tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22559550263664335322024-03-13T12:22:36.401-07:00The Catholic VoyagerThe Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.comBlogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-69197843396958548272023-12-30T11:14:00.000-08:002023-12-30T14:32:34.305-08:00Pope Francis' false appeal to "communion" in blocking Latin Mass<p>Pope Francis' backwardly named motu proprio, <i>Traditionis Custodes</i>, appealed to a fictional disunity as justification for restricting the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM). </p><p>In the document, Francis acknowledged both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI's move to promote the TLM for "the concord and unity of the Church." Two paragraphs later, Francis called for the exact opposite of his predecessors, and instead restricted the TLM for the sake of "ecclesial communion." </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpY2iqZ_W0jKdX6dkR9cJkbhLptCJY2JFBxpgp07imZ0pX4-MKxFiEpRf_KVsmBG_Vpo0mUn8FZDBra2W-bAPf2lnxE0U-FupNxKyGWUz4I2zQfZ9WLi0E2GJsgAPD7ITajUW_AczaFNzxNuaOQOVw1kVmf8knoMjh-TyF1ihfkoLDx_iTvFIUsgNUcbr/s500/Pope_Francis,_Juan_David_Tena.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="500" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpY2iqZ_W0jKdX6dkR9cJkbhLptCJY2JFBxpgp07imZ0pX4-MKxFiEpRf_KVsmBG_Vpo0mUn8FZDBra2W-bAPf2lnxE0U-FupNxKyGWUz4I2zQfZ9WLi0E2GJsgAPD7ITajUW_AczaFNzxNuaOQOVw1kVmf8knoMjh-TyF1ihfkoLDx_iTvFIUsgNUcbr/s320/Pope_Francis,_Juan_David_Tena.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pope Francis photo by Juan David Tena, accessed at </span><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pope_Francis,_Juan_David_Tena.jpg" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>On November 30, 2023, <a href="https://youtu.be/VWWl-r_kSuw?si=aUOQLxPE1ZJCXEuK&t=1337" target="_blank">EWTN's Raymond Arroyo interviewed Abp. Georg Gänswein</a>, Pope Benedict's personal secretary.</p><p>Gänswein recalled asking Pope Emeritus Benedict in 2021 about Pope Francis' document oppressing the TLM. </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>"Holy Father can I ask you a question? ... I do not understand understand that </i>motu proprio<i> because the liberty you gave with your </i>motu propio<i> years ago has bought peace in the liturgy and in the Church. And I feel this </i>motu proprio<i> will cause many, many problems."</i> </p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">G<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWWl-r_kSuw&t=1470s" target="_blank">ä</a>nswein then recalled Benedict's answer: <i>"I hope God will help us."</i></p><p>G<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWWl-r_kSuw&t=1470s" target="_blank">ä</a>nswein's instinct in 2021 has proven correct, as today we see "many, many problems" largely issuing from Pope Francis' antagonism for the TLM and the faithful attending. Following Francis' <i>motu proprio</i>, a multitude of vexed faithful have cried out. Francis' action, rather than following a trajectory of unity, has given rise to multiple faithful individuals and even formal organizations pleading for the restoration of the TLM. </p><p>We knew nothing of such resistance and disunion during the time period Francis claimed disunity needed fixing. <a href="https://preservethelatinmass.org/quattuor-abhinc-annos-1984/" target="_blank">John Paul II wrote his indult</a> in 1984; <a href="https://www.papalencyclicals.net/ben16/ben16summorum.htm" target="_blank">Pope Benedict his motu proprio</a> in 2007. <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/20210716-motu-proprio-traditionis-custodes.html" target="_blank">Pope Francis' motu proprio</a> was in 2021. No such disunity between 1984 and 2021 existed. As G<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWWl-r_kSuw&t=1470s" target="_blank">ä</a>nswein said, Benedict's <i>motu proprio</i> "brought peace." </p><p>Speaking of the language, <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2021/07/the-glory-of-latin-in-churchs-words.html#:~:text=as%20a%20great%20bond%20of%20unity" target="_blank">Pope Pius XI in 1922</a> said that Latin was a "great bond of unity." <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2021/07/the-glory-of-latin-in-churchs-words.html#:~:text=beautiful%20sign%20of%20unity" target="_blank">Pope Pius XII in 1947</a> said Latin was a "beautiful sign of unity."</p><p>Obstruction of Latin is also a disunion with the saints of old. For at the divine liturgy, the saints and angels are present. We especially acknowledge this during the <i>confiteor </i>when calling to angels and saints. Liturgical unity is not an enterprise trapped in a single generation. The presence of angels and saints for all of Christianity should not be ignored in the scope of "unity" in the Liturgy. Beyond the language, the new mass <a href="https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2021/10/all-elements-of-roman-rite-mythbusting.html" target="_blank">arguably preserved a mere 13% of the content of the traditional liturgy</a>. Appealing to the new mass as somehow more unifying than a centuries-old liturgy is nonsensical.</p><p>Among the reasons the late <a href="https://www.cal-catholic.com/the-cardinal-pell-memo-in-full/" target="_blank">Cardinal George Pell said of Francis</a> "this pontificate is a disaster in many or most respects; a catastrophe" were because " liturgical tensions are inflamed and not dampened" under Francis.</p><meta name="twitter:image:" content="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpY2iqZ_W0jKdX6dkR9cJkbhLptCJY2JFBxpgp07imZ0pX4-MKxFiEpRf_KVsmBG_Vpo0mUn8FZDBra2W-bAPf2lnxE0U-FupNxKyGWUz4I2zQfZ9WLi0E2GJsgAPD7ITajUW_AczaFNzxNuaOQOVw1kVmf8knoMjh-TyF1ihfkoLDx_iTvFIUsgNUcbr/s500/Pope_Francis,_Juan_David_Tena.jpg">The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-13348137956696205762023-11-11T10:23:00.003-08:002023-11-11T10:44:46.867-08:006 political behaviors of the Francis pontificate<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pope
Francis and many of the bishops and Vatican spokespersons during his
pontificate frequently behave in a manner matching modern propagandistic
politicians. There are many examples. Here are 6.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">CENSORSHIP<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Francis
Pontificate</span></b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">: Not
only did the Pope command suffocation of the Traditional Latin Mass, but
Vatican officials subsequently issued instruction censoring the TLM from being
included among the </span><a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20211204_responsa-ad-dubia-tradizionis-custodes_en.html#:~:text=such%20a%20celebration%20should%20not%20be%20included%20in%20the%20parish%20Mass%20schedule"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">bulletin</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> mass times. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Hundreds
of priests find themselves “</span><a href="https://www.canceledpriests.org/about-us"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">cancelled</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">” for reasons kept hidden by the
aggressing bishops. In the typical </span><a href="https://youtu.be/RV_Ypqoxxhw?si=FXALsz9IFBnegHvi"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">case</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">,
there is no impropriety even alleged by the bishops. These
priests are forbidden from public ministry. <span style="color: black;">The
latest inexcusable scandal was Pope Francis </span></span><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-pope-francis-personally-removes-americas-bishop-joseph-strickland"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">declaring</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif" style="color: black;"> the orthodox
Bishop Joseph Strickland’s office in Texas <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0tX8cRNvh2C3eAVoz7dQbpAMKPxBkAyS4rCvgsdjS9uzsDuWQhcqBwAm62Q4e1jLQl&id=100001345673649">vacant</a>
without due <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0SLtkftbpppKoHxzkgRRFxyF9arE9cPqZ6RQBpFF532jfPbfBVdxyyzX9wbsmaZavl&id=100001345673649">cause</a>.</span><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Politics</span></b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">: Recently, we’ve seen western governments even </span><a href="https://twitter.com/Jim_Jordan/status/1684595375875760128"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">controlling</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://x.com/mtaibbi/status/1680372345213530112?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">social</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://x.com/bariweiss/status/1601007575633305600?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">media</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://x.com/ggreenwald/status/1700507102857314317?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">sites</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> to limit what is said and by
whom. For example, Facebook has </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LifeNews/posts/pfbid0o9E6prV45TS4quMknfKGXDi2yBiU7mB5GLWmS4UiAzYRkP7sord4nB2jZFAPLuyWl"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">censored</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> video of a living unborn baby. Both
Facebook and Twitter </span><a href="https://x.com/ProfMJCleveland/status/1682051222562381824?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">censored</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> a news story just prior to the
2020 election about Joe Biden’s son that was indisputably true. Social media </span><a href="https://x.com/mtaibbi/status/1636729166631432195?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">knowingly</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> censored true Covid information.
Once the latest Ukraine conflict started, Youtube censored Oliver Stone’s 2016 </span><a href="https://x.com/rumblevideo/status/1501647278154600452?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">film</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> <i>Ukraine on Fire</i>, which
incriminated the West in the 2014 Maidan coup. Youtube also recently </span><a href="https://www.zerohedge.com/political/youtube-pulling-sound-freedom-interviews-reviews"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">removed</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> interviews for the film <i>The
Sound of Freedom</i>, which exposed a vast child-trafficking international
network. </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's a warlike tactic to take out an opponent's communication channels.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">These are a fraction of the censorship and account banning that has
occurred in recent years at the behest of politicians.</span></p><div style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjby86J92u27VJMt-8-tNDqKsnU4jwfBFrKRO6TPIPn6J-b1F8HBbursl_Qe4X-0UOG5zdS8gOBvtYREptzzOfP0ku9u4nOCiWDCDHGtwEEg3gT8ajo98dueIPaLnTy8wX3l6DNPO_ZPsUyF7l0POGWV-ThnVyNJbqFqG0BSRkjmss2m6M3o2OWE762b3Jh/s640/Pope_Francis_with_ferula.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjby86J92u27VJMt-8-tNDqKsnU4jwfBFrKRO6TPIPn6J-b1F8HBbursl_Qe4X-0UOG5zdS8gOBvtYREptzzOfP0ku9u4nOCiWDCDHGtwEEg3gT8ajo98dueIPaLnTy8wX3l6DNPO_ZPsUyF7l0POGWV-ThnVyNJbqFqG0BSRkjmss2m6M3o2OWE762b3Jh/s320/Pope_Francis_with_ferula.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;">Pope Francis 2016 (from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pope_Francis_with_ferula.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a>)</div></span>
</span><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">BLAMING
A PROXY<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Francis
Pontificate</span></b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">: At
the close of the recent “Synod on Synodality,” German </span><a href="https://www.ncregister.com/cna/dominican-theologian-to-german-bishop-baetzing-support-for-gay-agenda-is-modernist-heresy"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">heretical</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> bishop Georg Bätzing claimed the
“</span><a href="https://x.com/EdwardPentin/status/1718633219006791857?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">overwhelming majority</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> of a world church has chosen”
the sexual perversions he and many bishops (especially in </span><a href="https://x.com/father_rmv/status/1499896769815232512?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Germany</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">) have propagated. Of course,
this is asserted gratuitously, because </span><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/huge-majority-of-traditional-mass-attendees-reject-contraception-abortion-gay-marriage/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">the practicing faithful</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/26752/poll-shows-regular-mass-attendees-oppose-gay-marriage"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">believe</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> the Church’s true moral
teachings. The bishop points the finger at the faithful as a proxy for
advancing his own ambitions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Pointing
the finger at the second Vatican council is also a common theme during the
Francis pontificate. A </span><a href="https://international.la-croix.com/news/religion/francis-is-advancing-the-council-says-vatican-official/17413"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Vatican official</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> recently said, “Francis is the
one who is pushing forward the application of Vatican II.” Yet Vatican II did
not call for many of the Pope’s chief causes, such as the </span><a href="https://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2014/01/the-danger-of-equating-vatican-ii-and.html#:~:text=the%20fathers%20of%20Vatican%20II%20did%20not%20desire%20or%20ask%20for%20the%20liturgical%20reform%20that%20came%20out%20of%20Bugnini%E2%80%99s%20Consilium%2C%20that%20the%20Novus%20Ordo%20Missae%20is%20not%20in%20full%20accord%20with%20Sacrosanctum%20Concilium"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">oppression of the Traditional
Latin Mass</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">. Cardinal
Roche even claimed “The Council Fathers perceived the urgent need for a reform”
in his letter defending suppression of Traditional Latin Mass. When cited this
way, Vatican II has become a Rorschach blot, a proxy for advancing causes the
Council did not call to advance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Politics</span></b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">: The censorship tactic also ties
into this, as government officials launder their power through big tech,
belying the argument that these are </span><a href="https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2021/07/16/biden-administration-completely-kills-the-its-a-private-company-so-its-not-censorship-argument/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">“private companies.”</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> They are instead used as proxies
to do the bidding of the government entity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">In the
Ukraine conflict, both </span><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-alone-decides-conditions-peace-110209543.html"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">NATO</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> and </span><a href="https://pelosi.house.gov/news/press-releases/pelosi-statement-meeting-president-volodymyr-zelenskyy-ukraine#:~:text=Ukraine%27s%20battle%20for%20freedom"><span style="mso-field-code: "HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/pelosi\.house\.gov\/news\/press-releases\/pelosi-statement-meeting-president-volodymyr-zelenskyy-ukraine\0022";"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">U.S.</span></span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://ua.usembassy.gov/a-critical-moment-in-ukraines-fight-for-freedom/#:~:text=Ukraine%E2%80%99s%20fight%20to%20defend%20its%20freedom%20and%20its%20democracy"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">politicians</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> have insisted involvement in the
war is <i>limited</i> to </span><a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/white-house-press-secretary-jen-psaki-says-no-proxy-war-with-russia-in-ukraine#:~:text=%22This%20is%20not%20a%20proxy%20war%2C%E2%80%9D%20White%20House%20press%20secretary%20Jen%20Psaki%20told%20reporters%20at%20Monday%E2%80%99s%20briefing.%20%22This%20is%20a%20war%20between%20Russia%20and%20Ukraine.%20NATO%20is%20not%20involved%2C%20the%20U.S.%20is%20not%20fighting%20this%20war.%22"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Russia and Ukraine</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> and <i>not</i> NATO nor the U.S.
However: In September, NATO candidly </span><a href="https://countercurrents.org/2023/11/nato-provoked-putin-stoltenberg-comes-clean-on-the-ukraine-war/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20background%20was%20that%20President%20Putin%20declared%20in%20the%20autumn%20of%202021%2C%20and%20actually%20sent%20a%20draft%20treaty%20that%20they%20wanted%20NATO%20to%20sign%2C%20to%20promise%20no%20more%20NATO%20enlargement.%C2%A0%20That%20was%20what%20he%20sent%20us.%C2%A0%20And%20was%20a%20pre%2Dcondition%20to%20not%20invade%20Ukraine.%C2%A0%20Of%20course%2C%20we%20didn%E2%80%99t%20sign%20that.%E2%80%9D%C2%A0"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">confessed</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> the NATO expansion east was a </span><a href="https://x.com/ImMeme0/status/1666915381892505607?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">cause</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> for Russia’s response; the April
Discord </span><a href="https://x.com/mtracey/status/1644770179916627972"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">leaks</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> show that the Pentagon was the
source of war plans to which Ukraine did not have access; Hillary Clinton has
said favor for Ukraine come with </span><a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/hillary-clinton-ukraine-aid-military-financial-114462#:~:text=%E2%80%9CI%20think%20we,money%20won%E2%80%99t%20come.%E2%80%9D"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">“strings;”</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> British intelligence flat out </span><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20220309110456/https:/www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/geopolitical/mi6-chief-faces-backlash-saying-ukraine-war-about-lgbt-rights"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">said</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> they support Ukraine so they can
hurt Russia for non-acceptance of Western “lgbt+” ideology; President Biden’s
son spearheaded funding for </span><a href="https://nypost.com/2022/03/26/hunter-biden-played-role-in-funding-us-bio-labs-contractor-in-ukraine-e-mails/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">bioweapon</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> research in Ukraine; and U.S.
Undersecretary Victoria Nuland </span><a href="https://greenwald.substack.com/p/victoria-nuland-ukraine-has-biological?s=r"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">confirmed</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> involvement with Ukraine
biolabs. Sen. Tim Scott proudly </span><a href="https://x.com/Glenn_Diesen/status/1722507555304321264?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">said</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> the U.S. was using “Ukranian
blood” in the U.S. effort to weaken Russia. These are just a few of the direct
involvements and interests the West has in Ukraine well beyond “freedom” help.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So,
while Western politicians say their support is just altruism to help Ukraine,
the operation appears ordered for Western interests. Ukraine is the proxy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">HYPOCRISY<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A quick
word on “hypocrisy.” The concept of hypocrisy is not merely condemning someone
for that which one does himself. Someone addicted to smoking would be quite
right and not hypocritical to discourage others from doing the same. Hypocrisy
as used here is to condemn another for a behavior one condones for himself.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Francis
Pontificate</span></b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">:
Synod on Synodality pitchmen speak of the “</span><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255853/cardinal-hollerich-the-openness-of-the-synod-on-synodality-will-change-the-church#:~:text=this%20freedom%20and-,openness,-will%20change%20the"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">openness</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">” of the event. Yet participants are
</span><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-synod-on-synodality-members-ordered-to-observe-perpetual-secrecy-about-discussions/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">sworn to secrecy</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Pope
Francis often makes statements like “say an emphatic ‘no’ to all forms of
clericalism” while his pontificate is plump with </span><a href="https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/clericalism-is-dead-long-live-clericalism#:~:text=The%20third%20form,loves%20me%20not!%E2%80%9D"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">clericalism</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">. One example would be his
attitude of placing himself above Church Fathers and preceding Popes when he rejected
their teaching on the </span><a href="https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2018/01/20/capital-punishment-and-the-infallibility-of-the-ordinary-magisterium/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">death penalty</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">. Another is his </span><a href="https://x.com/MrCasey62/status/1605265572966854656?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">absolutization</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> of the <i>Novus Ordo</i> mass,
in which the priest’s </span><a href="https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/ad-orientem-as-a-first-step-toward-spiritual-renewal#:~:text=Francis%20has%20spent,in%20the%20picture.%E2%80%9D"><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">ad populum</span></i></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> posture is a textbook form of
clericalism. Other examples abound.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Politics</span></b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">: One of the politicized tactics
of the abortion industry is to accuse the pro-life movement of being against
“choice.” Of course, “choice” is a euphemism the abortion industry uses to
disguise the intentional termination of an innocent human life. Meanwhile, when
doctors offer women an actual “choice,” such as the abortion pill reversal (APR)
protocol, the abortion industry has responded by attempting to silence that
treatment, most recently in </span><a href="https://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/2023/10/colorado-judge-blocks-ban-on-abortion-pill-reversal-drug/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Colorado</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> and </span><a href="https://www.thomasmoresociety.org/news/thomas-more-society-joins-forces-with-heartbeat-international-and-realoptions-to-defend-abortion-pill-rescue-network"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">California</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As
mentioned above, the West has denied leveraging proxies throughout the business
world – especially tech - and the international scene. Ironically, Nuland said
last year, “It is classic Russian technique to blame on the other guy what
they're planning to do themselves.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">FICTIONAL
VICTIMS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Francis
Pontificate</span></b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">: One
of the battle cries of the Synod on Synodality is reaching out to people labeled
“</span><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/analysis/synod-on-synodality-report-highlights-female-deacons-synodal-life-for-church/#:~:text=people%20who%20feel%20marginalized%20or%20excluded%20from%20the%20Church%20because%20of%20their%20marriage%20situation%2C%20identity%2C%20and%20sexuality"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">marginalized</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">,” such as women or so-called
“LGBT+” etc. As Professor </span><a href="https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/whither-the-synod"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Regis Martin</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> said recently, “I have yet to
meet any of these people. Who exactly are they whom we’ve so cruelly consigned
to the margins of ecclesial life? … I really have not seen anyone who fits the
description.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Of
course, the victimhood expressed here is fictional, since all of humanity is
invited to participate in the full life of the Church, and the above persons
are no exception. The only ostracized group today are the TLM attendees, ostracized
by that very pontificate, and referred to in official Vatican documents as </span><a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20211204_responsa-ad-dubia-tradizionis-custodes_en.html#:~:text=attended%20only%20by%20the%20faithful%20who%20are%20members%20of%20the%20said%20group"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">“members of the said group”</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> distinct from all the other
faithful. The heterodox cries of marginalization of women or the sexual
identities commit a form of the fallacy of equivocation, confusing the </span><a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2011/10/christ-bridegroom.html"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">non-possibility</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> of a female priest or the
non-possibility of blessing a sinful relationship as “marginalizing” those
people. It’s similar to the modern world’s poorly thought-out attempt to
redefine “love” as “endorsing” whatever someone does.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Politics</span></b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">: Fictional victimhood in the
Synod mirrors fictional victimhood tactics in the world. Leftist ideologues
have been conditioned to seek refuge in victimhood even when they act as
bigoted aggressor. For example, in December, the Family Foundation had </span><a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/12/06/virginia-restaurant-kicks-pro-family-organization-family-foundation/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">reserved</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> a dining room at a restaurant
later discovered to be owned by a leftist. Once the owner discovered the group
was pro-life and pro-marriage, the owner rescinded the reservation and released
a delusional statement claiming the Family Foundation sought to “deprive women
and LGBTQ+ persons of their basic human rights” and that the restaurant staff
felt “unsafe.” Of course, the natural law and millennia-old notion of marriage
and desire to protect innocent life is no cause for alarm.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Another
example of fictional victimhood prowls the world of modern feminism, which
asserts that women are denied “equal pay” for equal work. However, the
statistics they use for this assertion conflate the average pay of males and
females in totality, ignoring job-types or amount of work. When those </span><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2023/03/14/equal-pay-day-myth-truth-income-women/11464213002/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">factors</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> are </span><a href="https://www.iwf.org/2023/03/13/5-myths-to-bust-about-the-gender-pay-gap/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">accounted</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> for, the so-called
discrimination virtually vanishes. A hallucination of victimhood occurred when
the U.S. women’s national </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-womens-soccer-team-wants-to-appeal-pay-discrimination-ruling-that-determined-they-rejected-equal-pay#:~:text=plaintiffs%20cannot%20now%20retroactively%20deem%20their%20CBA%20(collective%20bargaining%20agreement)%20worse%20than%20the%20MNT%20(men%E2%80%99s%20national%20team)%20CBA%20by%20reference%20to%20what%20they%20would%20have%20made%20had%20they%20been%20paid%20under%20the%20MNT%E2%80%99s%20pay%2Dto%2Dplay%20terms%20structure%20when%20they%20themselves%20rejected%20such%20a%20structure.%E2%80%9D"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">soccer</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> team cried foul on equal pay
because they themselves rejected the collective bargaining agreement under
which they would have made more had they signed it when offered.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">EUPHEMISMS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Francis
Pontificate</span></b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">:
Pope Francis often uses the term “</span><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254268/pope-francis-says-traditional-latin-mass-was-being-used-in-an-ideological-way"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">backwardness</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">” as a pejorative against
orthodox Catholics. He said, “There is incredible support for restorationism,
what I call <i>indietrismo</i> (backwardness).” The term is non-theological. As
a concept, looking backward per se is neither good nor bad. It depends to what
one is looking back. Certainly, the Church in every age has looked back toward
the Apostolic deposit and the preceding Magisterium to guide matters of the
day. As mentioned in the proxy section above, Francis himself is ever looking
“backward” to Vatican II and the 1960s to defend many of his teachings. In
rejecting what he claims is “backwardness” of orthodox Catholics, he ironically
(</span><a href="https://x.com/M_P_Hazell/status/1562458486189228038?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">and</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://x.com/TheIllegit/status/1696238128158359869?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">unconvincingly</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">) appeals to the 5<sup>th</sup>
century’s St. Vincent of Lerins. Also ironic is that his document detaching
from Tradition is called <i>Traditionis Custodes</i>, which in word means
“guardians of tradition” and in practice means obliterator of tradition. While
Pope Francis belittles such “restorationism,” predecessors such as Pope Pius X </span><a href="https://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius10/p10chdoc.htm#:~:text=We%20ought%2C%20therefore%2C%20to%20do%20all%20that%20lies%20in%20our%20power%20to%20maintain%20the%20teaching%20of%20Christian%20doctrine%20with%20full%20vigor%2C%20and%20where%20such%20is%20neglected%2C%20to%20restore%20it"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">said</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> where “Christian doctrine…is
neglected, to restore it.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Another
common term used by Francis and heterodox bishops is “accompaniment.” This is,
again, a concept that is neither good nor bad, per se. It depends on who one is
accompanying. Proverbs 13:20 says “[T]he companion of fools will suffer harm.”
In 2018, Cardinal Cupich exposed the term as a vehicle leading to the 2023
Synod, which, among other offenses, blurred the authority of the hierarchy and
laity: “Thus, in a genuinely synodal Church there is no hierarchical
distinction between those with knowledge and those without. As such, the most
important consequence of this call to accompaniment ought to be greater
attention to the voices of the laity, especially on matters of marriage and
family life.” Opening doctrine in this way to any laity has resulted in various
justifications of sinful behaviors. Fr. Jerry Pokorsky </span><a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/where-accompaniment-fails"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">explained</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">: “instead of accompanying our
Lord on the way of the cross, many Church leaders choose to accommodate sinners
on sinners’ terms.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Related
to “accompaniment” is “inclusion.” The Synod touted concepts like “</span><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252668/the-holy-spirit-is-at-work-in-synod-on-synodality-document-leaders-say#:~:text=Church%20capable%20of-,radical%20inclusion,-%E2%80%9D%20and%20says%20that"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">radical inclusion</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">” in the context of women and
so-called “LGBT+,” etc. But, as discussed in the fictional victims section
above, the notion that any group is excluded is really only applicable today to
TLM attendees against whom the Francis pontificate has been plainly hostile. Polish
Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki </span><a href="https://episkopat.pl/en/president-of-the-polish-bishops-conference-the-teaching-of-the-church-is-to-remain-unified/#:~:text=Archbishop%20G%C4%85decki%20acknowledged,affirmation%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%93%20he%20stressed."><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">said</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> the modernist term “‘inclusiveness’
implies an acceptance of how a person defines him or herself, as if defining
oneself were in obvious conformity with reality, inherently unquestionable, and
therefore demanding affirmation.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Politics</span></b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">: The abortion industry is
dependent on </span><a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2023/05/abortion-industry-dependent-on-lies.html"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">lies</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">, including many </span><a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2019/03/takeaways-from-unplanned-movie.html#:~:text=THE%20SEDUCTION%20OF%20PLANNED%20PARENTHOOD%27S%20EUPHEMISMS"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">euphemisms</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> like “reproductive health” or
“her body.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">The gay
“marriage” movement hides behind many euphemistic </span><a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2018/12/5-modern-lies-sold-as-truth.html#:~:text=three%20common%20slogans%20used%20to%20advance%20the%20idea%20of%20gay%20%22marriage%22%3A%20%22love%20is%20love%2C%22%20%22same%20love%2C%22%20and%20%22marriage%20equality.%22"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">slogans</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> like “love is love,” “same love”
or “marriage equality,” none of which address the root of the matter of what is
a marriage or what is a man and woman. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">The term
“underrepresented” is used to signal supposed injustice if there are not enough
of certain people of a particular demographic involved in a business, industry,
film, or similar. It’s also applied </span><a href="https://x.com/Ska_Maria/status/1319687599708114947?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">inconsistently</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">. Modern use of “representation”
is a euphemism to condition people to perceive injustice where there is none. Politicians
then leverage this. Merely sharing, say, skin color, with another person does
not amount to any sense of relevant “representation.” If a white female devout
Catholic is asked who better represents her, Nancy Pelosi or Cardinal Francis
Arinze of Nigeria, she’s going to pick Cardinal Arinze. Today’s political use
of “representation” appeals to trivial demographic characteristics when those
characteristics are irrelevant to the context at hand.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">ABUSE
OF AUTHORITY<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Francis
Pontificate</span></b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">: The
Pope’s quest to eradicate the Traditional Latin Mass is </span><a href="https://www.cardinalburke.com/presentations/traditionis-custodes#:~:text=The%20fullness%20of,and%20even%20earlier."><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">outside</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> the scope of his authority. Cardinal
Roche also </span><a href="https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/new-vatican-move-against-latin-mass-with-or-without-canonical-authority/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">abused</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> authority proper to local
bishops when he attempted to police them to impose Pope Francis’ Latin Mass
restriction. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The
removal of priests or even bishops without due <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0SLtkftbpppKoHxzkgRRFxyF9arE9cPqZ6RQBpFF532jfPbfBVdxyyzX9wbsmaZavl&id=100001345673649">cause</a>
is also external to the Pope’s or a bishop’s authority.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The Vatican
Press office <a href="https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2018/12/18/pope-francis-new-comments-on-the-death-penalty-are-incoherent-and-dangerous/#:~:text=the%20Holy%20See,tradition%20plus%20Scripture.%E2%80%9D">declared</a>
the Church was now ruled by Pope Francis as an individual, as opposed to the
authority of Scripture and Tradition. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Politics</span></b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">: In an explicit overlap between
the Francis pontificate and politics, the FBI was caught <a href="https://www.judicialwatch.org/catholic-vote-judicial-watch-sue-fbi-doj-for-information-about-leaked-memo-targeting-catholics/">spying</a>
on <a href="https://catholicvote.org/new-evidence-anti-catholic-fbi-memo/">traditional</a>
Catholics. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A court
recognized the “abuse of authority” the U.S. government attempted to <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/appeals-court-freezes-biden-vaxx-mandate-businesses-amid-abuse-authority-claims-1646707">impose</a>
when demanding “vaccine mandates.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Another
court <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/courts/trump-remain-minnesota-ballot-14th-amendment-challenge-rejected">blocked</a>
Minnesota’s Democrat Secretary of State from forbidding the opposition party’s overwhelming
leading candidate from appearing on the ballot. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">FINAL
THOUGHTS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What
these overlapping tactics and language patterns between the Church and the world
suggest is that the world is over-influencing the Church if not outright
directing it. Language tricks and political tactics are not native to the
pursuit of sound doctrine nor pastoral and familial leadership. It is
indicative of a modern and worldly infection warned against by many in Church
history:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Everyone
must understand that such ravings and others like them, concealed in many <b>deceitful
guises</b>, cause greater ruin to public calm the longer their impious
originators are unrestrained. They cause a serious loss of souls redeemed by
Christ’s blood wherever their teaching spreads, like a cancer; it forces its
way into public academies, into the houses of the great, into the palaces of
kings, and <b>even enters the sanctuary</b>, shocking as it is to say so. (Pope
Pius VI, </span></i><a href="https://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius06/p6inscru.htm"><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Inscrutabile</span></i></a><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">, 7, 1775)<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">The
common enemy of the human race is wholly engaged in undermining faith,
destroying truth and <b>disrupting unity by worldly wisdom, heretical
discussion, subtle, clever deceit</b>, and even, where possible, by the use of <b>force</b>.
