Catholicism.org News Portal

Four of the five aren’t even Catholic.

Warsaw, Aug 6, 2008 / 09:07 pm (CNA).- Five U.S. soldiers embarked on a 10-day, 180 mile-long march to Poland’s Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa with hundreds of camouflaged soldiers from various nations on Tuesday. The shrine contains the icon of the Black Madonna, the creation of which tradition attributes to St. Luke. Read more here.

Brian Kelly :: Aug.07.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Andrew Cusack has a wonderful posting about Alexander Solzhenitsyn on his site. Comprised mostly of excerpts from the famous Harvard address which drove the nail in the coffin of the Russian dissident’s short-lived American popularity, the piece is timely and much worth reading. Particularly telling is that a victim of totalitarian despotism saw an enemy also in the depraved concepts of liberty which have marked the West, and still mark it — in its decline.

Here is a choice morsel from that address:

“However, in early democracies, as in American democracy at the time of its birth, all individual human rights were granted because man is God’s creature. That is, freedom was given to the individual conditionally, in the assumption of his constant religious responsibility. Such was the heritage of the preceding thousand years. Two hundred or even fifty years ago, it would have seemed quite impossible, in America, that an individual could be granted boundless freedom simply for the satisfaction of his instincts or whims. Subsequently, however, all such limitations were discarded everywhere in the West; a total liberation occurred from the moral heritage of Christian centuries with their great reserves of mercy and sacrifice. State systems were becoming increasingly and totally materialistic. The West ended up by truly enforcing human rights, sometimes even excessively, but man’s sense of responsibility to God and society grew dimmer and dimmer. In the past decades, the legalistically selfish aspect of Western approach and thinking has reached its final dimension and the world wound up in a harsh spiritual crisis and a political impasse. All the glorified technological achievements of Progress, including the conquest of outer space, do not redeem the Twentieth century’s moral poverty which no one could imagine even as late as in the Nineteenth Century.”

Brother Andre Marie :: Aug.05.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

LONDON (Catholic Herald) - After six years in captivity Ingrid Betancourt, the French-Colombian hostage, was rescued by Colombian special forces. Her first action was to arrange to go to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Paris. In an interview earlier this month she spoke to Pèlerin magazine about her faith and how it saw her through her ordeal. Full story here.

Brian Kelly :: Aug.05.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

This great man, who did so much to publicize the corruption of the Soviet system, was also an unheeded prophet of doom condemning Western liberalism and hedonism. Read the obit at The Moscow Times.

newseditor :: Aug.04.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

NJ.com  “We’re not interested in creating the United Catholic States of America,” [Father Cioffi]  said. “We’re not into endorsing party candidates or parties. We want to focus on issues.”

And, Cioffi said, a single issue, like abortion or war, should not be the sole reason to vote for or against a candidate.

“As Catholics, we are not single-issue voters,” he said.  Full article here.

Brian Kelly :: Aug.01.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Madrid, Jul 31, 2008 / 10:19 am (CNA).- The National Association for the Defense of the Right to Conscientious Objection is deploring new data this week that indicates that 9 out every 10 babies diagnosed with Down’s syndrome are aborted by their parents in Spain. Story here.

Brian Kelly :: Jul.31.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

NEW ORLEANS (The Deacons Bench) - He’s been mentioned on the short list of John McCain’s possible running mates. And now Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal is getting closer scrutiny from the media.

The Wall Street Journal recently looked at his remarkable faith journey.  Read article here.

Brian Kelly :: Jul.31.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

An eyewitness from Zimbabwe, who for safety reasons must remain anonymous, has sent the following report to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN): “Two weeks ago we celebrated the opening of the Year of Saint Paul in our parish with a solemn Holy Mass — at exactly the same time as the Holy Father was celebrating the Vespers of the vigil of the feast in the Church of Saint Paul’s-Outside-the-Walls in Rome. As always in Africa, the Mass was very well attended, and despite the immense transport difficulties, the Catholic faithful had travelled from far and wide, some overnight on open trucks, in a biting cold wind. Needless to say, we also prayed for Zimbabwe. During his sermon, the priest told how shortly before, a woman had been snatched from a church during the middle of Mass. After Mass, he went looking for her and found her lying in a ditch just a few hundred yards away. She is now lying in a coma.

Full story here.

Brian Kelly :: Jul.30.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

This is a must read.  Colleen Carroll Campbell paints an unforgettable picture of hope in this beautiful tribute to a beautiful soul, her father.

My father, Thomas Patrick Carroll, Sr., was always a man of hope. Thanks to his natural Irish optimism, Dad spent much of his career in motion, moving my mother, brother, and me to half-a-dozen states where better opportunities beckoned and God’s call seemed to lead.

Seen through Dad’s eyes, every new city was bursting with adventures. Even our problems were pregnant with promise. Whether consoling my weepy six-year-old teammates after our first t-ball loss, coaxing me through an awkward transition to junior high school, or supporting me when I decided to break up with a college sweetheart, Dad always reminded me that hope and suffering were intertwined, and hope had the last word. “Remember,” he would tell me, quoting St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, “everything works together for good for those who love God.”

Read the inspiring article here. Scroll down to A Man of Hope.

Brian Kelly :: Jul.28.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Mary Eberstadt, in an article in First Things, makes her case drawing from the empirical stats admitted even by the Church’s enemies.  Here’s a clip.

