The U.S. Supreme Court is about to get an extreme pro-abortion justice who has made racist statements, statements which seem to provide a criterion for her judicial decisions. The Anti-life, Anti-Christian DemoKKKrats, of course, are delighted.
Meanwhile, quite disturbing is that Sotomayor keeps being passed off as a Catholic. Yet, according to The New York Times (May 31), she attends Mass infrequently and doesn't even belong to a parish. Clearly, she rejects magisterial teaching.
Some very stupid Catholics seem to feel proud that she has been chosen.
Firmly entrenched abortionists love to perpetuate the Catholic label for fallen away Catholics for precisely that reason. It fits into their agenda of trying to create a new American Church based on a vague notion of cultural Catholicism rather than assent in matters of faith and morals. Obama, of course, is a key architect in creating this false Church as he continues and purposefully chooses false Catholic abortion extremists like himself, who neither heed the national will nor the facts of science with regard to human life.
If the bishops do not speak out now and issue sanctions against false Catholic abortionists, the false brethren appointed by Obama will make it hard, very hard, to be a true and faithful Catholic in the future.
Sotomayor Calls Abortion a "Right" at Final HearingBy Kathleen Gilbert
7/16/09
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - While the fourth and final day of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor commenced with less comment on abortion than in the previous three days, one question from Sen. Lyndsey Graham (R-NC) on the candidate's role in a strongly pro-abortion civil rights group prompted Sotomayor to refer to abortion as "a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy."
Graham pressed Sotomayor on her role as longtime board member at the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF), a group that signed on to at least five strongly pro-abortion amicus curiae briefs under Sotomayor.
One brief, signed by several interest groups, stated: "All Amici share an urgent concern that the Court clearly and unequivocally reaffirm Roe v. Wade. ... They fear that any tampering with the right to abortion recognized in Roe will have a powerful, adverse impact on the liberty, equality and health of poor women and women of color."
The same brief also said Roe v. Wade recognized a "fundamental right" to abortion without which women "were stripped of the right of self-determination that is a given for men."
Several of Sotomayor's former colleagues testified to the New York Times in May that "Ms. Sotomayor stood out, frequently meeting with the legal staff to review the status of cases" throughout her stay at PRLDEF, at times as board member, vice president, and chairman of the litigation committee.
At the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today, Graham asked Sotomayor: "During your time on the board -- and you had about every job a board member could have -- is it a fair statement to say that all of the cases embraced by this group on abortion advocated the woman's right to choose and argued against restrictions by state and federal government on abortion rights?"
Sotomayor claimed that she did not review the briefs, adding: "I did know that the fund had a health care docket that included challenges to certain limitations on a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy under certain circumstances."
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Ubi Caritas
Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.
Exsultemus, et in ipso jucundemur.
Timeamus, et amemus Deum vivum.
Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero.
Simul ergo cum in unum congregamur:
Ne nos mente dividamur caveamus.
Cessent jurgia maligna, cessent lites.
Et in medio nostri sit Christus Deus.
Simul quoque cum beatis videamus.
Glorianter vultum tuum, Christe Deus:
Gaudium, quod est immensum, atque probum,
Saecula per infinita saeculorum. Amen.
Various Interpretations:
from Duruflé
from Ola Gjeilo
from Taiwan:
Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.
Exsultemus, et in ipso jucundemur.
Timeamus, et amemus Deum vivum.
Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero.
Simul ergo cum in unum congregamur:
Ne nos mente dividamur caveamus.
Cessent jurgia maligna, cessent lites.
Et in medio nostri sit Christus Deus.
Simul quoque cum beatis videamus.
Glorianter vultum tuum, Christe Deus:
Gaudium, quod est immensum, atque probum,
Saecula per infinita saeculorum. Amen.
Attributed to St. Paulinus of Aquileia (+802)
Various Interpretations:
from Duruflé
from Ola Gjeilo
from Taiwan:
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Feast of the Holy Redeemer
I've always wondered why this feast is not on the universal calendar. The propers, however, can be found in the Ordo of the Redemptorists. The following is from Unavoce Venetia's website.
Die 15 julii
IN FESTO
SANCTISSIMI REDEMPTORIS
Introitus
Is. 61
Gáudens gaudébo in Dómino, et exsultábit ánima mea in Deo meo : quia índuit me vestiméntis salútis : et induménto justítiæ circúmdedit me. Ps. 88. Misericórdias Dómini in ætérnum cantábo : in generatiónem et generatiónem. V/. Glória Patri.
Oratio
Deus, qui Unigénitum tuum mundi Redemptórem constituisti, et per eum, devícta morte, nos misericórditer ad vitam reparásti : concéde; ut haec benefícia recoléntes, tibi perpétua caritáte adhærére, et ejúsdem redemptiónis fructum percípere mereámur. Per eúndem.
Et fit comm. S. Henrici Imperatoris, Conf., ut in Missali.
Léctio Epistole beáti Pauli Apóstoli ad Ephésios
Ephes. 1
Benedictus Deus, et Pater Dómini nostri Jesu Christi, qui benedíxit nos in omni benedictióne spirituáli, in cæléstibus in Christo, sicut elégit nos in ipso ante mundi constitutiónem, ut essémus sancti et immaculáti in conspéctu ejus in caritáte. Qui prædestinávit nos in adoptióne filiórum per Jesum Christum in ipsum, secúndum propósitum voluntátis suæ, in laudem glóriæ grátiæ suæ, in qua gratificávit nos in dilécto Fílio suo. In quo habémus redemptiónem per sánguinem ejus, remissiónem peccatórum secúndum divítias grátiæ ejus, quæ superabundávit in nobis in omni sapiéntia, et prudéntia : ut notum fáceret nobis sacraméntum voluntátis suæ, secúndum beneplácitum ejus, quod propósuit in eo.
Graduale. Ps. 85. Omnes gentes quascúmque fécisti, vénient, et adorábunt coram te, Dómine : et glorificábunt nomen tuum. V/. Quóniam magnus es tu, et fáciens mirabília : tu es Deus solus.
Allelúja. V/. Ps. 73. Deus autem, rex noster ante saécula : operátus est salútem in médio terræ. Allelúja.
Post Septuagesimam, omissis Allelúja, et Versu seguenti, dicitur
Tractus. Is. 53. Vere languóres nostros ipse tulit, et dolóres nostros ipse portávit. V/. Et nos putávimus eum quasi leprósum, et percússum a Deo, et humiliátum. V/. Ipse autem vulnerátus est propter iniquitátes nostras : attrítus est propter scélera nostra. V/. Disciplína pacis nostræ super eum : et livóre ejus sanáti sumus.
Tempore Paschali :
Allelúja, allelúja. V/. Ave rex noster : tu solus nostros es miseràtus erróres : Patri obédiens, ductus es ad crucifigéndum, ut agnus mansuétus ad occisiónem. Allelúja. V/. Tibi glória, hosánna : tibi summa laudis et honóris coróna.