(St. Pius IX, </span></i><a href="https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius09/p9quartu.htm"><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Quartus Supra</span></i></a><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">, 2, 1873)<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">According
to these rules, Venerable Brethren, you should judge those to whom you will
entrust the ministry of the divine word. Whenever you find any of them
departing from these rules, being more concerned with their own interests than
those of Jesus Christ and <b>more anxious for worldly applause than the welfare
of souls, warn and correct them. If that proves insufficient, be firm in
removing them from an office</b> for which they have proven themselves
unworthy. (St. Pius X, </span></i><a href="https://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius10/p10clr.htm"><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Pieni L’animo</span></i></a><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">, 9, 1906) <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><p></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-24139674381259496792023-10-05T17:01:00.007-07:002023-10-23T19:04:53.455-07:002 paths to save the immoral culture<p><span face=""Gill Sans MT", sans-serif">What
will solve the immoral madness that has seized the world today? The Western
world is largely responsible for fostering various </span><a href="https://cdn.ceoworld.biz/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Countries-where-gay-marriage-is-legal.jpg"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">sexual</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT", sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/276025/us-percentage-of-births-to-unmarried-women/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">deviance</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT", sans-serif">, </span><a href="https://c-fam.org/friday_fax/u-s-gives-millions-of-taxpayer-dollars-to-international-abortion-groups/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">abortion</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT", sans-serif">, </span><a href="https://naturalwomanhood.org/target-africa-uju-ekeocha-harms-of-western-funded-contraceptive-campaigns/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">sterilizations</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT", sans-serif">, </span><a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/07/25/yes-child-trafficking-is-happening-your-community/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">child</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT", sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://studentsforlife.org/2022/12/19/planned-parenthood-normalizes-pornography-for-kindergartners/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">predation</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT", sans-serif">, </span><a href="https://nypost.com/2023/07/01/record-high-number-of-40-year-olds-in-us-have-never-been-married-study/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">anti-marriage and family,</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT", sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/12/12/u-s-children-more-likely-than-children-in-other-countries-to-live-with-just-one-parent/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">fatherless homes</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT", sans-serif">, </span><a href="https://nida.nih.gov/sites/default/files/images/2023-Drug-od-death-rates-1.jpeg"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">drug overdose</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT", sans-serif">, and various other
immoralities.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">There
are at least two key fronts by which this hellish trajectory can be altered.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">#1:
The Church restores moral authority<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Abortion
and various sexual, economic, and societal indecencies have infected the world,
in a particular way, the West (predominantly North America, Western Europe, and
Australia). The <i>primary and non-negotiable path</i> to save the moral
decadence in the West must come from the Church. The current generation of
papacy and bishops is largely infected with a secular bent hostile to truth and
tradition. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Our Lady
of Akita in 1973, fifty years ago, prophesied:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">The
work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one
will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who
venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">In
recent days, we’ve seen no less. One archbishop called out a </span><a href="https://onepeterfive.com/vigano-on-pride-mass-at-bidens-parish/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Cardinal’s acceptance of sexual
perversion at the divine liturgy</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">,
another </span><a href="https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2023/02/imagining-a-heretical-cardinal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">archbishop called out a
Cardinal’s heresy on sexuality</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">,
another Cardinal called out the </span><a href="https://www.catholicarena.com/latest/2023/3/24/cardinal-muller-blasts-heretical-german-synod"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">bishops of Germany for openly
embracing heresy</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">,
and holy priests remain persecuted and removed unjustly from ministry </span><a href="https://www.canceledpriests.org/about-us/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">by
their own bishops</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">.
Even the Pope is in contradiction to his </span><a href="https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2021/07/can-document-based-on-falsehoods-have.html#:~:text=Quo%20Primum%C2%A0is%20the%20authoritative%C2%A0declaration%20that%20the%201570%20missal%20is%20the%20monument%20of%20tradition%20par%20excellence%20of%20the%20Roman%20Rite%2C%20the%20definitive%20expression%20of%20the%C2%A0lex%20orandi%C2%A0of%20the%20Catholic%20Church.%20It%20is%20the%20Mass%20of%20the%20Fathers.%20And%20thus%20it%20can%20never%20be%20rendered%20illegitimate%20in%20the%20Catholic%20Church."><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">predecessors</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> and Vatican council </span><a href="https://www.ccwatershed.org/2021/07/26/shocking-what-vatican-ii-said-about-latin/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">fathers</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> on the liturgy and </span><a href="https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/popes-new-encyclical-ignores-previous-social-teaching/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">otherwise</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">. <a href="https://x.com/dianemontagna/status/1709889519233663205?s=20">Cardinal Zen</a>
this week called to the attention of bishops the revolutionary sexual deviance
promoted by the German bishops, allowed by the Pope to persist to date, and
warning that a goal of some at the “Synod on Synodality” is “sexual morality
different from that of Catholic Tradition.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">The sex
abuse scandal, </span><a href="https://archive.boston.com/globe/spotlight/abuse/stories5/022804_victims.htm"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">predominantly victimizing young
males</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">, continues
to come to light. Liturgical </span><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/the-archdiocese-of-chicago-under-cdl-cupich-is-in-complete-disarray-and-there-is-no-end-in-sight/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">abuses</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/official-draft-of-new-mayan-rite-of-mass-confirms-elements-of-ancient-pagan-worship-lay-principals/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">are</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254580/pride-mass-takes-place-in-washington-dc-despite-calls-for-cardinal-to-intervene"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">all</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://catholiccitizens.org/news/103384/cardinal-blase-cupich-presides-over-lgbtq-mass-in-lakeview-god-brought-us-together-here-as-a-community/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">too</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/eucharist-flies-off-table-during-outdoor-mass-offered-by-priest-in-lgbt-pride-stole/?utm_source=top_news&utm_campaign=catholic"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">common</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/cardinal-cupich-to-appear-at-ecumenical-conference-coordinated-by-wiccan-priestess/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Pagan</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> </span><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pachamama-idol-reappears-at-mass-with-latin-american-bishops-for-synod-on-synodality/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">influence</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> permeates the current hierarchy.
The secrecy of the sex abuse scandal has moved to secrecy in </span><a href="https://www.canceledpriests.org/about-us"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">“cancelling”</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> good priests. And there are
other scandals throughout the Church hierarchy, sadly too numerous to
enumerate.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Meanwhile,
a supermajority of “Catholics” are apparently </span><a href="https://aleteia.org/2023/01/13/survey-catholic-contraception-use-diverges-from-church-teaching/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">contracepting</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> against the moral order. Only a
small minority agree fully with the Church on </span><a href="https://www.ncregister.com/cna/new-ewtn-poll-where-do-catholics-stand-on-abortion-ahead-of-the-2022-midterms"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">abortion</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">. </span><a href="https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20230811/suicides-us-reached-all-time-high-2022-cdc"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Suicides</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> are hitting record highs. Teen </span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2023/p0213-yrbs.html"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">depression</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> is spiking. In the past several
years, youth have been </span><a href="https://dailycaller.com/2022/08/05/lgbt-study-transgender-falls-apart-social-contagion-theory-scrutiny/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">conditioned</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> to embrace heterodox sexuality
to the point that </span><a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/18228/share-of-americans-identifying-as-lgbt/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">20%</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> of Gen Z thinks they are
“nonbinary.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Such
tragically off-course results coincide with a Church hierarchy too silent on
orthodoxy, morality and the meaning of the human person, marriage, life,
sexuality, and humility. Instead of feeding the flock a foundation for virtues,
they largely act as “a disciple of the world,” as Msgr. Charles Pope recently
described the </span><a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2022/08/why-vaticans-survey-on-synodality-is.html"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">suspect</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> “Synod on Synodality.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">As long
as all these scandals and improprieties are permitted or endorsed by the Pope
and hierarchy, the entire world will suffocate and decay under their poisons. The
sanctification of the world is <i>dependent</i> on the sanctity of the Church.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">“The
world and the church are in a mess because we priests have failed to be as holy
as we are called to be,” said Father John Corapi in 1997 at a retreat for
priests and seminarians. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://twitter.com/FeserEdward/status/1673761155268108288?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Dr. Edward Feser</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">, professor of philosophy and
scholastic, recently observed (emphasis added): <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">A
mark of the diabolical disorder of our times is that we face grave problems (in
<b>Church</b>, state, education, etc.) which can be solved only by those with
the relevant authority, while at the same time largely having the worst
possible people occupying those positions of authority.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Finally,
restoration of the Latin may be a lynchpin to restoring sanity in the world.
The Traditional Latin Mass’s promotion of family and anthropological realities
are especially what today’s world not only lacks but often abhors. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Exorcist
</span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131018203447/https://www.u.arizona.edu/~aversa/modernism/Merit%20of%20the%20Mass%20(Fr.%20Ripperger,%20F.S.S.P.).pdf" target="_blank"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Fr. Chad Ripperger F.S.S.P.</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> stated:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">It
is safe to say that, objectively speaking, with respect to the ritual itself,<b>
the old rite of Mass has an ability to merit more than the new rite of Mass</b>.
While this merit is accidental, since the essential or intrinsic merit of the
Mass, which is the Sacrifice of Christ, is the same in both rites, it is
nevertheless something serious. Since the faithful are the beneficiaries of the
fruits derived from this aspect of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we have a grave
obligation to consider<b> the impact that this factor may be having on the life
of the Church</b>.</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocR3zWUM740Yo-aw0Bcdc0xMKPtH4lYBLn9KtdbmlO6BZMsbJGt13S_BcmHfOpmaUMnssEytEZaV3YgOyEA7MoxjYOKVjo443_eGUwmsbrOup4cYqk4hUHIHSpJ_Z6Z4mBx3M76Ib4hV-1wqz_sbnnUzBGaYkIyIpiP794qy47pveuJpe2T31aVRw9x0M/s622/the-mass-of-saint-gregory-anonymous-1490.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocR3zWUM740Yo-aw0Bcdc0xMKPtH4lYBLn9KtdbmlO6BZMsbJGt13S_BcmHfOpmaUMnssEytEZaV3YgOyEA7MoxjYOKVjo443_eGUwmsbrOup4cYqk4hUHIHSpJ_Z6Z4mBx3M76Ib4hV-1wqz_sbnnUzBGaYkIyIpiP794qy47pveuJpe2T31aVRw9x0M/s16000/the-mass-of-saint-gregory-anonymous-1490.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Mass of St. Gregory<br /></i>Spanish anonymous, ca 1490</td></tr></tbody></table><span face=""Gill Sans MT", sans-serif"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT", sans-serif">A
parallel change in rites also occurred in the wake of the Second Vatican
Council, namely the rite of exorcism. While some exorcists deny a difference in
efficacy of the older or new exorcism rites, the late Fr. Gabriel </span><a href="https://fisheaters.com/amorth.html"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Amorth</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT", sans-serif">, exorcist of Rome, decried the
new exorcism rite and obtained a dispensation to perform the rite rooted in
antiquity from 1614.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">On the
new rite of exorcism, Fr. Amorth said, “Efficacious prayers, prayers that had
been in existence for twelve centuries, were suppressed and replaced by new <b>ineffective
prayers</b>.” Another </span><a href="http://www.latinmassmagazine.com/articles/articles_2002_SU_Father_X.html"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">anonymous exorcist</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> stated of the new rite: “The new
rite will one day itself be subject to a true restoration, which will <b>restore
to the obligatory texts of the exorcist</b> the true nature of his office.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">These
changes in liturgical and exorcism rites coincide both with the aftermath of
the Council and immoral norms of the cultural and sexual revolution from the
1960s and 1970s. The evidence shows that a restoration to Latin in liturgy and
exorcism will restrict the current hold the devil and his minions have on the
world today.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Ultimately,
moral decadence will persist until the Church leads the way back to sanity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">#2:
The East and Global South move the West to reverse course<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Related
to the Church dimension is a secondary political one. In the U.S., the current
Administration is using a form of financial terrorism against states that do
not submit to “LGBT” ideology by </span><a href="https://catholicvote.org/gop-lawmakers-confront-biden-plan-cut-school-lunches-trans/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">withholding school lunch funding</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> that is available to states that
do submit. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Western
nations also use economic penalties (or even military penalties) to obtain
their social demands as an international policy. While Eastern or Southern
nations are not immune to corruption, the West had traditionally operated with
a brand of freedom and human prosperity. Those days have vanished. The East and
South at least appear to have a greater aversion to the degree of moral depravity
in the West.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">The
West’s accelerating deterioration has been noticed around the world. The
following is a small sample of countries condemning Western economic and social
immorality.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://twitter.com/RT_com/status/1649805258502336514?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Bharatiya Janata Party</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> (<b>Indian</b> People’s Party)
recently issued a statement: “A valid marriage is only between a biological
male and biological woman… any equality offered to same-sex couples goes
against religious values and seriously affects the interests of every citizen.”
Indian citizens also reject the idea to modernize by “follow[ing] Western
culture.”<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">The
group of countries forming what is known as <b>BRICS</b> are allying in large
part to insulate themselves from Western sanctions by way of </span><a href="https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/world/2023/08/672_357419.html"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">“de-dollarization.”</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> These sanctions are often
imposed against countries that do not embrace the West’s sexual proclivities.
The West </span><a href="https://dailypost.ng/2021/02/09/president-biden-threatens-financial-visa-sanctions-against-nigeria-others-over-anti-gay-laws/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">openly admits</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> this, citing a nation’s “climate
of intolerance” as grounds for “financial sanctions, visa restrictions, and
other actions.” The U.S. currently even has a bill, </span><a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/hr4422"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">HR4422</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">, with the intention “To impose
sanctions on foreign persons responsible for violations of internationally
recognized human rights against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and
intersex (LGBTQI) individuals, and for other purposes.” <o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">In
June,</span><a href="https://c-fam.org/wp-content/uploads/Request-to-U.S.-Congress-to-Align-PEPFAR-to-Africas-Pro-Life-Values.pdf"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">130 African signatories</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> wrote to the U.S. Congress
warning against funding immorality in Africa. They wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><!--[if !supportLists]--><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><!--[if !supportLists]--></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><!--[if !supportLists]--></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.75in;"><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">[W]e
want to express our concerns and suspicions that this funding is supporting
so-called family planning and reproductive health principles and practices,
including abortion, that violate our core beliefs concerning life, family, and
religion.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Nations
represented included: <b>Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia,
Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Japanese</span></b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> citizens are </span><a href="https://twitter.com/rinn215/status/1658138374681808897?t=jNJSLWaCrBKogjk60yIWUA&s=19"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">opposing so-called LGBT politics</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> because “thanks to” the West,
they have seen its “horror.”<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">On
the current U.S. government’s abuse of the Department of Justice, the </span><a href="https://twitter.com/nayibbukele/status/1641606772560412676?t=bmZG8D-2RPVcTD0BgKxgKA&s=19"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">President of <b>El Salvador</b>
observed</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">:
“Sadly, it’ll be very hard for US Foreign Policy to use arguments such as
‘democracy’ and ‘free and fair elections’, or try to condemn ‘political
persecution’ in other countries, from now on”.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">At
the start of the conflict in Ukraine, </span><a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/in-sermon-russian-church-leader-kirill-links-ukraine-war-with-gay-pride-parade-2812228"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill</span></b></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> stated there was a link between
Western moral values and the war. “For eight years there have been attempts to
destroy what exists in Donbas. And in Donbas there is a rejection, a
fundamental rejection of the so-called values that are offered today by those
who claim world power.” He added that having “pride parades” showed a “test of
loyalty” to Western sexual propaganda. “[I]n order to join the club of those countries,
you have to have a gay pride parade.” <o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">In
November, <b>Russia</b> passed a law criminalizing, among other things,
propaganda for “promoting non-traditional sexual relations,” sex-change
operations, and pedophilia. </span><a href="https://orthochristian.com/149671.html"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Vyacheslav
Volodin, deputy of the Russian State Duma</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">, commented: “This decision will protect our children and the future of the country
from the darkness spread by the United States and European states. We have our
own traditions and values.”<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">In
February, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/WarClandestine/status/1661955991246708736"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Russian President Vladimir <b>Putin</b></span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> delivered a speech that proved
internationally popular, emphasizing Western notability’s sexual predation of
children. <o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><!--[if !supportLists]--><p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Look
what [the Western elite] are doing to their own people. <b>It is all about the
destruction of the family, of cultural and national identity, perversion and
abuse of children, including pedophilia, all of which are declared normal in
their life. They are forcing the priests to bless same-sex marriages. </b>…<b> </b>Millions
of <b>people in the West realize that they are being led to a spiritual
disaster</b>. Frankly, the elite appear to have gone crazy, and it looks like
there is no cure for that. But like I said, these are their problems, while we
must protect our children, which we will do. <b>We will protect our children
from degradation and degeneration</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Meanwhile,
</span><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20220309110456/https:/www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/mi6-chief-faces-backlash-saying-ukraine-war-about-lgbt-rights"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Western leaders</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> specifically state that “lgbt”
issues are a primary factor in Western opposition to Russia in Ukraine. Four
days after Putin’s speech, the </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ChiefMI6/status/1497287654441984007?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Chief of the <b>UK</b> Secret
Intelligence Service (MI6) Robert Moore</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> said: “With the tragedy and destruction unfolding
so distressingly in Ukraine, we should remember the values and hard won
freedoms that <b>distinguish us from Putin, none more than LGBT+ rights</b>.”<o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://thesaker.is/article-by-sergey-lavrov-russian-minister-of-foreign-affairs-the-law-the-rights-and-the-rules-moscow-june-28-2021/"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Russian</span></b></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> Minister of Foreign Affairs
Sergei Lavrov also cited the West’s exportation of its sexual requirements. <o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><!--[if !supportLists]--><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">“[T]he
[West’s] “rules” concept also manifests itself in attempts to encroach on the
very human nature. In a number of Western countries, students learn at school
that Jesus Christ was bisexual. Attempts by reasonable politicians to <b>shield
the younger generation from aggressive LGBT propaganda</b> are met with
bellicose protests from the ‘enlightened Europe.’ All world religions, the
genetic code of the planet’s key civilizations, are under attack. The United
States is at the forefront of state interference in church affairs, openly
seeking to drive a wedge into the Orthodox world, whose values are viewed as a
powerful spiritual obstacle for the liberal concept of boundless
permissiveness.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">In
March, a Western ambassador from <b>Germany traveled to the African nation of
Namibia</b> to criticize them on their growing Chinese population. The Namibian
Head of State, Hage Geingob, responded sternly. “Why has this become your
problem?” He contrasted the way Namibians are treated poorly in Germany versus
how their relations with the Chinese are faring. “[O]ur people are being
bullied in Germany. … Talk about Germans. How do you treat us there? The
Chinese don’t treat us like this.”</span></li><li><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">In
September, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/Sprinter99800/status/1706311639891382326"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Syrian</span></b></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> President Bashar al-Assad also
spoke of turning attention to China as a result of Western economic sanctions: “[M]ost
countries in the world are looking forward to the Chinese yuan transforming
into an international currency, since the dollar is the West’s weapon against
developing countries.”<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">In
a November 2021 interview with British media, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/upholdreality/status/1673340015252848643"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Belarus</span></b></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> President Alexander Lukashenko
issued strong condemnation of the West’s tactics. “I really don’t care what
they think of me in England or in the USA or EU. Because the whole world has
seen what you’re really like.” And, referring to Western interference in </span><a href="http://www.ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2020/september/01/anatomy-of-coup-attempt-in-belarus/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Belarus 2020 elections</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> and possibly an alleged
attempted </span><a href="https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2021/04/18/belarus-lukashenko-claims-he-foiled-us-backed-coup-as-two-people-are-arrested-by-moscow"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">assassination</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> attempt in 2021, he added, “What
business of yours are our elections? We don’t interfere in the UK or America,
in your home, why did you come to ours and start to smash it up?”<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">In
March, the president of </span><a href="https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/oped/commentary/full-speech-museveni-s-address-to-parliament-4163788"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Uganda</span></b></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">, Yoweri Museveni finished a
speech on economic policy with a comment on Western interference: “On the issue
of homosexuals, we shall get time and discuss it thoroughly… The western
countries should stop wasting the time of humanity by trying to impose their
practices on other peoples.” <o:p></o:p></span></li><li><a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-brazil-lula-xi-jinping-91c34b4a9fb78f263d6f81f1e9a16f49"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Brazil’s</span></b></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> president Luiz Inácio Lula da
Silva explicitly condemned the United States’ role in fueling the Ukraine
conflict. “It is necessary that the U.S. stops stimulating the war and talk
about peace,” he said in April. Leaked documents pertaining to Russia and
Brazil apparently refer to an “the West’s ‘</span><a href="https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/international/2023/04/17/fgn63-brazil-russia-lavrov.html"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">aggressor-victim</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">’ paradigm,” which echoes a
sentiment that the West is the aggressor in many international conflicts while
claiming to be on defense.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><a href="https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2023/07/22/hungarys-orban-condemns-eu-federalism-lgbtq-offensive/81178"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Hungarian</span></b></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> Prime Minister Viktor Orban
recognized both the West’s interference in elections and propagandization of
its sexual distortions. He said “the [EU] federalists are trying to squeeze us out.
They openly wanted a change in government in Hungary.” He added: “The EU
rejects Christian heritage, carries out a replacement of its population via
migration ... and conducts an LGBTQ offensive.”<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">A
member of </span><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/12/home-office-officials-cause-diplomatic-row-with-false-claim/"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Poland’s</span></b></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> parliament, Kacper Plazynski,
rejected Britain’s criticism of Poland’s efforts to promote the traditional
family. “I am enormously disappointed in the unit of the UK’s Home Office which
fell for propaganda of a trivial radical left activist about alleged Polish
discrimination of gays.” Hinting at Britain’s interference, he added. “It is up
to Polish people to decide the shape and form of the Polish constitution.”<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">“This
is the path of <b>Venezuela</b> and the path of a free economy where currencies
are not used to punish countries and impose sanctions,” </span><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/576505-venezuela-maduro-abandon-dollar/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">said Venezuelan President</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> Nicolas Maduro in May, promising
to abandon the U.S. dollar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The
de-dollarization of global trade is an unavoidable reality that we are
currently witnessing. The era of unjust sanctions and economic manipulations
that harm the people is coming to an end.” <o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">The
concept of gay “marriage” is overwhelmingly rooted in Western governments as
this </span><a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/07/06/mapped-countries-where-same-sex-marriage-is-legal/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">map</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> illustrates.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">In
April, a dignitary from the </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cqkr-rbo_NC/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Bahamas</span></b></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> vehemently decried England’s
effort to push perversion in schools:<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><!--[if !supportLists]--><p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.75in;"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">You
can't come in my country <b>teaching my children foolishness</b>. Don't come in
this country. Now you want to be in England, you can teach them all the boogery
things you want to teach them in England. But not in the Bahamas. Don't bring that
around here. And I also want to say to all you parents, all you parents who
have been emailing me, texting me, listen, you all get ready. Because the time
will come when <b>all of us are going to have to stand up to protect our
children</b>. I think we have to show this government. Because what this
government is doing is testing the water to see if we pass it, if we're benign
and going to let it slide. We will not let it slide. <b>Not one filthy book
will be let in our classrooms and our libraries</b>. I'm going to lead the
charge. When I say let's go, I need you all to let's go. Because I ain't
letting it happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">In
July 2023, </span><a href="https://lc.org/full-article/0731-21-physicians-speak-out-against-transgender-health-practices"><b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">21 international</span></b><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> endocrinologists signed a letter
condemning</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> “the politicization
of transgender healthcare in the U.S.”<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><!--[if !supportLists]--><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Examples
could go on and on. But this is a flavor for the global resistance to Western
immoralities. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">Jeffrey
Sachs, economist and former UN advisor, </span><a href="https://rumble.com/v2u3haq-security-guarantees-w-jeffrey-sachs-live.html"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">recently commented on the West’s
dangerous path</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">The
US is seen for what it is, which is, you know, most of the world saying we
don't want to be led by you. Thank you. We'd like to trade with you, would like
to cooperate. We don't want to be bombed by you. Thank you. … But we don't want
to follow you or have your sanctions regime and so on. … I do think that <b>the
weight of the world opinion</b> really coming together to say, come on stop
already, is actually going to, one way or another, <b>make the difference</b>.
I hope it makes the difference.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">If the
East and global South are sincere in their rejection of Western immorality,
this could pose a problem for those immoralities to persist, even in the West. The
current BRICS nations have surpassed the Western-led G20 nations in global </span><a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/30638/brics-and-g7-share-of-global-gdp/"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">GDP</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">.</span></span><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> BRICS also stands to control </span><a href="https://twitter.com/Sprinter99800/status/1694710178896351333?s=20"><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif">80% of the world’s oil</span></a><span face=""Gill Sans MT",sans-serif"> production. The West may well
have to back off their insane immoral propaganda and child abuse if they want
any part of commerce that will otherwise be insulated from their control. Or
the West can stay the course and be king of the ashes gathering underfoot. <o:p></o:p></span></p>The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-14669889594213628712023-05-11T17:56:00.001-07:002023-05-11T17:57:43.536-07:00Abortion: An industry dependent on lies<p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">No industry is more dependent on lies than abortion. What other industry today could even compete? Car sales? Politics? Illegal drug cartels or trafficking? Whichever it is, abortion is in that conversation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Following is a multitude of lies advanced by the abortion industry. And the list isn't exhaustive. These are not
obscure lies told by individuals with a negligible audience. These are lies
pertaining to the fundamental premises of abortion. They are foundational. They
are lies told by the abortion industry. They are lies told by politicians
funded by the abortion industry. The are lies told by abortion influencers or
media.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lie #1: “My body, my choice”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The phrase “my body, my choice” is a common one among
abortion proponents. The implication is that an abortion is merely a decision
the woman makes about “her body.” But this is a lie. The baby’s body is not
only philosophically but genetically distinct from the mother’s. </span><a href="http://bdfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Condic-Sources-Embryology.pdf"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">A
multitude of scientific papers acknowledge the individuality of new life at
fertilization</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">. For example: “Fertilization is the
process by which male and female haploid gametes <b>(sperm and egg) unite to
produce a genetically distinct individual</b>.” (Signorelli J, Diaz ES, Morales
P)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lie #2: Fake embryo pictures</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">In October 2022, The Guardian posted outright fake pictures of a human embryo.
