Politics, Morality and a President: An American View

by Charles J. Chaput

One of the strengths of the Church is her global perspective. In that light, Cardinal Georges Cottier’s recent essay on President Barack Obama ("Politics, morality and original sin," 30 Days No. 5, 2009) made a valuable contribution to Catholic discussion of the new American president. Our faith connects us across borders. What happens in one nation may have an impact on many others. World opinion about America’s leaders is not only appropriate; it should be welcomed.

And yet, the world does not live and vote in the United States. Americans do. The pastoral realities of any country are best known by the local bishops who shepherd their people. Thus, on the subject of America’s leaders, the thoughts of an American bishop may have some value. They may augment the Cardinal’s good views by offering a different perspective.

Note that I speak here only for myself. I do not speak for the bishops of the United States as a body, nor for any other individual bishop. Nor will I address President Obama’s speech to the Islamic world, which Cardinal Cottier mentions in his own essay. That would require a separate discussion.

I will focus instead on the President’s graduation appearance at the University of Notre Dame, and Cardinal Cottier’s comments on the President’s thinking. I have two motives in doing so.

First, men and women from my own diocese belong to the national Notre Dame community as students, graduates and parents. Every bishop has a stake in the faith of the people in his care, and Notre Dame has never merely been a local Catholic university. It is an icon of the American Catholic experience.

Second, when Notre Dame's local bishop vigorously disagrees with the appearance of any speaker, and some 80 other bishops and 300,000 laypeople around the country publicly support the local bishop, then reasonable people must infer that a real problem exists with the speaker – or at least with his appearance at the disputed event. Reasonable people might further choose to defer to the judgment of those Catholic pastors closest to the controversy.

Regrettably and unintentionally, Cardinal Cottier’s articulate essay undervalues the gravity of what happened at Notre Dame. It also overvalues the consonance of President Obama’s thinking with Catholic teaching.

There are several key points to remember here.

First, resistance to President Obama’s appearance at Notre Dame had nothing to do with whether he is a good or bad man. He is obviously a gifted man. He has many good moral and political instincts, and an admirable devotion to his family. These things matter. But unfortunately, so does this: The President’s views on vital bioethical issues, including but not limited to abortion, differ sharply from Catholic teaching. This is why he has enjoyed the strong support of major "abortion rights" groups for many years. Much is made, in some religious circles, of the President’s sympathy for Catholic social teaching. But defense of the unborn child is a demand of social justice. There is no "social justice" if the youngest and weakest among us can be legally killed. Good programs for the poor are vital, but they can never excuse this fundamental violation of human rights.

Second, at a different moment and under different circumstances, the conflict at Notre Dame might have faded away if the university had simply asked the President to give a lecture or public address. But at a time when the American bishops as a body had already voiced strong concern about the new administration’s abortion policies, Notre Dame not only made the President the centerpiece of its graduation events, but also granted him an honorary doctorate of laws – this, despite his deeply troubling views on abortion law and related social issues.

The real source of Catholic frustration with President Obama’s appearance at Notre Dame was his overt, negative public voting and speaking record on abortion and other problematic issues. By its actions, Notre Dame ignored and violated the guidance of America’s bishops in their 2004 document, "Catholics in Political Life." In that text, the bishops urged Catholic institutions to refrain from honoring public officials who disagreed with Church teaching on grave matters.

Thus, the fierce debate in American Catholic circles this spring over the Notre Dame honor for Mr. Obama was not finally about partisan politics. It was about serious issues of Catholic belief, identity and witness – triggered by Mr. Obama’s views – which Cardinal Cottier, writing from outside the American context, may have misunderstood.

Third, the Cardinal wisely notes points of contact between President Obama’s frequently stated search for political "common ground" and the Catholic emphasis on pursuing the "common good." These goals – seeking common ground and pursuing the common good – can often coincide. But they are not the same thing. They can sharply diverge in practice. So-called “common ground” abortion policies may actually attack the common good because they imply a false unity; they create a ledge of shared public agreement too narrow and too weak to sustain the weight of a real moral consensus. The common good is never served by tolerance for killing the weak – beginning with the unborn.

Fourth, Cardinal Cottier rightly reminds his readers of the mutual respect and cooperative spirit required by citizenship in a pluralist democracy. But pluralism is never an end in itself. It is never an excuse for inaction. As President Obama himself acknowledged at Notre Dame, democracy depends for its health on people of conviction fighting hard in the public square for what they believe – peacefully, legally but vigorously and without apologies.

Unfortunately, the President also added the curious remark that "... the ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt... This doubt should not push us away from our faith. But it should humble us." In a sense, of course, this is true: On this side of eternity, doubt is part of the human predicament. But doubt is the absence of something; it is not a positive value. Insofar as it inoculates believers from acting on the demands of faith, doubt is a fatal weakness.

The habit of doubt fits much too comfortably with a kind of "baptized unbelief;" a Christianity that is little more than a vague tribal loyalty and a convenient spiritual vocabulary. Too often in recent American experience, pluralism and doubt have become alibis for Catholic moral and political lethargy. Perhaps Europe is different. But I would suggest that our current historical moment – which both European and American Catholics share – is very far from the social circumstances facing the early Christian legislators mentioned by the Cardinal. They had faith, and they also had the zeal – tempered by patience and intelligence – to incarnate the moral content of their faith explicitly in culture. In other words, they were building a civilization shaped by Christian belief. Something very different is happening now.

Cardinal Cottier’s essay gives witness to his own generous spirit. I was struck in particular by his praise for President Obama’s "humble realism." I hope he's right. American Catholics want him to be right. Humility and realism are the soil where a commonsense, modest, human-scaled and moral politics can grow. Whether President Obama can provide this kind of leadership remains to be seen. We have a duty to pray for him – so that he can, and does.

Link (here)

Orlando Shrine Becomes A Basilica

By MIKE SCHNEIDER (AP)

ORLANDO, Fla. — Even though Mary Jo Smith and her husband had just arrived in Orlando to start their vacation late the night before, they still showed up for noon Mass at the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe before hitting the theme parks with their five children.

"You've got to start the day with God," said Smith, 43, of Manassas, Va.

The Smiths are ideal visitors for the 2,000-seat shrine, home of a ministry that began in the trunk of a car in the 1970s and is aimed at the millions of tourists who visit central Florida every year for attractions like Walt Disney World, Sea World and Universal Studios.

