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Moscow, February 26, Interfax - The issue of the status of Catholic dioceses in the Orthodox lands as well as the issue of the status of the Orthodox dioceses in traditionally Catholic countries requires a “serious and elaborate discussion” in terms of the Orthodox-Catholic dialog, Bishop Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Vienna and Austria, Representative of the Russian Orthodox Church to the European Institutions, told Interfax-Religion on Tuesday.

“Many Western people think that the concept of a ‘canonic territory’ has lost its sense altogether in modern situation because Orthodox believers coexist side by side with Catholics, Protestants and representatives of other faiths,” he said.

Recently Cardinal Walter Kasper, the President of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity said the Moscow Patriarchate’s wish to abolish four Catholic dioceses in Russia that had been created by the previous Pope John Paul II, was “very unexpected.”

It is hard to discern a quality difference between Catholic dioceses in Russia and Orthodox dioceses in the West, Walter said. He called on the Russian Orthodox Church to show the same openness that the Catholics are demonstrating in relation to Orthodox parishes in Western Europe and the U.S.

In 2002, Vatican made a decision to upgrade the level of Catholic structures, operating in the status of apostolic magistrates in Russia, to the level of dioceses, and this decision lead to a protest from the Russian Orthodox Church.

newseditor :: Feb.27.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

From an article on Zenit’s web site:

Among the reactions, an article published Feb. 23 in the German newspaper Die Tagespost is noteworthy. The article, written by Jacob Neusner, professor of History and Theology of Judaism in Bard College, supports the explanation given by the cardinal, explaining that the prayer does nothing more than express Christian identity.

“Israel prays for the gentiles, so the other monotheists — the Catholic church included — have the right to do the same, and no one should feel offended. Any other policy toward the gentiles would deny gentiles access to the one God whom Israel knows in the Torah,” wrote the professor, who has taught at institutions including Columbia University, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Brandeis University, Dartmouth College, Brown University and the University of South Florida.

“And the Catholic prayer expresses the same generous spirit that characterizes Judaism at worship. God’s kingdom opens its gates to all humanity and when at worship the Israelites ask for the speedy advent of God’s kingdom, they express the same liberality of spirit that characterizes the Pope’s text for the prayer for the Jews — better ‘holy Israel’ — on Good Friday,” the Jewish professor explained.

“Both ‘It is our duty’ and ‘Let us also pray for the Jews’ realize the logic of monotheism and its eschatological hope,” Neusner concluded.

newseditor :: Feb.27.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Rome, Feb. 26, 2008 (CWNews.com) - An essay in the official Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano argues that this year’s Oscar awards went to films that portray America as a society “without hope.”

The signed column by Gaetano Vallini was critical of Oscar-winning films such as No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. These movies and others nominated for Academy Awards are “sinister, filled with violence, and above all, without hope,” the writer said. Continue Reading »

newseditor :: Feb.27.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

It’s great for business. Pervert young people as much as possible and the abortion industry will keep going.

Editor’s Note: This article may contain quotes offensive to some readers…

CNA STAFF, Feb 27, 2008 / 06:14 am (CNA).- A Planned Parenthood website for teenagers is promoting pornography to young people, Cybercast News Service reports.

A 2007 article on the Planned Parenthood-sponsored Teenwire.com website advises pornography use as a “lower-risk form of outercourse.” “Many couples can read or watch sexy stories or pictures together,” the article states. “They can also share or act out sex fantasies.” Continue Reading »

newseditor :: Feb.27.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Washington DC, Feb 27, 2008 / 07:58 am (CNA).- A writer who wrote a Washington Post op-ed piece arguing against the U.S. bishops’ criticism of voters who support pro-choice politicians and ended his article with a curse of the bishops could face canonical penalties for inciting hatred against the bishops.

Joe Feuerherd, a correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, attacked the bishops’ statement “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” in the Sunday edition of the Washington Post. In their statement, the bishops noted that voters’ political decisions could affect their salvation. Continue Reading »

newseditor :: Feb.27.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Go here for the latest edition of Ad Rem, which asks, “Where have all the real men gone?”

http://www.catholicism.org/ad-rem-no-64.html 

newseditor :: Feb.26.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

According to a recent study in the UK, drugs like Prozac have little effect on those suffering from clinical depression.