It described the pictures as “tissue” or what a “pregnancy” looks like at
various early weeks of pregnancy. However, the images only showed bits of
gestational sac. The embryo was missing from the photos. The article quotes Dr.
Joan Fleischman with MYA Network, the abortion business credited with the
photos. Fleischman specifically said the internet and placards show human
embryos with “human-like qualities.” However, she asserted, the fake pictures
in the Guardian article—which showed only gestational sac bits—are “what it
actually looks like.” A stir on social media followed, both from <a href="https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2022/10/21/the-guardian-is-wrong-this-is-what-a-9-week-old-unborn-baby-looks-like/">medical
professionals</a>, and from <a href="https://www.liveaction.org/news/mom-images-10-week-miscarried-twins/">women
who have experienced miscarriages</a> and know first-hand that the images from The
Guardian and MYA Network were fake.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Guardian later attempted to explain the absence of the embryo with another
false statement which was added to the article as a disclaimer: “This article
was amended on 19 October 2022 to include the detail that at nine weeks the
nascent embryo is not easily discernible to the naked eye.” However, The
Guardian only added another false statement to their false article. At <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/prenatal-care/art-20045302#:~:text=Week%209%3A%20Baby's%20toes%20appear&text=Toes%20are%20visible%20and%20eyelids,diameter%20of%20a%20U.S.%20penny.">9
weeks</a>, the human embryo not only has human features, but is close to ¾ of
an inch in size, or larger than many adult fingernails.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3xZ41DYFGnWC1RD6Vi2hU31pVXuHchOx9QEkex-AgksJLAsQBU6i3gwpPOW-TmMAfarwrFodKFXnozrQYrJ3Ivh3jj0xzml1CmkTJSOJEYlhbCRZMUva7avhUA76RfEZUm6KhoYXaSAMm7Y4GLCLiZTcPWg6UbleUGZee4fSoWGHag_xh0s0czN_-A/s584/lieu1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="584" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3xZ41DYFGnWC1RD6Vi2hU31pVXuHchOx9QEkex-AgksJLAsQBU6i3gwpPOW-TmMAfarwrFodKFXnozrQYrJ3Ivh3jj0xzml1CmkTJSOJEYlhbCRZMUva7avhUA76RfEZUm6KhoYXaSAMm7Y4GLCLiZTcPWg6UbleUGZee4fSoWGHag_xh0s0czN_-A/s320/lieu1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Rather than vanishing in shame, this lie is perpetuated, as recently as
April 2023. Ted Lieu, congressman from California,
was angered by the recent judicial decision that ruled the abortion drug
mifepristone had <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.370067/gov.uscourts.txnd.370067.137.0_11.pdf">not
undergone proper FDA protocols</a> when it was approved in 2000. Lieu tweeted
one of the fake MYA Network pictures and included the claim: <i>“Mifepristone is
for abortions of less than 10 weeks. Below are pictures of pregnancies at 6, 7,
8, and 9 weeks.”</i> When called out for sharing fake images, Lieu later doubled
down by sharing another fake article from Insider, which claimed, among other
lies, <i>“There is no ‘heart’ at six weeks of pregnancy.”</i> But the heart is known to develop as early as 3 weeks and can be
observed beating by <a href="https://lozierinstitute.org/the-science-behind-embryonic-heartbeats-a-fact-sheet/#_ftn3">week
6</a>. (See more on the heartbeat lie at Lie #8 below.)</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKefYfupyjv_N78xe-xxIlFwh3aej0hxVkOozdHS9Shu_ty-qV7t1jAJHIrcE0LNIuDvVGM-UYoazLuWFYzuaAdMqqUzF7Gx9cjDhOfaY6SY4Aio76ZM6dzm_Pq5UjZ9ygVCWjMvzXvEdYFJhT8reJDLWhhL9sYCVlG8BPP_NLpTNGhI2nGlrqA56yfw/s998/embryo_7-8_weeks.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="998" data-original-width="670" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKefYfupyjv_N78xe-xxIlFwh3aej0hxVkOozdHS9Shu_ty-qV7t1jAJHIrcE0LNIuDvVGM-UYoazLuWFYzuaAdMqqUzF7Gx9cjDhOfaY6SY4Aio76ZM6dzm_Pq5UjZ9ygVCWjMvzXvEdYFJhT8reJDLWhhL9sYCVlG8BPP_NLpTNGhI2nGlrqA56yfw/w269-h400/embryo_7-8_weeks.png" width="269" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Embryo at 7-8 weeks<br />(Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lunarcaustic/sets/72157617368698808/" target="_blank">lunar caustic at Flickr</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The above photo is of an actual human embryo (7-8 weeks). The gestational sac, which can be
observed surrounding the embryo, is only what The Guardian article showed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Lie #3: "Abortion Saves Lives"</b><br />
This phrase is commonly seen at protests, asserted by pro-abortion organizations,
or even stated by <a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/2/blog/post/edit/2255955026366433532/1466988959421362871" target="_blank">abortion "doctors."</a> This lie is obvious.
Abortion ends a human life. "Abortion Causes Death" would be an accurate
sign. Some claimants confuse treatment of <a href="https://www.lifenews.com/2023/04/03/abortionist-says-women-will-die-if-florida-bans-abortions-but-no-women-have-died-from-any-current-abortion-bans/">ectopic
pregnancy</a> or other life-threatening diagnoses with abortion. See Lie #13. Others use incomplete data.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Illinois’ anti-pregnancy help Senate Bill 1909 (SB 1909) claims the <i>“risk
of death associated with childbirth is approximately 14 times higher than the
risk of death associated with an abortion.”</i> Again, the assertion dishonestly
does not account for the baby variable, which results in 100% death for every
completed abortion. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The statistic is still specious even if only the life of
the mother is considered. For example, a subsequent study <a href="https://medscimonit.com/abstract/index/idArt/883338">Short and long term
mortality rates associated with first pregnancy outcome</a> looked at 463,473
women. The study states:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Previous population studies, however, have
failed to control for complete reproductive histories</b>. In this study we seek to
eliminate the potential confounding effect of unknown prior pregnancy history
by examining mortality rates associated specifically with first pregnancy
outcome alone. We also examine differences in mortality rates associated with
early abortion and late abortions (after 12 weeks).<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">They concluded: <i>“Compared to women who delivered, <b>women who had an
early or late abortion had significantly higher mortality rates</b> within 1
through 10 years.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">A 2020 study, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32699440/">Induced
Abortion and the Increased Risk of Maternal Mortality</a>, found similar
results when more health information about the patients was factored. They
summarize:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">In Finland, where epidemiologic record linkage
has been validated, the <b>risk of death from legal induced abortion is
reported to be almost four times greater than the risk of death from childbirth</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lie #4: Late-term abortions aren’t real<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dr. Barbara Levy, vice president of health policy for the American College
of Gynecologists (ACOG), <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/06/health/late-term-abortion-explainer/index.html">stated</a>:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">The phrase “late-term abortion” is medically
inaccurate and has no clinical meaning. In science and medicine, it’s essential
to use language precisely. In pregnancy, to be “late term” means to be past 41
weeks gestation, or past a patient’s due date. Abortions do not occur in this
time period, so the phrase is contradictory.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">ACOG’s website also claims “late-term abortion” is <i>“a biased, nonmedical
phrase intended to appropriate clinical language in order to misconstrue the
reality of patient care.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">First, ACOG is attempting to restrict a scientific use onto a term that is also
native to legal language. This is a form of the fallacy of equivocation and is
a basic error in contextual interpretation. It is disingenuous for ACOG to suggest there is legislation against a non-existent abortion type. When the term “late-term abortion”
is used in legal documents, a gestational age typically accompanies it. For
instance:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">An <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/19/19-1392/184712/20210722163259351_41205%20pdf%20Parker%20I%20br.pdf">amicus brief for Dobbs submitted by 375 women injured by abortion</a>, “late-term abortion” is specified as 2<sup>nd</sup> or 3<sup>rd</sup> trimester (or 13 and 26 weeks).</span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">The case of <a href="https://casetext.com/case/planned-parenthood-of-wisconsin-v-doyle">Planned
Parenthood of Wisconsin vs. Doyle</a> specified “late-term abortion” as after
the 20th week of pregnancy.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Second, Levy’s definition does not stand on universally held medical ground.
For example, the <a href="https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Late+term+abortion">McGraw-Hill
Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine</a> defines “late-term abortion” as <i>“Any
abortion performed after the fetus would be viable…”</i> (With current
medicine, babies have survived at about <a href="https://www.livescience.com/premature-baby-breaks-world-record">21 weeks</a>.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">A cursory search of medical and scientific studies reveal that use of "late-term" abortions is not restricted to ACOG's 41-week definition. For
example:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">A </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3066627/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">study published at
the National Library of Medicine</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> refers to “late-term abortions (after 16
weeks).”</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">A </span><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1016/S0968-8080(08)31373-1" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">study published
in Reproductive Health Matters</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> speaks of late-term abortions after women
had 2</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">nd</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> trimester ultrasounds.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">A </span><a href="https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jp/2010/130519/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">study published in the
Journal of Pregnancy</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> refers to “late” abortions as occurring in the 2</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">nd</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
or 3</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">rd</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> trimester.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">A </span><a href="https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajo.12305" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">study
published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> looked at
women seeking abortions after 20-weeks, referring to this as “late-term
abortion.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">An </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8249091/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">article published
at the National Library of Medicine</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> suggests late-term abortion is after
“viability.”</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">An </span><a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/187892?resultClick=1" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">article
in the Journal of American Medical Association</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> says a </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">“late-term abortion”
is <i>“referred to in the medical literature as intact dilation and extraction
(D&X)”</i></b></span></li></ul><p></p><p style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Lie #5: Pregnancy Resource Centers are not "medical"</b><br />
In 2022, Elizabeth Warren and several other senators sent a specious letter (<a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/2/blog/post/edit/2255955026366433532/1466988959421362871" target="_blank">PDF</a>) to pregnancy help network Heartbeat International,
Inc., and included the claim: <i>"your organization and its affiliate CPCs
are not legitimate medical providers."</i> However, the facts refute this lie.
The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates reports <a href="https://nifla.org/supporting-pregnancy-centers-during-times-of-turmoil/">1,400
out of their 1,600 affiliates are licensed medical centers</a>. The Charlotte
Lozier Institute report on pregnancy center statistics reveals <a href="http://lozierinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Pregnancy-Center-Report-2020_FINAL.pdf">79%
of pregnancy centers nationwide are "medical."</a> Pregnancy Centers
employ or have volunteers who are licensed medical staff, including nurses and
sonographers. The report also states:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Medical pregnancy centers or clinics perform limited
ultrasounds in accordance with specific standards and guidelines set forth by
medical professional bodies, including the American Institute of Ultrasound in
Medicine (AIUM); Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses
(AWHONN); the American College of Radiology (ACR); and the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). </i>`<i>Under these guidelines a
limited ultrasound may be performed to “confirm the presence of an intrauterine
pregnancy,” which addresses the primary reason a woman visits a pregnancy
center. </i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lie #6: Only 3-4% of Planned Parenthood's “medical services” are
abortions</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Abortion behemoth Planned Parenthood's annual reports regularly claim 3 or 4% of total
"medical services" their affiliates provide are abortion. As we've
established, abortion is not medicine. So that's a lie. And the 3-4% figure is
also dishonest. This false statistic has been debunked since at least as early
as <a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/2/blog/post/edit/2255955026366433532/1466988959421362871" target="_blank">2012</a>, yet they continued to mislead year after year in
annual reports. The number is fudged by counting peripheral services received in
each visit as equal to abortion, when abortion was the entire intent of the
client's visit. So if a woman gets a pregnancy test before the abortion, they
will count them each as 50% of the client's services received, even though the
former may cost $10 and take a moment and the abortion—which is why she’s
there—will take upwards of hours including recovery and could cost over $1,000.
As a perspective to how deceptive this is, journalist <a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/2/blog/post/edit/2255955026366433532/1466988959421362871" target="_blank">Nick Lowry</a> wrote, "Major League Baseball teams
could say that they sell about 20 million hot dogs and play 2,430 games in a
season, so baseball is only .012 percent of what they do."<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lie #7: Pregnancy is an illness<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The abortion pill mifepristone was fast-tracked by the
FDA in the year 2000. </span><a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-314/subpart-H"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The
Code of Federal Regulations Title 21</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> only permits
“accelerated approval” of a drug if it is for “treating serious or
life-threatening illnesses…” The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine pointed this lie out. In their November 2022 </span><a href="chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https:/adfmedialegalfiles.blob.core.windows.net/files/AllianceForHippocraticMedicineComplaint.pdf"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">case
filing against the FDA</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, they stated, <i>“But chemical abortion
drugs do not treat serious or life-threatening illnesses. Indeed, pregnancy is
a normal physiological state that many females experience one or more times
during their childbearing years.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lie #8: No heartbeat at 6 weeks<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In October 2022, South Carolina Chief Justice Donald
W. Beatty incorrectly asserted that a 6-week embryo’s heartbeat is “really not
a heartbeat. It’s an electrical signal.” Associate Justice Kaye G. Hearn
incorrectly described the heartbeat as “actually embryonic cardiac activity…a
true heartbeat does not occur until all four chambers in the heart have
developed.” The judges’ assertions amount to word games, a mere avoidance of
using the term “heart.” Furthermore, scientific literature points to the onset
of the heartbeat at the early end of the 4<sup>th</sup> week of pregnancy, or
around day 22.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Jörg Männer’s 2022 paper in the </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9225347/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Journal
of Cardiovascular Development and Disease</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> states: “the
human embryonic heart starts beating at 21 to 23 days after fertilization.” And
Männer specifically accounts for electric activity preceding the heartbeat:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The term “heartbeat” is
used to describe “the regular movement that the heart makes as it sends blood
around your body”. The above-mentioned observations suggest that, with regard
to the embryonic heart, we should not speak of a beating heart before
coordinated regular movements of its walls generate a unidirectional fluid flow
within the vascular network of the embryonic cardiovascular system. In human
embryos this functional state seems to be reached during CS-10. Based on data
from macaque embryos, the post-fertilization age of human CS-10 embryos was
estimated as <b>21 to 23 days</b>…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Some challenges to this figure only add 4-5 days,
which means even conservative estimates acknowledge a heartbeat in the 4<sup>th</sup>
week. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Other studies affirm this. Tan and Lewandowski’s paper
published in </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7265763/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Fetal
Diagnosis and Therapy</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> states: “The initiation of the first
heart beat via the primitive heart tube begins at gestational <b>day 22</b>,
followed by active fetal blood circulation by the end of week 4.” </span><a href="https://open.oregonstate.education/aandp/chapter/19-5-development-of-the-heart/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Oregon
State University Anatomy & Physiology</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> curriculum
teaches the same: “The human heart is the first functional organ to develop. It
begins beating and pumping blood around day 21 or 22…”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Directly addressing the misinformation put out by the
South Carolina judges, </span><a href="https://lozierinstitute.org/fact-check-s-c-chief-justice-beatty-is-wrong-heart-rate-at-six-weeks-is-110-beats-per-minute/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Dr.
Tara Sander Lee, PhD</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, director of Life Sciences for the
Charlotte Lozier Institute, said, “A heartbeat at six weeks is scientific
consensus based on published validated, objective, biological investigation,
not a public relations campaign.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lie #9: Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) isn’t
real<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Abortion proponents have deceived the public about the
possibility of abortion pill reversal. For example, a 2022 anti-pregnancy
center </span><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266732152200021X"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">article</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> published
in a science journal contains multiple inaccuracies, including the following: <i>“Research
has established that CPCs engage in abortion misinformation, including leading
people to believe that medication abortions are reversible…”</i> The American
College of Gynecologists claims abortion pill reversal is <i>“not supported by science.”</i>
Appealing to these kinds of lies, the </span><a href="https://coloradosun.com/2023/04/28/colorado-abortion-pill-reversal-federal-lawsuit-ruling/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">state
of Colorado</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> is currently seeking to ban abortion pill
reversal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The fact is, so-called “medication abortions” are
indeed reversible. This is indisputable. </span><a href="https://pregnancyhelpnews.com/from-the-toughest-choices-to-incredible-joy-aprn-tops-4-500-lives-saved"><span style="mso-field-code: "HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/pregnancyhelpnews\.com\/statistics-show-more-than-4-000-lives-have-been-saved-through-abortion-pill-reversal\0022";"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Over
4,500 lives</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> have been saved for mothers who changed
their minds after taking the first abortion pill by following the abortion pill
reversal protocol. Abortion pill reversal replenishes the progesterone that the
abortion pill depleted, thus giving the pregnancy a chance to continue. Dr.
George Delgado, pioneer of the abortion pill reversal protocol, explains the
process in a recent </span><a href="https://edify.us/video/how-to-stop-planned-parenthoods-favorite-pill/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Edify
video</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">. Testimonials and photos of actual babies born after
successful abortion pill reversals can be seen at Heartbeat International’s </span><a href="https://www.heartbeatinternational.org/our-work/apr"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Abortion
Pill Rescue Network</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lie #10: The abortion pill is safe/“safer
than Tylenol”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Dr. Serina Floyd, vice president of medical affairs
and medical director of Planned Parenthood, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/aaplog/status/1648753583343403009?s=20"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">claimed</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
in a February 23, 2023 television interview that the abortion pill “is not
dangerous at all.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">A Bloomberg “healthcare” journalist made popular the
bad faith argument that the abortion pill </span><a href="https://www.liveaction.org/news/bloomberg-writer-abortion-pill-safer-tylenol-truth/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">mifepristone</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> is
safer than Tylenol because it “sends fewer people to the ER.” The most obvious
problem with these claims is that they ignore the 230,000+ innocent lives ended
by the abortion pill annually. </span><a href="https://www.liveaction.org/news/bloomberg-writer-abortion-pill-safer-tylenol-truth/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Read
here for a thoroughly sourced refutation of the Tylenol claim at LiveAction</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Additionally, the Bloomberg article must nonsensically
lump ER visits from Tylenol <i>due to overdose</i> with mifepristone ER visits
due to <i>use as indicated</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In 2016, the abortion industry convinced the </span><a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-18-292"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">FDA to help keep
mifepristone’s adverse effects secret</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> by<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">changing the requirement
for prescribers to agree to report to Mifeprex’s sponsor any serious adverse
event associated with Mifeprex, including hospitalizations and blood
transfusions…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Adverse effects have not been required reporting for
some seven years. Doctors at the </span><a href="https://lozierinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Unwanted-Abortions-Unnecessary-Abortions-Unsafe-Abortions-1.pdf"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Charlotte
Lozier Institute conducted a thoroughly sourced review</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
of mifepristone’s dangers and adverse effects reporting. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Bloomberg article also fails to account for how </span><a href="https://acpeds.org/position-statements/chemical-abortions-with-and-without-medical-supervision#:~:text=Identification%20of%20intimate,unsuspecting%20pregnant%20women."><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">the
abortion pill enables sex trafficking</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> or relationship abuse. <a href="https://studentsforlife.org/2022/05/27/sexual-abusers-use-abortion-drugs-on-victims-these-are-their-stories/" target="_blank">Students for Life</a> has organized dozens of stories of the abortion pill drug slipped into women's drinks or other devious tricks. Tylenol
does not have this unsafe problem. Unfettered distribution of the drug will only exacerbate this problem.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Finally, data often cited by abortion proponents on
the safety of mifepristone is founded on circular illogic. Since reporting of adverse
events from the drug are no longer required, abortion proponents cite data that
does not account for the very adverse events they lobbied to have unreported.
In a recent </span><a href="https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/myvmojgodvr/ND%20Texas%20Abortion%20Pill%20Ruling%202023-04-07.pdf"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">judicial
case in Texas</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, the judge pointed this out:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Defendants maintain that
“Plaintiffs offer no explanation for why it was impermissible to rely on the
reported data.” ECF No. 28 at 33. The explanation should be obvious — <b>it is
circular and self-serving to practically eliminate an “adverse event” reporting
requirement and then point to a low number of “adverse events” as a
justification for removing even more restrictions</b> than were already omitted
in 2000 and 2016. In other words, it is a predetermined conclusion in search of
non-data — a database designed to produce a null set.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lie #11: Abortion is “healthcare/medical”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Politicians and abortion proponents loyally use euphemisms
like “abortion care” and refer to the abortion pill as “medical abortion.”
“Abortion is healthcare…A medical decision…” declared JB Pritzker, governor of
Illinois in a January press release. Of course, this language is dishonest.
Abortion is the opposite of medicine. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Currently, Google flags videos on abortion with the
following false “Context” statement:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">An abortion is a
procedure to end a pregnancy. It uses <b>medicine</b> or surgery to remove the
embryo or fetus and placenta from the uterus. The procedure is <b>done by a
licensed healthcare professional</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">First, that the topic of abortion gets this special
treatment by Google’s staff only adds to suspicion that corporations are
compromised by the abortion industry. Secondly, Google’s statement is false because
abortion never uses “medicine.” As we established, by definition, it’s false to
call something medicine unless it’s end goal is to help correct something wrong
with the body and pregnancy is not a disorder nor disease. Additionally,
Google’s statement is false to claim abortion is done by a licensed healthcare
professional, because abortion-backed politicians have changed laws in several
states so a woman can obtain the abortion pill </span><a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/the-abortion-pill-which-accounts-for-more-than-half-of-us-abortions-never-should-have-been-approved"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">without
ever seeing a doctor</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, leaving the woman to self-administer the abortion and
deal with the aftermath at home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0g2uYhYEblJHbKBMk93T-b-amJ7EGTbYyGEKFDpk885noWuzRK9tBDEXPsoXEocXmilzF5C-paoCO7aBLQeIX7HAExswJAHn8P9Sl19KQS4Dczih12mCMC91ZLQwNL8VEta9EzzwatLgq8eSVvMv6tVlMGjYW0dKNrRPRZEyvmUvQdrdU6prswCuNSA/s1326/youtube_abortion_lie_disclaimer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="1326" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0g2uYhYEblJHbKBMk93T-b-amJ7EGTbYyGEKFDpk885noWuzRK9tBDEXPsoXEocXmilzF5C-paoCO7aBLQeIX7HAExswJAHn8P9Sl19KQS4Dczih12mCMC91ZLQwNL8VEta9EzzwatLgq8eSVvMv6tVlMGjYW0dKNrRPRZEyvmUvQdrdU6prswCuNSA/w400-h133/youtube_abortion_lie_disclaimer.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Abortion is more akin to poison, which is medically
defined as causing </span><a href="https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/poison"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“structural
or functional disturbance.”</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> (See related article </span><a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2017/10/birth-control-is-not-medicine.html"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Birth
Control is not medicine</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">). In an abortion, the baby is <i>terminated</i>
and the typical mother’s body, which was functioning correctly to sustain
pregnancy, is artificially obstructed from that correct function.</span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lie #12: Plan B is only contraceptive, not
abortifacient<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In December of 2022, the makers of Plan B One-Step </span><a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2022/021998Orig1s005SumR.pdf"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">lobbied
the FDA</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> to change its product label. The drug is colloquially
known as the “morning after pill,” often taken by women seeking to prevent
pregnancy after they have had intercourse. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Prior labeling admitted the pill could possibly work
by preventing implantation <i>after</i> conception. This of course amounts to
an abortion. The manufacturer lobbied the FDA in part because the change would
make the drug easier to market: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[T]he applicant states…
some <b>consumers are hesitant</b> to use a product that might affect
postovulatory events, in particular implantation of the blastocyst.</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
… <i>The applicant asserts that updates to the labeling are needed to make the
labeling more accurate, to reduce consumer confusion, and <b>potentially to
reduce barriers to use of the legally marketed approved product</b>.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">As you can see, the impetus for the label change was
in part based on marketability. </span><a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/plan-gets-new-label-fda-clarify-cause-abortion/story?id=95657885"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">ABC
News</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
helped market that motive in a headline: <i>“Plan B gets new label by FDA to
clarify it doesn't cause abortion.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The FDA ultimately made the following label edit
(underline was added and strikethrough was removed):<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Plan B One-Step® <u>works
before release of an egg from the ovary. As a result, Plan B One-Step® usually
stops or delays release of the egg from the ovary. Plan B One-Step®</u> is one
tablet <s>with levonorgestrel, a hormone that has been used in many birth
control pills for several decades. Plan B One Step®</s> <u>that</u> contains a
higher dose of levonorgestrel than birth control pills <s>but</s> <u>and</u>
works in a similar way to prevent pregnancy. It works mainly by stopping the
release of an egg from the ovary. <s>It is possible that Plan B One Step may
also work by preventing fertilization of an egg (the uniting of sperm with the
egg) or by preventing attachment (implantation) to the uterus (womb).</s><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Notice, however, the added text says the drug
“usually” or “mainly” stops egg release. If that’s the case, the labeling still
accounts for prevented implantation without explicitly saying so, and abortion
proponents in the media are deceiving the public.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Regarding levonorgestrel’s effect on the uterine
lining, the FDA’s memorandum says a “totality of the evidence” suggests there
is no affect on the uterine lining. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">However, a </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5102184/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">2016
study by Peck</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, et al, specifically reviewed the
mechanism of action for levonorgestrel’s post-fertilization effect. It reviewed
at least five other studies that claim levonorgestrel has no effect on the
uterine lining. Essentially, these studies were not conclusive because they did
not account for the entire range of time the drug was typically taken. Peck
concluded:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">What these studies can
say is that LNG, when taken 5–6 days following fertilization at the moment of
implantation, does not affect its evolution. <b>But this is not the typical
time when EC is usually administered</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Furthermore, a group in one study did show uterine
alteration. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">[T]he “histologically
normal” <b>endometria</b> from Durand's 2001 Group D <b>in fact showed
decreased glycodelin-A</b>, a necessary endometrial implantation molecule.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Additionally, whether the lining of the uterine wall
is affected by levonorgestrel may be irrelevant. The Peck study describes
another mechanism the drug may cause to prevent implantation <i>after
conception</i>. It states:<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The tubal transport
mechanism is essential for carrying the embryo to the uterus, so that arrival
occurs within the narrow implantation window (days 20 to 24).”</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In other words, altering the uterine lining isn’t the
only way to prevent implantation. If the embryo doesn’t get there in time, it
won’t matter how compatible the uterine lining is during the implantation
window. The study cites two other studies that suggest levonorgestrel slows the
speed at which the embryo moves through the fallopian tube:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The tubal <b>transport of
embryos is slowed down</b> by either mechanism, and this would have critical
consequences on their nesting, as the narrow window might have been passed. <b>This
effect</b>, coupled with the shortened luteal phase, as discussed in the next
section, <b>could preclude successful implantation</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In reviewing the data, </span><a href="https://www.crisismagazine.com/opinion/when-plan-b-is-abortion"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Anthony
Campagna, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist stated</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">:
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The takeaway is that
LNG-EC <b>can, despite what the updated labeling claims, impair the
implantation</b> of a human embryo in a number of ways.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Thus, although the FDA and manufacturer of Plan B One
Step ignore data, the drug does have the potential to act as an abortifacient
just as the original labelling specified.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lie #13: Treatment for ectopic pregnancy
is the same thing as an abortion<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">A corporate media columnist wrote of the Supreme Court
<i>Dobbs</i> decision: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“Do I abort this ectopic
pregnancy to literally save my life or do I go to jail?” Question women in
America now have to ask.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">There are a couple lies packed in this histrionic
statement. The first lie is the insinuation that <i>Dobbs</i> banned abortion
and will send a woman to jail for procuring one. <i>Dobbs</i> did no such
thing, but rather referred the matter back to the states. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The second lie in the statement is suggesting
treatment for an ectopic pregnancy is the same thing as an abortion. </span><a href="https://lozierinstitute.org/fact-check-dobbs-will-not-impact-life-saving-medical-care-for-high-risk-or-ectopic-pregnancies/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Dr.