Pope Benedict XVI recently designated the church a minor basilica, one of only 63 in the United States, and the church planned a celebration Saturday to commemorate the honor.

Becoming a minor basilica is "kind of like a stamp of approval" for the church, said the Rev. Ed McCarthy, the basilica's rector. "This is an affirmation by the Church that ministry to people who are traveling, tourists, is an important thing."

A major basilica is a term assigned to only the most important churches in Catholicism, currently eight, most of which are in Rome. Minor basilicas are more numerous and geographically diverse, and they're given the distinction for their historic significance, architectural beauty or ministerial uniqueness. In their respective cities, they sit atop the pecking order of churches, and are given certain ritualistic privileges.

Located next to a high-end outlet mall about 1 1/2 miles from the entrance to Walt Disney World, the red-tiled, triangular, stucco edifice built 16 years ago rises off Interstate 4, framed on either side by one-story buildings, a separate bell tower and a tranquil garden.

"If the pope ever comes to central Florida, he would feel at home in this particular church," Bishop Thomas Wenski said.

It's a different pace from a typical parish church for the three priests who serve the shrine. There are no baptisms, weddings or funerals to perform. Familiar faces at the Mass are rare because 95 percent of attendees are tourists. Relationships built up from years of regular contact with families in the parish don't exist. The shrine relies on tourists for donations to support its $1.5 million operating budget.

One of the attractions for priests is ministering to an audience from all over the world, even if they only attend Mass a few days during vacation. Several thousand visitors a week attend Masses, which are held twice daily during the week and five times over the weekend. Confession is held seven days a week.

"In a home parish, I see a family on Sunday and that family may have children, so they'll be celebrating first communion, first confession, confirmation," McCarthy said. "Here, you have one shot at helping people feel at home."

At a recent weekday noon Mass, the Rev. Thomas Kenney did just that with a warm smile and a reassuring Irish voice. About 50 worshippers packed into a small side chapel dominated by a dark blue stained-glass window flecked with white to resemble a night sky filled with stars. The priest left the worshippers with a serious message to think about on their vacations.

"We're living in very materialistic times, where people are not measured by who they are but what they have," Kenney intoned.

Not all the parishioners at the Mass were tourists. Some like 67-year-old Richard Janetka, a Disney resort worker, pray at the shrine because it's close to work.

"It's very peaceful," said Janetka, who attended a noon Mass with his wife, Ellen.

The ministry for tourists started in 1975, just four years after Disney World opened, when several Masses a day were organized for visitors at nearby hotels. The driving force was Monsignor Joseph Harte, who led the ministry from the trunk of his car, carrying Mass vestments from hotel to hotel. Harte, who became director of the Orlando diocese's tourism ministry, realized that makeshift hotel Masses wouldn't be able to accommodate the growing number of tourists coming to the area.

The diocese eventually purchased 17 acres off I-4, where high-rise hotels and restaurants catering to tourists eventually would sprout up like kudzu, and ground was broken in 1984. The main church wasn't built until 1993. An accidental wrong turn into the shrine's parking lot lands one in the parking lot of a Nike outlet store, and vice versa.

But that's OK if non-Catholics accidentally stumble onto the church's grounds: One of the ministry's goals is evangelization.

"It probably gives non-Catholics an opportunity to experience Catholic worship that they might be more hesitant to pursue in their hometowns," Wenski said.

On the Net:

• Mary, Queen of the Universe: http://www.maryqueenoftheuniverse.org/

The Smile

Irena Sendler

There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had an 'ulterior motive' ... She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews, (being German.) Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack, (for larger kids..) She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises. During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazi's broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunited the family. Most had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted. Last year Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize ... She was not selected. Al Gore won, for a slide show on Global Warming.

Pope Benedict XVI broke his right wrist in a fall during his vacation in the Italian Alps, officials and the Vatican said Friday. A hospital spokesman confirmed the pope was undergoing surgery to reduce the fracture. Link (here) to the full story

Communists Are Fundamentally At Odds With Catholicism

HUE, Vietnam (UCAN) -- Catholic villagers in Thua Thien-Hue province say they have tried their best to follow Church teaching on the use of artificial birth control methods in the face of the government's two-child policy.

Children celebrating an autumn festival in Vietnam. Catholics have opposed the government’s two-child policy. -- UCAN photo

Huong Toan villagers, just like Vietnamese elsewhere in the country, are required to have no more than two children per family since 1994, when village authorities launched a nationwide family planning program. Families with more than two children have to pay rice to the government as a fine.

Many local Catholics say they have done their best to remain true to Church teaching but some have had to resort to using contraceptives later on as they could not afford the hefty fines.

Catherine Pham Thi Thanh, 44, said that since 1996, she has been fined a total of 3,800 kilograms of rice for having six children.

Thanh, who produces rice alcohol and raises pigs to support her family, said she was fined 300 kilograms for her third child, 600 kilograms for the fourth, 900 kilograms for the fifth and 2,000 kilograms of rice for the sixth. Her children range from two to 15 years.

She pointed out that her family makes an annual profit of only 700 kilograms of rice from their 1,000 square-meter farmland the local government grants them.

Thanh said that in 2007, she decided to use an intrauterine device to save her family from having to pay 3,800 kilograms of rice if she were to have a seventh child.

Thanh, who has studied only until the first grade, said she knows about natural family planning methods accepted by the Church, but is unable to practice them.

She recalled that in 2005, local village authorities confiscated the possessions of a family who could not afford to pay the fine for having more than two children.

Another villager, Anna Pham Thi The, 50, said she has seven daughters aged 2-29 years. The, who produces rice alcohol and raises pigs, said she is willing to be fined for having more children because her husband wants a son.

According to sources, local people who have two children have been asked to use artificial contraceptive or undergo vasectomies free of charge.

Father Joseph Nguyen Van Chanh, Huong Toan parish priest, said 90 percent of his 1,200 parishioners have agreed to pay fines as a way to be faithful to Church teaching. Local Catholics are taught natural family planning methods during marriage preparation courses, he noted.

Some local Catholics said Father Chanh is asking for donations from benefactors to support local people with large families. Huong Toan village has about 14,000 people.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "'every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible' is intrinsically evil."

