Pope Offers Prayers, But Not Condoms

It is good to see that Pope Benedict is "spiritually close" with those who suffer from AIDS and their families. And it is good that he is calling for an end to discrimination against those with AIDS. But perhaps the most meaningful and awesome blow he could give to AIDS would be to push the use of condoms. That, perhaps, would be the best Christmas present Benedict could give those suffering from AIDS. 22 days until Christmas... I'll be waiting.

A Faithful Catholic

US Bishops Fine With Birth Control Methods Other Than NFP

The United State Conference of Catholic Bishops approves of the use of chemicals for birth control when money and political pressure are involved. It is the official policy of our US Bishops to approve the use of emergency contraception by Catholic hospitals if a woman is admitted who was raped and it has been confirmed that she is not currently pregnant.

It seems odd to me that contraception can be used by Catholic hospitals, though traditionally (pre-Vatican II) it has been considered an intrinsic evil that cannot be condoned under any circumstances. This view is enunciated regularly by conservative Catholics and "Relevant" Radio.

Since approximately 1/3 of hospitals are Catholic hospitals, the main reason for this exception is obviously money and legal pressure. This appears to be the only to sway the arrogance of some bishops regarding the issue of birth control.

In truth they are also afraid to prohibit the use of birth control in hospitals. If they did so, they would have one of two situations. Catholic hospitals would either disobey the bishops or they would say, "Fine, but only if the diocese covers the legal costs when we are sued." The bishops fear both of these options.

Now if only there were a way to create a similar catch-22 with regards to the ordination of women. We would be ordaining women within the year if anyone was ingenious enough to think of the situation.

A Faithful Catholic

Weakland Playing Cards!!! Collect them All!!!

A while back a I happened upon one of these "prayer" cards. I know that at times I have been critical of Archbishop Dolan, but I have never mass-produced any prayer cards for his immediate removal. This is one of my problems with a particular brand of conservative Catholics. Their reason is always: "The Pope said so," "The bishop said so," "Canon Law said so," until of course the pope, bishop, or canon law disagrees with what they think. I also cannot stand liberals who quote the pope to make their case before conservatives. It indicates to me that the intellectual well has dried up.

To be honest, at times I wish we did have a different bishop, but as my initial blog states, the larger problem is the way in which the Catholic Church is currently structured. It now gives too much power to pope and bishop - whether liberal or conservative. There's an old story of a milk corporation with a great boss who is getting his workers to organize a union. One of the workers says to him, "Why are you having a union organized? You are a great owner. No one has a problem with your management." The owner wisely said to the worker, "While that may be true, I will not always be the owner."

A Faithful Catholic

Pope Benedict Endorses My Blog!

In a recent address to Italian students, Pope Benedict stated that the search for truth and faith are not mutually exclusive. In fact, "it is precisely the steady courageous search for the truth that opens the doors to faith." That's what this whole blog has been about: the search for truth without compromise. I find that some Catholics would like to compromise my thoughts with anti-intellectual epitaphs such as: "The Pope said so..." "The Pope is the authority..." "This Vatican document states..." "Canon Law states..." and so on and so on.

Benedict questioned the belief of some "that whoever has faith must renounce an unencumbered search for truth." That is one of the main reasons for my remaining Catholic: the strong intellectual tradition. Sure, in the process, those great heralds of a thinking Catholicism such as Aquinas and Newman will often find themselves wrongly condemned or chided, but in the end the Catholic Church will bless them and thank them.

A Faithful Catholic

Liturgical Police Sting in Kohler!

In Kohler, WI, a new blog was started by a Catholic who feels fatherless (FL). Why exactly, because Bob Lotz, the priest at St. John's in Kohler does not refer to God as Father and does not celebrate the Mass "by the book."

In one of her/his latest blog entries, FL goes point by point of the abuses and follows with a long list of addresses for concerned citizens to write to.

FL, among a few others, seems concerned that Jesus may not be coming Mass (or at least not coming to Mass happily) because Lotz celebrates Mass a little different than the GIRM exactly specifies.

There seems to be a concern that using a glass cruet at consecration means that Jesus will not become present in the wine or least disdains having to become present within in it. Jesus: "Well, the the Pope said, ‘No glass,’ so I guess I’ll skip this Mass.”

And I'm certain that in the first decades of the church, before the Mass became standardized, that people substituted all sorts of words for Father and used many non-standard materials for chalices. According to FC's logic, I bet Peter and Paul themselves said a few illicit or invalid Masses. And since the synoptic Gospels portray Jesus as using different words and rubrics during the Last Supper, perhaps two of the Gospels have taught us illicit or invalid consecrations.

This is just nitpicking legalism. In any case, the Mass is always in need of reform. If it was not, then the bishops of our church would not be constantly changing it. Where does the legalism end?

A Faithful Catholic

Reaching the Children

I was talking to someone working at a parish that has around 30 - 50 confirmation candidates every year. They've been helping out with confirmation there for the past five years. I asked them if the teenage confirmands they see are at all like the very conservative seminarians one typically finds at Saint Francis Seminary (which is closed).

NO! was the emphatic response. There has been varying degrees of interest by the confirmands concerning religion, but they had never seen a confirmand as conservative as most of the new priests being ordained in Milwaukee. It is these outdated teachings in our Church concerning gays, birth control, and women's ordination that is guaranteeing their disappearance after confirmation.

If the Archbishop is truly concerned about Energizing our Vibrancy (and I believe he is), it would be extremely helpful if Dolan would speak out concerning the injustice of these current "official" Church teachings. It would energize a passion and pride in their faith that the confirmands now feel themselves not able to have. I know this dream is up there with pigs flying at the moment, but the idea needs to be repeated until it no longer sounds foreign. Most Catholic teens stay religious as adults, they just do it somewhere else.

Sen. Larry Craig: Meets Msgr. Stenico

According to the today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Washington Post, and CatholicNews.com, Vatican official Msgr. Tommaso Stenico & Sen. Larry Craig both have similar problems. They both like to pretend to be gay, but they are not... really.

Stenico, one of the section chiefs for the Congregation of the Clergy, was caught on camera by a private Italian TV network, making gay sexual advances on a young man. Stenico, 60, has written many books and hosts a catechetical program on TV. Taking a page from Paris Hilton, he brought the young man to his Vatican office where he uttered such phrases as "You're cute" and "You're so hot" while touching the man's thigh. The young man, after asking Stenico one too many times whether they were about to commit a sin, was asked to leave. Stenico had repeatedly told him that gay sex is not sinful.

I , of course, have no problem with gay people or gay priests, but I'm getting a little sick of U.S. and Vatican officials not owning up to their own actions and desires. It hurts a cause they obviously want to be a part of - the promotion of a view that gay sex is just as wonderful and healthy has straight sex. Instead of turning their lives around and being someone people can be proud of, they yell conspiracy.

Stenico states that it was part of his science project to investigate the "diabolical plan by groups of Satanists who target priests [to have gay sex]." If anyone discovers the Satanic faith-sharing group in Milwaukee that tries to have gay sex with priests, please let me know. I'll pass the info on to Stenico & Craig.

A Faithful Catholic