Christina Francis</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> offered the following clarification: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The treatments for
ectopic pregnancy are not the same procedures used by induced abortions</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">,
which even Planned Parenthood admits. As a pro-life OB/GYN who’s <b>practiced
my entire career in hospitals that do not allow abortions, I have never been
prevented from safely treating an ectopic pregnancy</b>. In the rare but tragic
situations where a pregnancy puts the mother’s life at risk, there are medical
procedures for compassionately separating the mother and her baby and working
to save both lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only intent of
an abortion is to produce a dead baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Women deserve to be empowered by medically-accurate information.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://catholicvote.org/pro-life-lawmakers-confront-abortion-doctors-senate/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Dr.
Monique Chireau Wubbenhorst</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, an OB/GYN, confirmed the nature of
a life-saving procedure like ectopic pregnancy:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">A procedure to save the
life of the mother is not an abortion</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">. Even though
sometimes the child dies as a result of that procedure, the death of the child
was not the intent.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">A month after <i>Dobbs</i>, </span><a href="https://www.liveaction.org/news/planned-parenthood-erases-ectopic-pregnancy-abortion/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Planned
Parenthood fostered the misinformation</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> by removing the
following sentence from it’s website: <i>“Treating an ectopic pregnancy isn’t
the same thing as getting an abortion.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lie# 14: Abortion doesn’t cause
depression/mental health problems<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">“It’s important for folks to know that
abortion does not cause mental health problems,”</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> <a href="https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/09/news-facts-abortion-mental-health">said</a>
Debra Mollen, PhD, a professor of counseling psychology at Texas Woman’s University.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">This assertion is false. A 2010 study, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3066627/">Late-Term Elective
Abortion and Susceptibility to Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms</a>, states:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In fact <b>12–20% of
women with an abortion history meet the full diagnostic criteria for PTSD</b>
with considerably higher percentages of women experiencing some trauma
symptoms, while not meeting the full criteria. Even when the full criteria are
not met, the more PTSD symptoms present, the greater the risk of psychological
impairment and suicidal ideation.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">A 2018 study, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6207970/">The abortion and
mental health controversy</a>, accounts for abortion proponents who wish to
dismiss mental health issues associated with abortion as pre-existing
conditions:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">When interpreting the
data, abortion and mental health proponents are inclined to emphasize risks
associated with abortion, whereas abortion and mental health minimalists
emphasize pre-existing risk factors as the primary explanation for the
correlations with more negative outcomes. Still, <b>both sides agree that (a)
abortion is consistently associated with elevated rates of mental illness</b>
compared to women without a history of abortion; (b) <b>the abortion experience
directly contributes to mental health problems for at least some women</b>…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lie# 15: Abortion doesn’t increase risk of
breast cancer<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists (ACOG) </span><a href="https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2009/06/induced-abortion-and-breast-cancer-risk"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">claim</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">:
<i>“studies demonstrate no causal relationship between induced abortion and a
subsequent increase in breast cancer risk.” </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">However, their assertion does not account for dozens
of studies that say otherwise. An </span><a href="chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https:/aaplog.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/20210729163532595_No.-19-1392-American-Association-of-Pro-Life-Obstetricians-and-Gynecologists-Amicus-Brief-in-Support-of-Petitioner-7-29-21.pdf"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">amicus
brief</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> was submitted for <i>Dobbs v. Jackson</i> (2022) by the
American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG). They note: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Since 1957, <b>at least
41 studies have shown a positive, statistically significant association between
induced abortion and breast cancer</b>. The reason for the association is
straightforward given how the physiology of the breast changes during
pregnancy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Breast tissue mature enough
to produce milk permanently resists cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><b>Abortion arrests growing breast tissue before it matures, trapping it
in a cancer vulnerable state</b>.</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The </span><a href="https://acpeds.org/position-statements/reproductive-choices-of-young-women-affecting-future-breast-cancer-risk"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">American
College of Pediatricians</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, among other sources, describe the
biology of why this happens. Essentially, lobules in the breast mature from
type 1 and 2—which have more receptors that make them more <i>prone</i> to
cancer, to type 3 and 4 after prolonged pregnancy—which have less receptors and
are more <i>immune</i> to cancer:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The more receptors a cell
has</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, the more responsive it will be to hormonal levels –
and <b>the more affected it is by carcinogens.</b> …<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">After a full term
pregnancy</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">, Type 4 lobules predominate, with more
fully differentiated (mature) cells and less stem cells, a decreased number of
hormonal receptors, a slower DNA copying time, and a longer resting phase – all
of which <b>decrease the likelihood that breast cancer will develop</b> in
these lobules.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It is known that <b>after
a woman gives birth</b>, with or without lactation (including when the baby is
given up for adoption), <b>the Type 4 lobules regress to Type 3</b>, but
importantly, via epigenetics, <b>these cells maintain the genetic changes that
protect them from susceptibility to cancer</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Lie #16: Partial birth abortions “don’t
exist”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">In January, the state of Minnesota, by a vote of </span><a href="https://www.house.mn.gov/sessiondaily/Story/17543"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">69-65</span></a>,<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
passed an unbridled abortion bill. Among amendments to the bill that were
rejected was a ban on partial-birth abortions. Yet, Senator Alice Mann, who
supported the abortion bill, </span><a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/3819872-i-survived-an-abortion-heres-what-pro-lifers-must-do-to-end-abortion-once-and-for-all/"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">claimed</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">
the idea of partial birth abortion was <i>“literally making stuff up.”</i> She
continued: <i>“A child doesn’t come out partway alive and doctors kill it. It’s
not a thing. It’s not a thing today. It’s not a thing tomorrow. It’s not a
thing ten years ago.” </i>She added that politicians should not <i>“legislate things
that don't exist in real life.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">You might ask yourself why she would be so adamantly opposed to
inclusion of an amendment that she claimed would have no effect on the bill. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">But,
of course, her false claim is exposed by the existence of survivors of abortion. In the
early 1980s, the CDC estimated up to 500 failed abortions per year resulted in
live births. </span><a href="https://lozierinstitute.org/questions-and-answers-on-born-alive-abortion-survivors/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Cases have
persisted into recent years</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. The “DC Five” babies discovered in 2022 are suspected
of surviving botched abortions because of their late gestational size and
autopsy roadblocks (see pictures and story at </span><a href="https://www.liveaction.org/news/five-babies-killed-dc-abortionist/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">LiveAction</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">). Abortionist
Kermit Gosnell was </span><a href="https://cdn.cnsnews.com/documents/Gosnell,%20Grand%20Jury%20Report.pdf"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">found guilty to
have murdered</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
babies born alive, <i>“breathing and moving” “by severing their spinal cords with
scissors.” </i><a href="https://twitter.com/LilaGraceRose/status/1656007559776542721?s=20">Abortionists</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=former%20abortionist%20born%20alive&src=typed_query&f=top" target="_blank">admit</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/LiveAction/status/1074508734066495488?s=20" target="_blank">how</a> they kill a baby if born alive.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The
</span><a href="https://abortionsurvivors.org/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Abortion Survivor Network</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> estimates over
80,000 persons to have survived failed abortions since <i>Roe vs. Wade</i>. The
network’s founder and director </span><a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/3819872-i-survived-an-abortion-heres-what-pro-lifers-must-do-to-end-abortion-once-and-for-all/"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Melissa Ohden
explained</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
how most survived abortions occur:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">[T]hey
survive chemical abortions in the first trimester. They survive surgical
abortions in the second trimester that may leave them with significant wounds
found upon delivery, as was the case for survivor Hope Hoffman. They survive
induction of labor in the third trimester with the intent that they won’t
survive the preterm induction, or with the plan to leave the child to die if
they do survive the delivery, as was the case with Sarah Zagorski and, sadly,
as happened in the practice of the imprisoned Dr. Kermit Gosnell, where some
babies were brutally killed by having their spinal cord “snipped.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><br /><p></p>The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-28326704998279007502023-01-09T17:32:00.003-08:002023-01-09T17:36:05.787-08:00Think twice before saying "Those lies don't affect me"<p>Lack of critical thinking has led 21st century Westernism into one of history’s most barbaric and irrational societies. How, one wonders, did a sizeable percent of the population come to lose the ability to distinguish something so basic as identifying a boy versus a girl? So far gone are some as to celebrate—much less turn a blind eye to—the mutilation of children, in and out of the womb, against every semblance of reason, science, or mite of common sense. And those in a position to stop it do not.</p><p>Revisit 1973. The legally and morally bankrupt Roe v. Wade decision asserted that a “person…does not include the unborn.” This was despite reason, the science of fetal development presented at that time, as well as the lack of legal grounds for Roe. Its reckless force was subsequently negated a half-century later at Dobbs. In mis-defining a person, Roe failed to account for the evidence, appealing instead to the behavior of more ancient generations when natal science was more obscure. Today, the science is even clearer as to the uniqueness and living quality of an individual person from the moment of conception. </p><p>No industry is more dependent on lies than abortion. It is infected by a legion of dishonest euphemisms. Some acquiesced to its central lie that the unborn is not a life. Some did so under the pretense of it “not affecting” them. Many accepted the specious lie that abortion is “between a woman and her doctor” making a “medical” decision only about her. These lies before and since Roe have led to the <a href="https://www.liveaction.org/news/latest-estimates-63-million-aborted-since-roe/" target="_blank">bloody sacrifice of over 63 million innocent children and counting</a>.</p><p>More recently, we saw the 2015 Obergefell decision, which redefined—without cause—marriage itself. The court incorrectly claimed that a “marriage” not only could occur between two people of the same sex but was “equal” to and the “same” as the marriage that occurs between a man and woman. The public was bullied or fooled into accepting the lie that a man could be swapped out for a woman and still have the “same” categorical arrangement. And, as with abortion, how many times did we hear someone justify their desire to go along with such an irrational idea by claiming the matter “did not affect them”? What two other people do is “their own business,” the masses said, oblivious to the Trojan Horse of malleable meaning they let through the door. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvwErhHF5c9QFxXfk9P7-2MUKJJspHZ69-FSKE6xXXXliG4Pw61OJfpuxT99KgWl-v1W4pNiOgPokiBMnehcurcAT0QAh4jseCf5jnuUzrS1Lk5EnKDw_06a-ZMXkuarKG1TUMklCQ9PqVvDxOPuA9c0x7kPZ9QpiITUYLYOhabpR2gdXm3bu5CKjgA/s500/779px-The_Procession_of_the_Trojan_Horse_in_Troy_by_Giovanni_Domenico_Tiepolo_(cropped).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The procession of the Trojan horse by Tieppolo" border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvwErhHF5c9QFxXfk9P7-2MUKJJspHZ69-FSKE6xXXXliG4Pw61OJfpuxT99KgWl-v1W4pNiOgPokiBMnehcurcAT0QAh4jseCf5jnuUzrS1Lk5EnKDw_06a-ZMXkuarKG1TUMklCQ9PqVvDxOPuA9c0x7kPZ9QpiITUYLYOhabpR2gdXm3bu5CKjgA/s16000/779px-The_Procession_of_the_Trojan_Horse_in_Troy_by_Giovanni_Domenico_Tiepolo_(cropped).jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Detail from <i>The Procession of the Trojan Horse in Troy</i> by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, ca 1760 (<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Procession_of_the_Trojan_Horse_in_Troy_by_Giovanni_Domenico_Tiepolo_(cropped).jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a>)</span></td></tr></tbody></table> <br /><p>The devil’s table was set. The truth was up for grabs, insofar as the masses understood it. If the meaning of a person was changeable on a whim, or if the uniqueness of a man and woman was changeable on a whim, what other things could the world’s overlords “change” without cause? The public was already brainwashed into staying out of any such debate unless they perceived an immediate personal impact. They were brainwashed, not only to ignore any immediate immoral harm occurring among others, but to avoid thinking of any other variables or trajectories that changing unchangeable definitions would beget.</p><p>And here we are. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Many today don’t know what a boy or girl is. A supreme court justice famously played along by <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/blog/what-is-woman" target="_blank">pleading ignorance as to what is a woman</a> during her confirmation hearings. To foster this confusion, the <a href="https://nicic.gov/being-transgender-no-longer-mental-disorder-apa-2012" target="_blank">American Psychological Association redefined “Gender identity disorder”</a> to “Gender dysphoria.” The redefinition <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/where-transgender-is-no-longer-a-diagnosis/" target="_blank">“shifted the emphasis in treatment from fixing a disorder to resolving distress over a mismatch.”</a> Victims of this often-learned confusion include small children who haven’t the intellectual nor biological foundation to know otherwise. And it is no secret how many children have been coerced with lies to mutilate themselves in the name of denying the reality before them. A landmark lawsuit is currently ongoing in <i><a href="https://www.dhillonlaw.com/lawsuits/chloe-cole-v-kaiser-permanente/" target="_blank">Cole vs. Kaiser Permanente</a></i> on the damages caused after doctors are said to have denied her parents the option to treat her condition as a mental disorder. <a href="https://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/news/20220322/doctors-have-failed-them-say-those-who-regret-transitioning" target="_blank">Many who now regret “gender transitioning” surgeries</a> have expressed lack of care by the medical industry. Calling a boy a girl, or vice versa, is not only wrong, it is 180 degrees wrong. It is maximum wrongness. It is a fruit of dishonest redefinitioning.</li><li>On a related note, the American Psychological Association also recently published a “guideline” that redefined masculinity. Their statement declared that boys raised by fathers to be traditionally masculine were a threat to society. It referenced the disproportionate number of violent crimes committed by males in the context of “socialization practices that teach boys from an early age to be self-reliant, strong, and to minimize and manage their problems on their own.” However, as clinical psychologist <a href="https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/political-correctness/comment-on-the-apa-guidelines-for-the-treatment-of-boys-and-men/" target="_blank">Dr. Jordan Peterson observed</a>:</li></ul><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>“[I]t’s...a lie, scientifically... To indicate, as the writers have, that it is the socialization of boys and men by men that is producing both a decrement in the personal mental health of males and females and a threat to the social fabric is not only to get the facts wrong, but to get them wrong in a manner that is directly antithetical to the truth. ... [I]t is this simple fact that is absolutely damning to the claims in the APA document. What kind of families produce violent young men? Fatherless families. The pernicious effect of fatherlessness is exceptionally well-documented. … If it is fatherless boys who are violent, how can it be that masculine socialization produces harm both to mental health and society?”</i></p></blockquote></blockquote><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>In a more strictly political example, the current U.S. Administration declared <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/07/27/white-house-takes-heat-after-biden-adviser-accused-of-redefining-recession/" target="_blank">redefined the criteria of a “recession.”</a> A recession was previously known as two consecutive quarters of negative gross domestic product. Despite this having occurred after the second quarter of 2022, an Administration official denied that a recession had begun, manipulating voters into believing their finances were in better shape than they were.</li><li>In 2022, two South Carolina judges attempted to redefine terms for the medical industry by denying the existence of a “heartbeat” in the unborn at six weeks gestation. They are obviously wrong, as multiple peer-reviewed studies reveal a <a href="https://lozierinstitute.org/fact-check-s-c-chief-justice-beatty-is-wrong-heart-rate-at-six-weeks-is-110-beats-per-minute/" target="_blank">baby’s heartbeat scientifically observable</a> at an average of 110 beats per minute at six weeks. The judges attempted to redefine this observable pulsating phenomenon as something different than a heartbeat. The goal was to sanitize the idea of an abortion. </li><li>In December, a Virginia restaurant attempted to redefine, among other things, the concept of “safety.” The Family Foundation had booked a private room at the restaurant. Less than two hours before their reservation, the restaurant called to <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/12/06/virginia-restaurant-kicks-pro-family-organization-family-foundation/" target="_blank">say the Family Foundation was not welcome to dine there</a>. The restaurant apparently had discovered that the Foundation was pro-life and pro-marriage. In a statement to the media, the restaurant said they refused service to the Foundation because allowing them to eat there would make the restaurant workers “unsafe.” Of course, this assertion may be best described as a hallucination. Whatever imaginary threat the restaurant owners perceived did not actually exist. The bigotry in their reaction was amplified when they stated they prided themselves “on being an inclusive environment for people to dine in” while simultaneously refusing to serve food to pro-life, pro-marriage patrons. Injustice against pro-life, pro-marriage individuals was justified by “redefining” danger. Indifference to these sorts of lies places innocent persons at greater risk in society.</li></ul><p></p><p>These are but a miniscule sample of the redefinitions inverting reality, imposed on the masses daily. </p><p>In the fourth century, St. Gregory of Nyssa pondered whether to remain silent in the face of lies. At first, he thought silence best. But, after discussion, he understood the injury that “succeeding” lies would cause:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i><b>I thought it right, indeed, in view of the continuous and varied effort of our enemies against us, to keep silence</b>, and to receive their attack quietly, rather than to speak against men armed with <b>falsehood, that most mischievous weapon</b>, which sometimes drives its point even through truth. But you did well in urging me not to betray the truth, but to refute the slanderers, <b>lest, by a success of falsehood against truth, many might be injured</b>. (Gregory of Nyssa, <a href="https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2904.htm" target="_blank">On the Holy Trinity</a>, ca 375 A.D.)</i></p></blockquote><p>There is a devilish pressure to ignore societal lies on the grounds that they are someone else’s business. Yet lies unchecked are a virus. Lies beget lies. St. Paul warned about persistence in sin and how it leads to “greater and greater iniquity.” (Rom. 6:19) Endorsing lies is primarily an immorality and damages our very souls. For this reason alone, we should not accept them for ourselves nor others. As well, endorsing lies is also a blueprint for spreading more and more social sickness to every corner of the culture, from the elderly to the young to the unborn. We should not pretend lies as these are someone else’s business and do not affect us. Investment in lies as these have already produced untold poisonous returns to the masses.</p>The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-25282914364054580092022-08-19T16:34:00.002-07:002022-08-20T10:09:48.036-07:00Why the Vatican's survey on synodality is suspect<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;">In anticipation of the vague "Synod on Synodality," various dioceses and Church outlets surveyed all walks of people, including lapse Catholics and non-Catholics. These survey results are to be sent to the bishops prior to the 2023 finale.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7OfMRXcfal8ZZHO1oS4lncF2dgpvLkv8dB9aLmxd9eN17cVQhZmVIPFXcxOvcur2_336GZeuKG5eBb10TpudcKNSDRIuxc2OpeaILN2Cmf8aYUacZJ0idMZJ_-lPC27Wg6MwG3FCmVtx0ai3rPeIEi1fO61hfGNclX6pMZSzz3vmMT-T4Uo4XByvVw/s600/bishops_blurred_paintfilter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="600" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7OfMRXcfal8ZZHO1oS4lncF2dgpvLkv8dB9aLmxd9eN17cVQhZmVIPFXcxOvcur2_336GZeuKG5eBb10TpudcKNSDRIuxc2OpeaILN2Cmf8aYUacZJ0idMZJ_-lPC27Wg6MwG3FCmVtx0ai3rPeIEi1fO61hfGNclX6pMZSzz3vmMT-T4Uo4XByvVw/w320-h202/bishops_blurred_paintfilter.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><p>However, the content of the surveys brings the intent of the Synod into suspicion. For example, in multiple choice questions, the options offered lure the participant toward certain answers and issues. It gives the impression that certain issues are at the forefront of the participants' minds, when, if the questions had been left blank, the results would have likely been very different. One could say there is opinion-engineering taking place. </p></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 13px;">For instance, in the <a href="https://twitter.com/JimmyAkin3000/status/1556774080463876096" target="_blank">survey promoted by Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin</a>, there is a question asking which activities are "urgent for the Church to address..." The available choices are finite and include such politicized issues as "women's equality," "accompaniment to LGTBI people," and "ecology and environmental sustainability."</span></span><div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;">This would be like asking, "Is John's tie red or blue?" when his tie may be an entirely different color or he isn't wearing a tie at all. In this way, the synod surveys exhibit <a href="https://iep.utm.edu/fallacy/" target="_blank">logical fallacies</a>. They contain a form of the<i> False Dilemma Fallacy</i> (where options offered do not include the correct answer) or the <i>Suppressed Evidence Fallacy</i> (where relevant options are absent from the question).</span></span></span></div><div><span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://www.crisismagazine.com/2022/the-synod-on-synodality-adopts-identity-politics" target="_blank">Professor Cody Cooper</a> commented on the survey: "[W]</span></span></span><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">hy aren’t Traditional Latin Mass-goers or married Catholics with big families listed among the marginalized groups?" The absence of TLM from the survey is consistent with Pope Francis' continual <a href="https://www.crisismagazine.com/2022/get-with-the-times" target="_blank">antagonism toward TLM attendees</a>. The absence of big families from the survey is consistent with <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/pope-francis-is-fulfilling-a-long-planned-agenda-to-alter-the-churchs-teaching-on-life/" target="_blank">Vatican figures trying to justify contraception</a>. You see how the survey's questions and answers are loaded and steer participants to think and not think of certain matters. In a way, the gameplan is out in the open.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Many of the surveys closed on August 15. It was not hard to predict from there how the data would be manipulated. On August 16, the National Catholic Reporter (which promotes <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwdtprs.com+%22national+catholic+reporter%22&sxsrf=ALiCzsaMJjveaijazM5KTyrv911Kzaq3dA%3A1660945342852&ei=vgMAY6u8M6WwqtsPpse4qA4&ved=0ahUKEwirk5vJ79P5AhUlmGoFHaYjDuUQ4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=site%3Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwdtprs.com+%22national+catholic+reporter%22&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EANKBAhBGAFKBAhGGABQrglYqh5gmx9oAXAAeACAAVWIAcQOkgECMjaYAQCgAQHAAQE&sclient=gws-wiz" target="_blank">anti-Catholic heretical views</a>) brandished the headline: "</span><span style="font-size: 13px;">In synod reports, US Catholics call for women's leadership, LGBTQ welcoming." </span></span></div><div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;">Thus, right on cue, heterodox Catholics frame the survey results as "US Catholics" having endorsed modern identity politics, and not other theological issues that were <i>absent from the survey</i>. Anyone following those two contemporary "issues" knows that women's "leadership" is language often used to <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250298/german-synodal-way-members-back-text-calling-for-women-priests" target="_blank">launder the quest for women's "ordination"</a> while "LGBTQ welcoming" is a concept used to <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/u-s-cardinal-tobin-calls-catholic-teaching-on-homosexuality-unfortunate-hurtful/" target="_blank">launder the quest to declassify homosexual behavior as intrinsicallly disordered</a> or to <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/italian-cardinal-accused-of-lying-about-mass-of-thanksgiving-for-same-sex-couple/" target="_blank">endorse same-sex unions altogether</a>.</span></span></div><div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">As </span></span><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 13px;">Wendell Hull wrote for Crisis Magazine: </span><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 13px;">"</span><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 13px;">The synod brings the laity, and—by invitation—the whole world, into the process with full knowledge. The 'synodal fathers' will </span><b style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 13px;">claim that the changes were demanded by the people</b><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 13px;">." (emphasis mine) If efforts are made at this synod to undermine longstanding teachings of the Magisterium, those actions may be disguised as some "loving" move to serve the needs of "modern" people or other such euphemisms.</span></span></div><div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Even if the survey were short answer or blank essay questions where participants had to generate answers of their own accord, what is the current Pontificate's intention in surveying people unfamiliar even with basic theology in making theological decisions? Unless they want to see how catechized the world is? How many respondents for women's "leadership" can exposit the theology of the priest as sacramental bridegroom in Christ's stead? Or how many respondents fond of gay "marriage" can provide an anthropological defense that substituting a man for a woman in a marriage arrangement leaves it the "same" as a male-female marriage? We have yet to hear those answers from supposedly learned theologians, much less the average lapsed Catholic. </span></span><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 13px;">Hull analogized: "</span><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 13px;">Would a baseball team gather geishas for ideas on how to hit and catch?"</span></span></div><div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;">I recently finished reading Dr. Peter Kwasniewski's book <a href="https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/true-obedience-in-the-church" target="_blank">True Obedience in the Church</a>. In it, he reviews the theological and historical basis for defying unjust orders issued by clergy, including the Pope, if necessary. It is an issue I've recently researched myself, including the concept of a child who is otherwise bound to obey his parents, to defy an immoral parental order (cf. <a href="http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2217.htm" target="_blank">CCC#2217</a>). It may be especially wise in the coming months to delve into the lasting theology of Catholic Tradition, that one might authentically identify when a clergyman, even a bishop or Pope, is resisting the sacerdotal grace available to him through his office. </span></span></div><div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;">St. John Chrysostom taught that we will not be able to excuse ourselves from following corrupt teaching, even if those orders come from thousands of priests:</span></span></div><div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><div><br /></div></span></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><span face="Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>But even if it were the reverse, and you had corrupt teachers plundering and grasping at every thing, <b>not even so were their wickedness an apology for you</b>. For the Lover of mankind and All-wise, the Only-Begotten Son of God, seeing all things, and knowing the chance that in so great length of time and in so vast a world there would be many corrupt priests … but if you disobey the things spoken, <b>even though you should show ten thousand corrupt priests, this will not plead for you at all</b>. Since Judas also was an apostle, but nevertheless this shall never be any apology for the sacrilegious and covetous. (St. John Chrysostom, <a href="https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/220121.htm" target="_blank">Homily 21 on 1st Corinthians</a>, ca. 395 AD)</i></div></span></span></div></blockquote>The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-32656080709001879852021-12-08T08:21:00.002-08:002021-12-08T12:01:40.536-08:00VIDEO: How the cherubim witness to Mary's Immaculate Conception<p>New 5+ minute video on how the cherubim angels witness to Mary's Immaculate Conception. Video is based on prior post <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2010/12/how-cherubim-witness-to-marys.html">How the cherubim witness to Mary's Immaculate Conception</a>. </p><p><br /></p><script>!function(r,u,m,b,l,e){r._Rumble=b,r[b]||(r[b]=function(){(r[b]._=r[b]._||[]).push(arguments);if(r[b]._.length==1){l=u.createElement(m),e=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0],l.async=1,l.src="https://rumble.com/embedJS/uihyin"+(arguments[1].video?'.'+arguments[1].video:'')+"/?url="+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+"&args="+encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify([].slice.apply(arguments))),e.parentNode.insertBefore(l,e)}})}(window, document, "script", "Rumble");</script>