Meanwhile, local state media reported that Pham Ngoc Minh, executive director of Vietnam Airlines, was chided by the prime minister recently for having a third child.

Vietnam, with a population close to 86 million, has an annual increase of 1.12 million people, according to media.

Link (here)

Southern Catholic College Has New Leadership

ATLANTA (July 16) – The Legion of Christ and Southern Catholic College (SCC) have now officially agreed to make the college a Legion institution.

“This is a great step for Southern Catholic and, we hope, for Catholic higher education in North America,” said Jeremiah J. Ashcroft, president of SCC. “With the Legion’s experience and leadership, we’ll be able to attract students from across North America and develop programs with institutions around the world. This expanded reach and support greatly enhances our ability to achieve our mission to prepare moral and ethical leaders who will enlighten society and glorify God.”

“We want to build on the great reputation SCC has established,” said Father Scott Reilly, LC, territorial director for the Legion. “There will be considerable sharing of best practices with our existing institutions. I expect that SCC will experience significant growth in the years ahead, as we can expand the availability of Catholic higher education to students from across North America.”

Southern Catholic College is a co-educational liberal arts college, Georgia’s first and only residential Catholic college. The school provides a learning environment for academic excellence grounded in the Catholic intellectual and moral tradition. SCC was founded in 2000 and has more than 200 students from 25 states on its campus in Dawsonville, GA, an hour north of Atlanta.

The Legion of Christ currently operates 15 universities, 50 institutes of higher education and 176 schools. It is present in 22 countries, with 800 priests and over 2600 seminarians worldwide.

For more information about Southern Catholic College, visit the web site at www.southerncatholic.org.

Congratulations! You Have Just Been Excommincated

Excommunicated Woman Deacon

Michelle Chava-Redonnet, author and hospital Chaplin won the 2006 Women's Ordination Conference Bishop Murphy Scholarship. This past weekend she was ordained a woman priest in the Woman Priests she was promptly reminded of her excommunication by Cardinal Justin Rigali.

More links (here) , (here) , (here) and (here)

Some Background

According to the Spring 2008 newsletter of the Rochester, NY, Catholic Worker House, a woman named Chava Redonnet is preparing to exercise her ministry at the Rochester Catholic Worker as a “priest” once she is “ordained”. Many of the leaders of this Rochester house who are good people, have unfortunately been led away from the Catholic Church by Fr. James Callan’s breakaway (here) Spiritus Christi Church (here) here in Rochester. It looks like a trend, unfortunately.

Link (here)

We Are At War

by Bishop Robert W. Finn

Dear friends,

Thank you for coming together for this second annual Gospel of Life Convention, co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. It is a privilege to welcome you and greet you this morning. I am grateful for the encouragement of your presence and – as a Bishop it is my solemn and joyful duty to do all I can to fortify you in your own faith.

But as I speak a word of encouragement today I also want to tell you soberly, dear friends, “We are at war!”

We are at war.
Harsh as this may sound it is true – but it is not new. This war to which I refer did not begin in just the last several months, although new battles are underway – and they bring an intensity and urgency to our efforts that may rival any time in the past.

But it is correct to acknowledge that you and I are warriors - members of the Church on earth – often called the Church Militant. Those who have gone ahead of us have already completed their earthly battles. Some make up the Church Triumphant – Saints in heaven who surround and support us still – tremendous allies in the battle for our eternal salvation; and the Church Suffering (souls in purgatory who depend on our prayers and meritorious works and suffrages).

But we are the Church on Earth – The Church Militant. We are engaged in a constant warfare with Satan, with the glamour of evil, and the lure of false truths and empty promises. If we fail to realize how constantly these forces work against us, we are more likely to fall, and even chance forfeiting God’s gift of eternal life.

The ultimate promise of the Gospel.
Before I go any further I must proclaim a most important truth – a truth that we have just been celebrating throughout the last week: Jesus Christ, in His life, death, and Resurrection, has already won the war: definitively and once for all. He has conquered sin and death and has won the prize of life on high in heaven forever. We know the final outcome, but the battle for eternal life is now played out in each human heart with a free will to love or not, to be faithful or to walk away from the life which has been offered as God’s most wonderful gift.

Every day the choice is before us: right or wrong; good or bad; the blessing or the curse; life or death. Our whole life must be oriented toward choosing right, the good, the blessing; choosing life.

If you and I fail to realize the meaning and finality behind our choices, and the intensity of the constant warfare that confronts us, it is likely that we will drop our guard, be easily and repeatedly deceived, and even loose the life of our eternal soul.

As bishop I have a weighty responsibility to tell you this over and over again. This obligation is not always easy, and constantly I am tempted to say and do less, rather than more. Almost everyday I am confronted with the persuasion of other people who want me to be silent. But – with God’s grace – you and I will not be silent.

This work of speaking about the spiritual challenges before us is not just the responsibility of the Bishop. I am not the only one entrusted with the work of faith, hope and charity. You are baptized into this Church militant. You are also entrusted with the mission of righteousness. You have the fortification of the sacraments, and the mandate to love as Jesus loved you. You share in the apostolic mission and work of the Church.

What can we say about this constant warfare?
Our battle is ultimately a spiritual battle for the eternal salvation of souls – our own and those of other people. We are not engaged in physical battles in the same way military soldiers defend with material weapons. We need not – we must not – initiate violence against other persons to accomplish something good, even something as significant as the protection of human life.

But it is true that we might have to endure physical suffering to prosper the victory of Jesus Christ. He carried the Cross. He promised us that – if we were to follow Him – we also would share the Cross. We must not expect anything less. When you stand up for what is right – you will be opposed. The temptation will be to avoid these attacks. But through our responses we must see what kind of soldiers we are.

Who is our enemy in this battle of the Church Militant?
Our enemy is the deceiver, the liar, Satan. Because of his spiritual powers he can turn the minds and hearts of men. He is our spiritual or supernatural enemy when he works to tempt us, and he becomes a kind of natural enemy as he works in the hearts of other people to twist and confound God’s will. In our human experience people deceived by Satan’s distortions and lies may appear as our “human enemies.”

But, in his Letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul makes, for us, a very important distinction. “Draw strength from the Lord and from His mighty power,” He tells them and us. “Put on the armor of God, in order that you can stand firm against the tactics of the devil.” “For, our struggle,” St. Paul tells us, “is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the rulers of this darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.” (Eph 6:10-12).