Amateur prescription: Eat healthy. Get exercise, enough rest, and sunlight.  Keep your conscience clean by striving to live virtuously, not only in sexual matters, but all matters of morals. Frequent the sacraments, especially Penance and Holy Communion. All this, with 1/2 hour of mental prayer a day and the Rosary. My guess: if all those diagnosed with depression were to make this effort, fewer would be given ANY drugs.

It’s worth a shot, eh?

newseditor :: Feb.26.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

This study reveals strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to our Church in America. A strong, vigorous Catholic identity must be asserted to recover losses, keep the Hispanic immigrant population Catholic, and bring those leaving the ranks of Protestantism into the true Church. It can be done, but it will require evangelism using undiluted Catholic doctrine and praxis steeped in tradition.

Washington DC, Feb 25, 2008 / 08:26 pm (CNA).- The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has released the results of a detailed new study of the religious affiliation of the American public. The results reveal that the United States is on the verge of becoming a minority Protestant country, that one-third of Americans who were raised Catholic no longer identify themselves as such, and that the outflow of these Catholics is stabilized by Catholic immigrants. Continue Reading »

newseditor :: Feb.26.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

London, Feb 26, 2008 / 03:45 am (CNA).- A committee in the British House of Commons will investigate Catholic schools following the Bishop of Lancaster’s instructions to schools to place crucifixes in every classroom and stop “safe sex” education, the Independent reports.

Patrick O’Donoghue, Bishop of Lancaster, had circulated a 66-page booklet instructing Catholic schools to stop “safe sex” education.  Bishop O’Donoghue wrote, “The secular view on sex outside marriage, artificial contraception, sexually transmitted disease, including HIV and AIDS, and abortion, may not be presented as neutral information.” Continue Reading »

newseditor :: Feb.26.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

The Turin-based La Stampa reports that the Vatican is poised to introduce stricter norms on Roman Catholic Masses, including halting the abuse of Communion in the hand and setting a time limit for homilies. The February 25 La Stampa quoted Archbishop Albert Malcolm Ranjith, Secretary for the Congregation for Divine Worship, saying the move was necessary to eliminate “extravagancies” that have crept into Mass celebrations.

According to La Stampa, provisions include restricting to 10 minutes homilies and sermons and ensuring that they be exclusively based on the Gospel readings.

The practice of allowing the faithful to receive Communion in the hand would also be “urgently reviewed”, said Ranjith.

The Vatican wants the Host “placed directly into the mouths of the faithful so they don’t touch it (with their hands)… because many don’t even realize they are receiving Christ and do this with scant concentration and respect,” Ranjith said. [Full article at Catholic Family News]

newseditor :: Feb.25.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

After two years of conflict with the administration of a Catholic hospital in London, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor has dismissed the entire board of directors of the institution. The drastic move was a result of disputes over contraception and abortion referrals both being offered by the hospital. Earlier, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had requested that the Cardinal review the hospital’s practices. [Full Story]

newseditor :: Feb.25.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

The US is supporting Kosovo in her independence from Serbia. Russian Deputy PM Dmitry Medvedev — the next president — has pledged that Russia will “stick to” its support for Serbia in opposing Kosovo’s independence. Will we go to war, the the Balkans of all places, to sustain our support for Kosovo?

In a related story, demonstrators attacked the United States Embassy and set part of it on fire on February 21, as angry Serbs took to the streets of Belgrade to protest Kosovo’s declaration of independence and U.S. recognition of the new state.

newseditor :: Feb.25.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

An abortive mother commits suicide, revealing in her note, “I should never have had an abortion. I see now I would have been a good mum.”

newseditor :: Feb.25.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

In his message for the “Day of Prayer for Vocations,” the Holy Father highlighted the close connection of the priesthood and religious life to the mission of the Church. “Mission” and “evangelism” have been present in many of the pope’s public messages lately. The evangelism in question doesn’t appear to the the “new” kind, but the perennial kind he thus described to the Cuban bishops on another occasion:

To announce true doctrine, to begin listening to and deepening one’s understanding of the word of God, to promote participation in the sacraments and foster a life of prayer are primary goals of pastoral action. Bringing to all the salvation of Christ is the nucleus of the mission of the Church.