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Rumble("play", {"video":"vnt7lx","div":"rumble_vnt7lx"});</script><br />See video on <a href="https://rumble.com/vqfdq3-how-the-cherubim-witness-to-marys-immaculate-conception.html" target="_blank">Rumble</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrmkOguuWg0" target="_blank">YouTube</a>.The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-17874279490170236772021-07-23T16:28:00.002-07:002021-07-23T16:28:39.343-07:00The glory of Latin, in the Church's words<p>Following is a sample of texts in Church history pertaining to the Latin language, the nobility and encouragement of the language, as well as the glory of the Latin liturgy. Emphasis added.</p><p></p><blockquote><p><i>If any one saith… that the mass ought to be celebrated in the <b>vulgar tongue only…let him be anathema</b>. (<a href="https://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent/ct22.html" target="_blank">Council of Trent</a>, Session 22, Canon 9, 1563)</i></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVPp7apCTAAoaXv-FM4mbDNAO51i_Jptt-XckkCeorTvLeOcrzW0LeRr1OpJokGO66nE2S-6sXfXorhyUHwHHuuI4zNOOyTztdjwsja-TGrrCUl5N6wohPo5Nr0QtqJ0Ru6k1Y6rFVkdY/s488/488px-Council_of_Trent_by_Pasquale_Cati.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Council of Trent by Pasquale Cati 1588" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVPp7apCTAAoaXv-FM4mbDNAO51i_Jptt-XckkCeorTvLeOcrzW0LeRr1OpJokGO66nE2S-6sXfXorhyUHwHHuuI4zNOOyTztdjwsja-TGrrCUl5N6wohPo5Nr0QtqJ0Ru6k1Y6rFVkdY/s16000/488px-Council_of_Trent_by_Pasquale_Cati.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Council of Trent by Pasquale Cati, 1588</td></tr></tbody></table><p><i>Let all everywhere adopt and observe what has been handed down by the Holy Roman Church, the Mother and Teacher of the other churches, and <b>let Masses not be sung or read according to any other formula than that of this Missal published by Us</b>. This ordinance applies henceforth, now, and forever, throughout all the provinces of the Christian world... (Pope Pius V, <a href="https://www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius05/p5quopri.htm" target="_blank">Quo Primum</a>, 1570)</i></p></blockquote><p></p><p>The previous text from Pope Pius V does later in the apostolic constitution allow for pre-existing liturgies in other forms. However, I have included it above because of the force by which the Latin liturgy is elevated.</p><p><i></i></p><blockquote><p><i>The first thing concerns fostering with every care and <b>promoting the study of the Latin language</b> in the literary schools of clerics; and gaining a grasp of this language, by knowing and using it, is important not merely for humanity and literature but also for religion. For the Church, since it contains all nations in its embrace, since it is going to endure until the consummation of the ages, and since it utterly excludes the common people from its governance, <b>requires by its own nature a universal language, unchangeable, not that of the common people. Since Latin is such a language, it was divinely foreseen that it should be something marvellously useful for the Church as teacher, and that it should also serve as a great bond of unity</b> for Christ’s more learned faithful; that is to say, by giving them not only something with which, whether they are separated in different locations or gathered into one place, they might easily compare the respective thoughts and insights of their minds, but also – and this is even more important – something with which they might understand more profoundly the things of mother Church, and might be <b>united more closely with the head of the Church</b>. (Pope Pius XI: Apostolic Letter <a href="https://lms.org.uk/sites/default/files/resource_documents/officiorum_omnium.pdf" target="_blank">Officiorum Omnium</a>, August 1, 1922)</i></p><p><i>The use of the <b>Latin language</b>, customary in a considerable portion of the Church, is <b>a manifest and beautiful sign of unity, as well as an effective antidote for any corruption of doctrinal truth</b>. (Pope Pius XII, <a href="https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius12/p12media.htm" target="_blank">Mediator Dei</a>, 1947)</i></p><p><i>Nor must we overlook the <b>characteristic nobility of Latin formal structure</b>. Its “concise, varied and harmonious style, full of majesty and dignity” makes for singular clarity and impressiveness of expression. … Since “every Church must assemble round the Roman Church,” and since the Supreme Pontiffs have “true episcopal power, ordinary and immediate, over each and every Church and each and every Pastor, as well as over the faithful” of every rite and language, it seems particularly desirable that the instrument of mutual communication be uniform and universal, especially between the Apostolic See and the Churches which use the same Latin rite. … Finally, <b>the Catholic Church has a dignity far surpassing that of every merely human society, for it was founded by Christ the Lord. It is altogether fitting, therefore, that the language it uses should be noble, majestic, and non-vernacular.</b> In addition, the Latin language “can be called truly catholic.” It has been consecrated through constant use by the Apostolic See, the mother and teacher of all Churches, and must be esteemed <b>“a treasure … of incomparable worth.”</b> It is a general passport to the proper understanding of the Christian writers of antiquity and the documents of the Church’s teaching. <b>It is also a most effective bond, binding the Church of today with that of the past and of the future in wonderful continuit</b>y. (Pope John XXIII, <a href="https://www.papalencyclicals.net/john23/j23veterum.htm" target="_blank">Veterum Sapientia</a>, 1962)</i></p><p><i>Particular law remaining in force, the <b>use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites</b>. (<a href="https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html" target="_blank">Sacrosanctum Concilium</a>, Second Vatican Council, 36.1, 1963)</i></p><p><i>While there are <b>many motives that might have led a great number of people to seek a refuge in the traditional liturgy, the chief one is that they find the dignity of the sacred preserved there</b>. After the Council there were many priests who deliberately raised ‘desacralization’ to the level of a program ... they put aside the sacred vestments; they have despoiled the churches as much as they could of that splendor which brings to mind the sacred; and <b>they have reduced the liturgy to the language and the gestures of ordinary life, by means of greetings, common signs of friendship, and such things</b> ... <b>That which previously was considered most holy — the form in which the liturgy was handed down — suddenly appears as the most forbidden of all things, the one thing that can safely be prohibited</b>. It is intolerable to criticize decisions which have been taken since the Council; on the other hand, if men make question of ancient rules, or even of the great truths of the Faith — for instance, the corporal virginity of Mary, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, the immortality of the soul, etc. — nobody complains or only does so with the greatest moderation. (Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, <a href="https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=3032" target="_blank">Address to the Bishops of Chile</a>, 1988)</i></p><p><i>I am of the opinion, to be sure, that <b>the old rite should be granted much more generously to all those who desire it. It’s impossible to see what could be dangerous or unacceptable about that. A community is calling its very being into question when it suddenly declares that what until now was its holiest and highest possession is strictly forbidden and when it makes the longing for it seem downright indecent</b>. (Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, <a href="https://www.ignatius.com/Salt-of-the-Earth-P2280.aspx" target="_blank">Salt of the Earth</a>, 1996)</i></p><p><i>For fostering a true consciousness in liturgical matters, <b>it is also important that the proscription against the form of liturgy in valid use up to 1970 should be lifted. Anyone who nowadays advocates the continuing existence of this liturgy or takes part in it is treated like a leper; all tolerance ends here. There has never been anything like this in history; in doing this we are despising and proscribing the Church’s whole past. How can one trust her present if things are that way? I must say, quite openly, that I don’t understand why so any of my episcopal brethren have to a great extent submitted to this rule of intolerance, which for no apparent reason is opposed to making the necessary inner reconciliations within the Church</b>. (Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, <a href="https://www.ignatius.com/God-and-the-World-P997.aspx" target="_blank">God and the World</a>, 2000)</i></p><p><i>On the other hand, a variety of vocabulary in the original text should give rise, insofar as possible, to a corresponding variety in the translations. The translation may be weakened and made trite, for example, by the use of a single vernacular term for rendering differing Latin terms such as satiari, sumere, vegetari, and pasci, on the one hand, or the nouns caritas and dilectio on the other, or the words anima, animus, cor, mens, and spiritus, to give some examples. Similarly, a deficiency in translating the varying forms of addressing God, such as Domine, Deus, Omnipotens aeterne Deus, Pater, and so forth, as well as <b>the various words expressing supplication, may render the translation monotonous and obscure the rich and beautiful way in which the relationship between the faithful and God is expressed in the Latin text</b>. (Fifth instruction for the right implementation of the constitution on the sacred liturgy of the second vatican council, <a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20010507_liturgiam-authenticam_en.html" target="_blank">Liturgiam Authenticam</a>, 51, 2001)</i></p></blockquote><p><i></i></p><p>The previous text was one that ultimately discussed how to incorporate the vernacular mass, and in doing so, found itself admitting to the advantages of Latin.</p><p><i><b></b></i></p><blockquote><p><i><b>The Popes and the Roman Church have found Latin very suitable for many reasons. It fits a Church which is universal</b>, a Church in which all peoples, languages and cultures should feel at home and no one is regarded as a stranger. Moreover, <b>the Latin language has a certain stability which daily spoken languages, where words change often in shades of meaning, cannot have</b>. … Latin has the characteristic of words and expressions retaining their meaning generation after generation. This is an advantage when it comes to the articulation of our Catholic faith and the preparation of Papal and other Church Documents. … Blessed Pope John XXIII in his Apostolic Constitution, Veterum Sapientia, issued on 22 February 1962, gives these two reasons and adds a third. <b>The Latin language has a nobility and dignity which are not negligible</b> (cf. Veterum Sapientia, nn. 5, 6, 7). We can add that <b>Latin is concise, precise and poetically measured</b>. (Cardinal Francis Arinze, “<a href="https://www.piercedhearts.org/liturgy/language_in_liturgy_arinze.htm" target="_blank">Language in Liturgy</a>,” 2006)</i></p><p><i>The <b>Latin language has always been held in very high esteem by the Catholic Church and by the Roman Pontiffs</b>. They have assiduously <b>encouraged the knowledge and dissemination of Latin, adopting it as the Church’s language</b>, capable of passing on the Gospel message throughout the world. This is <b>authoritatively stated by the Apostolic Constitution Veterum Sapientia of my Predecessor, Blessed John XXIII</b>. (Pope Benedict XVI, <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20121110_latina-lingua.html" target="_blank">Motu Proprio: Latina Lingua</a>, 2012)</i></p><p><i>Furthermore, after the 1960s, some riches of the liturgy were abandoned, such as its hieratic invariance, but also its <b>geographic and historical unity, which was assured by Latin as the language of the liturgy</b>, by the rites that had been handed down, by the beauty of its art and of the solemnity that accompanied it. The <b>disappearance of linguistic unity in the liturgy in favor of the vernacular languages is, to my mind, one possible factor of division</b>. … <b>The Second Vatican Council explicitly demands that the Latin language be preserved. Have we been faithful to it? The use of Latin in some parts of the Mass can help us to rediscover the profound essence of the liturgy</b>. Being a fundamentally mystical and contemplative reality, the liturgy is beyond the reach of our human activity. Nevertheless, it presupposes on our part some openness to the mystery being celebrated. Thus the conciliar Constitution on the Liturgy recommends a full understanding of the rites, and it prescribes “that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 54). (Cardinal Robert Sarah, <a href="https://www.ignatius.com/The-Day-Is-Now-Far-Spent-P3301.aspx" target="_blank">The Day is Now Far Spent</a>, p. 137-138, 2019)</i></p><p><i>It must be remembered that, from a theological point of view, every valid celebration of a sacrament, by the very fact that it is a sacrament, is also, beyond any ecclesiastical legislation, an act of worship and, therefore, also a profession of faith. In that sense, it is not possible to exclude the Roman Missal, according to <b>the UA </b>[Usus Antiquior, i.e. Usage of Antiquity]<b>, as a valid expression of the lex orandi and, therefore, of the lex credendi of the Church. It is a question of an objective reality of divine grace which cannot be changed by a mere act of the will of even the highest ecclesiastical authority</b>. (Cardinal Raymond Burke, <a href="https://www.cardinalburke.com/presentations/traditionis-custodes" target="_blank">Statement on the Motu Proprio Traditionis Custodes</a>, July 22, 2021)</i></p><p><i><b>The Eucharist is to be celebrated in the Latin language</b> or in another language provided the liturgical texts have been legitimately approved. (<a href="https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib4-cann879-958_en.html#Art._3." target="_blank">Code of Canon Law, #928</a>)</i></p></blockquote><p><i></i></p>The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-35621209651142240992021-07-09T15:13:00.004-07:002023-01-09T21:44:06.942-08:00Is it moral to finance a generation of corrupt bishops?<div><i><blockquote>I consider it an error to trust and hope in any means or efforts in themselves alone; nor do I consider it a safe path to trust the whole matter to God our Lord without desiring to help myself by what he has given me; so that it seems to me in our Lord that I ought to make use of both parts, desiring in all things his greater praise and glory, and nothing else. (St. Ignatius of Loyola to Francis Borgia, 1555)</blockquote></i></div><div>I first drafted this essay in 2019. Recent events by multiple bishops treating orthodox clergy as enemies and the faithful like nuisances has rekindled the content herein. The matters described below are merely a small sample of scandalous pastoral actions, primarily among bishops, just in recent months. Obviously not all bishops, but obviously too many bishops seem intent on steering the ark to perdition. This essay is both an examination of the merits of the argument against financing corrupt bishops and a thought experiment. It provides additional suggestions while welcoming other solutions toward orthodoxy.</div><div><br /></div><div>The faithful deserve an authentic liturgy, justice among clergy, and truth from their shepherds in season and out of season. Faithful baptized Catholics should take note, they are royal princes and princesses in the eternal Kingdom. They merit the fullness of Christ the King.</div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><b><br /></b></div><b>A GRAVE SITUATION</b><br />
With times as grave as they are in today's Church, what recourse do the faithful have for restoration to consistent orthodoxy? If the current trajectory persists, yet another generation of uncatechized souls will stumble unprepared to the evil snares that await. Far too many clergy have remained silent in the face of unbelief regarding the Eucharist, true marriage, life, injustices against faithful priests, or even or the very foundations of Christ's purpose as the singular door through which few will enter the eternal kingdom.<br />
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Generations of faithful have been in the habit of contributing money to the church on a regular basis. Historically, one can see the fruits of such practices, such as the existence of some of the most breathtaking churches, vibrant authentic ministries, and a zealous faithful ignited by the very truths of the faith.</div>
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Today, such fruits are sparse. And, tragically, too many clergy either refuse to teach critical doctrines in season or out, or they doubt those doctrines themselves. Would it not be welcome to hear, without hesitation and with perfect clarity, the truths of the faith? Would it not be welcome to hear this from the sacerdotal pulpit, from the mouths of the clergy—and not only the priests, but the bishops? Would it not be a tribute to truth and justice if heterodox clergy were sanctioned and orthodox clergy exalted, rather than the inverse we see today.</div><div><br /></div><div>Years of attempts at so-called welcome "dialogue" with the hierarchy have failed. Without exaggeration, multiple bishops have turned deaf ears or outright ignored the faithful's inquiries on such matters. This is not the relationship of a shepherd and his flock. It is better described as the tyrant and the underfoot. </div><div><br /></div><div>What recourse remains?</div>
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<b>HETERODOXY PERMEATING THE CHURCH</b></div>
<div><br /></div><div><b>Eucharist</b></div><div>
Consider the truth of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. How tragic it is that the majority of "Catholics" do not believe this foundational truth. A <a href="https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2019/08/new-survey-only-one-third-of-catholics-believe-in-real-presence/" target="_blank">2019 poll</a> stated that only one-third of Catholics believe in the real presence. Even among weekly mass attendees, the figure is two-thirds. How is this not at 100%? What shipwreck of catechesis was permitted to fester until the figures were this scandalous? And, still, little to nothing is said among most clergy to remedy the crisis. Is it fair to interpret their silence as an attitude of unalarm? If one's house was on spiritual fire, he would act with urgency, in a frenzy, to remedy the crisis of unbelief. The clergy's silence all but shouts their apathy toward Christ being regularly received by unbelievers. Their persistent silence suggests they believe it is okay. This is not okay.<br />
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When <a href="https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2019/11/why-biden-was-denied-communion" target="_blank">the Eucharist was denied to then-candidate Joe Biden</a>, who openly and persistently supported abortion, other clergy scandalously swarmed to condemn the priest. Instead of deferring to that priest, or at least citing canon law to support his own statement, Cardinal Dolan went on Fox News to say <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cardinal-dolan-on-biden-communion-denial-i-wouldnt-do-it-22476" target="_blank">he wouldn't have denied the Eucharist to the pro-abortion politician</a>. Chicago Cardinal Blaise Cupich, who was <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/former-us-nuncio-pope-francis-knew-of-mccarricks-misdeeds-repealed-sanction" target="_blank">named several times by Bishop Vigano</a> as it pertained to sex abuse and the disgraced Cardinal McCarrick, contradicted his fellow Illinois bishop on the matter of distributing the Eucharist to pro-abortion politicians. Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki issued a statement forbidding such "Catholic" politicians from receiving the Eucharist and cited Canon Law 915-916. Cupich contradicted Paprocki, saying such sanctions "don’t change anybody’s minds and the politicians have to deal with the "judgement seat of God." Cupich's "mind change" appeal is not only an invented requirement, but isn't even necessarily true. His statement about forgoing judgment in deference to God is an affront to every excommunication or withheld Eucharist by any bishop or priest in Church history. And, he doesn't abide by this supposed rule himself, as <a href="https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/paul-kalchik-persecuted-priest-chicago-cupich/" target="_blank">Cupich suspended a priest in February 2018 for burning a "gay pride" flag</a> that was at his church. Both Dolan's and Cupich's argument to distribute Communion to the persistently defiant abortion-supporter is <i>devoid of any theological argument</i> supported by Canon Law or magisterial texts on the subject. Their response is <i>political</i> and not theological. </div><div><br /></div><div>Read here for <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/468335-catholic-priest-was-correct-to-deny-communion-to-joe-biden-heres-why" target="_blank">Canon lawyer Ed Peters'</a> explanation of the canonical sanction and theological basis for withholding the Eucharist to persistently defiant pro-abortion politicians. A number of Church Fathers echo the sentiment, as well. For example:<br />
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<i>With all our strength, therefore, let us beware lest we receive communion from or grant it to heretics; <b>Give not that which is holy unto the dogs</b>, says the Lord, neither cast ye your pearls before swine Matthew 7:6, <b>lest we become partakers in their dishonour and condemnation</b>. (St. John Damascene, <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/33044.htm" target="_blank">Exposition of the Orthodox Faith</a>, 4.13p, ca. 743 A.D.)</i></blockquote>
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<div>Bishop Paprocki commented on the dereliction of his peers thusly:</div><div><i><blockquote>One of the misleading arguments voiced by some bishops and cardinals opposed to drafting this document [on the Eucharist] was that doing so would be divisive and would harm the unity of the bishops’ conference. Yes, we should strive for unity, but our unity should be based on the truths of our faith as found in Sacred Scripture and the constant Tradition of the Church. <b>No one should want to be united on the path to perdition</b>. (Bishop Thomas Paprocki, <a href="https://ct.dio.org/bishops-column/message/pray-for-bishops-to-be-guided-by-holy-spirit-during-stormy-times/read.html" target="_blank">Catholic Times column, June 27, 2021</a>)</blockquote></i></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Sexuality</b></div><div>
Faithful parents are out there trying to teach their children about the sinfulness and perils of pre-marital sex and cohabitation. Why do their children have to hear these truths from their parents in isolation? Churches regularly, not exceptionally, marry openly cohabiting couples. Where is the clergy's clear rejection of that norm? Why are we at the point where youth can say nearly without exaggeration, "Everybody's doing it." Why do we not hear from every pulpit, not just a precious few, about the damage to couples in such situations or the perils to children growing up in unstable homes? Where are they to lead the battle to destroy this scandalous norm? How are parents supposed to convey that marriage and cohabitation are serious matters when so many clergy have shrugged at the matter? When teens see their parents making these claims about sex, they do not see the clergy backing them up with the same gravity, if at all. The parents have largely been abandoned by the clergy. Where Christ promised not to leave the faithful orphans, too many clergy today have been willing to sell those faithful for 30 pieces of secular praises. </div>
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In keeping with the silent effort to damage families, many bishops have been seen in recent years openly championing organizations and events that explicitly mock and reject Church teaching. Lexington Bishop John Stowe "serves" as "ecclesial advisor" to the <a href="https://josephsciambra.com/diocese-of-lexington-goes-gay-bishop-serves-as-adviser-to-pro-same-sex-marriage-ministry/" target="_blank">heretical group "Fortunate Familes,"</a> which celebrated the Obergefell Supreme Court decision on gay "marriage" in 2015, have rejected the idea that homosexual sex is sinful, and have called for the Church (impossibly) to contradict moral dogma on homosexual behavior. It is no wonder that there will be no consequences for a priest in Stowe's diocese, Fr. Jim Sichko, who <a href="http://4christum.blogspot.com/2019/12/apostate-priest-jim-sichko-gets.html" target="_blank">tweeted on the Feast of the Holy Family</a> that "there are all types of holy families out there, heterosexual and homosexual, married and unmarried..." As well, Stowe, along with Cupich and McElroy (mentioned herein), are among direct collaborators with the group Association of U.S. Catholic Priests, which has <a href="https://www.lepantoin.org/us-bishops-support-priest-assembly-calling-for-womens-ordination/" target="_blank">called for women's "ordination"</a> and has welcomed <a href="https://www.lepantoin.org/live-report-auscp-abp-wester-playing-host-heretics/" target="_blank">exhibitors promoting gay "marriage,"</a>, to name a few of its improprieties. <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2019/01/when-bishops-embrace-politics-over.html" target="_blank">Stowe, and Kentucky Archbishops Foys ad Kurtz</a> were also among those who within hours of the release of a politically deceptive video issued unwarranted public condemnations of Covington teens in 2019.<br />
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In April 2019, Newark Archbishop Joseph Tobin, of "<a href="https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/cardinal-tobin-nighty-night-tweet-sex-abuse/" target="_blank">Nighty-night, baby</a>" fame, decried the Catechism's language on homosexual behavior. A secular interviewer asked him how he can "welcome" people the Catechism calls "intrinsically disordered." Tobin ignorantly replied, "it’s very unfortunate language. Let’s hope that eventually that language is a little less hurtful." First, Tobin accepted the false premise that the Catechism calls persons of homosexual orientation "intrinsically disordered." It doesn't. The language of CCC#2357 states: "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." Second, when has Tobin ever lamented other references in the Catechism about other sins described similarly. Acts of lying and calumny are called "intrinsically disordered" CCC#1753). Any sexual act apart from its unitive and procreative nature is called "morally disordered" (CCC#2351). Acts of masturbation are called "gravely disordered" (CCC#2352). There are multiple other examples of sinful "disorders" in the Catechism. The very idea of disorder is a theological reference to the human person as he exists in the image of God. Proper order is a foundational concept for morality. Either Tobin does not know this or he is more concerned with whether the truth is "hurtful," as he said. In either case, Tobin delivered a lie gift-wrapped with a bow of false compassion.</div><div><br /></div><div>As reported in March 2021, the archdiocese of Washington has a $2 million budget for the "continuing ministry" of recently resigned Cardinal Wuerl. As Phil Lawler for <a href="https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/from-feckless-episcopal-leadership-lord-save-us/" target="_blank">Catholic Culture</a> pointed out, that's over $5,000 per day allotted for the undisclosed activity of a resigned clergyman. <br />
<br /><b>Other life and faith issues</b><br />
Meanwhile, <a href="https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2019/11/daleiden-to-appeal-multimillion-judgment-in-planned-parenthood-lawsuit/" target="_blank">pro-life advocates David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt</a> continue to face legal injustices after exposing Planned Parenthood for butchering and selling baby body parts. Did a swarm of bishops take to the pulpits and social media in support of this pro-life cause, just as they did to condemn a contextless video of <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2019/01/when-bishops-embrace-politics-over.html" target="_blank">Covington teens</a> in January 2019? They did not.<br />
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In August 2019, the Jesuit superior general, Fr. Arturo Sosa, said the devil is not a "personal reality" in contradiction to the <a href="http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c1p7.htm#391" target="_blank">Catechism</a> and <a href="https://www.papalencyclicals.net/paul06/p6devil.htm" target="_blank">Pope Paul VI</a>, among other magisterial sources. With such ignorance at the head of the order, it is not surprising <a href="https://www.crisismagazine.com/2019/89142" target="_blank">how many other American Jesuits</a> are permitted to promote heresy and quasi-heresy.<br />
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Many dioceses have been <a href="https://lifepetitions.com/petition/bishops-stop-funding-orgs-which-promote-abortion-contraception-homosexuality-and-marxism" target="_blank">sending funds to the "Catholic Campaign for Human Development"</a> which regularly contradicts Church teaching in its promotion of abortion, contraception, and even the physically destructive notion of "transgenderism" in its campaigns.<br />
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In December 2019, it was revealed that <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/475240-vatican-invested-elton-john-gay/" target="_blank">Vatican funds were used to promote the R-rated film</a> about Elton John. Also in December, we learned that the Vatican's "Peter Pence" fund, which draws collections from the world's dioceses, gives <a href="https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/vaticans-financial-bait-and-switch/" target="_blank">only 5% of collections</a> to aid those amidst "war, oppression, natural disaster, and disease." In November, we learned more about a <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cardinal-parolin-says-he-arranged-controversial-hospital-loan-papal-foundation-grant-99539" target="_blank">Vatican financial scandal</a> involving former administrators who were "jailed for systematic fraud and embezzlement" and millions in other financial losses. Also in November, we learned that Pope Francis granted <a href="https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/one-more-damaging-blow-to-popes-credibility/" target="_blank">special appointments to Bishop Gustavo Oscar Zanchetta</a>, despite the bishop being under investigation for sex abuse and possession of gay pornography. It is reported the bishop is now failing to respond to legal notices. In October 2019, Pope Francis would not address the nature of an apparently pagan <a href="https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2019/10/25/pope-francis-apologizes-that-amazon-synod-pachamama-was-thrown-into-tiber-river/" target="_blank">"Pachamaa" statue</a> present at the Amazonian Synod. He later apologized that the statue, which was present before bowing worshippers in days prior, was thrown into the Tiber River. Too often, when such confusion comes from Vatican officials and clergy, there is no clarification, such as in the case with the still-unanswered <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2016/11/14/full-text-cardinals-letter-to-pope-francis-on-amoris-laetitia/" target="_blank">Dubia</a>; or when Bishop Vigano made his famous testimony, of widespread improprieties in the Church, Pope Francis replied, "<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-i-will-not-say-a-single-word-on-viganos-allegations-of-cover-up-65149" target="_blank">I will not say a single word</a>" on the matter.</div><div><br /></div><div>When orthodoxy was actually voiced by the US Catholic Bishops in January 2020, <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/in-unprecedented-move-cardinal-cupich-criticizes-usccb-statement-on-biden-18669" target="_blank">Cardinal Cupich</a> reared his jaws again, this time to criticize his own brethren's attempt to teach moral law. The USCCB statement included concerns regarding the new president, especially: </div><div><i></i><blockquote><i>"[O]ur new President [Biden] has pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance <b>moral evils</b> and threaten human life and dignity, most seriously in the areas of <b>abortion, contraception, marriage, and gender</b>. Of deep concern is the liberty of the Church and the <b>freedom</b> of believers to live according to their consciences." </i></blockquote></div><div>Cupich lamented the process by which the statement was crafted. He then chose to criticize them publicly via the Twitter app, which is itself a non-protocol. He added: <i>"[T]he U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued an ill-considered statement on the day of President Biden’s inauguration." </i>Again, Cupich's series of tweets offered zero confrontation of any theology at issue.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>ATTACK ON FAITHFUL CLERGY</b></div><div>The organization <a href="https://canceledpriests.org/" target="_blank">Coalition for Cancelled Priests</a> was recently formed to aide faithful priests who have been removed from active ministry with no evidence of improprieties given, and in many cases, with no explanation whatsoever. The group even received a detailed endorsement from <a href="https://canceledpriests.org/archbishop-carlo-maria-vigano-former-papal-nuncio-in-sends-exclusive-letter-of-support-to-coalition-for-canceled-priests/" target="_blank">Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano</a>, who has made similar efforts for orthodoxy and justice in recent years. </div><div><br /></div><div>Perhaps the most vocal of these priests is Father James Altman of La Crosse, Wisconsin; who is known for promoting traditional postures such as communion rails and Latin liturgy, and calling out heterodoxy among bishops. On June 8, 2021, Bishop William Callahan <a href="https://www.complicitclergy.com/2021/07/08/breaking-bishop-callahan-cancels-fr-altman/" target="_blank">issued a removal</a> the removal of the priest from ministry. In a decree, the bishop only calls for Fr. Altman to "spiritually heal and recharge and to address the issues that caused the issuance of this decree." Presumably, the issues were condemning democrat party support for abortion genocide. Late last year, the Bishop said, "His generalization and condemnation of entire groups of people is completely inappropriate and not in keeping with our values or the life of virtue." Much like the bishops arguing for distribution of the Eucharist to abortion-supporting politicians, Bishop Callahan's statement is also devoid of theological analysis. Certainly lamenting about tone and generalization of groups would result in condemning the prophets and even Christ who called the Pharisees a "brood of vipers" (Matt. 12:34). As well, there are plenty of priests making condemning generalizations with scandalous tones in public who are not in a bit of trouble with bishops. To boot, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1098270703998281&id=100010659284657&substory_index=5" target="_blank">it was reported</a> that local media was present at mass the morning of the decree, indicating secular parties were privy to the removal even before the parishoners. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the diocese of Rockford, Illinois, Bishop David Malloy removed from his parish Father James Parker, issuing no reason for the removal other than <a href="https://www.holycross-batavia.org/documents/2021/6/Statement%20of%20the%20Diocese%20of%20Rockford%20regarding%20Holy%20Cross%20Parish%20in%20Batavia.pdf" target="_blank">"various concerns,"</a> and did not reassign him to another parish, leaving the pastor in a pastoral "prison" or "limbo." It is scandalous enough that the faithful are deprived of their beloved pastor, but the bishop has since ignored their inquiries for answers. Additionally, the diocese opened their June 15 statement addressing Fr. Parker's removal as part of changes in priest assignments "typically announced" at that time of year. Since Fr. Parker was not reassigned to another parish, the diocese assertion is by all measure a false one. This is not a "typical" priest reassignment. It is penal in nature. Further discussion and documents can be read at FB group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1074912123000806/" target="_blank">We Stand with Father Parker</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Coalition for Cancelled Priests has a number of media resources describing this phenomenon of faithful priests removed by their bishops from ministry with no evidence of improprieties. Interviews with one of the victims, <a href="https://canceledpriests.org/category/press/" target="_blank">Fr. John Lovell</a>, go into more detail. Imagine the perspective of a young man discerning the priesthood, perceiving the potentiality of being unable to practice his vocation for no apparent reason other than his orthodoxy. The scandal is intensified when one is aware of how many heterodox or outright heretical priests are allowed to persist in ministry while the faithful ones are attacked. </div><div><br />
<b>FAITHFUL REMNANTS</b><br />
It goes without saying there are a number of faithful bishops and priests. For instance, the <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/dubia-cardinals-ask-bishops-to-confront-conspiracy-of-silence-14798" target="_blank">authors of the "Dubia"</a> presented to Pope Francis, Cardinals Raymond Burke, Joachim Meisner, Walter Brandmüller still await his answer (Carlo Caffarra has since passed away). In 2018, Auxilary Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Archbishop Tomash Peta, and Archbishop Jan Pawel Lenga issued a <a href="http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/three-bishops-issue-profession-of-truth-about-sacramental-marriage" target="_blank">document on the truth of sacramental marriage</a>. In November 2019, Bishop Strickland and Archbishop Chaput rebuked their peers Cardinal Cupich and Bishop McElroy—the former defended the traditional language describing <a href="https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/us-bishops-shoot-down-cupich-defend-pro-life" target="_blank">abortion as a "preeminent"</a> moral issue.<br />
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And, there are others, but there are also countless other stories of heterodox clergy well. There are too few hierarchical voices enflamed with the truth of the faith, delivered with certitude, and grounded in Sacred Tradition.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHphWriTfkfyoApKr7eg1dM_4y8VihkMyYW_CCGdKqFxcKGOEdHZOKDe230iCIgWjsbOhsPVSpaE93iTLV-7Er3H9C04dRxRVDial40-QA4i3tUZtEeYLZ_gBLSG5ebKx_LiVpMzYf_b-/s700/Duccio_di_Buoninsegna_040.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="700" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmHphWriTfkfyoApKr7eg1dM_4y8VihkMyYW_CCGdKqFxcKGOEdHZOKDe230iCIgWjsbOhsPVSpaE93iTLV-7Er3H9C04dRxRVDial40-QA4i3tUZtEeYLZ_gBLSG5ebKx_LiVpMzYf_b-/w320-h306/Duccio_di_Buoninsegna_040.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br />Temptation of Christ on the Mount</i>; Duccio, di Buoninsegna; ca. 1308-1311</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /><b>EXTENT OF OBLIGATION TO GIVE TO PARISHES?</b><br />
In early June 2019, I had a brief Twitter exchange on <a href="https://twitter.com/catholicvoyager/status/1136838182874406913" target="_blank">this subject with JD Flynn</a>, editor-in-chief of the Catholic News Agency. I asked if he thought it was time to suspend diocesan giving in favor of other apostolates, such as "EWTN, Catholic News Agency, Ave Maria Radio, Catholic Answers, etc..." At the time, Flynn was opposed to the idea of withholding diocesan giving, stating in part: "I think it's our moral obligation to support the local Church, qua Church, even if the administrators of that money risk their souls by their choices." He also stated "our first obligation is to support the local Church. The Code of Canon Law says we have an obligation to do so."<br />
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At the time, I thought Flynn's perspective was reasonable and acknowledged misappropriations occurring within the Church. However, as I briefly stated in that exchange, I don't think continued giving in the current climate is actually helping the larger or local church. That is what has been going on for decades. The faithful participate, they give in the Sunday basket, and the routine goes on. And, heterodoxy persists from the mouths of too many clergy, without consequence. </div><div><br /></div><div>Furthermore, the number of corrupt bishops and their aggression against orthodoxy has seemed to intensify in recent months. The question presents itself: <b>Is it moral to finance a generation of corrupt bishops?</b><br />
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In December 2019, it was reported the <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-wave-of-sexual-abuse-lawsuits-could-cost-catholic-church-over-4-billion-2019-12-02" target="_blank">Church may pay out upwards of $4 billion</a> in sexual abuse settlements. Are the faithful obligated to contribute to such liabilities?<br />
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Canon Law states:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The legitimately accepted wills of the faithful who give or leave <b>their resources for pious causes ... are to be fulfilled most diligently</b> even regarding the manner of administration and distribution of goods... (Can. 1300)</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>[T]he ordinary can and must exercise vigilance, even through visitation, so <b>that pious wills are fulfilled</b>... (Can. 1300.2)</i></blockquote>