So let’s be clear: Human beings are not Satan, but certainly they can come under his power, even without their fully realizing it. When we, in our sinfulness, put something in the place of God: pleasure and convenience; material success; political power and prestige, we open a door for the principalities and contrary spirits who war against God. They want you and me for their prize. When we forsake God and outwardly reject His law and what we know to be His will, we make an easy victory for our supernatural enemies. We fall right into their hands.

But what about the so-called human enemies?
What about the persons who wish to establish a path of living which contravenes God’s law: promoting abortion; unnatural substitutes for marriage, and all such distortions of true freedom? Here Jesus is clear: “But I say to you, love your enemies: and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt 5:44)

We cannot hate these human enemies, and we must find a way to love them. But we need not show them any sign of agreement. We pray for them. We do not lie to them – and we seek that which pertains to their conversion – not to their worldly comforts, but to their eternal salvation. To ignore their destructive errors, particularly those that cost the lives of others, is to shirk our responsibility to attend to their eternal salvation.

There are people who make themselves the public enemies of the Church. They openly attack belief in Christ, or the Church’s right to exist. Quite honestly such groups or individuals are less prevalent than they might have been in prior moments of history. In some ways they are not the most dangerous opponents in our spiritual warfare, because they show themselves and their intentions more forthrightly.

The more dangerous “human enemies” in our battle are those, who in this age of pluralism and political propriety seek ways to convince us of their sincerity and good will. With malice or with ignorance, or perhaps with an intention of advancing some other personal goal, they are willing to undermine and push aside the values and the institutions that stand in their way. They may propose “tolerance” and seem to have a “live and let live” approach to all human choices – even if the choice is not to “let live,” but actually to “let die,” or “let life be destroyed.” These more subtle enemies are of all backgrounds. They may be atheists or agnostics, or of any religion, including Christian or Catholic.

This dissension in our own ranks should not surprise us because we all experience some dissension against God’s law of love within our own heart. But the “battle between believers,” who claim a certain “common ground” with us, while at the same time, they attack the most fundamental tenets of the Church’s teachings, or disavow the natural law – this opposition is one of the most discouraging, confusing, and dangerous.

In my first U.S. Bishops’ Conference meeting – June of 2004 – the bishops passed what seemed to me to be a compromise statement as a result of our lengthy debate on politicians and Communion. There we stated that pro-choice leaders (and specifically, Catholic leaders were mentioned) should not be given public platforms or honors. As we all know the eminent American Catholic University, Notre Dame, is poised to bestow such an opportunity and honor on President Obama, who is, of course, not Catholic. But it doesn’t take another Bishops’ Conference statement to know this is wrong: scandalous, discouraging and confusing to many Catholics.

God knows what all motivates such a decision. I suspect that, since Notre Dame will need a scapegoat for this debacle, and Fr. Jenkins will probably lose his job, at this point perhaps he ought to determine to lose it for doing something right instead of something wrong. He ought to disinvite the President, who I believe would graciously accept the decision. Notre Dame, instead, ought to give the honorary degree to Bishop John D’Arcy of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, who has supported and tried to guide the University, despite their too frequent waywardness, faithfully for 25 years.

In my remaining time this morning I want to talk principally about three things: 1) I want to comment briefly on some of the particular battles we face in the cause of the protection of the life of human beings. 2) I want to reflect on some of the costs of doing battle; and 3) I will suggest some ways we can fortify ourselves to go forth in this mission.

First – the battle for Human Life.
The battle we face for the salvation of our souls is the most important one we face – bar none. Where I spend all eternity; where you spend eternity – in bliss or in damnation – is important beyond any individual choice I make. But the individual human choices I make – even one grave choice in which we remain unrepentant – can determine the direction of my salvation.

To deliberately destroy a human person, and without any justification of self-defense, is to preempt without an equal and sufficient cause, the right to life bestowed by God alone. Life is a gift which we have from God, not from man. This right cannot be taken away by means of a human law. It ought to be protected and assured by human law.

The constant magnitude of this crime against humanity is staggering. We must never get used to it. In the United States there are 4000 abortions every day. Compare that to the tragedy of September 11, or to any other war, or even to the genocidal Holocaust of six million Jews and many others under the Nazi regime.

The count of abortions over the 36 years, since its legalization in January, 1973, is beyond 50 million human lives. These are just the reported abortions. There are more. There are many, many more worldwide. But keep reflecting on 4000 killings a day of innocent babies. Recently someone told me the number of abortions had gone down. I don’t believe it, but if you wish, you can think of 3500 killings a day or even 3000 per day.

Thousands of human lives every day: If we keep saying this – first of all – some people will get very upset with us. They will want us to stop. They may quote other statistics about the tragedies of poverty and war. We must truly share their horror at these things too. However, in the end the measure of our society is in how we treat the most vulnerable in our midst. The unifying thread is “the value of human life and the dignity of the human person.”

4000 abortions each day in the United States. This is the tally of the enemy. Are we in a war? Absolutely. Are we winning? Are we even battling to win? Or do we consider this someone else’s war?

We can hardly know how many human embryos have been destroyed in pursuing in vitro fertilization, and other experimentation, or through abortifacient contraceptives. Our President has just signed a law providing government funding – your tax money and mine – for the funding of these human embryonic stem cell experiments. Are we at war? Absolutely. Are we winning? Missouri lost a valiant battle to constitutionally outlaw human cloning and human embryonic stem cell research. We haven’t given up, but it requires a constant effort. We won many people over through good instruction in the truth. We were outspent 30 to 1.

Assisted Suicide is now legal in Oregon and Washington State. There are more efforts underway and polls, sadly, show a steady decline in the numbers of people opposing such referenda. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that matters concerning the regulation of medicine and other health issues are up to the states. Several state supreme courts have already ruled that assisted suicide would not be unconstitutional. Are we at war? Absolutely. Are we winning? Unfortunately, there is reason to believe that people are losing their sense of the moral evil of assisted suicide. But we cannot give up.

The fight for life is a constant warfare. Those who vied for the leadership of our country last November offered Americans a clear choice in this regard. The President is keeping his promises – one by one. We are getting what we chose. Is the war over? Never. Is the battle over? We must not give up. Remember: we already know the final outcome. The battle now is about our readiness to remain faithful – our readiness to suffer while we peacefully, legally, and prayerfully seek the victory of life.