Sequéntia sancti Evangélii secúndumJoánnem
Joann. 3
In illo témpore : Dixit Jesus Nicodémo : Nemo ascéndit in cælum, nisi qui descéndit de calo, Filius hóminis, qui est in cælo. Et sicut Móyses exaltávit serpéntem in desérto; ita exaltári opértet Fílium hóminis : ut omnis, qui credit in ipsum, non péreat, sed hábeat vitam ætérnam. Non enim misit Deus Fílium suum in mundum, ut júdicet mundum : sed ut salvétur mundus per ipsum. Qui credit in eum, non judicátur : qui autem non credit, jam judicátus est : quia non credit in nómine unigéniti Fílii Dei. Credo.
Offertorium. Salus pópulì ego sum, dicit Dóminus : de quacúmque tribulatióine clamáverint ad me, exáudiam eos : et ero illórum Deus in perpétuum, allelúja.
Secreta
Súscipe, quaésumus, Dómine, oblátum redemptiónis ætérnæ mystérium : et præsta; ut unigéniti Fílii tui gloriósis méritis intercedéntibus, vivíficet nos semper, et múniat. Per eúndem.
Præfatio de Cruce.
Communio. Ps. 106. Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus, et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum,
Postcommunio
Córporis tui sacri, ac pretiósi sánguims, quo redémpti sumus, Dómine Jesu Christe, partícipes effécti : quaésumus; ut in nobis tua múnera tueáris; atque a preeséntis vitae malis eréptos, ad bona perdúcas sempitérna : Qui vivis.
Die 15 julii
IN FESTO
SANCTISSIMI REDEMPTORIS
Introitus
Is. 61
Gáudens gaudébo in Dómino, et exsultábit ánima mea in Deo meo : quia índuit me vestiméntis salútis : et induménto justítiæ circúmdedit me. Ps. 88. Misericórdias Dómini in ætérnum cantábo : in generatiónem et generatiónem. V/. Glória Patri.
Oratio
Deus, qui Unigénitum tuum mundi Redemptórem constituisti, et per eum, devícta morte, nos misericórditer ad vitam reparásti : concéde; ut haec benefícia recoléntes, tibi perpétua caritáte adhærére, et ejúsdem redemptiónis fructum percípere mereámur. Per eúndem.
Et fit comm. S. Henrici Imperatoris, Conf., ut in Missali.
Léctio Epistole beáti Pauli Apóstoli ad Ephésios
Ephes. 1
Benedictus Deus, et Pater Dómini nostri Jesu Christi, qui benedíxit nos in omni benedictióne spirituáli, in cæléstibus in Christo, sicut elégit nos in ipso ante mundi constitutiónem, ut essémus sancti et immaculáti in conspéctu ejus in caritáte. Qui prædestinávit nos in adoptióne filiórum per Jesum Christum in ipsum, secúndum propósitum voluntátis suæ, in laudem glóriæ grátiæ suæ, in qua gratificávit nos in dilécto Fílio suo. In quo habémus redemptiónem per sánguinem ejus, remissiónem peccatórum secúndum divítias grátiæ ejus, quæ superabundávit in nobis in omni sapiéntia, et prudéntia : ut notum fáceret nobis sacraméntum voluntátis suæ, secúndum beneplácitum ejus, quod propósuit in eo.
Graduale. Ps. 85. Omnes gentes quascúmque fécisti, vénient, et adorábunt coram te, Dómine : et glorificábunt nomen tuum. V/. Quóniam magnus es tu, et fáciens mirabília : tu es Deus solus.
Allelúja. V/. Ps. 73. Deus autem, rex noster ante saécula : operátus est salútem in médio terræ. Allelúja.
Post Septuagesimam, omissis Allelúja, et Versu seguenti, dicitur
Tractus. Is. 53. Vere languóres nostros ipse tulit, et dolóres nostros ipse portávit. V/. Et nos putávimus eum quasi leprósum, et percússum a Deo, et humiliátum. V/. Ipse autem vulnerátus est propter iniquitátes nostras : attrítus est propter scélera nostra. V/. Disciplína pacis nostræ super eum : et livóre ejus sanáti sumus.
Tempore Paschali :
Allelúja, allelúja. V/. Ave rex noster : tu solus nostros es miseràtus erróres : Patri obédiens, ductus es ad crucifigéndum, ut agnus mansuétus ad occisiónem. Allelúja. V/. Tibi glória, hosánna : tibi summa laudis et honóris coróna.
Sequéntia sancti Evangélii secúndumJoánnem
Joann. 3
In illo témpore : Dixit Jesus Nicodémo : Nemo ascéndit in cælum, nisi qui descéndit de calo, Filius hóminis, qui est in cælo. Et sicut Móyses exaltávit serpéntem in desérto; ita exaltári opértet Fílium hóminis : ut omnis, qui credit in ipsum, non péreat, sed hábeat vitam ætérnam. Non enim misit Deus Fílium suum in mundum, ut júdicet mundum : sed ut salvétur mundus per ipsum. Qui credit in eum, non judicátur : qui autem non credit, jam judicátus est : quia non credit in nómine unigéniti Fílii Dei. Credo.
Offertorium. Salus pópulì ego sum, dicit Dóminus : de quacúmque tribulatióine clamáverint ad me, exáudiam eos : et ero illórum Deus in perpétuum, allelúja.
Secreta
Súscipe, quaésumus, Dómine, oblátum redemptiónis ætérnæ mystérium : et præsta; ut unigéniti Fílii tui gloriósis méritis intercedéntibus, vivíficet nos semper, et múniat. Per eúndem.
Præfatio de Cruce.
Communio. Ps. 106. Confiteántur Dómino misericórdiæ ejus, et mirabília ejus fíliis hóminum,
Postcommunio
Córporis tui sacri, ac pretiósi sánguims, quo redémpti sumus, Dómine Jesu Christe, partícipes effécti : quaésumus; ut in nobis tua múnera tueáris; atque a preeséntis vitae malis eréptos, ad bona perdúcas sempitérna : Qui vivis.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Protomatyrs of Aquileia, Veneto, and Friuli
Sancti Hermagoræ ep.
et Fortunati diac., Mm.
venetiarum patronorum
die 12 julii
St. Hermagoras was converted by St. Mark the Evangelist who preached in Aquileia. In 50 AD, Mark sent him to Rome to be consecrated by St. Peter the Apostle as the first bishop of Aquileia.
St. Fortunatus was Hermagoras' deacon. Together they evangelized the Roman Region of Venetia and Histria.
In 70 AD, the Roman official Sebastus killed the two for their Christian faith.
Over time, their relics were divided and are now in Aquileia and Gorizia.
Missa
Intret, de Comm. plurium Martyrum, præter Orationes sequentes.