The faithful have an expectation that their giving will go toward "pious causes." Not paying legal fees for the crimes of perverted infiltrators. Not paying the salaries of archbishops who are opposed to the catechism and ignorant of moral theology. Not paying to keep churches going with bland homilies that avoid teaching the truth about relevant subjects. Not going toward the de-beautification of church architecture. Not redistributed to organizations that openly oppose Church teaching. Not going to support the lives of priests and bishops who tickle the ears of the Church's secular enemies in the media. At what point does one's financing enterprises make him complicit in pastoral crimes?<br />
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In June 2019, pro-life champion and theologian Dr. Jennifer Robak Morse was interviewed on Kresta in the Afternoon. On the subject of corruption that can occur when clergy intermingles with civil authorities, Dr. Morse stated: "And I think it is going to come from the people at the bottom. Raising their voices, raising their hands, <b>withholding their money</b>. You know, doing whatever needs to be done."<br />
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The situation is dire. The response must be drastic. It is not reasonable to expect collection-basket giving as usual will produce more of the same?<br />
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<b>WHAT ABOUT FAITHFUL PARISHES?</b><br />
As mentioned earlier, there are faithful clergy. And, there are vibrant parishes and religious communities. Should these remain recipients of general giving? Perhaps. Here are the possible pros and cons of giving to faithful parishes or religious communities. The pro is to hopefully to move all dioceses to make <i>every</i> parish exemplary of the true faith, like the ones the faithful support financially. The con would be that dioceses might re-route funds. The argument against giving even to vibrant parishes or religious communities would be to exhort even them to be able to go to their bishops and superiors and say, "The faithful are serious. We must take the faith seriously."<br />
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Could suspension of giving result in churches closing or faithful programs disappearing? Perhaps. However, it is also possible that such reductions, such suffocations, will be the means by which the Church is born anew. Bishops must know, unequivocally, that the faithful will not stand for the persistent heterodoxy that has permeated the walls of the Church and the lips of the clergy without consequence. <br />
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<b>WHAT OTHER GIVING OPTIONS ARE THERE?</b><br />
Diocesan parishes or religious orders are not the only arms of the Church available for financial giving. A number of lay apostolates remain vibrant and faithful, such as the aforementioned EWTN, Catholic News Agency, Ave Maria Radio, or Catholic Answers. There are many life apostolates such as Pro-Life Action League, Live Action, the Ruth Institute, the National Catholic Bioethics Center, Prolife Across America, Waterleaf Women's Center, and more. Others include law firms that have defended pro-life and other Catholic causes, such as Becket Law or Thomas More Law Center. There are no doubt many other good life, apologetic, bioethical, and ministerial apostolates a Catholic can donate to with minimal fear that the funds will support something offensive to the faith.<br />
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<b>HOW LONG TO SUSPEND GIVING? A ROADMAP TO RESTORATION</b><br />
In the delicate discernment process to suspend giving as described herein, what would be the signal to resume giving as normal to local parishes or religious communities? I would suggest until clear changes toward orthodoxy become normal. These are suggestions one could ask for even as a parishoner or to pursue as a member of a parish counsel. For example, the following, or things like them, would indicate the Church has begun a purification process we can expect to last:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Removal or sanction of heterodox and corrupt clergy/Restoration of faithful clergy</b><br />One of the most critical changes must be made among the clergy. As mentioned earlier, there are often no consequences for clergy who advance heretical ideas or enable corruption to flourish. Obviously, the criminal need to be removed and prosecuted. As well, so must there be consequences for clergy who foster heretical ideas, including giving a platform to those who do so. The names and improprieties described above are, scandalously, hardly the only examples. The Church must sanction or remove these culprits from positions of authority. In cases of formal heresy, excommunications should be issued, and appropriate priestly privileges revoked.<br /><br />When clergy improprieties are permitted to persist without consequence, the faithful can only conclude those up the hierarchy find their improprieties acceptable. No sanctions nor removals have been dealt to the likes of Cardinal Cupich, Bishop Stowe, Archbishop J. Tobin, Fr. Sichko, Fr. Sosa (and multiple scandalous Jesuits beneath him), nor a host of other clergy promoting unsound doctrines or opposing their faithful peers. The truths of the Church are sacred. There will be no purification in the hierarchy until the corrupt are removed from corrupting.</div><div><br /></div><div>In 1791, Pope Pius VI spoke of clergy causing public scandal, teaching error, and making pacts with secular authorities, not unlike the state of many in today's hierarchy:<br /><i><blockquote>Love, which is patient and kindly, as the Apostle Paul says, supports and endures all things as long as a hope remains that mildness will prevent the growth of incipient errors. But if errors increase daily and reach the point of creating schism, the laws of love itself, together with <b>Our duty, demand that We reveal to the erring their horrible sin and the heavy canonical penalties which they have incurred</b>. For this sternness will lead those who are wandering from the way of truth to recover their senses, reject their errors, and come back to the Church, which opens its arms like a kind mother and embraces them on their return. <b>The rest of the faithful in this way will be quickly delivered from the deceits of false pastors</b> who enter the fold by ways other than the door, and whose only aim is theft, slaughter, and destruction. ... We pointed out to [a Cardinal] the error of his opinion in taking the oath, and the canonical penalties which with sadness <b>We would be obliged to apply, stripping him of the rank of Cardinal unless he removed the public scandal by a timely and appropriate retraction</b>. (Pope Pius VI, Charitas (In the civil oath in France), 1791)<br /></blockquote></i><div>In the same vain, there can be no more removal of faithful priests with no theological reasons stated. Those faithful priests whom have fallen victim to these bishops' pastoral crimes must be restored to full ministry.</div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><b><br /></b></div><b>Eucharist taken seriously</b></div><div>As mentioned above, many of the faithful do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and a number of clergy have collaborated with corrupt politicians in devaluing its significance.<br />
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Receiving the Eucharist like common food tends to betray the divine reality at work. Receiving the Eucharist is arguably the most important thing we will ever do in our lives. Bishop Schneider has explained the significance of posture in our understanding of the Eucharist, and the advantages of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nv8yacWQJ4" target="_blank">receiving on the tongue</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/catholicjose/status/1192685728880193541?s=20" target="_blank">kneeling</a>. Some parishes either use the Communion rail or place or stand behind a small portable kneeler to foster kneeling postures and reception on the tongue simultaneously.<br />
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Bishops are obligated to uphold the Church's teaching on withholding the Eucharist from politicians who publicly support mortal sins, persistently and defiantly. The Church has had such sanctions and even excommunications throughout history because the faith is a serious matter.<br />
<br />I wrote last year on how <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2020/06/extraordinary-ministers-should-not-be.html" target="_blank">minimizing recourse to lay extraordinary ministers</a> of the Eucharist can help communicate the truth of the sacrament. <br />
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These are just some of the types of ideas the Church could advance in order to restore the true mystery of the Eucharist in the hearts of the congregation.<br />
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<b>Edifying architecture and music</b></div><div>I also wrote last year about the topic of the <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2020/07/the-importance-of-epic-church-art.html" target="_blank">importance of epic church art and architecture</a> that better communicates the majesty of Christ. <br />
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<b>Truth from homilies</b><br />
Certainly there are priests who can deliver homilies that deliver the truth with clarity, no matter the issue. It is imperative that homilies are given in light of the salvation of the souls of the faithful. However, there are too many priests (or deacons) who never or rarely enforce the truth to their congregations on "controversial" issues. Too many homilies are bland paraphrasings of the Gospel, if it is addressed at all. Too many have the effect of coddling the congregation, such as those that never confront the reality of sin. This is both from personal experience and the testimony of many others. Yet, Jesus preached such razor sharp truths that once-followers departed from him on the spot (<a href="https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=citation&book=John&chapno=6&startverse=60&endverse=66" target="_blank">John 6:60-66</a>). A priest should not fear to do the same.<br />
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As mentioned earlier, when too many priests consistently avoid mentioning, for example, the true nature of the Eucharist, we have what we have today—a scandalously large number of Catholics who believe neither in the Real Presence, nor its significance. The importance of the holy sacrament should be trumpeted from the pulpits. </div><div><br /></div><div>When the Church marries scores of cohabiting couples, they are in a sense betraying faithful young people in need of the Church's backing. Couples who avoid contraception should have their faith confirmed from the pulpit while those who contracept are clearly explained the perverse, damaging, and sinful quality of such acts. The dangers of pornography should be articulated clearly when such rampant use is so statistically evident. The true nature of marriage between one man and one woman should be explained anthropologically, that the two sexes are not interchangeable pieces that result in the same sacred institution. Sin should be taught from the pulpit in all its forms. Families are broken, tongues are spiteful, the world grows more perverse. Souls are at stake. The priest must equip the faithful with sound doctrine, that they might live in love, and understand the richness of the true faith. The lives of heroic saints should be announced as exemplars of living out the splendorous truths that flow from Scripture and Tradition. All these and more truths facing the faithful today should be trumpeted from the pulpit, to confirm and exhort the faithful, to educate them, to equip them to carry the message to others. This should not come from a few priests. It should come from all priests.<br />
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Pope Pius XII stated:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Let priests therefore, who are bound by their office to procure the eternal salvation of the faithful, after they have themselves by diligent study perused the sacred pages and made them their own by prayer and meditations, assiduously distribute the heavenly treasures of the divine word by sermons, <b>homilies</b> and exhortations; <b>let them confirm the Christian doctrine</b> by sentences from the Sacred Books and illustrate it by <b>outstanding examples from sacred history and in particular from the Gospel of Christ Our Lord; and — avoiding with the greatest care those purely arbitrary and far-fetched adaptations, which are not a use, but rather an abuse of the divine word</b> — let them set forth all this with <b><u>such eloquence, lucidity and clearness that the faithful may not only be moved and inflamed to reform their lives</u>, but may also conceive in their hearts the greatest veneration for the Sacred Scripture</b>. (St. Pius XII, Divino Afflante Spiritu, #50, Sept. 30, 1943)</i></blockquote><b>Other signs of serious Church</b><br />
Celebrating the liturgy <i>ad orientum</i> unites the congregation with the Christians of old. Use of Latin does likewise. Pope Benedict XVI's <i><a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20070707_summorum-pontificum.html" target="_blank">Motu Proprio</a></i> in 2007 fostered the use of the Latin liturgy. However, the Church's negligence in teaching Latin in recent decades makes the language shift more challenging to many Catholics. As a transition, bits of the mass could be said in Latin, such as is sometimes done when "Lamb of God..." is said as <i>"Agnus Dei..."</i> And over time, more Latin phrases could be incorporated easily and immediately.<br />
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Some, such as <a href="http://www.newemangelization.com/uncategorized/cardinal-raymond-leo-burke-on-the-catholic-man-crisis-and-what-to-do-about-it/#sthash.enK6sFmL.dpuf" target="_blank">Cardinal Burke</a> or Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral rector <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2011/08/25/the-1994-statement-permitting-girl-servers-was-a-mistaken-tactical-retreat-which-led-to-a-fall-in-priestly-vocations-it%E2%80%99s-time-to-withdraw-it/" target="_blank">Fr. John Lankeit</a>, support a return to the exclusively male altar server to distance that role as simply a participational one or one of mere capability. The role these men have in mind would be one by which young boys experience liturgical life at the altar as part of a vocational discernment. This is an idea very worthy of consideration, especially in times of confusion about the sexes inside and outside the Church.<br />
<br />
Any change made in parishes and religious communities should be done so in light of sacred tradition, befitting of the body of Christ. Too often, secular demands have transformed churches rather than the other way around. By holding to traditional sacred themes wherever possible, the Church announces itself as unique, a place that has something to offer that you cannot get in the world. This is a truth betrayed when worldly sights and sounds meet the visitor of a church, when unsound doctrines enter the holy halls and spill forth from the mouths of the clergy. What good is a Church that just regurgitates what one can already get from the world? <br />
<br />
<b>THE QUESTION</b><br />It goes without saying, prayer and fasting are an integral part of the spiritual life. This situation is no different. In the opening Ignatian quote, the saint encourages us to also <i>work</i> with what God has given us.</div><div><br /></div><div>
If one agrees that the Church is in need of much reform and purification, then the questions of financial giving to parishes or religious communities include: Should withholding financing to corrupt bishops be plan B in light of their refusal to dialogue or confront theological arguments? Does financing corruption and injustices make one complicit in the crimes of corrupt bishops? <br />
<br />
A natural reaction for some might be concern that this would bring about an end to various church programs. However, this only means those programs would not be funded by parishes. They could still be funded if they were compartmentalized from parish coffers with separate fund raisers or oversight by lay apostolates.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another objection is that the bishops in league with secular officials will receive their funding from those secular powers in exchange for secular favors. That corruption is a possibility, but those withholding money still won't be culpable of financing the corruption.<br />
<br />
Another objection might be fear that parishes will close. This is another possibility if the faithful were to, in large numbers, withhold their money. The question then is whether or not the Church has to get small before it can grow anew. Will pruning, although painful, result in restored vibrancy and life? This was the thought of then-Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI over 50 years ago:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>The church will become small and will have to start afresh more or less from the beginning</b>. ... As the number of her adherents diminishes...she will lose many of her social privileges. ... But when the trial of this sifting is past, a great power will flow from a more spiritualized and simplified Church. Men in a totally planned world will find themselves unspeakably lonely. If they have completely lost sight of God, they will feel the whole horror of their poverty. <b>Then they will discover the little flock of believers as something wholly new. They will discover it as a hope that is meant for them, an answer for which they have always been searching in secret.</b> (Fr. Joseph Ratzinger, <a href="http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/Interiorlife/iloo13.htm" target="_blank">Faith and Future</a>, 1969)</i></blockquote>
Do we have the courage to go through such a purgation? Does the current situation call for such a drastic reaction as the withholding of money from parishes or religious communities until serious signs of purgation appear? Is financing corruption immoral? These are the questions on the table. May the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and the counsel of Our Lady move the faithful wherever God will be glorified.</div>
The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-32079445455414989122020-10-21T16:06:00.006-07:002021-03-17T11:45:36.311-07:00How does Pope Francis reconcile calling gay "marriage" as of the devil yet support civil unions?Much ado is in the news again about Pope Francis and homosexuality. This time, the headlines from today read such as: <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-calls-for-civil-union-law-for-same-sex-couples-in-shift-from-vatican-stance-12462" target="_blank">Pope Francis calls for civil union law for same-sex couples, in shift from Vatican stance</a>. <div><br /></div><div><b>THE BACKDROP</b></div><div>This story is at least 7 years old, however. It is apparently back in the news because a new documentary quotes him, apparently more recently, supporting civil unions. But, let's look at the backdrop. </div><div><br /></div><div>In March 2013, then-Cardinal Bergoglio was in the news because there was a push for gay "marriage" in Argentina. According to the New York Times, Bergoglio saw civil unions as some sort of concession to be supported to prevent the passage of a gay "marriage" bill:</div><div><i></i></div><blockquote><div><i>Faced with the near certain passage of the gay marriage bill, Cardinal Bergoglio offered the civil union compromise as the “lesser of two evils,” said Sergio Rubin, his authorized biographer. “He wagered on a position of greater dialogue with society.” </i></div><div><i>–Cardinal Bergoglio, quoted in New York Times, March 13, 2013.</i></div></blockquote><div><i></i></div><div>If this actually was and is Pope Francis's opinion, he reportedly thinks civil unions are "evil," but not as bad as gay "marriage." It is difficult to ascertain his opinion, however, because quotes from him are sparse, he is not known to issue clarifications, and the media doesn't push for clarification anyway. The <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/claims-that-pope-supported-gay-civil-unions-disputed" target="_blank">Catholic News Agency reported in 2013</a> that the Pope supporting civil unions was false. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAm30gjPfVzSbPl4kdeADaAGEBi4bOLMKMgqolHsgrdUEnutGLZrE4uf-rA-1IiQi8P1eR0teq4dDdS0NUqkN47JWaZkP-1ZpcBJLys67JZ_gPGy4tsyLXBmYi-OsYkj0ICoWmyFqtsUF/s535/francis2019.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="535" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAm30gjPfVzSbPl4kdeADaAGEBi4bOLMKMgqolHsgrdUEnutGLZrE4uf-rA-1IiQi8P1eR0teq4dDdS0NUqkN47JWaZkP-1ZpcBJLys67JZ_gPGy4tsyLXBmYi-OsYkj0ICoWmyFqtsUF/s16000/francis2019.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />2019 detail of photo of Pope Francis. Photo by В. Николов. Acquired from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:President_Rumen_Radev_Welcomes_His_Holiness_Pope_Francis_in_Bulgaria,_2019-05-05_10.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a>.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>Writing in 2010, Cardinal Bergoglio stated:</div><div><div><i></i></div><blockquote><div><i>The Argentine people will face, in the coming weeks, a situation whose outcome may gravely injure </i><i>the family. This refers to the project of the law regarding marriage of persons of the same sex. </i><i>What is at stake here is the identity and survival of the family: father, mother and children. At </i><i>stake are the lives of so many children who will be discriminated against in advance, depriving </i><i>them of the human maturation that God wanted to be given with a father and a mother. At stake </i><i>is the outright rejection of the law of God, engraved also in our hearts. ... <b>It is not a mere legislative project (this is only the instrument) but a ''movement'' of the father of lies</b> that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God. Jesus tells us that to defend ourselves against this lying accuser, he will send us the Spirit of Truth. (<a href="https://www.catholichawaii.org/media/224245/bergoglio_to_carmelite_sisters.pdf" target="_blank">Letter (PDF) from Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J. to the Carmelite Nuns</a></i></div><div><i><a href="https://www.catholichawaii.org/media/224245/bergoglio_to_carmelite_sisters.pdf" target="_blank">of Buenos Aires</a>, Buenos Aires, June 22, 2010)</i></div></blockquote><div><i></i></div></div><div>In the context of that same chapter in Argentina, we have Bergoglio saying the movement for gay "marriage" is from the devil himself. That being the case, it's hard to reconcile why he would believe conceding to "civil unions" would be a better alternative than standing firm in the truth. The recklessness of that opinion would explain why he was overrulled by his fellow bishops at the time—the only time he was overruled as head of the Argentinian Bishops Conference, according to the NYT article.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>THE NEW DOCUMENTARY</b></div><div>All that being said, the quote from the documentary does not appear to offer any mention of civil unions as a necessary "evil." Pope Francis is quoted to now say:</div><div><div><blockquote><i>Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it,. ... What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered ... I stood up for that.</i></blockquote></div></div><div>If the Pope currently believes confirming people in a sinful arrangement is a virtuous solution, then he is obviously mistaken. That's like conceding to give porn to an addict so he still feels "part of the family" and isn't "miserable." There is a perverted notion about placing "welcomingness" or "accompaniment" above truth among some clergy in the Church today. This brand of welcoming is like the spider saying "Come into my parlor!" to the fly.</div><div><br /></div><div>If, when the Pope refers to when he "stood up for that" is in context of the Argentinian gay "marriage" movement of the early 10s, he either forgot that he said civil unions were a "necessary evil," or the "necessary evil" quote was misrepresented by his biographer Rubin. Otherwise, the Pope recently saying "I stood up for that" could be referring to the early 10s incident. It is unclear. There is also no mention I've seen in today's stories that the Pope reiterated that gay "marriage" was a lie of the devil.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>MAGISTERIUM</b></div><div>Supporting civil unions puts Pope Francis in opposition to magisterial texts on the matter. For example, speaking doctrinally and formally on this matter, the Church has stated:</div><div><div><i><blockquote>In those situations where homosexual unions have been legally recognized or have been given the legal status and rights belonging to marriage, <b>clear and emphatic opposition is a duty. One must refrain from any kind of formal cooperation in the enactment or application of such gravely unjust laws and, as far as possible, from material cooperation on the level of their application.</b> In this area, everyone can exercise the right to conscientious objection. ... <b>[It is] necessary to oppose legal recognition of homosexual unions...</b>" <br />(<a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20030731_homosexual-unions_en.html" target="_blank">Considerations regarding proposals to give legal recognition to unions between homosexual persons</a>, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2003)</blockquote></i></div><div>The document includes a variety of reasons why homosexual unions are to be opposed, including the natural law on which all morals are founded, and arguments addressing rational thought, the biological order, social order, and legal order.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>FINAL CONSIDERATIONS</b></div><div>Another matter comes from secularists as well as Pope Francis' more recent quote, such as "homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family...they're children of God..." etc. None of these assertions are disputed by supporters of marriage as between a man and woman. Supporters of true marriage actually agree with the notion that persons of homosexual disposition are children of God and belong in their families. But, to acknowledge that is a very different matter than whether same sex persons can "marry" or whether it's prudent to endorse some secular imitation of marriage in a "civil union." </div><div><br /></div><div>It's quite devious to imply that to love a person of homosexual disposition, one must confirm them in sin. But, to confirm someone in sin and lies is the exact opposite of love. Today's report on the Pope's words have resulted, again, in terrible scandal for the faithful. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin summarized this sentiment today as well:</div><div><i><blockquote>The Church cannot support the acceptance of objectively immoral relationships. Individuals with same-sex attraction are beloved children of God and must have their personal human rights and civil rights recognized and protected by law. However, the legalization of their civil unions, which seek to simulate holy matrimony, is not admissible. (<a href="https://dioceseofprovidence.org/news/statement-of-bishop-thomas-tobin-on-the-comments-of-pope-francis-regarding-civil-unions" target="_blank">Bishop Thomas Tobin, statement on Pope Francis's recent comment on civil unions, Oct. 21, 2020</a>)</blockquote></i></div><div>Finally, the matter of papal infallibility inevitably comes up in these contexts. Secularists and heterodox Catholics grow zealous at the thought that Catholic dogma on homosexuality has "changed" because of the Pope's comments when it has not. Confusion has resulted from a Pope Francis story again. I received email notice of a statement from the Diocese of Rockford today, reading in part: </div><div><i><blockquote>The comments being reported by Pope Francis have not changed the teaching of the church in regard to the Sacrament of Marriage or the complementarity of men and women.</blockquote></i></div><div>This matter does not remotely come close to being a statement under the charism of infallibility native to Pope Francis's office. The criteria for infallibility to occur (<a href="https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/first-vatican-council-1505" target="_blank">Vatican I, 4.4.9</a>) includes that it is a matter of faith and morals, is stated as from the function of the chair of Peter, is for all of the faithful to hold as dogmatically true, and is defined.</div><div><br /></div><div>The latest Pope quote from the documentary meets zero of those qualifications. Pope Francis's thoughts on this matter are his personal opinion.</div><div><br /></div><div>EDIT 10/22/2020 to add: Additional clarification and thoughts have been provided in detail on this issue by <a href="https://www.cardinalburke.com/presentations/statement-pope-francis-civil-unions" target="_blank">Cardinal Raymond Burke</a>.</div>The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-73982523832882892562020-10-14T17:29:00.005-07:002020-10-14T17:35:51.071-07:00Obergefell and legacies of lies<p>One of the big lies issued by the 2015 Supreme Court recognition of same-sex "marriage" is the following statement from the majority opinion by Justice Anthony Kennedy:</p><p></p><blockquote><i>The First Amendment ensures that religious organizations and persons are given <b>proper protection</b> as they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so central to their lives and faiths, and to their own deep aspirations to continue the family structure they have long revered. The same is true of those who oppose same-sex marriage for other reasons. (<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/14-556" target="_blank">Obergefell v. Hodges</a>, IV)</i></blockquote><p></p><p>Since the court's 5-4 ruling, we have seen multiple cases violating Justice Kennedy's "assurance." We have seen a <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/ky-clerk-jailed-for-contempt-on-gay-marriage/" target="_blank">county clerk imprisoned</a> for refusing to issue gay "marriage" licenses despite conscious laws and the wide availability of licenses all over the state. A multitude of other cases include numerous lawsuits against bakers, photographers, caterers and more to compel them into labor for specific gay "marriage" ceremonies. Even a <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/supreme-court-plaintiffs-claim-discrimination-after-catholic-cemetery-rejec" target="_blank">Catholic cemetery</a> has faced legal issues for not submitting to the Obergefell plaintiffs' demands. </p><p>Recently, another devious maneuver occurred during the Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court confirmation hearings. </p><p>Barrett's public history should be noted. Big media and leftist politicians have made much of Barrett's Catholicism—specifically, the Catholicism of one who is not known to trample Catholic teaching as many "Catholic" politicians or even clergy have. Thus, when convenient, the narrative attempts to convey that being truly Catholic somehow disqualifies one of judicial competence whereas someone irreligious is supposedly immune to biases. Now, I am not familiar enough with Barrett to know how much she adheres to Catholic teaching, but, for the purposes of this article, it is enough that her opponents perceive her as a traditional Catholic.</p><p>When Barrett was nominated to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017, Senator <a href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-feinstein-catholic-20170908-story.html" target="_blank">Diane Feinstein famously opined</a>:</p><p></p><blockquote><i>"Whatever a religion is, it has its own dogma. The law is totally different. And I think in your case, professor, when you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that <b>the dogma lives loudly within you, and that’s of concern</b> when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for for years in this country."</i></blockquote><p></p><p>This attitude is consistent in the trajectory of anti-Catholic and anti-traditional discrimination from before Obergefell to the current acceleration.</p><p>Yesterday, activists of gay "marriage" ideology took another dishonest step. During Barrett's confirmation hearing, she used the phrase "sexual preference" to refer to persons of homosexual attraction. Known for other <a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/post/edit/2255955026366433532/7398252383288289256#" target="_blank">anti-Catholic opinions</a>, Senator <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrats-attack-amy-coney-barrett-sexual-preference-biden?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20foxnews%2Fpolitics%20%28Internal%20-%20Politics%20-%20Text%29" target="_blank">Mazie Hirono</a> scolded the nominee, claiming the term was "offensive and outdated"—an attitude, incidentally, true to the 21st century's toddler-esque immaturity and obsession with what is "offensive."</p><p>So, how "outdated" is the term "preference" when referring to homosexual attraction? When did the term fall out of form?</p><p>Yesterday.</p><p>That's right. One day ago. Observant <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveKrak/status/1316223349719216128?s=20" target="_blank">Twitter users</a> noticed that Webster's dictionary altered the definition of the word "preference" as "offensive" when Amy Coney Barrett used the term in the context of sexual attraction. The English language was retconned to accommodate a leftist accusation, to <i>ex post facto </i>paint Barrett as some sort of bigot.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">As recently as last month, Webster’s Dictionary included a definition of “preference” as “orientation” or “sexual preference.” TODAY they changed it and added the word “offensive."<br /><br />Insane - I just checked through Wayback Machine and it’s real. <br /><br />(via <a href="https://twitter.com/thorsvensonn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ThorSvensonn</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/chadfelixg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@chadfelixg</a>) <a href="https://t.co/oOq1SNtCP2">pic.twitter.com/oOq1SNtCP2</a></p>— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveKrak/status/1316223349719216128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p>Other Twitter users noted how homosexuality-focused publications such as <i>The Advocate</i> and <i>Pink News</i> used the phrase "sexual preference" in the same sense in their publications as recently as three weeks ago.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpxLpE60St-5xVHB5Gd2zUzVOf3KnmdBVh_C4zIgMz-8zjgI7VVe4hOHFl6EL5zZzB-aJyVM84DIRa8FkaUxuvKKjQBvuU6VopovP1QW7jj00tNUobLFQrdDzaflsHTG3LOLLewpSnqzza/s800/monkey_eyes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="800" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpxLpE60St-5xVHB5Gd2zUzVOf3KnmdBVh_C4zIgMz-8zjgI7VVe4hOHFl6EL5zZzB-aJyVM84DIRa8FkaUxuvKKjQBvuU6VopovP1QW7jj00tNUobLFQrdDzaflsHTG3LOLLewpSnqzza/w400-h215/monkey_eyes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Webster's live manipulation of language is Orwellian, devious, and dishonest. And, so is the fake outrage of Senators such as Hirono who suddenly claim offense at this term once used by a Catholic primed to be in a position of judicial authority. The language manipulation is simply a lie. Such lies are the devil's offspring. And this has been the hallmark of Justice Kennedy's promise of "proper protection" to those who recognize male-female marriage. Even the Barrett "preference" incident came up in the context of a question about Obergefell. This all fit the same pattern: No one is to question homosexual activism's narrative.</p><p>And now, those who seek to persecute Catholics and traditionalists have announced that they are not beyond <i>changing the definition of a word in the dictionary</i> to persecute you. This is dystopian, something you would expect of a one-dimensional movie villain. This is a perverse version of the <i>Emperor Has No Clothes </i>and no one is supposed to notice the lie in front of them. </p><p>The trajectory of villainy against Catholics and traditionalists will only get worst unless there is something to alter the current course.</p>The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-33744896842490455102020-07-29T19:22:00.002-07:002020-08-06T10:50:31.749-07:007 historic images with Catholic back stories IV<div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Following is the 4th installment of images with Catholic back stories. (See <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2015/09/7-historic-photos-with-catholic-back.html" target="_blank">volume 1</a>, <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2015/12/7-historic-photos-with-catholic-back.html" target="_blank">volume 2</a>, and <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2017/01/7-historic-photos-with-catholic-back.html" target="_blank">volume 3</a>.)</span></div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><b>1. JOHNSTOWN FLOOD (1889) </b></span><div><font face=""><br /></font>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8Vgu_HHHgkkL8bmgrsuiRvUdSyH325h85PI3C9Flfts3PPeO09pCkN5PXVzGb7jP-6cGGP3MbNA2WU08vmhdGnCIIDY1IA_eY46Lrszpy1Z2M2jS4LPHmzhI0zjikoDPJ7phDZuN4VIS/s1600/The_Johnstown_calamity._House_of_Sisters_of_Charity%252C_by_Barker%252C_George%252C_1844-1894.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8Vgu_HHHgkkL8bmgrsuiRvUdSyH325h85PI3C9Flfts3PPeO09pCkN5PXVzGb7jP-6cGGP3MbNA2WU08vmhdGnCIIDY1IA_eY46Lrszpy1Z2M2jS4LPHmzhI0zjikoDPJ7phDZuN4VIS/s320/The_Johnstown_calamity._House_of_Sisters_of_Charity%252C_by_Barker%252C_George%252C_1844-1894.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sisters of Charity stereoscopic image in aftermath of Johnstown Flood. <br /><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Johnstown_calamity._House_of_Sisters_of_Charity,_by_Barker,_George,_1844-1894.jpg" target="_blank">Public domain image by George Barker</a>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"> On May 31, 1889, the South Fork Dam failed in what resulted in the Johnstown Flood of 1889. The dam released 14.55 million cubic meters of water onto the town, resulting in over 2,200 deaths, and $17 million in damages (nearly half a billion modern dollars).