We must defend life, but also build.
In his encyclical Evangelium Vitae, on the Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II said that we must oppose the culture of death, and he said we must construct a civilization of life and love. So, we must defend the right to life, but even beyond that we must take action for the promotion of what is good. We must build a civilization that proclaims the Gospel of Life.

Occasionally we still hear an elected official speak of his or her personal opposition to abortion, while they support the legal right to an abortion. We should be very clear: Such a person places him or herself completely OUTSIDE the moral framework, the moral imperative of Evangelium Vitae and other Church teaching on these issues. They are NEITHER defending human life against the forces of death, NOR or they taking steps to build a culture of life. They have abandoned their place in the citizenship of the Church. Quite simply they have become warriors for death rather than life.

Such a person who makes a public stand – and acts directly – in defense of the right to kill - endangers their eternal salvation. If you and I support such a person who has so flatly told us of their intentions to protect a fraudulent Right to Death, a Right to an Abortion, we make ourselves participants in their attack on life. We risk our salvation, and we better change. Why? – because Bishop Finn is going to condemn you? No, I must say what the Church says, but I will not finally judge any human soul.

I know Catholics in our country are looking to their bishops for leadership in this. Four out of five letters I receive on these issues urges me to do more, not less. I was not able to attend the installation of Archbishop Timothy Dolan in New York this week, but I watched part of the Mass on EWTN. I heard the homily and saw how well the new Archbishop was received. But there was one place in the homily that was particularly dramatic. When Archbishop Dolan mentioned the defense of human life, all St. Patrick Cathedral thundered with spontaneous applause and rose to its feet. At no other spot in the homily did any such thing happen.

Please note: This is NOT partisan politics on the part of bishops or their flock. This is zeal for life, pure and powerful. This is care for truth, and attention to the salvation of souls. It cannot and must not be neglected, even if it means we might get scolded at times by those who want us to speak less. We bishops should note it carefully – how our people are starving for more leadership – more unanimity – more courage in this regard.

Every believer is called to be a warrior for righteousness – a soldier in support of human life. Are we at War? It is clear we are, and we will each stand before Jesus Christ, the Lord of Life.

Dr. Scott Hahn makes an interesting observation about a well known passage from Matthew’s Gospel. St. Peter is entrusted with the leadership of the Church; he is handed the “keys” to the Kingdom. “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” (Matt 16:18). Hahn points out that it is not just the work of the Church to hold strong against the powers of hell. Rather: in the battle, the Church must beat upon the gates of hell. We must not give up until those sorry gates fall off their hinges and the victory of Jesus Christ is made full and complete and final. Bishops are called to teach, lead and sanctify. These are not defensive postures – but elements of a powerful offensive designed to promote and extend the Kingdom of God.

It is not enough for us to defend against the assaults of Satan. It is not enough for us even to defend innocent human life. Of course, if we fail to do this, we fail in our most urgent task. But by good deeds of love and charity, we must build this active culture of life that is ready and capable of turning back hell itself. If we won’t put the abortionist out of business we are pitiable souls. If we don’t enact laws and work tirelessly to change human hearts so that life is forever reverenced and protected, we have not fought the good fight which is our charge as the Church Militant. As warriors we must first beat back the enemy. But then let us not forget that we are warriors for the victory of life!

How do we arm ourselves for what is first and foremost a supernatural war?
First: Unless we are living in God’s life we should not go near this battle. I don’t care if you are the strongest and most brilliant and clever person on the planet. The devil – as he has shown over and over again – will turn you inside out. If you are not fortified by the sacraments – frequent confession and worthy Holy Communion – you cannot succeed in an ultimately supernatural battle. We must live – no longer ourselves – but Christ in us. Be always in the state of grace.

Pray. Be a prayer warrior. One modern day saint said when you are going out to try to change someone’s heart determine to make your effort 80 % prayer and 20% words or actions. Prayer defeats the devil. Prayer aligns us with Christ. Pray for the abortionist. Pray for the legislator. Pray for the mother (and father and other family members). Pray for the child in the womb. Pray for yourself and allow God to guide you. Pray that you will be a warrior of faithfulness and love and mercy. Remember that God often chooses the foolish to shame those who are clever.

Use the symbols and instruments of our devotion. Arm yourself with the rosary. Protect yourself with the scapular or a blessed medal. Ask for a blessing as a sign of unity in the Church in what we do: unity with the Holy Father, with your bishop, with your pastor. What I am supposed to do as bishop (teach and lead, and sanctify) I must, in turn, delegate in proper measure to my pastors. They, in turn, need you as soldiers.

Don’t worry very much about numbers. If you read the accounts of the Old Testament battles, over and over again God used a tiny misfit army to overthrow a legion 1000 times its size. In this way it is so much clearer that God is fighting the battle. We are only His instruments.

What will happen to us if we take up this war in faithfulness?
Do you really want to know? You will be hated by some powerful people. You may be rejected by those whose approval you most desire. You will be loved and supported by some and this will be a wonderful encouragement. You will be misunderstood by many – and this can be very painful. After you have suffered a little in your battle, some will tell you that you have done nothing – or that you have done it the wrong way.

Yes, if you push – others will “push back.” We should always be very careful to obey the law. But, regardless, some will threaten you with legal action, and law suits cost money and you may suffer that difficult hardship. In the end, dear friends, if we err let it be on the side of life. Life! 4000 human lives a day!

What if I suffer greatly trying to change this tragic trajectory – through prayerful, legal, peaceful means? It is in God’s hands, and you and I are warriors for the victory of life. The stakes in terms of human life are high. The stakes in terms of human souls are even higher.

A final word
There is much more we might say, and I know that today’s many presentations will be of great value to you all. Years ago I first heard Dr. Janet Smith teach so eloquently about the dangers of contraception: to our souls, on marriages, on our culture, as a preamble to abortion and as a degrading stain on human love. I am so pleased she has joined us to teach this truth so much at the foundation of the sad culture of discarded life and love.

I wish to thank Adrienne Doring and Ron Kelsey who, with much assistance from so many of you, coordinated this event. To my brother and co-worker Archbishop Joseph Naumann, whose leadership in pro-life is so well known throughout our country, I express my thanks and admiration.