Eberstadt provides numerous examples of secular researchers who have followed the data, vindicating each and every one of Paul VI’s four primary predictions about the consequences of contraception: “a general lowering of moral standards throughout society; a rise in infidelity; a lessening of respect for women by men; and the coercive use of reproductive technologies by governments.”  Full article here.

Brian Kelly :: Jul.28.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

With full support of the overseeing bishops.

London, Jul 27, 2008 / 05:57 pm (CNA).- The largest Catholic adoption agency in England and Wales has decided to implement an adoption policy that does not rule out same-sex couples in the face of new laws that forbid such screening. The change in its adoption policy was made with the full support of the bishops who oversee the agency.

The decision, made by the Catholic Children’s Society of Arundel and Brighton, Portsmouth and Southwark (A&BSP) means the society will not turn away any homosexual couples who present themselves as potential adopters.  Read more here.

Brian Kelly :: Jul.28.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

After family they are our closest “neighbors.”  All, no matter what age, should heed this call.

Castelgandolfo, Jul 27, 2008 / 10:38 am (CNA).- Before the recitation of the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about his July 12-21 trip to Australia for the 23rd World Youth Day. Recounting his experiences at the Sydney event, he encouraged young people to follow the example of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati by being apostles to their friends.  Full article here.

Brian Kelly :: Jul.28.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Manila, Jul. 25, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Pro-life activists gathered in Manila on July 25 in a massive rally organized by the country’s Catholic bishops and several lay groups to express opposition to a drive for a government-sponsored contraception campaign.  More here.

Brian Kelly :: Jul.28.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Excerpt from Pope Benedict’s message.  From Zenit:

“It is important to reaffirm that even in the presence of growing difficulties, Christ’s command to evangelize all peoples continues to be a priority. No reason can justify its slackening or stagnation because “the task of evangelizing all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church” (Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Nuntiandi”, n. 14). It is a mission that “is still only beginning and we must commit ourselves wholeheartedly to its service” (John Paul II, Encyclical “Redemptoris Missio”, n. 1). How can we not think here of the Macedonian who appeared to Paul in a dream and cried, “Will you come by to Macedonia to help us?”. Today there are countless people who are waiting for the proclamation of the Gospel, those who are thirsting for hope and love. There are so many who let themselves be questioned deeply by this request for aid that rises up from humanity, who leave everything for Christ and transmit faith and love for Him to people! (cf. “Spe Salvi”, n. 8).”  Full message here.

Brian Kelly :: Jul.25.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Manila, Jul 24, 2008 / 02:37 am (CNA).- A Catholic bishop in the southern Philippines’ Basilan province has received a letter from self-described “Muslim warriors” possibly linked to Abu Sayyaf who are threatening him with harm if he does not convert to Islam or pay “Islamic taxes.” Further, authorities are seeking the return of three adults and two children, all Catholics, who were kidnapped in the same area this week.  Full article here.

Brian Kelly :: Jul.24.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Washington DC, Jul 19, 2008 / 12:18 am (CNA).- Some supporters of traditional marriage are protesting the fast food corporate giant McDonald’s over its decision to join the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and its spokesman’s remarks suggesting those who disapprove of homosexual acts are driven by hatred.

The American Family Association had organized a boycott of McDonald’s for joining the NGLCC, Cybercast News Service reports. The boycott coalition also objects to the corporation’s donation of $20,000 to the chamber and the chamber membership of Richard Ellis, McDonald’s vice president of communications.  Read article here.

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

Lifesite News reports:

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) – A leading expert on the brutal campaign of forced abortions and sterilizations that accompany China’s one-child family planning policy is urging a boycott of the Summer Olympics. Steven Mosher, of the Population Research Institute, says the games will legitimatize China’s abhorrent human rights records. Full article here.

Brian Kelly :: Jul.17.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

I had to delete yesterday’s post that had just the opposite headline.  The false information came from unofficial sources.  Sorry.

Here’s an accurate post from The London Telegraph:

More evidence this morning that Catholic liberals are panicking at the prospect of an influx of conservative Anglicans. They want us to believe that Pope Benedict is “shunning defectors” in an attempt to shore up the position of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Not true.

Full article here.

Brian Kelly :: Jul.17.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

Vittorio Messori is one of the most famous catholic writers and journalist in Italy, writes editorials on Il Corriere della Sera. Among his books, the best sellers “Hypothesis on Jesus” (1976), “Crossing the Threshold of the Hope” (1994) with Pope John Paul II and “Hypothesis on Mary” (2005). Messori, who converted to catholicism in his late twenties, is the only one who interviewed two Popes, John Paul II and Benedictus XVI.

Messori also authored The Ratzinger Report, which was a huge best seller in the mid 1980s.  This interview here is poorly translated, but the common sense of it is refreshing amidst the babble of false ecumenism.

Brian Kelly :: Jul.16.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off

“I discerned, through prayer, that it was calling me to the Catholic Church. I do not want this call to pass me by.”

Hilgenbrinck accepted the calling on Monday when he left the New England Revolution and retired from professional soccer to enter a seminary, where he will spend the next six years studying theology and philosophy so he can be ordained as a Roman Catholic priest.

“It’s not that I’m ready to leave soccer. I still have a great passion for the game,” he said in a telephone interview. “I wouldn’t leave the game for just any other job. I’m moving on for the Lord. I want to do the will of the Lord, I want to do what he wants for me, not what I want to do for myself.”

Full story here.

Brian Kelly :: Jul.16.2008 :: Uncategorized :: Comments Off