Here is the full report, from CWN: Continue Reading »

newseditor :: Feb.25.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

From and editorial on LifeSiteNews.com:

It is a funny thing, though, about the social left, with its ever fluid notion of truth and blind faith in the goodness of “progress” and “change”, that an opinion that is one day deemed “too extreme”, very soon becomes “edgy,” and then “progressive” and, before you know it, “acceptable” or “ethical”.
And so for pro-life activists it comes as no surprise that Singer’s once-appalling opinions about infanticide have now jumped firmly into the mainstream, with the publication of a sober, though enthusiastic 10-page defense of newborn euthanasia in the prestigious journal of bioethics, the Hastings Center Report. With the appearance of this article, entitled “Ending the Life of a Newborn”, infanticide has become no longer, “extreme”, nor “edgy”, but sits somewhere on the cusp of “progressive” and “ethical”.

It is true that for the time being this may only be strictly true within the more educated, elite circles of the left; but history has proven time and again that ideas that gain momentum in the world’s ivory towers inevitably filter down to the public. In this, the digital age, the age of communication, this process takes place at a breathtaking rate.

For the time being it is true that most people will continue to be appalled at the notion of newborn euthanasia; but, unless the acceptance of legalized infanticide amongst the leftist elite is vigorously fought with the proper intellectual and propagandist weapons, the idea will soon begin to be acceptable to the “man on the street” as well. Unless fought, the idea of infant euthanasia will filter down from the journals of bioethics to the newspapers and the news channels, in the same process of supersaturation and normalization that saw homosexuality go from being perceived as a grave crime against nature, society, and oneself, to perfectly normal, even commendable, in a little over a decade.

newseditor :: Feb.23.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Religion in America compared with Religion in Europe:

Vatican officials tend to see the United States as a bulwark against secularism, especially in contrast with contemporary realities in Western Europe. Despite the fact that one can certainly find strong pockets of secularism in America, especially among elites, the reality is that the United States remains a deeply religious culture. In the most recent global values survey by the Pew Forum, 59 percent of Americans said religion is “very important” to them, in contrast to 21 percent of the Germans, for example, and 11 percent of the French. The recent European debate about a “God clause” in the constitutional document of the E.U. would be unthinkable here. Alistair Campbell — the communications director for former prime minister Tony Blair — may have captured social reality in Great Britain when he told a Vanity Fair reporter that “we don’t do God,” but that’s not America. Here, one popular diagnosis of the 2004 elections was that the Democrats lost in part because they didn’t “do God” credibly.

As the distinguished sociologist Peter Berger puts it, the United States is “a nation of Indians ruled by Swedes.” India is one of the world’s most intensely religious societies, while few places on earth are as ultra-secular as today’s Sweden.

From National Catholic Reporter*, a terribly liberal paper which happens to have a very informed reporter in John Allen.

*CORRECTION: When this post first appeared, I mistakenly wrote “National Catholic Register” rather than “Reporter.” The two papers are quite different, and the National Catholic Register’s editorial policy cannot be described at all in the same terms as the Reporter’s. My apologies to the Register!

newseditor :: Feb.23.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Let’s start from square one: I believe my religion is the true one — the one that came from, well, you know, God. If I am a logical person, I believe that other folks’ religions are not true (at least not where they contradict mine, which is all true), because God, being, you know, divine, does not contradict Himself. Follow me? Now, since my religion makes me right with God (it being His religion, after all), and since other religions can’t to that, then I want to share my religion with them — those others, who don’t have it yet. Good so far?

How do I do that? One way (there are others) is that I can pray for them — pray to God, that is — that He will enlighten their hearts. Doesn’t that make sense?

Now, pretend that my religion is Catholicism (which it is) and that the other fellow is Jewish. Can I pray for his conversion, for God to “enlighten his heart”? Apparently I shouldn’t, because Father Lawrence Frizzell — director of the Institute of Judaeo-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey — would find my doing so “a disappointment.”

“This [new Good Friday prayer] is not what we had hoped for,” said Father Lawrence Frizzell, director of the Institute of Judaeo-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University in South Orange. “There has been considerable discussion among those of us involved in Jewish-Christian relations,” said Frizzell, who has worked with Gall on interfaith projects. “I don’t know how to interpret this in terms of the larger picture. I would say in terms of people involved in Jewish-Christian relations, this is a disappointment. But I don’t want to say this is a harbinger of things to come.”

The prayer in question is a prayer for the conversion of the Jewish people, not for their destruction, pain, hurt, or extinction. It’s wishing something good to them.