May the Peace of the Risen Lord Jesus – the glory of His Easter triumph– the hope and promise of undying love and the power of Life sustain you all in your high calling as Warriors for the Victory of life.

© The Catholic Key Blog, Diocese of Kansas City

Vatican Plans To Investigate US Catholic Nuns

Vatican probes nuns over church teaching

Thu, 16 Apr 2009

Vatican plans to investigate US Catholic nuns to ensure they are promoting Church teachings on homosexuality and the all-male priesthood.

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) said it was informed of the "doctrinal assessment" in a letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican watchdog. The Vatican launches the probe saying the sisters have not addressed matters of concern -- homosexuality, salvation and the priesthood, which the Vatican says is reserved for men.

Vatican officials have asked the American sisters to "report on the initiatives taken or planned" to promote the church's teachings on the exclusively male character of the priesthood, the primacy of the Catholic Church over other Christian denominations, and the "problem of homosexuality." The doctrinal investigation comes three months after another Vatican-ordered study of "the quality of life" in 400 women's religious congregations in the US.

That study was prompted by the dramatic decline in the number of American women entering religious orders over the past several decades. Between 1945 and 2000, the number of religious sisters in the US dropped 54 percent, from 122,159 to 79,876, according to Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. That number has continued to drop since 2000.

Link (here)

Pro Abortion Vs. Pro Life

The Chicago-based Thomas More Society filed civil Hate Crime charges in an Amended Complaint against an abortion clinic proprietor and ally in federal district court in Rockford, Illinois as part of an ongoing court battle.

Rockford resident Keith A. Sterkeson physically threatened and then attacked Eric Nelson and Kevin Rilott while calling Nelson, “A ******, a ******. You are a worthless degenerate ******. Oh, you are a ******! You are a degenerate and empty skull, thinking Jesus is going to save you. You’re a ******. Your mother was a ******.”

View the video (here). CAUTION: The video should not be viewed by children and is offensive in the language that is used, so if you are easily shocked, please do not view the video.

Link (here)

St. Kolbe Radio: Radio Niepokalanow

Radio good for dancing and praying

Artur Stelmasiak

Radio Niepokalanow celebrates its 70th anniversary. The radio, created by St Maximilian before the war, has numerous listeners today and a team of dedicated journalists who have continued the work of the holy Franciscan. Over 70 years ago (8 December 1938) St Maximilian Maria Kolbe uttered the first words on the air in a test programme. Thus Radio Niepokalanow (RN) became the first Catholic radio in Poland. Although the plans of the Franciscan broadcasting station were destroyed by the Second World War and then the long years of communism the idea of St Maximilian was restored successfully in independent Poland and nowadays the 70 year old radio experiences its second youth. ‘We are trying to make a radio that is good both for dancing and for praying. And I think we have succeeded’, says Fr Marek Wodka, deputy programme director of Radio Niepokalanow.

Live broadcast from the monastery

The inhabitants of the vicinity of Warsaw had to wait over 50 years to hear again the voice, ‘You are listening to Radio Niepokalanow, 102.7 FM’. ‘However, many things have changed since that time. The station has been granted a wider range and today it broadcasts between Lodz and Warsaw and Plock and Radom and in the city of Lodz on 98.6FM’, Katarzyna Bodych, programme director of the Radio informs. ‘But this is not the end. In the near future we want to be heard in central Poland and to the south of Lodz towards Czestochowa’, she adds. The Radio has been strongly promoting its on-line version www.radioniepokalanow.pl, thanks to which the radio can be heard all over the world. The new web page and a system of film cameras in the Niepokalanow monastery are almost completed. ‘Thanks to that one can watch what is going on in the radio studio, the basilica or the monastery. Of course, with the exception of the enclosure’, says Izabela Andryszczyk from the RN promotion office. Thus the radio wants to reach to the listeners and potential viewers who want to listen and see what is happening in Niepokalanow.

Not only prayer

The main studio is located in the so-called old western part of the monastery. ‘This building was erected before the war at the initiative of St Maximilian’, Katarzyna Bodych says. Currently, there are 24 people working in the radio. And in the opinion of its director they are the biggest success of the radio. ‘There is nobody that does not fit in with the team. These are really carefully matched people who enjoy working here’, Bodych thinks. The employees are also responsible for the unique atmosphere of the Franciscan radio. We have managed to create a very family, friendly atmosphere. And this atmosphere radiates on the radio waves. ‘Surely, our listeners like us for doing that’, stresses Fr Wodka.

You can experience the family atmosphere during a short visit to the radio studio. In the opinion of journalist Malwina Szymanska those who want to serve other people will find their way here. ‘Since if you want to do this job you should enjoy talking and meeting people. Every journalist should have a heart for people’, Szymanska says.

We look for good sensational news

The programme format is so prepared that everyone can find something for himself/herself. In the programme broadcast all day there is some time for prayer (e.g. daily Mass at 11.00 a.m., broadcast from the basilica) and for entertainment, journalism and good music. ‘Prayer and religious journalism will always be important elements of our programme but we want to meet other spheres of life. Man does not only live on prayer. And therefore, a Catholic radio should propose both reliable news and good entertainment’ Fr Wodka stresses.

An average listener to Radio Niepokalanow is at the age of 40-60. ‘We are glad that our listeners have been involved in social activities but on the other hand we try to win younger generation’, the Franciscan friar says. Therefore, the format has included more programmes for children and young people. One can find almost all radio forms in our offer. ‘We have not got only cabarets and radio plays’, the programme director explains. Journalists’ concern is to present good news from the region. ‘But we do not pick holes in the news. We do not want to kick anyone. We try to find positive sensational news, i.e. simply good news’, adds Izabela Andryszczyk.

Man is most important

Katarzyna Bodych says about herself that she is a local dinosaur. Since she has been working in the editorial board for long. She remembers very well the beginnings of the reactivated Radio Niepokalanow when she was proposed to work here in the middle 1990s. There have been various difficulties. The radio has tried to follow the technological novelties. ‘In the epoch of common computerisation things change so quickly that you do not even know what a modern radio should look like. There is even a certain temptation that like in other radio stations the work is done by computers instead of people. But we do not want that. It would be an insincere approach towards our listeners. Since people are most important to us, those who sit in the studio and those who listen to us in the solitude of their homes’, Katarzyna Bodych stresses.