Oratio
Deus, qui nos hodiérna die beatórum Mártyrum tuórum Hermágoræ et Fortunáti multíplici facis celebritáte gaudére : tribue, quaésumus, eórum nos semper piis defensiónibus muníri, et oratiónibus adiuvári. Per Dóminum.
Et fiunt comm. S. Joannis Gualberti Abb., et Ss. Naboris et Felicis Mm., ut in Missali.
Secreta
Múnera humilitátis nostræ, quæ pro sanctórum Mártyrum tuórum Hermágoræ et Fortunáti. gloriósa passióne et sollemnitáte offérimus, quaésumus, Dómine, cleméntiam tuam, respícere dignáre : et ipsórum intercessióne, tam ad proféctum vitæ, quam salutária nobis consuéta miseratióne proveníre concéde. Per Dóminum.
Postcommunio
Suméntes, Dómine, cæléstis dona mystérii, quaésumus : ut sanctórum tuórum Hermágoræ et Fortunáti adjuvémur méritis, quorum sollemnitátem celebrámus. Per Dóminum.
...
Other propers for the Patriarchate of Venice:
S. Aniani Ep. et Conf. S. Barbaræ Virg. et Mart. S. Sabbæ Abb. B. Joannis Marinoni, Conf. IN FESTO S. LAURENTII JUSTINIANI EP. ET CONF. S. Petri Urseoli, Conf. S. Joannis Eleemosynarii Ep. et Conf. In Translatione S. Marci Evangelistæ S. Theodori Mart. Ss. Fuscæ Virg. et Mauræ Mm. In Inventione S. Eutychii Ep. et Conf. Pro S. Paulo Constantinopolitano Mart. Pro B. Bonaventura Tornielli Conf. In Translatione S. Isidori Mart. IN FESTO S. MARCI EVANGELISTÆ S. Joannis Nepomuceni Presb. et Mart. B. Jacobi Salomonio Conf. B. Petri de Pisis, Conf. B. Gregorii Barbarigo Ep. et Conf. In Apparitione S. Marci Evangelistæ S. Heliodori Ep. et Conf. Ss. Hermagoræ Ep. et Fortunati Diac., Mm. In Festo Ssmi Redemptoris In Translatione S. Marinæ Virg. Pro S. Margarita Virg. et Mart. Pro B. Augustino a Bugella, Conf. S. Rochi Conf. Pro S. Helena imperatrice, Vid. B. Petri Acotanto Conf. B. Julianæ de Collalto, Virg. In Cathedra S. Laurentii Justiniani Ep. et Conf. Pro S. Constantio Conf. S. Gerardi Sagredo Ep. et Mart. S. Magni Ep. et Conf. S. Zachariæ Conf. Sacrarum Reliquiarum S. Theodori mil. Amaseæ, Mart.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Are All Democrats Pro-Abortion Extremists?
Attempt to restore Mexico City Policy sunk by committee
Washington D.C., Jul 10, 2009 / 05:39 am (CNA).- Testifying before the U.S. House Rules Committee in support of the bipartisan Smith-Stupak-Sensenbrenner-Jordan Amendment to restore the Mexico City Policy, Rep. Chris Smith said on Wednesday the proposal would reflect a pro-life trend and would prevent the U.S. from funding the “Trojan horses” of the abortion industry.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) told the committee that polls showed 65 percent of Americans opposed President Obama’s January executive order reversing the Mexico City Policy, which forbade federal funding for groups which promote or perform abortions overseas. [Despite our grave needs at home and the grave needs of other countries for food and clean water, the pro-abortion extremists majority in our government would ignore the will of the people (who foolishly elected them, but certainly not for their extremist abortion positions) and want to allocate money for abortions abroad.]
“The United States is clearly trending pro-life—ultrasound technology has shattered the myth that an unborn child is not a person,” he remarked.
Without euphemism, he said, abortion is “violence against children” that also harms women “emotionally and physically.”
He argued that abortion should be understood as infant mortality, which everyone recognizes as an evil.
“An unborn child’s immaturity or dependence shouldn’t mitigate, negate, or nullify an unborn child’s inherent humanity. Human rights ought to be about inclusion, especially for the weakest and most vulnerable, not exclusion.”
Rep. Smith also told the House committee that the 2009 Foreign Operations appropriations bill increases population control funding by 40 percent to a record $648 million. [Just think how many mortgages could be paid off with $648 million! Even if you think that people should be responsible for their own financial decisions and take the consequences, wouldn't it be better to use the money to help Americans out of debt than to spend it on killing babies in other countries?]
“Our amendment would simply ensure that the huge allocation of tax-payer grant money not be awarded to foreign non-government organizations (NGOs) that perform abortion or lobby for abortion on demand in developing countries,” Rep. Smith said.
He said the amendment would direct funds to “family planning services,” not abortion.
“Prior to January, the pro-life Mexico City Policy guaranteed, to the extent possible, that unborn children in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere not be put at risk of death by the NGOs we fund,” he continued. “Every human life is precious and sacred and worthy of respect. No one is expendable.”
Empowering some NGOs would create a “Trojan Horse” for the “global abortion industry,” which Rep. Smith said would render President Barack Obama’s endorsement of reducing the number of abortions into “cheap political sophistry.”
Late on Wednesday evening, the amendment was blocked in the Rules Committee by the Democratic majority. [Democrats for Dearh triumph again. How sad for America!]
The Foreign Operations bill, sans amendment, passed the House on Thursday afternoon.
Washington D.C., Jul 10, 2009 / 05:39 am (CNA).- Testifying before the U.S. House Rules Committee in support of the bipartisan Smith-Stupak-Sensenbrenner-Jordan Amendment to restore the Mexico City Policy, Rep. Chris Smith said on Wednesday the proposal would reflect a pro-life trend and would prevent the U.S. from funding the “Trojan horses” of the abortion industry.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) told the committee that polls showed 65 percent of Americans opposed President Obama’s January executive order reversing the Mexico City Policy, which forbade federal funding for groups which promote or perform abortions overseas. [Despite our grave needs at home and the grave needs of other countries for food and clean water, the pro-abortion extremists majority in our government would ignore the will of the people (who foolishly elected them, but certainly not for their extremist abortion positions) and want to allocate money for abortions abroad.]
“The United States is clearly trending pro-life—ultrasound technology has shattered the myth that an unborn child is not a person,” he remarked.
Without euphemism, he said, abortion is “violence against children” that also harms women “emotionally and physically.”
He argued that abortion should be understood as infant mortality, which everyone recognizes as an evil.
“An unborn child’s immaturity or dependence shouldn’t mitigate, negate, or nullify an unborn child’s inherent humanity. Human rights ought to be about inclusion, especially for the weakest and most vulnerable, not exclusion.”