Father Frizzell’s reaction makes you wonder if he accepts our “square one,” doesn’t it?

I, for one, hope this new prayer is a harbinger of things to come.

newseditor :: Feb.23.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

This spewer of new age garbage is hugely promoted by the media. His mug is familiar to anyone who has nothing better to do than surf television channels, as his seminars are broadcast all over the English speaking world, practically 24/7. How do I know that? Well, I used to have a TV and I remember seeing the clean-shaven guru mesmerizing his white middle age audiences every time I turned the machine on. What I did not know, because I never cared to know anything about him, was that he was educated by an Irish missionary order in India. The article I just read, which promotes his new book “The Third Jesus,” doesn’t specifically say that he was Catholic himself, but he does say that his friends were.  I any event he is a pantheist, and if he kept to his own weird beliefs it would be bad enough, but he is now presenting himself as an authority on who the real Jesus Christ is.  Reuters carries the interview in which he invents his own Jesus along with his own bizarre scriptural interpretations.  And in the interview he says he has issues against the Catholic Church.  I wonder who financed this smooth talking charlatan?  Who made him famous?  How did he get fifty books published and incessant air time? I mean this man is a dress rehearsal, minus the preternatural wonders, for the antichrist.  Read the following clip and you’ll see what I mean:

Chopra said the Jesus created by the Catholic Church was confusing because although the religion had done a lot of good in the world, it had also taken part “in the Crusades, in witch hunts, in burning people on the stake, homophobia, depriving women of their rights, all kinds of things.”

“The present day crisis in Christianity is it’s bogged down in issues like — what would Jesus do? They make pronouncements on things like abortion, women’s rights, homophobia, stem cell research — nothing to do with Christ,” he said.

“It influences our politics, it influences our national policy, it influences whether we go to war or not in the name of God,” he said. “It’s inanity of the utmost extreme.”

Chopra said he hoped readers would take away a practical way to understand the New Testament and understand that engaging in contemplative meditation can lead to positive change.

“Everything changes for the good,” he said. “The way we think, the way we behave, the way we feel, the way we have our personal relationships, our social interactions, our environment all changes in an evolutionary direction because we have shifted in our own consciousness.”

And that, he said “is precisely what is meant by the kingdom of heaven is within you.”

Precisely.  I know many may think that if people want Chopra, they deserve him.  But, I do believe we ought to be informed about an enemy like this because his face is everywhere and his lies have been proliferating exponentially.  Read the full article here.

Brian Kelly :: Feb.22.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

 Maybe this was a humanitarian mission, to prevent wreckage from a dead satellite from littering a 100 mile swath. Perhaps the environmental aspect was the reason, as it was supposed to contain deadly fuel. Or, maybe it was a statement of military prowess and the willingness to use it.

President Bush now has something else to add to his legacy: A significant milestone in the militarization of space.

Josh White and Marc Kaufman write for The Washington Post this morning: “Military officials have a ‘high degree of confidence’ that they were able to hit and destroy the tank of potentially dangerous fuel aboard a wayward spy satellite orbiting Earth last night, but they said they must still monitor the debris to be certain it does not pose further risk of reentering the atmosphere in coming days.”

But consider this: “Before last night’s intercept, some experts had expressed doubts about the seriousness of the risk posed by the falling satellite and questioned whether the shot was an excuse to perform an anti-satellite test that many people around the world found controversial,” White and Kaufman write.

The Washington Post has the entire story.

Brother Maximilian Maria :: Feb.22.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

(CWN) Pope Benedict delivered a stern, no-nonsense message to Jesuit leaders on February 21. The CWN coverage of the Pope’s talk was not terribly different from the accounts carried here and here and even here. If you read Italian, or if the Vatican eventually posts a translation, you can find the full text here, and judge for yourself. The Holy Father’s intention was unmistakable.

Leaders of the Society of Jesus have done their best to downplay the tension between the Jesuit order and the Vatican. The new superior general suggested that the perception of a rift between the Jesuits and the Pope is a myth created by the mass media. Pope Benedict was fairly blunt in acknowledging that the problem is real.

You might think that when the Pope chooses to send a strong message, the Vatican press office would be careful to convey that message. But curiously, if you read the official summary and excerpts provided by the Vatican Information Service, the severity of the Pope’s message doesn’t come through to English-language readers.

Make of it what you will.

newseditor :: Feb.22.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off