill that provides federal funding for the taking of innocent human life.
St. Michael Society is encouraging all of our friends, followers and supporters to please pray to our Holy Mother to continue to give Congressman Bart Stupak, and other supporting Democrats, the will and the courage to stand their ground and defend innocent human life against a wave of pressure. We also pray to Our Holy Mother for the protection of the unborn and for a culture of life in the face of an America that continues to head further and further down the road toward a culture of death.
Finally, we encourage all to call their Senators and Representatives and tell them, no to a health care bill that leads to a massive funding of abortion, essentially an abortion industry pay out, and no to government run health care that leads to rationed care and euthanasia.
Senate: 202.224.3121
House: 202.225.3121
Deal Hudson has a great piece on InsideCatholic that exposes pro-Obama, pro-abortion groups saying they can be faithful Catholics while supporting federal funding of abortion in heatlh care. Learn more here.
The good news is that NY became the latest in a series of states rejecting legalized so-called gay marriage.
The bad news is that the DC City Council voted in favor of a measure that would legalize same-sex marriage in the district. This isn’t the end of the story for DC as there are a couple more hurdles that the measure has to jump through before it becomes law, but it will be a tough battle for people who are against this redefinition of marriage as the media in DC has been relentless in its attacks against groups like the Catholic Church who are fighting the measure.
SMS will keep you updated on these state battles over marriage, so check back often for the latest – especially as the DC situation moves ahead. And don’t forget to read the US Bishops’ approved statement on marriage from their fall meeting. It provides a tremendous defense of marriage as well as useful explanations for the Church’s position.
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There is a great piece today by former Pennsylvania Senator (we miss him), Rick Santorum, in today’s Philadephia Inquirer. In his piece, Santorum discusses the need for Catholic public officials to follow the teachings of the Church in matters of public policy.
Santorum on Congressman Kennedy, Bishop Tobin conflict: “Simply put, the church has membership requirements. Kennedy is free to reject them. What he is not free to do is redefine them for himself and condemn the church for not accepting his definition.”
Santorum on Catholic teaching and public policy: “Finally, the church maintains that there is a natural law that forms the basic moral foundation of society and that can be known through the exercise of reason. Thus, a Catholic public official with a well-formed conscience can arrive at correct moral conclusions not by faith, but by reason.”
See full article in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer.
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