Later that year, George Titus Ferris published <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=wxUzAQAAMAAJ" target="_blank">The Complete History of the Johnstown and Conemaugh Valley Flood</a>, in which he described various groups of people who responded to help with recovery. Among them, he cited the critical work of the nuns and priests:
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><i>The Sisters of Mercy were also active in the good work in the ruined city, though the majority of the Catholic women and children had been removed to Pittsburgh, and were being cared for there. There were about thirty Catholic priests and nuns at work, the sisters devoting themselves to the care of the sick and injured in the hospitals, while the priests did anything and everything, and made themselves generally useful. Bishop Phelan, who reached Johnstown on Sunday evening after the flood, returned to Pittsburgh the next day. He organized the Catholic forces in that neighborhood, and all devoted themselves to hard work assiduously. What the hospitals would have done at first without the sisters is a difficult question. There were nine charity, seven Franciscan, and seven Benedictine sisters. Among the priests were: Rev. Fathers Guido, Goebel, Cosgrave, Gallagher, Trotwein, Rosensteet, Doren, Corcoran, Derlin, Boyle, Smith, O’Connell, and Lamb. </i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Famous 19th century landscape photographer <a href="http://historiccamera.com/cgi-bin/librarium2/pm.cgi?action=app_display&app=datasheet&app_id=3071" target="_blank">George Barker</a> captured much of the Johnstown Flood. Among his techniques was the stereoscopic pair, a method of creating three-dimensional photographs by aligning two photos side by side, taken a few inches apart. When observed either cross-eyed, or looking “through” the pair, the image takes on three dimensions. Pictured above is Barker’s stereoscopic photo of the the Sisters of Charity house after the Johnstown Flood. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><b>2. POPE PIUS IX RAILROAD CARS (1859)</b></span></div><div><font face=""><b><br /></b></font>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0NiOo4OAkp9Gwgtr96UfY7X136rAO4Yxvbr_RJiJRmqDKCaV3wXdM58_NWK5PK7xdZN_h22xORV5j8VxTKNJvvzUskw6ip27oR8lCnuF0wIKennbFbIIGFssFfQRisYBFQTL8tiY9qbnU/s1600/PiuxIX_railroad04534101.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0NiOo4OAkp9Gwgtr96UfY7X136rAO4Yxvbr_RJiJRmqDKCaV3wXdM58_NWK5PK7xdZN_h22xORV5j8VxTKNJvvzUskw6ip27oR8lCnuF0wIKennbFbIIGFssFfQRisYBFQTL8tiY9qbnU/s320/PiuxIX_railroad04534101.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Altobelli & Molins (Italian, active until 1865), [Pope Pius IX's Private Train at Velletri], 1863, Albumen silver print, 26.4 × 35.2 cm (10 3/8 × 13 7/8 in.), 84.XP.373.2, The <a href="http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/38844/altobelli-molins-pope-pius-ix's-private-train-at-velletri-italian-1863/" target="_blank">J. Paul Getty Museum</a>, Los Angeles </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">In 1859, Pope Pius IX was gifted three railroad cars for use in traveling to the papal states. The cars served different purposes that contained a chapel, meeting area, and even an open car from which the public could be addressed. The first trip was from Porta Maggiore to Albano, near Castel Gandolfo.
The life of the papal railcars was short-lived, however, as Italy ended the authority of the papal states in 1870. The cars were not seen again until 1911 during a unification anniversary. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Watch <a href="https://www.romereports.com/en/2017/01/07/pope-pius-ix-s-railway-vehicles-open-to-the-public-in-rome/" target="_blank">Rome Report’s 2-minute documentary on Pius IX’s train</a> and see more images at <a href="http://www.centralemontemartini.org/en/collezioni/percorsi_per_sale/sala_del_treno_di_pio_ix_gia_sala_caldaie_n_22" target="_blank">Centrale Montemartini</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><b>3. MONKS, CAR, AND ST. BERNARD (1905)</b></span></div><div><font face=""><b><br /></b></font>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjih1THW0Z-ZzRAEINiq7gT71jIzNgE2MaBc3Ukbp-ngrirbD1oGEulSK91ZSWpr9vaxCEJlkRkyfObu9Du5hRV2UelCK0eSjusC5rM6KPAhHU_fYJ76PNiqnkcayV09QQ_b18Q9UUucUvp/s1600/Dufour-Ballabey_motor_truck_of_the_Great_St_Bernard_Hospice_%25281904%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjih1THW0Z-ZzRAEINiq7gT71jIzNgE2MaBc3Ukbp-ngrirbD1oGEulSK91ZSWpr9vaxCEJlkRkyfObu9Du5hRV2UelCK0eSjusC5rM6KPAhHU_fYJ76PNiqnkcayV09QQ_b18Q9UUucUvp/s320/Dufour-Ballabey_motor_truck_of_the_Great_St_Bernard_Hospice_%25281904%2529.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monks and workers pose with their first car and a St. Bernard at the Great St. Bernard Hospice in Switzerland. Photo by <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dufour-Ballabey_motor_truck_of_the_Great_St_Bernard_Hospice_(1904).jpg" target="_blank">Dufour & Tissot S.A., Nyon</a>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">To help weary travelers in the Swiss Alps, St. Bernard de Menthon founded a hospice and monastery in the late tenth century. St. Bernard is perhaps most well-known for the dogs that bear his namesake. For the monks availed the use of dogs in finding and helping weary travelers in the frigid Alps.
The <a href="https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02503b.htm" target="_blank">Catholic Encyclopedia</a> states: </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><i>Since the most ancient times there was a path across the Pennine Alps leading from the valley of Aosta to the Swiss canton of Valais, over what is now the pass of the Great St. Bernard. This pass is covered with perpetual snow from seven to eight feet deep, and drifts sometimes accumulate to the height of forty feet. Though the pass was extremely dangerous, especially in the springtime on account of avalanches, yet it was often used by French and German pilgrims on their way to Rome. For the convenience and protection of travelers St. Bernard founded a monastery and hospice at the highest point of the pass, 8,000 feet above sea-level, in the year 962. A few years later he established another hospice on the Little St. Bernard, a mountain of the Graian Alps, 7,076 feet above sea-level. Both were placed in charge of Augustinian monks after pontifical approval had been obtained by him during a visit to Rome. … At all seasons of the year, but especially during heavy snow-storms, the heroic monks accompanied by their well-trained dogs, go out in search of victims who may have succumbed to the severity of the weather. </i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">"The St. Bernards were never just a symbol," <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=144538&page=1" target="_blank">said Father Hilaire</a>, a hospice monk, in 2006. "Before the 1900s, there were no skis, so the dogs made paths even if there were one or two meters of fresh snow. They helped us save lives." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Pictured above is one of the dogs along with the monks and workers aboard the first motor vehicle owned by the hospice. The Wikimedia photo caption reads in part: </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><i>This is the first motor vehicle owned by the Augustinian fathers of the Great St Bernard Hospice, Valais, Switzerland, identified as a 1904 Dufour...built in very limited numbers by Dufour &Tissot, engine makers, of Nyon, Vaud, Switzerland.
This picture was taken 11 September, 1905 in Martigny, Valais, prior of what became the first climb of a motor vehicle to the summit of the Great St Bernard pass. The journey took about two hours.</i> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">In today's rescue efforts, the monks also use <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/a-brief-history-of-the-st-bernard-rescue-dog-13787665/" target="_blank">helicopters</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><b>4. FLYING AIRSHIP (1670) </b></span></div><div><font face=""><b><br /></b></font>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhNABedGm8xxyCT-vX5yfhW2-21vQm7QWXx3R_fc064FqG2kxr6U8bBfp27_UIsv5v__wWQZIPZFMyfgdEuPdp3aEQVj1-CfkL9vGL5-s4jravwcL8h8T7zWP-ZLq0gnnMkqggbsBi5A0/s1600/405px-Lana_airship.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="405" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhNABedGm8xxyCT-vX5yfhW2-21vQm7QWXx3R_fc064FqG2kxr6U8bBfp27_UIsv5v__wWQZIPZFMyfgdEuPdp3aEQVj1-CfkL9vGL5-s4jravwcL8h8T7zWP-ZLq0gnnMkqggbsBi5A0/s320/405px-Lana_airship.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Francesco Lana de Terzi's design of a "flying ship" from 1670. <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lana_airship.jpg" target="_blank">Public domain image</a>. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">In what could be called a forerunner of steampunk design is this sketch of a “flying ship” from 1670. Although this isn’t a “photograph” per se, the image is a famous one in aeronautics, which also happens to have a Catholic backstory.
The sketch is by Italian Jesuit priest Francesco Lana de Terzi, who published the image in his book <i>Prodromo</i>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Lana speculated that such a design could create a lighter-than-air balloon, thus able to levitate a ship. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">His theory was </span><a href="http://physics.kenyon.edu/EarlyApparatus/Pneumatics/Magdeburg_Hemispheres/Magdeburg_Hemispheres.html" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">inspired by the experiments of Otto von Guericke known as Magdeburg hemispheres</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">—two hemispheres pressed together and evacuated of air. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Although the materials he suggested would collapse under pressure, some speculate the vehicle </span><a href="https://alchetron.com/Francesco-Lana-de-Terzi" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">could have worked with graphene or other materials</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">A model of Lana’s invention can be seen at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Incidentally, in his same book, <i>Prodromo</i>, Lana also proposed the invention of a raised alphabet for blind readers that was a distant forerunner of Braille (who is also covered later in this article). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Of note here is how frequently historic scientific advancements or theories involve a Catholic and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Catholic_clergy_scientists" target="_blank">often clergy</a>. This is an unspoken reality among those who have accepted the false narrative that Church and science are at historic odds. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><b>5. FORTY MARTYRS OF BRAZIL (2000/1570)</b></span></div><div><font face=""><b><br /></b></font>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9WEhXPLbWZK9Ns9sf8H-gwO9SGSSVLdsca2k1bRbl5ssghBuTvUhjkwdgVnqjKs6ZBLrF-LKMciVq-VjFcogVYmQAfBDGtByLGYZrGvefPV5qFkK_1tSYnL_LwIQidqvLSs0siedNw7n/s1600/Crosses_for_the_Martyrs_of_Brazil_La_Palma.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1599" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9WEhXPLbWZK9Ns9sf8H-gwO9SGSSVLdsca2k1bRbl5ssghBuTvUhjkwdgVnqjKs6ZBLrF-LKMciVq-VjFcogVYmQAfBDGtByLGYZrGvefPV5qFkK_1tSYnL_LwIQidqvLSs0siedNw7n/s320/Crosses_for_the_Martyrs_of_Brazil_La_Palma.JPG" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underwater memorial for the Forty Martyrs of Brazil near the island La Palma. <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crosses_for_the_Martyrs_of_Brazil_La_Palma.JPG" target="_blank">Public domain image</a>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">They are known as the Forty Martyrs of Brazil La Palma. </span><a href="https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07639b.htm" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;" target="_blank">Ignacio de Acevedo</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"> was rector of the Jesuit college of Lisbon and at Broja. St. Francis Borgia appointed him as a leader in missions to Brazil, where Ignacio worked for three years. Many years later, he asked to return to Brazil, but in July, 15-16, 1570, he, along with thirty-nine Portuguese and Castilian companions were martyred by Huguenot pirates near the island of Palma. The Huguenots were French Protestants following the tradition of John Calvin. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">The voyage led by Ignacio was reportedly the “largest number of Jesuits leaving Lisbon for overseas missions and the most numerous collective martyrdom in all of the Modern Period.” A great number of galleries of Jesuit martyrs consist in depicting these Forty Martyrs of Brazil. Ignacio is said to have had in his hands when martyred the image of the Madonna di San Luca.
Pictured here are memorial crosses dedicated to those Forty Martyrs whose earthly lives ended at sea. <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sunken-crosses-of-malpique" target="_blank">Installed in 2000</a>, the memorial is located about twenty meters deep by the island of La Palma. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">For a lengthy account of the 40 martyrs, see <a href="https://journals.openedition.org/cultura/354" target="_blank">2010 article in the publication <i>Cultura</i></a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><b>6. FIRST BRAILLE TYPEWRITER (1892)</b></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAniSrDYU3rDrSUG4zQeGAQ3dn0NHPteRgqrFcV77SsjBjTjq8uwxwwWEJQqhzR0CYszCNjNYPt1fT2ZC_wR0WJ1boq5KPh0G-MdGaT6zIoShnmyhErFnwAeKnKNkhc6jhjKo-3-JGn_I0/s1600/Hall+Braillewriter+1892.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAniSrDYU3rDrSUG4zQeGAQ3dn0NHPteRgqrFcV77SsjBjTjq8uwxwwWEJQqhzR0CYszCNjNYPt1fT2ZC_wR0WJ1boq5KPh0G-MdGaT6zIoShnmyhErFnwAeKnKNkhc6jhjKo-3-JGn_I0/s320/Hall+Braillewriter+1892.JPG" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hall Braillewriter invented in 1892 utilized Catholic Louis Braille's alphabet for the blind. Source: <a href="https://blind.iowa.gov/blindhistory/reading-and-writing-aids-hall-brailla-writer" target="_blank">History of Blindness in Iowa</a>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Pictured here is the first Braille typewriter, the Hall Braillewriter. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">The invention builds upon another invention by Louis Braille, a French Catholic. </span><div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">Blinded since age five, a twelve-year-old Braille attended a lecture by a military captain, <a href="https://www.historytoday.com/louis-braille-and-night-writer" target="_blank">Charles Barbier</a>—who was himself once a classmate of Napoleon. Barbier had created multiple communication systems including a complex raised-letter system for reading in the dark. It was this latter invention that inspired the young Braille to develop his simpler reading system for the blind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">A priest, <a href="https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1801-1900/blind-louis-braille-gave-reading-to-the-blind-11630360.html" target="_blank">Father Jacques Palluy</a> recognized great aptitude in the young blind boy and took to teaching the youth himself and entrusting his schooling to a new schoolmaster. So skilled was Braille despite his blindness, that he served as the <a href="https://www.royalblind.org/national-braille-week/about-braille/who-was-louis-braille" target="_blank">organist at the Church of Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs and at the Church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul</a>. Between the ages of 15 and 19, Braille had developed his system of writing for the blind. He published his Braille system in 1829. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><b>7. FIRST SELF-PORTRAIT (ca 1450)</b></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-aEJrY-MbhMfC7Ax3gLYvvR8HsizW4ahFS3w59JUoZ2D0srDFHSxrQKR3bCeckhrXYGpvQvd6B7rFg4RtM0j71qSv8cQifH1Kw_2eQHxjb8C6xpaliAupWpHkI7ilozVDYhsN499v7BD/s1600/Jean_Fouquet.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="941" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-aEJrY-MbhMfC7Ax3gLYvvR8HsizW4ahFS3w59JUoZ2D0srDFHSxrQKR3bCeckhrXYGpvQvd6B7rFg4RtM0j71qSv8cQifH1Kw_2eQHxjb8C6xpaliAupWpHkI7ilozVDYhsN499v7BD/s320/Jean_Fouquet.png" width="500" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catholic artist Jean Fouquet's pioneering self-portrait miniature. <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jean_Fouquet.png" target="_blank">Public domain image</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/self-portrait" target="_blank"><br />The Louvre</a> describes this enamel-painted copper medallion as "the first self-portrait by a painter which was not composed as part of a scene." <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Fouquet" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> calls the work "the earliest sole self-portrait surviving in Western art" (There is some debate whether an earlier work by Jan van Eyck is actually a self-portrait.) A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melun_Diptych" target="_blank">separate Wikipedia article</a> describes the medallion as "the oldest self-signed self-portrait."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">In any case, it is a work of pioneership in the arenas of self-portraits and art miniatures. The artist, Jean Fouquet, was also a Catholic. The <a href="https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06161b.htm" target="_blank">Catholic Encyclopedia</a> calls the 6cm medallion Fouquet's "best portrait."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">The technique of portrait miniatures arose in the 15th century from artists, such as Fouquet, whom were skilled in book illustrations and manuscript painting. He is said to be the first French artist to have traveled to Italy. During his time there, he also painted a famous portrait of Pope Eugene IV, which now survives only in reproductions.</span></div></div></div>The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-13661243308028380972020-07-24T12:12:00.019-07:002020-09-28T12:15:02.289-07:00Interview on book Hollow Anchors<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was interviewed on Expedition Truth radio on July 23, 2020 to discuss my book Hollow Anchors of Morality. <a href="https://kcorradio.com/Library/archive/expedition-truth/2020/july/sam-entile-and-david-patrick-harry.mp3" style="color: #488c00;" target="_blank">MP3 archive can be heard here</a>!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Amazon: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hollow-Anchors-Morality-morality-explained/dp/1704791170/" style="color: #488c00;">Hollow Anchors of Morality</a></span></p>The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-14790789665722200862020-07-09T15:52:00.000-07:002020-07-09T15:52:59.278-07:00The importance of epic church art & architecture<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qdK85EnS8c-Va3YpC9M_6g4_O1nJVdlGpxIQw84zfA8owzB5KzOuUxtLS4j0Zxo_wX8tP3eNh3UEz3ZS5B07-VH79JZEAwEc3QDywAuNBl7VbYRSf5OAtMjqzPtZD4GQsweKzabDJlRx/s1600/StJohnCantius_20181102_212456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qdK85EnS8c-Va3YpC9M_6g4_O1nJVdlGpxIQw84zfA8owzB5KzOuUxtLS4j0Zxo_wX8tP3eNh3UEz3ZS5B07-VH79JZEAwEc3QDywAuNBl7VbYRSf5OAtMjqzPtZD4GQsweKzabDJlRx/s640/StJohnCantius_20181102_212456.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. John Cantius, Chicago (photo by author)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Origins</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The early ecumenical council at Nicea explicitly condemned those opposed to venerating sacred iconography:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All those childish baubles and bacchic rantings, the <b>false writings composed against the venerable icons</b>, should be given in at the episcopal building in Constantinople, so that they can be <b>put away along with other heretical books</b>.<br /><a href="https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/ecum07.htm" target="_blank">Second Council of Nicea</a>, Canon 9, 787 A.D.</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And the council exhorted that holy images be exposed in the churches in keeping with tradition:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We defend, free from any innovations, <b>all the written and unwritten ecclesiastical traditions that have been entrusted to us. One of these is the production of representational art; this is quite in harmony with the history of the spread of the gospel</b>, as it provides confirmation that the becoming man of the Word of God was real and not just imaginary, and as it brings us a similar benefit. For, things that mutually illustrate one another undoubtedly possess one another’s message. Given this state of affairs and stepping out as though on the royal highway, following as we are: the God-spoken teaching of our holy fathers and the tradition of the catholic church — for we recognize that this tradition comes from the holy Spirit who dwells in her– <b>we decree with full precision and care that, like the figure of the honoured and life-giving cross, the revered and holy images, whether painted or made of mosaic or of other suitable material, are to be exposed in the holy churches of God, on sacred instruments and vestments, on walls and panels, in houses and by public ways, these are the images of our Lord, God and saviour, Jesus Christ, and of our Lady without blemish, the holy God-bearer, and of the revered angels and of any of the saintly holy men.</b></span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You see how the writings of those opposed to icons were filed under heresy. From the earliest centuries, "tradition" included visual depictions of the gospels and the saints as vital to the spread of the gospel and ecclesial sanctuaries. The art serves the faithful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A beautiful environment for divine reality is prefigured in the Old Testament. </span><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">When God instructed Moses to build the ark in Exodus 25, He mandated use of gold, precious gems, and statues of cherubim. The ark was the dwelling place of God. The beautiful imagery corresponded to the divine invisible reality. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The importance of </span><b style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">holy images</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> in churches remains in order unto today:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><b>[I]n sacred buildings</b> images of the Lord, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saints, in accordance with most ancient tradition of the Church, <b>should be displayed for veneration by the faithful</b> and should be so arranged so as to lead the faithful toward the mysteries of faith celebrated there. (<a href="http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/general-instruction-of-the-roman-missal/girm-chapter-5.cfm#footnote-10010-132-backlink" target="_blank">General Instruction of the Roman Missal</a>, #318)</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pope Benedict XVI explained the necessity of "beauty" in conjunction with the Eucharistic celebration:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><b>Everything related to the Eucharist should be marked by beauty</b>. Special respect and care must also be given to the vestments, the furnishings and the sacred vessels, so that by their harmonious and orderly arrangement they will <b>foster awe for the mystery of God</b>, manifest the unity of the faith and strengthen devotion.</i></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Pope Benedict XVI, <a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_sacramentum-caritatis.html" target="_blank">Sacramentum Caritatis</a>, #41, 2007</i></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiY0iwtIxLU5DVpmdS83qD-gQ5lGF_nssc0tYh2Sz5WsX5nEALdW6zeRKXBp7PaQVQGq1gxODvrMTf4oamGMWCMG4CGMI1pCVGXLHsJjdD3n_W755MUqSzZXbI66f-4Hhd1D70SV2vcDN0/s1600/Brogi%252C_Giacomo_%25281822-1881%2529_-_n._3818a_-_Milano_-_La_Cattedrale_%25281870s%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="896" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiY0iwtIxLU5DVpmdS83qD-gQ5lGF_nssc0tYh2Sz5WsX5nEALdW6zeRKXBp7PaQVQGq1gxODvrMTf4oamGMWCMG4CGMI1pCVGXLHsJjdD3n_W755MUqSzZXbI66f-4Hhd1D70SV2vcDN0/s400/Brogi%252C_Giacomo_%25281822-1881%2529_-_n._3818a_-_Milano_-_La_Cattedrale_%25281870s%2529.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral) ca 1870s (public domain photo by <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brogi,_Giacomo_(1822-1881)_-_n._3818a_-_Milano_-_La_Cattedrale_(1870s).jpg" target="_blank">Giacomo Brogi</a>)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the 1947 encyclical </span><a href="https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius12/p12media.htm" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Mediator Dei</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, Pope Pius XII explained how sacred images should tend "neither to extreme realism nor to excessive 'symbolism.'" It's easy to understand excessive symbolism, for an overly abstract or vague image detaches from sacred tradition and wouldn't contribute to catechesis if the viewer can't tell what it is. Extreme realism is, perhaps, trickier to understand why it should be avoided. However, consider a statue of St. Peter holding the keys and pontificating with his finger to the sky and a halo over his head. Would this depiction be "realistic" in that there could have existed a photograph of Peter in that exact pose holding a giant key? No, however, the key and halo and pose are representative symbols that reveal truths about the saint. If one considers a photograph and sacred art in this way, the art is the more "real" of the two. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This brings us to a final consideration.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84spLpnqs357IRhlUVEzJRLqX6t3rGsredkuR-WG-PyqvBZdTwJI9YKHlVwXzdQTPz_pHSROKvDE0XffzCCSqZ7ElaBopFqdD94YaS1japeFoGo7hTlsKy0yxbC-Z-jA0w_1DaFVpmOB4/s1600/Old_St_Mary_20180816_125613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1181" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84spLpnqs357IRhlUVEzJRLqX6t3rGsredkuR-WG-PyqvBZdTwJI9YKHlVwXzdQTPz_pHSROKvDE0XffzCCSqZ7ElaBopFqdD94YaS1japeFoGo7hTlsKy0yxbC-Z-jA0w_1DaFVpmOB4/s320/Old_St_Mary_20180816_125613.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old St. Mary's Church, Cincinnati (photo by author)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Christ Uses Visual to Depict Mystery</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This notion of fostering awe for the mystery of God calls to mind a particular Scriptural passage combining the visibly glorious with an invisible mystery. The passage is the healing of the paralytic. The crowd doubted Christ's ability to forgive sins. Christ replied:</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk'? </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" — he said to the paralytic — </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home." </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "<b>We never saw</b> anything like this!" (Mark 2:9-12)</span></i></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jesus used a visibly striking image to correspond to the unseen miracle of the forgiveness of sin. Christ used the visual medium to represent the unseen mystery. The healing of paralysis served as the icon of the forgiveness of the man's sin. St. John Paul II <a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_23041999_artists.html" target="_blank">wrote to artists</a>, "</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">in a sense, the icon is a sacrament." The incarnate Christ is both God and man, the visible and invisible. Art that gives due regard to the incarnation principle stays true to tradition.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTd1U4HTOC9xQDU0klyAQ8zNe71Ksmuafvw-6Hkd93cix3AJsRCqbfml7-2TgefAScY5bUPBqUjdIUXDQ4dnAw0QbTgqPH20nDvgFNd40_-kKTDiLLX-pOIkkqWmvZbU_CKVAdCDr5E65P/s1600/SSPP_20190801_165347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="850" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTd1U4HTOC9xQDU0klyAQ8zNe71Ksmuafvw-6Hkd93cix3AJsRCqbfml7-2TgefAScY5bUPBqUjdIUXDQ4dnAw0QbTgqPH20nDvgFNd40_-kKTDiLLX-pOIkkqWmvZbU_CKVAdCDr5E65P/s640/SSPP_20190801_165347.jpg" width="339" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Naperville, IL (photo by author)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's also important to recognize the manner of physical representation Christ chose to model a sacred reality. Did He perform some act of mundanity or plainness? No. The act was awe-striking. Nothing less would befit the unseen mystery. Mundane art and architecture is a contradiction against what transpires on the Eucharistic altar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is why Church art, iconography and architecture must be epic, awe-inspiring, and befitting of divine mysteries. Even a small church can incorporate things like striking stained glass windows; an ornate crucifix, tabernacle, and altar; or small statues and icons to the extent possible. The goal "should be marked by beauty," as Pope Benedict said. Plain or abstract decor in a church fail to correspond to the Eucharistic mystery in the way Christ's healing of the paralytic delivered shouts of glory to God because it was so visually amazing. </span>The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-68698942292594507622020-06-17T17:01:00.000-07:002020-06-17T17:01:05.448-07:00Extraordinary ministers should not be ordinaryRecently, bishops showed a great zeal and meticulousness for regulations regarding the coronavirus. This ranged from closing down churches altogether to detailed protocols during the reopening phase. The goal is to benefit the physical health of the faithful. Likewise, such zeal to detail should be given to those norms that protect the spiritual lives of the faithful. After all, the spiritual life is the more valuable of the two. As scripture says, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt. 10:28)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MZTuKpD-L6ClVpSvSqKXX4E-ymVtuUQRV0gGiNy8QEWaeQcJ2U9LTuks784x-uskfpF6LXEc9iSjDROq4mOBH-Wp4mVgPXXh2_3Ikpg0eLHDgWEcwk4yJT6eKl6Jjs-n1PD7mwWezDJ_/s1600/377px-Fe%25CC%2581lix-Joseph_Barrias_-_Woman_Receiving_the_Eucharist_-_Walters_371343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MZTuKpD-L6ClVpSvSqKXX4E-ymVtuUQRV0gGiNy8QEWaeQcJ2U9LTuks784x-uskfpF6LXEc9iSjDROq4mOBH-Wp4mVgPXXh2_3Ikpg0eLHDgWEcwk4yJT6eKl6Jjs-n1PD7mwWezDJ_/s1600/377px-Fe%25CC%2581lix-Joseph_Barrias_-_Woman_Receiving_the_Eucharist_-_Walters_371343.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Woman Receiving the Eucharist</i> by Félix-Joseph Barrias (ca 1840-65)</td></tr>
