Wednesday, March 14, 2007
The Overlooked Schism
UPDATE on 'New Ways Ministry' Event in MN
Archbishop objects to speakers at weekend symposium in metro
Flynn prohibited symposium participants from celebrating Holy Eucharist, saying to do so might mislead Archdiocese members into believing the speakers' views had the church's sanction.
"Hopefully, that will at least minimize potential confusion and scandal," Flynn's letter concluded.
[snip]
Hopefully? Please-the scandal continues! and I can only hope and pray that the Vatican DID intervene on this one!I think there was a Vatican intervention," DeBernardo said late Tuesday, saying he had yet to reach Bishop Leroy Matthiesen, of Amarillo, Texas, to get an explanation for his dropping out.
New Ways Ministry - The Sixth National Symposium on Catholicism and Homosexuality
Ford pledges to continue support for homosexual activism
[snip]AFA chairman Don Wildmon says his organization gave Ford the benefit of the doubt, based on the company's actions, that it had apparently decided to stop supporting homosexual causes and publications.
"We we're wrong," Wildmon admitted. "Ford simply, publicly reinforced the fact that they are still giving their support to the homosexual groups, which, incidentally, have as their top agenda item the legalization of marriage of two people of the same sex."
But last week Ford was listed as a sponsor for the Detroit Motor City Pride Festival. And Wildmon says AFA's conclusion to its supporters that Ford was silently trying to withdraw, was denied by a company spokesperson in a Detroit newspaper.
"They went public to the Detroit News and said, 'No,' they're still supporting the homosexual festivals, 'gay' pride festivals, and they're still supporting the homosexual publications," Wildmon said.
Wildmon says Ford had not advertised in key homosexual publications for three months. But spokesperson Kristen Kinley said the dropping of the GLAAD awards, and all the automaker's advertising and sponsorship decisions, are "strictly driven by business considerations," and not pressure from AFA -- according to the Detroit News.
AFA's chairman now says the group's supporters will continue their boycott against Ford, in light of its media statements last weekend.
Jesus not an alien, Venezuelan bishop insists
Noting that every generation poses questions on Christ's identity, Venezuelan Bishop Mario Moronta insists that Jesus was neither a revolutionary, nor a socialist, nor a hippie, nor an alien.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Apostolic Exhortation "Sacramentum Caritatis" on the Eucharist
Pope expresses hope new document on Eucharist would revitalize piety
And over at The New Liturgical Movement...review of the document has generated mixed comments this a.m.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Fr. Euteneuer's 'Open Letter to Fr. Morris'
An Open Letter To Fox Analyst Father Jonathan Morris
[Fr. Morris’ letter to Sean Hannity is reprinted below this “Open Letter.”]
Dear Father Jonathan,
Your letter to Sean Hannity indicates that you did not know that I asked to speak to him in private about this matter in 2004 otherwise you may have tempered your remarks about my supposed lack of charity in dealing with a high profile Catholic who dissents from clearly-defined and reiterated Church teachings. [See “Fr. Euteneuer asks to meet with Hannity about birth control” on sidebar.] You also seemed to be unaware of the fact that Sean was the one who invited me on his program and who then promptly “[threw] civility to the wind,” refused to display “cultivated intelligence” on the issues and jeopardized another person’s “reputation and dignity.” May I also point out that you did not employ with me the same standard of “fraternal correction” that you expected me to employ with Mr. Hannity. I at least made the attempt to speak to him about this issue in private without success; you, in contrast, went immediately to the internet to take me to task. I do not intend to understand your motives; I can only evaluate what I see in your actions.The question that comes to mind is an obvious one: if you are a Fox analyst on Catholic matters, wouldn’t you have been the one to have had those “private conversations” on birth control with Mr. Hannity? How about discussions on his abortion exceptions? When you told Sean “in person” that you “disagreed with him,” was it on the issue of birth control? If you had done that, I applaud you, but your powers of persuasion may need a little honing—Sean has only gotten more vocal on this issue over time. If you did not speak to him about his public dissent, then I ask you, “Why?” While we are on the subject, have you also analyzed and disagreed with Bill O’Reilly’s perfectly horrible disdain for the Holy Father and the Church that you represent?
The church sex abuse scandal was not just about homosexual and predatory priests. It was about clerical negligence and silence on issues that not only affect people’s souls but also ruin people’s lives. It is highly unusual that you or anyone else would want a priest to be silent on issues that affect the salvation of souls. We used to recognize “admonishing the sinner” as one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy, and I consider my admonishment of Mr. Hannity to have been done in that spirit. I might also add that in doing so I have fulfilled my duty as a priest which is a requirement for my salvation.