Day in Radio Niepokalanow

6.30 -11 – Morning with Radio Niepokalanow, focused on national and regional news, press review and infotrafic (news for drivers). The programmes are interwoven with dynamic music.

Between 11 and 16 – Religious programmes. It begins with Mass broadcast from the basilica in Niepokalanow. There are also local self-government, cultural, religious-historical programmes and peaceful music.

Between 16 and 20 – Information-journalistic programmes; reports from the region of Mazowsze and from Lodz, Vatican Radio and cultural programmes.

20 – Evening programmes begin. Vatican Radio, the rosary prayed by the brothers from Niepokalanow, and after the Appeal of Jasna Gora there are various discussions and debates, live broadcast from the studio.

"Niedziela" 1/2009

Link (here)

Not A "Family Guy"

Fox's 'Family Guy' goes too far; file a complaint with the FCC

File an official complaint with the FCC against the FOX network and your local FOX affiliate station.

March 25, 2009

Dear A Catholic Man reader,

On March 8, Fox network aired Family Guy, a perverted and sickening program, into the homes of millions of Americans. This episode was rated TV-14 DLSV by FOX, meaning that in the network's opinion it was appropriate for 14-year olds. It aired during prime-time.

The content of this program was so explicit that I can't even begin to describe it here.

Click here to watch these scenes or read our detailed review. WARNING: These scenes taken from the Fox program Family Guy are highly offensive.

Even more offensive is Fox's view of Christianity. At a "straight" meeting, the speaker talks to gays about Jesus and tells them, "He [Jesus] hates many people, but none more than homosexuals." Incidentally, Pepsico helped sponsor this program (BoycottPepsico.com.

You really cannot get the full effect of the show's portrayal of Christianity without watching the video or reading our review. You will hear the tone and sarcasm very clearly.

The FCC has a duty to enforce the law and fine Fox for this sickening violation of broadcast decency standards. In addition, your local FOX network affiliate did not have to air this episode. Obviously, they do not care about your local community standards.

Take Action!

Newt Gingrich: A Catholic Man

Gingrich to Convert

By Tom McFeely

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

The news: The architect of the 1990s “Republican Revolution” plans to convert to Catholicism.

Here’s the relevant excerpt from the Times article:

“At a moment when the role of religious fundamentalism in the party is a central question for reformers, Newt Gingrich, rather than making any kind of case for a new enlightenment, has in fact gone to great lengths to placate Christian conservatives. The family-values crowd has never completely embraced Newt, probably because he has been married three times, most recently to a former Hill staff member, Callista Bisek. In 2006, though, Gingrich wrote a book called “Rediscovering God in America” — part of a new canon of work he has done reaffirming the role of religion in public life. The following year, he went on radio with the evangelical minister James Dobson to apologize for having been unfaithful to his second wife. A Baptist since graduate school, Gingrich said he will soon convert to Catholicism, his wife’s faith.”

Update: This post has been updated with a photo, taken by Register Senior Writer Tim Drake, of Gingrich attending Pope Benedict XVI’s address last April at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.

Says Tim, “I recall wondering to myself at the time, ‘Is Newt Catholic, or is he converting, or is he simply interested in hearing the Pope?’”

Link (here)

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A parent or pastor could accept participation in this program as fulfillment of their Canonical and conscientious responsibility for the (orthodox) Catholic rearing of young people.

Saint Valentine's Day

The popular customs associated with Saint Valentine's Day undoubtedly had their origin in a conventional belief generally received in England and France during the Middle Ages, that on 14 February, i.e. half way through the second month of the year, the birds began to pair. Thus in Chaucer's Parliament of Foules we read:

For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne's day
Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.

For this reason the day was looked upon as specially consecrated to lovers and as a proper occasion for writing love letters and sending lovers' tokens. Both the French and English literatures of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries contain allusions to the practice.

Link (here) to the full article

Read about St. Valentine (here)

"Temple Police"

He said the diocese was challenged by the ageing of its priests, most of whom would be eligible for retirement by 2014, leaving only six priests out of the full complement of 40.

The 65-year-old said the investigation had been going for two years, but a decision had not yet been made.

"The ultimate outcome is I'd be sacked and have to stand down,"

he said.

"Or they would ask me to resign or operate in another diocese ... at this stage, I don't know."

Bishop Morris, who has held the Toowoomba post for 16 years, said the church couldn't stifle debate and that's what the letter was promoting. "I will continue to fight for what I believe is the truth," he said.

"And I will continue to fight to be able to ask questions."

Bishop Morris said there was a group of very conservative Catholics dubbed the "temple police" who traveled around parishes dobbing in priests who didn't toe the line. "There are plenty of temple police around at the moment," he said.

"They're not a large majority - they believe in their conservative views and if they don't agree with something, they'll write to Rome."

Link (here) to the full story

Rest In Peace: Monsignor Patrick J. Trainor

This holy man was my Pastor and I was his alter boy.

JMJ Joe

Monsignor Patrick J. Trainor
October 22, 1917 - February 07, 2009

TRAINOR, Monsignor Patrick, age 91, Pastor Emeritus of St. John Vianney Parish, St. Pete Beach, went home to the Lord Saturday, February 7, 2009, at his residence attended by those who loved and cared for him. Born in the Bronx, New York at an early age following his father's death, the family returned to Ireland. Monsignor Trainor was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of St. Augustine, June 18, 1944 at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Cavan Co., Ireland. He came to Florida in 1945 and served parishes in Jacksonville, Gainesville and Coral Gables, where he also taught school for five years, before his arrival December 1, 1953 at St. John Vianney Parish, St. Pete Beach, to serve as pastor. He held that office until his retirement in 1989. At the request of Bishop Joseph Hurley, Pope John XXIII granted his being named a Monsignor and in 1988 at the request of Bishop W. Thomas Larkin he was elevated to Monsignor Protonotary Apostolic (P.A.) by Pope John Paul II. Monsignor Trainor's love, support and enthusiasm for Catholic education is evidenced in the growth and excellence of St. John Vianney Catholic School and those elementary schools in Pinellas County he watched being built. He assisted Archbishop Hurley in building St. Petersburg Catholic High School in 1957, then known as Bishop Barry High School. In 1998 the Monsignor Patrick Trainor Media Center at St. Petersburg Catholic High School was dedicated to him for his commitment and many contributions. He loyally served the diocese in other positions: Chairman of the Board of Catholic Charities, Judge of the Tribunal, Consultor and Episcopal Vicar for Pinellas Deaneries. Surviving him are his sister, Sister Mary Winifrede Trainor, age 93, sister-in-law Mrs. Rita Trainor, his cousin, Monsignor Edward Mulligan and two nieces, Rosaland O'Brien and Nuala Diffley, 2 nephews, Edward and Kevin Trainor , 6 great nephews and 4 great nieces. The Reception of Monsignor Trainor's body and visitation will be Thursday, February 12, 2009 from 3:30PM to 7:15PM at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 445 82nd Ave, St. Pete Beach with evening prayer service at 7:30PM. Funeral Mass will be Friday, February 13th at 11:00AM at the church. Interment to follow at Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to St. John Vianney Catholic School. Brett Funeral Home & Cremation Services. Link (here)