Rep. Smith also told the House committee that the 2009 Foreign Operations appropriations bill increases population control funding by 40 percent to a record $648 million. [Just think how many mortgages could be paid off with $648 million! Even if you think that people should be responsible for their own financial decisions and take the consequences, wouldn't it be better to use the money to help Americans out of debt than to spend it on killing babies in other countries?]
“Our amendment would simply ensure that the huge allocation of tax-payer grant money not be awarded to foreign non-government organizations (NGOs) that perform abortion or lobby for abortion on demand in developing countries,” Rep. Smith said.
He said the amendment would direct funds to “family planning services,” not abortion.
“Prior to January, the pro-life Mexico City Policy guaranteed, to the extent possible, that unborn children in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere not be put at risk of death by the NGOs we fund,” he continued. “Every human life is precious and sacred and worthy of respect. No one is expendable.”
Empowering some NGOs would create a “Trojan Horse” for the “global abortion industry,” which Rep. Smith said would render President Barack Obama’s endorsement of reducing the number of abortions into “cheap political sophistry.”
Late on Wednesday evening, the amendment was blocked in the Rules Committee by the Democratic majority. [Democrats for Dearh triumph again. How sad for America!]
The Foreign Operations bill, sans amendment, passed the House on Thursday afternoon.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Court Forces Immorality on Venice
Court okays Venice sex fair
Mayor had tried to ban event over 'urban decorum' fears
2009-07-08 18:50
(ANSA) - Venice, July 8 - Organisers of an Italian sex fair were celebrating Wednesday after a regional court overturned a decision by Venice Mayor Massimo Cacciari banning the event in the lagoon city.
The Erotica Tour Millennium will now go ahead as planned in the Venice neighbourhood of Marghera between Thursday and Sunday on the proviso that organisers pay 10,000 euros to the city council so that it can provide adequate policing.
The city council had tried to ditch the fair over police costs and concerns that it offered visitors 'active' spectator participation.
Erotica advertises topless bars as well as a 'lesbo show', a 'sex spy room', massages, 'private boxes' containing two-seater couches, and an over-40s section.
Venice city council claimed the fair was ''a potential danger for the urban security of the zone'', which is also frequented by around 70 prostitutes.
Erotica's audience participation could lead to a ''release of spectator inhibitions'', with resulting ''uncivilised behaviour'', according to the council.
But a spokesman for the fair said Wednesday it had ''nothing to do with prostitution''.
''(Prostitution) existed before and it will continue to exist after this fair,'' he said, flanked by several female porn stars at a press conference before the court issued its ruling.
Venice police chief Marco Agostini said nine policemen would be on hand each night to check things did not get too heated.
But he warned the fair's venue still had to pass a 'fitness for use' test, explaining that this was true also of football stadiums that have to ensure spectators and referees use separate exits to prevent public order problems.
''Certainly the exit for the 'artistes' must not be the same as that for the public,'' he said.
Saverio Russo, the owner of the company that organises the fair, said earlier this week that if the show did not go ahead he would seek damages.
''The show costs 300,000 euros, to which we add lost profits for a total cost of 500,000 euros,'' he said.
Russo added that the fair had been ''everywhere - Naples, Bari, Rome, Milan, and nothing has ever happened''.
The touring event is due to visit Forte dei Marmi (Lucca), Silvi Marina (Teramo) and Ostia Lido (Rome) after its Venice stop.
Cacciari launched an 'urban decorum' drive three years ago in a bid to fight a modern wave of scruffiness and lax behaviour the city council said was dragging Venice's image down.
The council has clamped down on tacky souvenir stalls cluttering historic squares, rid St Mark's Square and other landmarks of monument-defacing pigeons and distributed nearly 70,000 'pooper scoopers' for picking up doggie-do. Among other things, it has also employed so-called 'City Angels', a band of young women, to tell tourists to put their shirts back on, stop putting their feet in fountains and have their beer and sandwiches away from the most popular sites.
...
Venice mayor loses sex fest battle
Venice, Italy - A porn industry trade fair featuring striptease shows and "erotic massage booths," was scheduled to open Thursday near Venice, despite attempts by the Italian lagoon city's mayor to ban it. A court order on Wednesday overturned a townhall ordinance prohibiting the four-day "Erotica Tour Millennium," from being held in the Marghera industrial district.
Centre-left Mayor Massimo Cacciari has warned of the "potential danger," posed by the fair being held in an area which is "already very degraded."
Cacciari, a bearded philosophy of aesthetics professor, was especially critical of the envisaged "active audience participation" during some of the striptease shows.
Such performances threaten to "remove the brakes from participant's inhibitions resulting in anti-urban behaviour," according to the municipal ordinance.
"Cacciari should just come and watch us," two popular Italian porn stars Valentine and Sofia, told the La Repubblica newspaper.
"Then he (Cacciari) would realize we have nothing to do with prostitution," they said.
Still, the court order specifies that to avoid the risk of "riots" involving over-enthusiastic spectators, local police must be deployed in and near the marquee tent hosting the event.
The costs of such security arrangements estimated at 10,000 euros (13,800 dollars) must be borne by the event organizer, Naples-based company Geat, according to the court order.
With tickets - restricted to people above the age of 18 - selling at 25 euros each, the fair is expected to make at least 500,000 euros, according to La Repubblica.
Mayor had tried to ban event over 'urban decorum' fears
2009-07-08 18:50
(ANSA) - Venice, July 8 - Organisers of an Italian sex fair were celebrating Wednesday after a regional court overturned a decision by Venice Mayor Massimo Cacciari banning the event in the lagoon city.
The Erotica Tour Millennium will now go ahead as planned in the Venice neighbourhood of Marghera between Thursday and Sunday on the proviso that organisers pay 10,000 euros to the city council so that it can provide adequate policing.
The city council had tried to ditch the fair over police costs and concerns that it offered visitors 'active' spectator participation.
Erotica advertises topless bars as well as a 'lesbo show', a 'sex spy room', massages, 'private boxes' containing two-seater couches, and an over-40s section.
Venice city council claimed the fair was ''a potential danger for the urban security of the zone'', which is also frequented by around 70 prostitutes.
Erotica's audience participation could lead to a ''release of spectator inhibitions'', with resulting ''uncivilised behaviour'', according to the council.
But a spokesman for the fair said Wednesday it had ''nothing to do with prostitution''.
''(Prostitution) existed before and it will continue to exist after this fair,'' he said, flanked by several female porn stars at a press conference before the court issued its ruling.
Venice police chief Marco Agostini said nine policemen would be on hand each night to check things did not get too heated.
But he warned the fair's venue still had to pass a 'fitness for use' test, explaining that this was true also of football stadiums that have to ensure spectators and referees use separate exits to prevent public order problems.
''Certainly the exit for the 'artistes' must not be the same as that for the public,'' he said.