As a seminary rector, I would sincerely hope that you are not teaching by word or example the young men in your charge to be politically correct sissies who are afraid to roll up their sleeves and defend the Church in private and in public. We have tons of those types in the clergy already. I would advise you to drink deeply of the wisdom of the Number Two man at our Headquarters who has in no uncertain terms told all of us that high profile dissenters are a scourge and a danger to souls. [See item: “Bertone: Dissident Catholics More Worrying Than Atheists.” http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jan/07011003.html.]
I wish you fraternal blessings for your priestly work.Sincerely,
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer
President Human Life International
Hannity the Liberal
I do love his quote from Cardinal Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State, who has said that “dissident Catholics are more worrying than atheists.”
Whew is RIGHT!
Human Life International e-Newsletter
Volume 01, Special Edition Monday, March 12, 2007
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth.” (2 Tim 4:3-4)
Many Spirit and Life readers may know that after last Friday’s column (“Sean Hannity’s Gospel”) I was invited to defend my position on the Hannity and Colmes show that very night. It’s nice to know that my emails are being read in the hallowed halls of Fox News! I suspected, however, that Hannity wanted to defend his “devout Catholic” credentials, and I was not disabused of this notion when I went on the show. What the show did, above all, was to show not that the Church was wrong or incoherent, but that Hannity, like so many other cultural Catholics, is really a liberal when it comes to certain aspects of sexual morality.
The first point I have to straighten out is for those who were concerned that this was not handled first in private. Well, in fact, I did attempt to handle this matter in private with Mr. Hannity in 2004, but I never received a response to my letter asking him for a meeting. [See side bar item,“Fr. Euteneuer asks to meet with Hannity about birth control.”] As far as I am concerned, I did my due diligence before I went public with my complaint about his hypocrisy; but even if I had not, it was Mr. Hannity’s schedulers who called me to make an issue of it, not I who demanded to appear on his show! In this age of culpable clerical silence on many serious issues affecting people’s souls, do we now want a priest to keep silent about something so important? We can’t have it both ways.
Second, concerning the actual debate, what some are calling Sean’s “disrespect” for me as a member of the clergy was not of concern to me. In that sense, Sean is typical of his generation that has been taught that nobody has any special consecration (even if they technically do) and that everyone has to prove his mettle in the realm of public debate. No problem. I am a holder of this office, and I did not feel that his callous disregard for the priesthood did anything to diminish the sanctity of it, but I can see how it was an extra element of scandal for those who value the priestly office highly. Nor did I really care that he cut me off time and time again in the debate; he’s a known quantity—did you expect anything else from Hannity?
Just for the record, Sean Hannity really is a dissenting Catholic and a public scandal to the Faith. He should be rebuked by his pastor or bishop, not by me, but since that has not been forthcoming in his decade or so of public dissent on radio and TV, somebody in authority had to say something. Hannity, as we know, is shameless on birth control, and judging from the interview, he hasn’t even the vocabulary to rationally defend his position in the face of his Church’s clear teaching. Hannity is also clearly pro-choice on abortion in cases of rape, incest and life of the mother, and he is really cozy with the likes of Rudy Giuliani whose love for abortion and everything gay is hardly a secret. It has even been revealed that Hannity’s website, Hannity.com has a gay dating service that Sean knows about and apparently “has no problem with;” no different from his attitude in regard to birth control. So much for the “devout Catholic” Hannity. If that is devout, then Hugh Heffner is reverent.
The interview on Friday night was enlightening in many senses but mostly because it showed Hannity’s true liberal side. The “Judge not lest ye be judged” comment I have heard only and exclusively in debates with liberals and others with guilty consciences. It is the whine of the person who is doing something that he knows in his heart is wrong but can’t stand anyone pointing out. Hannity’s “judge not” rant can be summarized in one phrase which, if it were put this way, would have been much more identifiable as liberal claptrap: “How dare you question my choice!” Face it: Hannity is a liberal when it comes to sex. In his position next to Colmes, Hannity wears the conservative mantle, but when he comes face to face with the truth of his Church, which I as a priest am obliged to uphold faithfully, he is no more than a liberal relativist.
And in that matter, how different is his position on birth control from that of Planned Parenthood? They have “no problem” with birth control either. In fact it’s much more than a personal matter for them. It fuels their business. Yes, about 60% of women going into abortion clinics are doing it because of failed birth control and no amount of feigned pragmatism about stopping abortions with birth control is going to change the fact that birth control teaches people to be selfish and leads them down the garden path to the killing centers of this nation—or any nation for that matter. And by the way, for those who wanted me to object to both abortion and birth control as a solution to any problem, please go back and listen carefully to the clip—I did object to both! The Catholic Church’s teaching on sexual morality is the only coherent dissenting viewpoint from PP’s gospel of free sex and baby killing, and sadly, Hannity, the “devout Catholic,” just aids and abets those criminals.