Rest In Peace: Piotr Stanczak, Polish Catholic Martyr Was Beheaded By Taliban

Pakistani Taliban Release Tape Of Murder Of Pole

Before he was killed, Stanczak was seen on the tape appealing to the Polish government not to send troops to Afghanistan. Pakistani Taliban militants released a video tape on Sunday of them beheading a Polish geologist whom they said killed him because Pakistan's government refused to release Taliban prisoners.

Watch beheading (here)

The Islamist militants said on Saturday they had executed the Polish engineer, Piotr Stanczak, who they kidnapped in September, because the government had refused to free 60 captured militants before Friday's deadline.

A tape was delivered to the office of a Reuters reporter in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan showing two masked men cutting off Stanczak's head.

Before he was killed, Stanczak was seen on the tape appealing to the Polish government not to send troops to Afghanistan.

He also urged Poland to severe ties with Pakistan, which he said had made no effort to secure his release, said a Reuters reporter who saw the tape.

Assaults on foreign aid workers, company employees and diplomats have increased in Pakistan over the past year, especially in areas near the border with Afghanistan, where government forces are battling the Taliban and al Qaeda.

A Taliban spokesman, identified only as Mohammed, said earlier the militants would only give up Stanczak's body if the government freed captured militants and stopped attacking them.

"We will not hand over the dead body if the government does not accept our demands," the Taliban spokesman said by telephone.

"Our demands are the same: the release of our 60 men and an end to military operations."

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Saturday said his government had received unofficial confirmation the 42-year-old hostage was dead.

Stanczak was kidnapped on Sept. 28 while visiting one of his company's sites near Attock city, about 65 km (40 miles) west of the capital, Islamabad.

Gunmen shot dead his Pakistani driver, bodyguard and translator before abducting him.

An American heading the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in southwestern province of Baluchistan, was taken last week and his driver was shot dead.

Two Chinese telecommunication engineers, two Afghan diplomats and an Iranian diplomat were kidnapped in northwest Pakistan, though one of the Chinese later escaped.

A militants on the tape released on Sunday said other foreign hostages including the Chinese engineer would also be killed if the government did not meet Taliban demands.

Link (here)

It would be a good time to pray for the Legionaires of Christ and members of Regnum Christi

The 99 For The One

"If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost."
Matthew Chapter 18:12-14

With the Parable of the Lost Sheep in mind.


Attacks on Pope Benedict XVI's decision to lift the excommunication of a Holocaust denier escalated Monday, with one theologian calling on him to step down as the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Criticism following the pope's January 24 announcement has been particularly cutting in Germany, where denying the Holocaust is a crime punishable with a jail sentence.

"If the pope wants to do some good for the Church, he should leave his job," eminent liberal Catholic theologian Hermann Haering told the German daily (Pope Benedict's photo has been altered by Photoshop in an unfavorable manner) Tageszeitung.

"That would not be a scandal, a bishop has to relinquish his position at 75 years, a cardinal loses his rights at 80 years," he said. Pope Benedict is 81.

Meanwhile, a senior Vatican official acknowledged the Vatican administration may have made "management errors" with the decision to lift excommunication against four bishops, including Richard Williamson, whose comments sparked the controversy.

"I observe the debate with great concern. There were misunderstandings and management errors in the Curia," said Cardinal Walter Kasper, who is in charge of the Vatican department that deals with Jewish relations.

"The Pope wanted to open the debate because he wanted unity inside and outside,"

the German cardinal told Vatican Radio.

He also noted that "these bishops are still suspended."

An international uproar followed the decision to rehabilitate Williamson, an English bishop who has dismissed as "lies" historical evidence that six million Jews were gassed by the Nazis during World War II. Jews and Catholics alike have produced widespread criticism.

"A pardon that tastes of poison," wrote Franco Garelli, an expert in religious history, in Italy's daily La Stampa Monday.

"The trouble caused by this complicated affair is evident not only outside the Church but within it," wrote the academic, who spoke of the "profound discomfort stirred up by the lifting of the excommunication in numerous Catholic circles."

Back in Germany, high-ranking Catholic officials said the pope risked losing vital support.

"There is obviously a loss of confidence" in the pope and "rehabilitating a denier is always a bad idea," the bishop of Hamburg, Werner Thissen, told the daily Hamburger Abendblatt on Monday.

The bishop of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, Gebhard Furst, meanwhile spoke of his "uncertainty, incomprehension and deception" in the national Bild.

In France, home to Europe's largest Jewish population, chief rabbi Gilles Bernheim denounced Williamson's remarks as "despicable" in an interview with Le Monde.

Williamson claimed that only between 200,000 and 300,000 Jews died before and during World War II, and none in the gas chambers.

French government spokesman Luc Chatel called Williamson's remarks "unacceptable, abject and intolerable."

Vienna's cardinal and archbishop, Christoph Schoenborn, on Sunday lashed out at the decision to bring Williamson back into the fold, saying that "he who denies the Holocaust cannot be rehabilitated within the Church."

Belgian daily La Libre Belgique slammed the Vatican's "blindness" and "deafness," drawing links between Williamson and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"Apparently no one can make the Iranian president and his henchman see reason" when they deny the "truth" of the Holocaust, and it is the same with the "bishop recently anointed by the highest authority of the Catholic Church," it said.

For the pope, the "blunder is extraordinary, especially given that his willingness for a dialogue with Judaism is indisputable," said French daily Liberation.

Link (here)