Saverio Russo, the owner of the company that organises the fair, said earlier this week that if the show did not go ahead he would seek damages.
''The show costs 300,000 euros, to which we add lost profits for a total cost of 500,000 euros,'' he said.
Russo added that the fair had been ''everywhere - Naples, Bari, Rome, Milan, and nothing has ever happened''.
The touring event is due to visit Forte dei Marmi (Lucca), Silvi Marina (Teramo) and Ostia Lido (Rome) after its Venice stop.
Cacciari launched an 'urban decorum' drive three years ago in a bid to fight a modern wave of scruffiness and lax behaviour the city council said was dragging Venice's image down.
The council has clamped down on tacky souvenir stalls cluttering historic squares, rid St Mark's Square and other landmarks of monument-defacing pigeons and distributed nearly 70,000 'pooper scoopers' for picking up doggie-do. Among other things, it has also employed so-called 'City Angels', a band of young women, to tell tourists to put their shirts back on, stop putting their feet in fountains and have their beer and sandwiches away from the most popular sites.
...
Venice mayor loses sex fest battle
Venice, Italy - A porn industry trade fair featuring striptease shows and "erotic massage booths," was scheduled to open Thursday near Venice, despite attempts by the Italian lagoon city's mayor to ban it. A court order on Wednesday overturned a townhall ordinance prohibiting the four-day "Erotica Tour Millennium," from being held in the Marghera industrial district.
Centre-left Mayor Massimo Cacciari has warned of the "potential danger," posed by the fair being held in an area which is "already very degraded."
Cacciari, a bearded philosophy of aesthetics professor, was especially critical of the envisaged "active audience participation" during some of the striptease shows.
Such performances threaten to "remove the brakes from participant's inhibitions resulting in anti-urban behaviour," according to the municipal ordinance.
"Cacciari should just come and watch us," two popular Italian porn stars Valentine and Sofia, told the La Repubblica newspaper.
"Then he (Cacciari) would realize we have nothing to do with prostitution," they said.
Still, the court order specifies that to avoid the risk of "riots" involving over-enthusiastic spectators, local police must be deployed in and near the marquee tent hosting the event.
The costs of such security arrangements estimated at 10,000 euros (13,800 dollars) must be borne by the event organizer, Naples-based company Geat, according to the court order.
With tickets - restricted to people above the age of 18 - selling at 25 euros each, the fair is expected to make at least 500,000 euros, according to La Repubblica.
Pope gives Obama bioethics document
CNS
Posted on July 10, 2009 by Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI gave President Barack Obama a surprise gift this evening: a copy of the Vatican’s document on bioethics and human dignity, which was published in December.
Illustration of an early stage human embryo (CNS)
The document, “Dignitas Personae” (”The Dignity of a Person”), was issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Strangely enough, about four hours before Obama arrived, I was in the Vatican bookstore. While I was trying to pay, the cashier was interrupted by a phone call and she made me wait while she went to the shelves. She pulled the last two English copies of the document off the shelf and put them on her desk.
Msgr. Georg Ganswein, the pope’s personal secretary, told reporters the document would help Obama understand the church’s reasoning behind its efforts to protect human life at every stage of its development.
Posted on July 10, 2009 by Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI gave President Barack Obama a surprise gift this evening: a copy of the Vatican’s document on bioethics and human dignity, which was published in December.
Illustration of an early stage human embryo (CNS)
The document, “Dignitas Personae” (”The Dignity of a Person”), was issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Strangely enough, about four hours before Obama arrived, I was in the Vatican bookstore. While I was trying to pay, the cashier was interrupted by a phone call and she made me wait while she went to the shelves. She pulled the last two English copies of the document off the shelf and put them on her desk.
Msgr. Georg Ganswein, the pope’s personal secretary, told reporters the document would help Obama understand the church’s reasoning behind its efforts to protect human life at every stage of its development.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Abortion Clinics, Above the Law?
Catholic Theology teaches that Satan hates humanity. Satan rejoices in the degradation and destruction of the creature specially created in God's own image and likeness.
The past century was certainly one of the most satanic with so many human beings complicit in the brutalization and murder of other human beings. Millions were killed by genocide. Two World Wars and many other destructive and useless wars reduced men to almost beasts. The past century saw human beings turn against not only human nature - with some even declaring humankind a cancer on the planet to be exterminated or limited by contraception and abortion - but also against the Creator and Redeemer of the human race. At present even the leader of the free world, Barack Obama, is a pro-abortion extremists who tries to couch his extremism in rhetoric.
Make no mistake about it. Everyone who knows what abortion is and supports it, is by that a dupe of Satan and destined for eternal fire. The following article from Lifesite illustrates the depravity of such types.
Murdering babies for profit -even if done legally- instills a lot of pent up hate. Such people need our pity. Jesus Christ is willing to forgive them, if only they repent!
Sadly, too many who call themselves Christians will continue to do nothing to prevent pro-abortion politicians from getting into office and protecting such abortuaries.
...
Abortion Employee Runs into Pro-Lifer, Keeps Going at Bizarre Rockford Abortuary
By Kathleen Gilbert
ROCKFORD, Illinois, July 7, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The pattern of abuse at a Rockford abortion facility has continued after an employee allegedly struck with his car a homeless man praying with pro-life protesters, and drove away, according to witnesses at the scene.
The vehicle reportedly struck Scott Griffin on Wednesday as it drove into the driveway of the abortion facility, where pro-lifers say workers frequently drive recklessly in an apparent attempt to intimidate those praying and handing out pro-life literature.
"The dark colored SUV the clinic worker was driving hit Scott Griffin with the mirror on the passenger side so hard the mirror was slammed back into the vehicle and Mr. Griffin was stunned and bruised," Rockford pro-life veteran Kevin Rilott said.
"After the clinic worker hit him she didn't slow down or stop to see how he was - she just kept going."
Another witness, George Lambert, said the female clinic worker "really nailed the guy hard - I couldn't believe she didn't even stop to see how he was."
City Attorney Kerry Partridge refused to comment on whether any suspects had been questioned or charged, saying only that the case is still under investigation.
LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) has previously reported on the bizarre behavior of the owner and a local abortion supporter at Rockford's Northern Illinois Women's Center. Pro-life protesters have been regularly harassed and grotesque displays remain in the abortion mill's windows, including rubber chickens hanging from nooses, a crufied rubber chicken, a nun doll in a miniature coffin and displays with crucifixes and the words "Jesus loves you a**holes."
One of the most recent additions to the facility's displays is a hand-written sign that reads "NIWC 50,000; JC 50," which indicates the number of abortions performed at the Northern Illinois Women's Center in comparison to 50 saved from abortion by "J.C." - or Jesus Christ. [Such blasphemy and joy over murder is nothing but demonic.]
In March, LSN reported that two young African-American men persuaded their female companion not to abort her child after they were horrified by the rubber chickens hanging by nooses in the abortion facility windows, which pro-lifers at the scene pointed out to them.