Most surprising of all, however, was Hannity’s use of what I call the “argument from pedophilia;” namely, the tendency to fall back on the Church sex abuse scandal when you’re losing an argument with a priest and have to grab for something. I have had people do this to me in front of abortion clinics, at Da Vinci Code protests and in private conversations about Catholicism for the past several years. Let’s just say I didn’t expect it from Hannity! Was it me or did Sean just disconnect from reality at that moment? Where in the world did that come from? Well, it’s because Hannity’s really a closet liberal when pushed to the wall. True colors come out in the wash, and the birth control issue just has a greater tendency to touch the sensitive areas of people’s philosophies of life.
Hannity’s worldview is full of holes. He may have gone to seminary but, if that is the case, his seminary background and knowledge of Latin (!) gives him a greater responsibility to get it right when he wants to spout off about Church teaching in the public forum.
For your reading interest you can click on the side bar items to see some of the incredible feedback that we got on both sides of the debate. Of particular interest is the recent statement of Cardinal Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State, who has said that “dissident Catholics are more worrying than atheists.” Whew—words of warning for Hannity and O’Reilly and company. In the end, we all have to undergo our own “Judgment Day,” and it is the Church’s job to let people know ahead of time that God is not a moral relativist on the issue of birth control.
Sincerely Yours in Christ,Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer
President, Human Life International
The Hannity vs. Fr. Euteneuer Lesson Continues
As I watched a fellow Catholic priest spar with you on the March 9 edition of
Hannity and Colmes, I hung my head in shame and sadness. My colleague in religion (whom I've never met) used the public airways and Internet to call you a heretic and hypocrite.
Come on now....this is what LENT is really about! Where the chaff is being separated from the wheat! Right before our very eyes and ears! Wow!
Post a comment here at Fr. Euteneuer has a blog too! YEA!
Fr. Euteneuer's Contact Info:
Human Life International
4 Family Life Lane – Front Royal, VA 22630
U.S.A.Phone: 800/549-LIFE
Fax: 540-622-6247E-Mail: hli@hli.org
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Intimate friend of Margaret Sanger, dies at 85
Gay man of New York City continues....
Anonymous Generosity, In Life and In Death
[snip]The donor, whose fortune was made as a Manhattan art dealer, was also an expert on sexually transmitted infections, for years running a foundation that disseminated prevention pamphlets he authored. An intimate of Margaret Sanger, he was also active in the defense of reproductive rights.
Perhaps the most famous story about the anonymous donor is how he provided the seed money for the Institute for the Protection of Lesbian and Gay Youth - now the Hetrick-Martin Institute- to offer social services beginning in 1983. Founded in 1979 by the late Drs. Emery Hetrick and Damien Martin, it had been a volunteer advocacy and research group.
From the Archdiocese of New York....
It is hard to tell what Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York is doing. When the Boston story broke last year, a spokesperson told this newspaper the Church in New York is "reviewing" its policy. Calls and e-mails to uncover the result of that review have gone unanswered. Cardinal Edward Egan is neither taking advantage of the opportunity to proclaim that he will protect children from "gravely immoral" gay adoptions nor asserting that the archdiocese is in compliance with city and state law that forbids such discrimination.
And this one from the Boston Globe...
A psychologist argues that the Catholic Church's message to gay priests - that homosexuality should be a shameful secret - contributed to the sexual abuse scandal.
Between Portugal and Italy this weekend...
Italians seek changes on gay rights, abortion
Italians rally for gay and unwed couples' rights
Catholic church tells gay couple communion won’t be available
Neither have been back to St. Matthew’s since receiving the letter. To Vader, communion is the holiest of sacraments, and to be denied it has devastated her.
“This is the one food we all need,” she said. “Of all the sacraments, it’s the one that should be taken frequently.”
You have to be in a state of grace without grave/mortal sin!
From the USCCB:
As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. We are encouraged to receive Communion devoutly and frequently. In order to be properly disposed to receive Communion, participants should not be conscious of grave sin and normally should have fasted for one hour. A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord without prior sacramental confession except for a grave reason where there is no opportunity for confession. In this case, the person is to be mindful of the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as possible (canon 916). A frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance is encouraged for all.
Amy Welborn & The New Liturgical Movement report that a news conference is set for Tues. 3/13/07 at the Vatican when Pope Benedict XVI will release his new document (papal doc. on the Eucharist): Apostolic Exhortation (Sacramentum Caritatis) (Italian).
The document will be immediately available in English, Italian, Spanish,French, German, and Portugese.
When it comes out I'll post it!