The recent Rockford incident continues a rash of violence against pro-life protesters and sidewalk counselors across the country in recent weeks. [Big surprise! Somehow the media which lamented Baby-murderer Tiller's unjust death has chosen to ignore the violence by pro-abortion people.]
Last week a man was arrested after he pulled a gun on a woman offering him pro-life literature in front of a Phoenix abortion mill.
Another vehicular assault occurred in June at a Chico, CA abortion clinic, where a pro-life protester was nearly run down by an SUV. Witnesses report the driver was enraged by the graphic abortion image the woman carried. The suspected attacker was subsequently arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Pro-Lifer Attacked with SUV, Alleged Attacker Charged
Hate Crime Charge Filed over Verbal Assault against Pro-Lifers: "Ni**er! You are a worthless degenerate Ni**er."
Life Saved in Rockford because of Grotesque Display in Abortion Facility Window
Sacrilegious Display Continues Disturbing Pattern of Hate at Rockford Abortuary
Pro-Lifer Violently Assaulted Outside Abortion Clinic, Police Take Time After Repeat 911 Calls
Warning! The following video is disturbing for the unadulterated verbal anger of a Christophobe and racist man:
And these are the type people President Obama wants us to dialogue with to find "common ground!"
To the man who meekly took the abuse and harrasement from that anti-religion racist - "Well, done good an faithful servant of the Lord!"
The past century was certainly one of the most satanic with so many human beings complicit in the brutalization and murder of other human beings. Millions were killed by genocide. Two World Wars and many other destructive and useless wars reduced men to almost beasts. The past century saw human beings turn against not only human nature - with some even declaring humankind a cancer on the planet to be exterminated or limited by contraception and abortion - but also against the Creator and Redeemer of the human race. At present even the leader of the free world, Barack Obama, is a pro-abortion extremists who tries to couch his extremism in rhetoric.
Make no mistake about it. Everyone who knows what abortion is and supports it, is by that a dupe of Satan and destined for eternal fire. The following article from Lifesite illustrates the depravity of such types.
Murdering babies for profit -even if done legally- instills a lot of pent up hate. Such people need our pity. Jesus Christ is willing to forgive them, if only they repent!
Sadly, too many who call themselves Christians will continue to do nothing to prevent pro-abortion politicians from getting into office and protecting such abortuaries.
...
Abortion Employee Runs into Pro-Lifer, Keeps Going at Bizarre Rockford Abortuary
By Kathleen Gilbert
ROCKFORD, Illinois, July 7, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The pattern of abuse at a Rockford abortion facility has continued after an employee allegedly struck with his car a homeless man praying with pro-life protesters, and drove away, according to witnesses at the scene.
The vehicle reportedly struck Scott Griffin on Wednesday as it drove into the driveway of the abortion facility, where pro-lifers say workers frequently drive recklessly in an apparent attempt to intimidate those praying and handing out pro-life literature.
"The dark colored SUV the clinic worker was driving hit Scott Griffin with the mirror on the passenger side so hard the mirror was slammed back into the vehicle and Mr. Griffin was stunned and bruised," Rockford pro-life veteran Kevin Rilott said.
"After the clinic worker hit him she didn't slow down or stop to see how he was - she just kept going."
Another witness, George Lambert, said the female clinic worker "really nailed the guy hard - I couldn't believe she didn't even stop to see how he was."
City Attorney Kerry Partridge refused to comment on whether any suspects had been questioned or charged, saying only that the case is still under investigation.
LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) has previously reported on the bizarre behavior of the owner and a local abortion supporter at Rockford's Northern Illinois Women's Center. Pro-life protesters have been regularly harassed and grotesque displays remain in the abortion mill's windows, including rubber chickens hanging from nooses, a crufied rubber chicken, a nun doll in a miniature coffin and displays with crucifixes and the words "Jesus loves you a**holes."
One of the most recent additions to the facility's displays is a hand-written sign that reads "NIWC 50,000; JC 50," which indicates the number of abortions performed at the Northern Illinois Women's Center in comparison to 50 saved from abortion by "J.C." - or Jesus Christ. [Such blasphemy and joy over murder is nothing but demonic.]
In March, LSN reported that two young African-American men persuaded their female companion not to abort her child after they were horrified by the rubber chickens hanging by nooses in the abortion facility windows, which pro-lifers at the scene pointed out to them.
The recent Rockford incident continues a rash of violence against pro-life protesters and sidewalk counselors across the country in recent weeks. [Big surprise! Somehow the media which lamented Baby-murderer Tiller's unjust death has chosen to ignore the violence by pro-abortion people.]
Last week a man was arrested after he pulled a gun on a woman offering him pro-life literature in front of a Phoenix abortion mill.
Another vehicular assault occurred in June at a Chico, CA abortion clinic, where a pro-life protester was nearly run down by an SUV. Witnesses report the driver was enraged by the graphic abortion image the woman carried. The suspected attacker was subsequently arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Pro-Lifer Attacked with SUV, Alleged Attacker Charged
Hate Crime Charge Filed over Verbal Assault against Pro-Lifers: "Ni**er! You are a worthless degenerate Ni**er."
Life Saved in Rockford because of Grotesque Display in Abortion Facility Window
Sacrilegious Display Continues Disturbing Pattern of Hate at Rockford Abortuary
Pro-Lifer Violently Assaulted Outside Abortion Clinic, Police Take Time After Repeat 911 Calls
Warning! The following video is disturbing for the unadulterated verbal anger of a Christophobe and racist man:
And these are the type people President Obama wants us to dialogue with to find "common ground!"
To the man who meekly took the abuse and harrasement from that anti-religion racist - "Well, done good an faithful servant of the Lord!"
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Caritas in Veritate: Pro-Life Quotes
Best Pro-Life Quotes from Pope Benedict XVI's New Encyclical
In new encyclical Pope Benedict slams population control, urges openness to lifeCompiled by John-Henry Westen
ROME, Italy, July 7, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Today the much-anticipated social encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (Truth in Love) was released, after being delayed for a year due to the global economic crisis. The encyclical includes several passages of great interest to those involved in the pro-life movement. The most pertinent and striking passages dealing with the life issues are reproduced below. To read the complete encyclical click here.
28. One of the most striking aspects of development in the present day is the important question of respect for life, which cannot in any way be detached from questions concerning the development of peoples. It is an aspect which has acquired increasing prominence in recent times, obliging us to broaden our concept of poverty66 and underdevelopment to include questions connected with the acceptance of life, especially in cases where it is impeded in a variety of ways.
Not only does the situation of poverty still provoke high rates of infant mortality in many regions, but some parts of the world still experience practices of demographic control, on the part of governments that often promote contraception and even go so far as to impose abortion. In economically developed countries, legislation contrary to life is very widespread, and it has already shaped moral attitudes and praxis, contributing to the spread of an anti-birth mentality; frequent attempts are made to export this mentality to other States as if it were a form of cultural progress.
Some non-governmental Organizations work actively to spread abortion, at times promoting the practice of sterilization in poor countries, in some cases not even informing the women concerned. Moreover, there is reason to suspect that development aid is sometimes linked to specific health-care policies which de facto involve the imposition of strong birth control measures. Further grounds for concern are laws permitting euthanasia as well as pressure from lobby groups, nationally and internationally, in favour of its juridical recognition.
Openness to life is at the centre of true development. When a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man's true good. If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of a new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away.67 The acceptance of life strengthens moral fibre and makes people capable of mutual help. By cultivating openness to life, wealthy peoples can better understand the needs of poor ones, they can avoid employing huge economic and intellectual resources to satisfy the selfish desires of their own citizens, and instead, they can promote virtuous action within the perspective of production that is morally sound and marked by solidarity, respecting the fundamental right to life of every people and every individual.
44. The notion of rights and duties in development must also take account of the problems associated with population growth. This is a very important aspect of authentic development, since it concerns the inalienable values of life and the family.110 To consider population increase as the primary cause of underdevelopment is mistaken, even from an economic point of view. Suffice it to consider, on the one hand, the significant reduction in infant mortality and the rise in average life expectancy found in economically developed countries, and on the other hand, the signs of crisis observable in societies that are registering an alarming decline in their birth rate. Due attention must obviously be given to responsible procreation, which among other things has a positive contribution to make to integral human development. The Church, in her concern for man's authentic development, urges him to have full respect for human values in the exercise of his sexuality. It cannot be reduced merely to pleasure or entertainment, nor can sex education be reduced to technical instruction aimed solely at protecting the interested parties from possible disease or the "risk" of procreation. This would be to impoverish and disregard the deeper meaning of sexuality, a meaning which needs to be acknowledged and responsibly appropriated not only by individuals but also by the community. It is irresponsible to view sexuality merely as a source of pleasure, and likewise to regulate it through strategies of mandatory birth control. In either case materialistic ideas and policies are at work, and individuals are ultimately subjected to various forms of violence. Against such policies, there is a need to defend the primary competence of the family in the area of sexuality,111 as opposed to the State and its restrictive policies, and to ensure that parents are suitably prepared to undertake their responsibilities.
Morally responsible openness to life represents a rich social and economic resource. Populous nations have been able to emerge from poverty thanks not least to the size of their population and the talents of their people. On the other hand, formerly prosperous nations are presently passing through a phase of uncertainty and in some cases decline, precisely because of their falling birth rates; this has become a crucial problem for highly affluent societies. The decline in births, falling at times beneath the so-called "replacement level", also puts a strain on social welfare systems, increases their cost, eats into savings and hence the financial resources needed for investment, reduces the availability of qualified labourers, and narrows the "brain pool" upon which nations can draw for their needs. Furthermore, smaller and at times miniscule families run the risk of impoverishing social relations, and failing to ensure effective forms of solidarity. These situations are symptomatic of scant confidence in the future and moral weariness. It is thus becoming a social and even economic necessity once more to hold up to future generations the beauty of marriage and the family, and the fact that these institutions correspond to the deepest needs and dignity of the person. In view of this, States are called to enact policies promoting the centrality and the integrity of the family founded on marriage between a man and a woman, the primary vital cell of society,112 and to assume responsibility for its economic and fiscal needs, while respecting its essentially relational character.
In order to protect nature, it is not enough to intervene with economic incentives or deterrents; not even an apposite education is sufficient. These are important steps, but the decisive issue is the overall moral tenor of society. If there is a lack of respect for the right to life and to a natural death, if human conception, gestation and birth are made artificial, if human embryos are sacrificed to research, the conscience of society ends up losing the concept of human ecology and, along with it, that of environmental ecology. It is contradictory to insist that future generations respect the natural environment when our educational systems and laws do not help them to respect themselves. The book of nature is one and indivisible: it takes in not only the environment but also life, sexuality, marriage, the family, social relations: in a word, integral human development. Our duties towards the environment are linked to our duties towards the human person, considered in himself and in relation to others. It would be wrong to uphold one set of duties while trampling on the other. Herein lies a grave contradiction in our mentality and practice today: one which demeans the person, disrupts the environment and damages society.
In vitro fertilization, embryo research, the possibility of manufacturing clones and human hybrids: all this is now emerging and being promoted in today's highly disillusioned culture, which believes it has mastered every mystery, because the origin of life is now within our grasp. Here we see the clearest expression of technology's supremacy. In this type of culture, the conscience is simply invited to take note of technological possibilities. Yet we must not underestimate the disturbing scenarios that threaten our future, or the powerful new instruments that the "culture of death" has at its disposal. To the tragic and widespread scourge of abortion we may well have to add in the future - indeed it is already surreptiously present - the systematic eugenic programming of births. At the other end of the spectrum, a pro-euthanasia mindset is making inroads as an equally damaging assertion of control over life that under certain circumstances is deemed no longer worth living. Underlying these scenarios are cultural viewpoints that deny human dignity. These practices in turn foster a materialistic and mechanistic understanding of human life. Who could measure the negative effects of this kind of mentality for development? How can we be surprised by the indifference shown towards situations of human degradation, when such indifference extends even to our attitude towards what is and is not human? What is astonishing is the arbitrary and selective determination of what to put forward today as worthy of respect. Insignificant matters are considered shocking, yet unprecedented injustices seem to be widely tolerated. While the poor of the world continue knocking on the doors of the rich, the world of affluence runs the risk of no longer hearing those knocks, on account of a conscience that can no longer distinguish what is human. God reveals man to himself; reason and faith work hand in hand to demonstrate to us what is good, provided we want to see it; the natural law, in which creative Reason shines forth, reveals our greatness, but also our wretchedness insofar as we fail to recognize the call to moral truth.
In new encyclical Pope Benedict slams population control, urges openness to lifeCompiled by John-Henry Westen
ROME, Italy, July 7, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Today the much-anticipated social encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (Truth in Love) was released, after being delayed for a year due to the global economic crisis. The encyclical includes several passages of great interest to those involved in the pro-life movement. The most pertinent and striking passages dealing with the life issues are reproduced below. To read the complete encyclical click here.
28. One of the most striking aspects of development in the present day is the important question of respect for life, which cannot in any way be detached from questions concerning the development of peoples. It is an aspect which has acquired increasing prominence in recent times, obliging us to broaden our concept of poverty66 and underdevelopment to include questions connected with the acceptance of life, especially in cases where it is impeded in a variety of ways.
Not only does the situation of poverty still provoke high rates of infant mortality in many regions, but some parts of the world still experience practices of demographic control, on the part of governments that often promote contraception and even go so far as to impose abortion. In economically developed countries, legislation contrary to life is very widespread, and it has already shaped moral attitudes and praxis, contributing to the spread of an anti-birth mentality; frequent attempts are made to export this mentality to other States as if it were a form of cultural progress.
Some non-governmental Organizations work actively to spread abortion, at times promoting the practice of sterilization in poor countries, in some cases not even informing the women concerned. Moreover, there is reason to suspect that development aid is sometimes linked to specific health-care policies which de facto involve the imposition of strong birth control measures. Further grounds for concern are laws permitting euthanasia as well as pressure from lobby groups, nationally and internationally, in favour of its juridical recognition.
Openness to life is at the centre of true development. When a society moves towards the denial or suppression of life, it ends up no longer finding the necessary motivation and energy to strive for man's true good. If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of a new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away.67 The acceptance of life strengthens moral fibre and makes people capable of mutual help. By cultivating openness to life, wealthy peoples can better understand the needs of poor ones, they can avoid employing huge economic and intellectual resources to satisfy the selfish desires of their own citizens, and instead, they can promote virtuous action within the perspective of production that is morally sound and marked by solidarity, respecting the fundamental right to life of every people and every individual.
44. The notion of rights and duties in development must also take account of the problems associated with population growth. This is a very important aspect of authentic development, since it concerns the inalienable values of life and the family.110 To consider population increase as the primary cause of underdevelopment is mistaken, even from an economic point of view. Suffice it to consider, on the one hand, the significant reduction in infant mortality and the rise in average life expectancy found in economically developed countries, and on the other hand, the signs of crisis observable in societies that are registering an alarming decline in their birth rate. Due attention must obviously be given to responsible procreation, which among other things has a positive contribution to make to integral human development. The Church, in her concern for man's authentic development, urges him to have full respect for human values in the exercise of his sexuality. It cannot be reduced merely to pleasure or entertainment, nor can sex education be reduced to technical instruction aimed solely at protecting the interested parties from possible disease or the "risk" of procreation. This would be to impoverish and disregard the deeper meaning of sexuality, a meaning which needs to be acknowledged and responsibly appropriated not only by individuals but also by the community. It is irresponsible to view sexuality merely as a source of pleasure, and likewise to regulate it through strategies of mandatory birth control. In either case materialistic ideas and policies are at work, and individuals are ultimately subjected to various forms of violence. Against such policies, there is a need to defend the primary competence of the family in the area of sexuality,111 as opposed to the State and its restrictive policies, and to ensure that parents are suitably prepared to undertake their responsibilities.
Morally responsible openness to life represents a rich social and economic resource. Populous nations have been able to emerge from poverty thanks not least to the size of their population and the talents of their people. On the other hand, formerly prosperous nations are presently passing through a phase of uncertainty and in some cases decline, precisely because of their falling birth rates; this has become a crucial problem for highly affluent societies. The decline in births, falling at times beneath the so-called "replacement level", also puts a strain on social welfare systems, increases their cost, eats into savings and hence the financial resources needed for investment, reduces the availability of qualified labourers, and narrows the "brain pool" upon which nations can draw for their needs. Furthermore, smaller and at times miniscule families run the risk of impoverishing social relations, and failing to ensure effective forms of solidarity. These situations are symptomatic of scant confidence in the future and moral weariness. It is thus becoming a social and even economic necessity once more to hold up to future generations the beauty of marriage and the family, and the fact that these institutions correspond to the deepest needs and dignity of the person. In view of this, States are called to enact policies promoting the centrality and the integrity of the family founded on marriage between a man and a woman, the primary vital cell of society,112 and to assume responsibility for its economic and fiscal needs, while respecting its essentially relational character.
In order to protect nature, it is not enough to intervene with economic incentives or deterrents; not even an apposite education is sufficient. These are important steps, but the decisive issue is the overall moral tenor of society. If there is a lack of respect for the right to life and to a natural death, if human conception, gestation and birth are made artificial, if human embryos are sacrificed to research, the conscience of society ends up losing the concept of human ecology and, along with it, that of environmental ecology. It is contradictory to insist that future generations respect the natural environment when our educational systems and laws do not help them to respect themselves. The book of nature is one and indivisible: it takes in not only the environment but also life, sexuality, marriage, the family, social relations: in a word, integral human development. Our duties towards the environment are linked to our duties towards the human person, considered in himself and in relation to others. It would be wrong to uphold one set of duties while trampling on the other. Herein lies a grave contradiction in our mentality and practice today: one which demeans the person, disrupts the environment and damages society.
In vitro fertilization, embryo research, the possibility of manufacturing clones and human hybrids: all this is now emerging and being promoted in today's highly disillusioned culture, which believes it has mastered every mystery, because the origin of life is now within our grasp. Here we see the clearest expression of technology's supremacy. In this type of culture, the conscience is simply invited to take note of technological possibilities. Yet we must not underestimate the disturbing scenarios that threaten our future, or the powerful new instruments that the "culture of death" has at its disposal. To the tragic and widespread scourge of abortion we may well have to add in the future - indeed it is already surreptiously present - the systematic eugenic programming of births. At the other end of the spectrum, a pro-euthanasia mindset is making inroads as an equally damaging assertion of control over life that under certain circumstances is deemed no longer worth living. Underlying these scenarios are cultural viewpoints that deny human dignity. These practices in turn foster a materialistic and mechanistic understanding of human life. Who could measure the negative effects of this kind of mentality for development? How can we be surprised by the indifference shown towards situations of human degradation, when such indifference extends even to our attitude towards what is and is not human? What is astonishing is the arbitrary and selective determination of what to put forward today as worthy of respect. Insignificant matters are considered shocking, yet unprecedented injustices seem to be widely tolerated. While the poor of the world continue knocking on the doors of the rich, the world of affluence runs the risk of no longer hearing those knocks, on account of a conscience that can no longer distinguish what is human. God reveals man to himself; reason and faith work hand in hand to demonstrate to us what is good, provided we want to see it; the natural law, in which creative Reason shines forth, reveals our greatness, but also our wretchedness insofar as we fail to recognize the call to moral truth.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Msgr. Smith on Life Issues
"If we end up killing the little children and the older folks, and we can't figure out the difference between marriage and an aberration our days are numbered as a civilized society." (Msgr. William B. Smith, 6:54-7:06)
Straight-shooter Moral Theologian Msgr. William B. Smith's appearance on Mother Angelica's show.
...
I ask you to double click on this video to watch it on youtube's site.
Then, rate the video. Share it with your friends and help them do the same. This will help it gain a larger audience.
Straight-shooter Moral Theologian Msgr. William B. Smith's appearance on Mother Angelica's show.
...
I ask you to double click on this video to watch it on youtube's site.
Then, rate the video. Share it with your friends and help them do the same. This will help it gain a larger audience.
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