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Meticulous attention is worth giving to spiritual norms. One such norm that is often not followed pertains to extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist. It is not uncommon to see lay extraordinary ministers even in small congregations, or even when there is a priest and deacon present. This is contrary to the regulation.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20040423_redemptionis-sacramentum_en.html#Chapter%20VII" target="_blank">Redemptionis Sacramentum</a></i> (2004) especially addresses proper use of extraordinary ministers. The document is subtitled <i>On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist</i>. Here are three key paragraphs (emphasis mine):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>#151 Only out of true necessity is there to be recourse to the assistance of extraordinary ministers in the celebration of the Liturgy. <b>Such recourse is not intended for the sake of a fuller participation of the laity</b> but rather, by its very nature, is supplementary and provisional.</i></blockquote>
We see here that recourse to extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist is not a "participation" mechanism for the laity. It is something to be availed only out of "true necessity." Many churches are not reflecting this.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>#154 [B]y reason of their sacred Ordination, the <b>ordinary ministers of Holy Communion are the Bishop, the Priest and the Deacon</b>, to whom it belongs therefore to administer Holy Communion to the lay members of Christ’s faithful during the celebration of Mass. <b>In this way their ministerial office in the Church is fully and accurately brought to light, and the sign value of the Sacrament is made complete.</b></i></blockquote>
Recourse to extraordinary ministers is a concession that does not communicate the completeness of the sign that accompanies distribution of the Sacred Body and Blood by a bishop, priest, or deacon.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>#157 If there is usually present a <b>sufficient number of sacred ministers</b> for the distribution of Holy Communion, <b>extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion may not be appointed</b>. Indeed, in such circumstances, those who may have already been appointed to this ministry should not exercise it. The practice of those Priests is reprobated who, even though present at the celebration, abstain from distributing Communion and hand this function over to laypersons.</i></blockquote>
Many parishes by default avail extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist even for modest Sunday congregations or even for daily masses where there are a few dozen attendees, if that. Such unnecessary normalization of extraordinary ministers seems exactly the type of impropriety that <i>Redemptionis Sacramentum</i> warns against.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>#158 Indeed, the extraordinary minister of Holy Communion may administer Communion only when the Priest and Deacon are lacking, when the Priest is prevented by weakness or advanced age or some other genuine reason, or when the number of faithful coming to Communion is so great that the very celebration of Mass would be unduly prolonged. This, however, is to be understood in such a way that <b>a brief prolongation, considering the circumstances and culture of the place, is not at all a sufficient reason</b>.</i></blockquote>
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Even a priest by himself can get through a several dozen communicants in just a few minutes, particularly if a communion rail is availed. But what is, say, an extra five to ten minutes when such time can also be used for post-Communion prayer. If one were to argue that the Liturgy is unduly prolonged, the very last part of the Liturgy that should be accelerated is the Eucharist. Christ's Body and Blood are the very "source and summit" of the one, true faith (CCC#1324). It would be easy to compensate, if necessary, to abstain, for example, from multiple verses of song that prolong the mass. Forgoing song altogether in favor of a cantor's Latin chant during processions would likewise award additional time that could be granted to the Holy Eucharist. A concise homily can also help. So could reciting, instead of singing, the Gloria. There are many other ways, if truly necessary, than trying to speed up Holy Communion.</div>
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If <a href="https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2019/08/new-survey-only-one-third-of-catholics-believe-in-real-presence/" target="_blank">modern polls</a> are accurate, upwards of two-thirds of Catholics don't even believe in the Real Presence. This is a tragedy. There is little excuse to avoid solutions that would better communicate the reality of the Real Presence. As <i>Redemptionis Sacramentum</i> (154) stated, the true value of the Eucharist is signally announced when distributed by an ordained minister. Limiting distribution of the Eucharist to bishops, priests, and deacons as much as possible is one simple remedy already prescribed by the Church.The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-30633856273767244232020-06-06T07:34:00.006-07:002021-02-24T15:09:59.442-08:00VIDEO: The flaw in simulation theoryBelow is a 3-minute video based the February 2020 blog post <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2020/02/the-flaw-in-simulation-theory.html" target="_blank">The flaw in simulation theory</a>.<br />
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<script>!function(r,u,m,b,l,e){r._Rumble=b,r[b]||(r[b]=function(){(r[b]._=r[b]._||[]).push(arguments);if(r[b]._.length==1){l=u.createElement(m),e=u.getElementsByTagName(m)[0],l.async=1,l.src="https://rumble.com/embedJS/uihyin"+(arguments[1].video?'.'+arguments[1].video:'')+"/?url="+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+"&args="+encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify([].slice.apply(arguments))),e.parentNode.insertBefore(l,e)}})}(window, document, "script", "Rumble");</script>
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Rumble("play", {"video":"vbj1zt","div":"rumble_vbj1zt"});</script>The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-32301303864126867482020-02-22T11:18:00.000-08:002020-06-06T07:35:18.487-07:00The flaw in simulation theoryEdit: June 6, 2020 see link to <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2020/06/video-flaw-in-simulation-theory.html" target="_blank">video version of The flaw in simulation theory here</a>.<br />
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Simulation theory is the idea that what we believe to be the universe is actually a computer simulation and each of us are characters in this simulation resembling characters in a video game. A similar idea was the plot of the 1999 films <i>The Matrix</i> and <i>The Thirteenth Floor</i>. In the films, the characters discover that what they believed was reality was really an illusion, a virtual reality computer simulation.<br />
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There are people today who take this idea seriously, including scientists or entrepreneurs. Before delving further, I'd like to begin with the unspoken flaw in this theory that is often absent from discussion on the topic.<br />
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<b>THE FLAW</b><br />
Simulation believers build their idea on advancements in computer technology. And, the current trajectory of increasing technology tends toward indistinguishability from reality.<br />
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One of the more famous simulation theorists is industrial engineer Elon Musk, who, in 2016, <a href="https://youtu.be/2KK_kzrJPS8" target="_blank">answered a question on the topic</a> thusly:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>It's a given that <b>we're clearly on a trajectory to have games that are indistinguishable from reality</b> and those games could be played on any set-top box or or on a PC or whatever and there would probably be, you know, billions of such, you know, computers or set-top boxes. I<b>t would seem to follow that the odds that we're in base reality is one in billions</b>. Tell me what's wrong with that argument. Is there a flaw in that argument?</i></blockquote>
The flaw is this: simulation theory is self-admittedly founded on the characteristics of a world that is considered an illusion. It is circular thinking.<br />
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<b>FURTHER ANALYSIS</b><br />
The only way for <i>real</i> technological advancements to have occurred is if we are living in a true base reality. In the first part of their deduction, simulation theorists treat technological advancements <i>as if they were real</i> phenomena in a base reality. But, in their conclusion, simulation theorists say the very technological advancements on which they formed their premise are an illusion.<br />
<br />
Online entrepreneur Naval Ravikant was <a href="https://youtu.be/wTpTGam0FT0?t=3593" target="_blank">interviewed in 2018</a> by Scott Adams, who asked him to name illusions people experience. Ravikant said "the illusion of reality":<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Well the thing is if you understand simulation theory </i><b style="font-style: italic;">it's statistically likely that not only is there one level above there's zillions of levels above you</b><i>. So in </i>The Matrix<i> Neo doesn't actually get out. He just pops one level higher. And now he's even more deeply trapped because he's trapped in a ***** environment and he's convinced it's real, which is the ultimate trap. Now he's not even looking for the next level up. Even one level beyond that, it's worse than that, because <b>it's </b></i><b><i>statistically likely, if you're in a sim, you're not some real world character representing a sim, you're actually an NPC. There's millions more NPCs in </i>Call of Duty<i> than there are real players. So you're you're probably just a computer simulation</i></b><i>. </i></blockquote>
Here we see another appeal to video games. There are millions more NPCs (i.e. non-player characters) in the game <i>Call of Duty </i>than human gamers actually controlling a character. Notice, to form his theory, Ravikant appealed to a virtual game created in the very world he says is an "illusion." The pool of data from which Ravikant derives his claim that "it's statistically likely" that there are "zillions of levels" of simulations is <i>based</i> upon a game and a reality that he says do not exist. His conclusion is absurd. Again, the simulation-theorist falls into the illogic of a circular reasoning that destroys its own premise.<br />
<br />
The simulation theorist attempts to use some form of the following syllogism:<br />
<ol>
<li>Simulation technology is getting harder to distinguish from reality.</li>
<li>Since billions of such simulation could be created by such advanced technology, the odds that any given "reality" is the base one is highly improbable.</li>
<li>Therefore, what we believe to be reality (INCLUDING THE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS IN STEP 1) is most likely an illusion. </li>
</ol>
Now, the simulation theorist doesn't mention the part in caps in step 3, but it cannot be avoided. What the theory requires to be a <i>real</i> phenomenon in step 1 is reduced to an <i>illusion</i> in step 3. And, an illusion is not a reliable model for reality. (Incidentally, step 2 doesn't even logically flow from step 1 because there is no cause given for why the level of indistinguishability must have already been achieved in some other universe by some alien species.)<br />
<br />
Again, simulation theorists are observing the development of computer and video game technology that is occurring <i>within a realm they claim is not real</i>. According to their theory, there isn't really development of computer technology occurring at all. The higher species who created "this" simulation programmed it so its characters can "do" the virtual <i>illusion</i> of "leveling up" their video game technology. But, if this is a simulation, those advancements <i>have never actually occurred</i> any more than there is a <i>real</i> Pac-Man who has colorful ghost enemies whom he sometimes eats.<br />
<br />
Astrophysicist Neil de Grasse Tyson is also known to seriously entertain the idea that we live in a computer simulation. At the 2016 event <i><a href="https://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/podcasts/2016-isaac-asimov-memorial-debate-is-the-universe-a-simulation" target="_blank">2016 Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate: Is the Universe a Simulation? </a></i>Tyson closed in part by saying:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>So, given our definitions, we’re the only intelligent species there ever was because we have poetry and philosophy and music and art. And then I thought to myself, well, if the chimpanzee has 98-whatever percent identical DNA to us—pick any animal. It doesn’t matter. Dogs, it doesn’t matter. Mammals have very close DNA to us. They cannot do trigonometry. Some people can’t do trigonometry. Certainly not these animals. So, i<b>f they cannot do trigonometry, and they have such close genetic identity to us, let’s take that same gap and put it beyond us and find some life form that is that much beyond us that we are beyond the dog or the chimp</b>. What would we look like to them? We would be drooling, blithering idiots in their presence. ... Oh, you’re back from preschool? Oh, you’ve just composed a symphony. That’s so—let’s put it on the refrigerator door. We just derived all the principles of—oh, that’s cute. And so that is not a stretch to think about. And if that’s the case, <b>it is easy for me to imagine that <u>everything in our lives is just the creation of some other entity</u> for their entertainment</b>. </i></blockquote>
But, guess what. None of the things to which Tyson appeals as a trajectory of intellect are actually real if we are living in a simulation. He said it himself that "everything in our lives is just the creation of some other entity." If this is a simulation, the idea that humans have poetry is an illusion, just like everything else in the simulation. The animals we think we see aren't real. There isn't actually DNA nor DNA similarities. Etc. All these things would just be part of the illusory world created by some theoretically advanced computer programming species.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmM2eySxEh9ohUEwZXP9Wk7gpii6uvYDtYa65aoaGiQ8u-MCx8VcY6OyPhhhyphenhyphentkNyJvAdF6FTqDEqsLCOVIUw1AmSAV1vK9xhY0JNp2MXgL6ZGKNZ_PYHj-ICAAaEW7mdE48pDb536qsgN/s1600/dogs-984015_1920_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmM2eySxEh9ohUEwZXP9Wk7gpii6uvYDtYa65aoaGiQ8u-MCx8VcY6OyPhhhyphenhyphentkNyJvAdF6FTqDEqsLCOVIUw1AmSAV1vK9xhY0JNp2MXgL6ZGKNZ_PYHj-ICAAaEW7mdE48pDb536qsgN/s1600/dogs-984015_1920_500.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is our universe just a sophisticated computer simulation?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>MORAL CONSIDERATIONS</b><br />
In my recent book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1704791170" target="_blank">Hollow Anchors of Morality</a>, I discussed the nonsensical claim that morality can exist in a strictly material world devoid of free will. If someone were to claim morality exists in an artificial simulation just as it does in a base reality, the error would be similar.<br />
<br />
Think back to the examples of video games to which simulation theorists appeal in their circular error. If one NPC "kills" another NPC in <i>Call of Duty</i>, did an "immoral" act occur in reality? If "Mario" throws the penguin off the cliff in <i>Super Mario 64</i>, did a <i>real Mario</i> commit a <i>real act</i> of cruelty? Of course not. No one was harmed in reality. But, if we were just characters in a similar kind of game, we wouldn't be any more real than the NPC.<br />
<br />
Even if a simulation theorist wanted to argue that there are "real" persons operating the characters in the simulation through some futuristic virtual reality headgear, there still wouldn't be acts of morality committed by or against the <i>pixels</i> they are controlling. We see this directly when observing people playing, say, a battle game and "shooting" each others' characters in the game, but, of course, not in <i>reality</i>. If an act of unreal violence was committed against an unreal illusion of a person, what crime was done? Nothing actually happened other than pixels rearranging, no matter how sophisticated the graphics might be. The simulation theory essentially strips the universe of moral obligation.<br />
<br />
Of course, an overly violent or sexually charged game, for example, could influence a real person playing it to commit a sin, but only because the person is outside the game and in reality. The pixel constructs in an illusory realm lack the necessary quality of being made in the image of God (a principle also discussed in <i>Hollow Anchors</i>) in order for morality to pertain to them in the first place. Thus, the idea of morality is absurd when confined to the activity of a computer chip.<br />
<br />
From a related Catholic perspective, apologist Jimmy Akin discussed simulation theory on his <a href="http://jimmyakin.com/2018/11/would-it-matter-if-were-living-in-a-simulation.html" target="_blank">blog</a> and on <a href="https://sqpn.com/2018/12/mys017-are-we-in-a-simulation-does-it-matter/" target="_blank">Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World</a>. He concluded it would not matter in the order of salvation. When addressing the consequences of living in a simulation, he said, "We still have the same three elements—God, the spiritual world, and the natural world—and all three interact."<br />
<br />
<b>CAN SUCH A SIMULATION EVEN BE CREATED?</b><br />
One of the objections to simulation theory is that in order to create an "ancestor simulation" of an actual snapshot of the historic universe, it would require "<a href="https://futurism.com/sorry-elon-physicists-say-we-definitely-arent-living-in-a-computer-simulation" target="_blank">a computer memory that requires more atoms than what’s available in the universe</a>."<br />
<br />
This objection is useful if limited to discussing the aforementioned simulation theorist's premise #1: Simulation technology is tending more toward indistinguishability from reality.<br />
<br />
By limiting the thought exercise only to our advancements in computer technology, there may well be physical limits that would prevent a simulation detailed enough to be indistinguishable from a base reality. However, remember, the simulation theorist ultimately ends up claiming that this universe is an illusion, along with everything in it, including advancements in video game technology.<br />
<br />
It is also worth mentioning, in the aforementioned 2016 debate on simulation theory, not one scientist on the panel said the odds were in favor of us being in a simulation. When asked what the odds were, they said: uknown, 17%, 1%, 0%, and 42%. Only Tyson, who was hosting, said the likelihood might be "very high."<br />
<br />
Theoretically, if we did live in a simulation, it is useless to point to qualities inside the simulation to deduce we are in one. There's no reason to think the physics of any simulation must be a reflection of the physics of its world's creator any more than <i>Pac-Man</i> should assume there are entities in the real world like him, who move faster and faster the more they eat.<br />
<br />
<b>CONCLUSION</b><br />
At the end of the day, simulation theory is wild speculation, not some deductive reasoning of intellect. Other science fiction theories, such as our memories swapped out periodically such that we never know it, seem to have just as much a logical basis as simulation theory. Such theories are not demonstrated by our experience, even if they are theoretical possibilities.<br />
<br />
Finally, the irony of modern simulation theory, is that the very premise on which it is founded <i>depends</i> on this world being a real base reality, for their entire theory is built upon its contents.The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-129064054630542232019-12-22T09:39:00.004-08:002020-01-17T13:10:08.854-08:00Does the Church still heal the sick and raise the dead?Perhaps you've heard an atheist or skeptical challenge to the effect of, "If the Church really was divine, why doesn't it heal the sick and raise the dead, etc., like it says in the Bible:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. (Mark 16:17-18)</i></blockquote>
The response to this is twofold.<br />
<br />
<b>LITERAL</b><br />
First, this prophecy was fulfilled in the immediate early Church following the Ascension. Most of the promises are recorded to have occurred in the book of Acts. As well, there have been other records of such miracles occurring in the subsequent history of the Church.<br />
<ul>
<li>The matter of exorcism is attested, for example, in <a href="https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=citation&book=Acts&chapno=16&startverse=18&endverse=18" target="_blank">Acts 16:18</a>. In Church history, the ministry of casting out demons in exorcism is attested by a number of other subjects and witnesses. This is the case even today with lay people and clergy who work in close conjunction with medical professionals in order to rule out medical conditions. See the footnotes for references.</li>
<li>Regarding the gift of tongues, the Scripture attests to the phenomenon in the book of Acts, which followed Christ's promise. Some early Christian texts repeat the claim (e.g. St. Irenaeus, <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103506.htm" target="_blank">Against Heresies, 5.6.1</a>). It is sometimes attested in modern times that this gift, perhaps, is now rare or non-existent (e.g. Fr. Edward O'Connor, <a href="https://archive.org/stream/catholicpentecos00dece/catholicpentecos00dece_djvu.txt" target="_blank">The Catholic pentecostal movement</a>, 1971). Read further in the next section regarding a concentration of miracles in the early Church.</li>
<li>The matter of handling serpents or poison, again, is attested in Acts. Paul is bitten, yet unaffected, by poisonous snakes (<a href="https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=citation&book=Acts&chapno=28&startverse=3&endverse=5" target="_blank">Acts 28:3-5</a>). In Church history, one of the miracles attributed to St. Edith Stein (aka St. Benedicta of the Cross) is the recovery of Benedicta McCarthy who in 1987 ingested "<a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2014/07/is-faith-belief-without-evidence.html" target="_blank">19 times the lethal dose of acetaminophen</a>" and recovered instantly.</li>
<li>Healing the sick is attested in <a href="https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=citation&book=Acts&chapno=3&startverse=1&endverse=10" target="_blank">Acts 3:1-10</a>, <a href="https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=citation&book=Acts&chapno=14&startverse=8&endverse=10" target="_blank">Acts 14:8-10</a>, et al. Peter is recorded to have raised the dead in <a href="https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=citation&book=Acts&chapno=9&startverse=32&endverse=42" target="_blank">Acts 9:32-42</a>. Of course, there have been numerous healing miracles attributed in every age of the Church, such as the aforementioned Edith Stein miracle, and even more recent miracles, such as attributed to <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2014/07/01/fulton-sheen-and-the-miracle-of-baby-james/" target="_blank">Bl. Fulton Sheen</a>.</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aAu9snydcMhlkuomn43WaXZsRSTmk8VrKgHiXbp_XrDGfMsPvJDu0U3R9b68HnYXZV5gaTPHX7fPf86Fe1rjcovGXrSSidwbP0k_dRyQriWp-CHoOOi7c1RwjeFI3ks9esgFbvGJ__lh/s1600/320px-Fabrizio_Santafede_-_Saint_Peter_raises_Tabitha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aAu9snydcMhlkuomn43WaXZsRSTmk8VrKgHiXbp_XrDGfMsPvJDu0U3R9b68HnYXZV5gaTPHX7fPf86Fe1rjcovGXrSSidwbP0k_dRyQriWp-CHoOOi7c1RwjeFI3ks9esgFbvGJ__lh/s320/320px-Fabrizio_Santafede_-_Saint_Peter_raises_Tabitha.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>St. Peter Raises Tabitha</i>, Fabrizio Santafede, 1611, acquired from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fabrizio_Santafede_-_Saint_Peter_raises_Tabitha.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a></td></tr>
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For the purpose of interacting with a skeptic, it is enough to note that the Biblical text records fulfillment of Christ's prophecy. Whether the skeptic believes the miracles is a different matter. The text of Acts accounts for the prophecy in Mark.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>SPIRITUAL</b><br />
Secondly, and more importantly, the Scriptural promise must be understood spiritually. After all, Scripture likewise alerts us, <i>"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt. 10:28)</i><br />
<br />
Preservation of the soul, in the order of Christianity, is more important than preserving the body. That, of course, does not suggest we are to neglect the body, because the body is also the sacred temple of the Spirit (<a href="https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=citation&book=1+Corinthians&chapno=6&startverse=19&endverse=19" target="_blank">1 Cor. 6:19</a>).<br />
<br />
But, Scripture often uses the figure of healing the body as the figure of man healed of sin. The opening of the Mark 16 prophecies fits with this healing language, which is indicative of healing sin.<br />
<br />
Consider another occasion on which Christ juxtaposed the healing of a body in order to make a point about spiritual healing. After healing the paralytic whom was lowered through the ceiling, Christ said,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins." He then said to the paralytic, "Rise, take up your bed and go home." (Matt. 9:6)</i></blockquote>
Christ reveals the purpose of performing the visible healing—that the onlooker would understand that healing of <i>sin</i> is real, even though he cannot see it. Christ performed a visible healing in order to give cause for his audience to believe the invisible healing. They saw the paralyzed man healed. They had reason to believe the invisible, but real, wounds of sin were likewise healed by the power of Christ.<br />
<br />
Luke quotes Christ analogizing sin and sickness. When asked why he would engage sinners, Christ replied, <i>"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick." (Luke 5:31)</i><br />
<br />
The Catechism echoes this sentiment in multiple places. For example:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>[W]e are <b>dead</b> or at least <b>wounded</b> through <b>sin</b>... (CCC#734)</li>
<li>Thus the <b>sinner is healed</b> and re-established in ecclesial communion. (CCC#1448)</li>
<li>But [Christ] did not heal all the sick. His <b>healings were signs</b> of the coming of the Kingdom of God. They announced <b>a more radical healing: the victory over sin and death</b> through his Passover. (CCC#1505)</li>
</ul>
<br />
Return now to the Mark 16 prophecies and the spiritual meaning becomes clear. This spiritual understanding is explained by Pope St. Gregory I (d.604):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Are we then without faith because we cannot do these signs? Nay, but these things were necessary in the beginning of the Church, for the faith of believers was to be nourished by miracles, that it might increase. Thus we also, when we plant groves, strong in the earth; but when once they have firmly fixed their roots, we leave off irrigating them. These signs and miracles have other things which we ought to consider more minutely. For Holy Church does every day in spirit what then the Apostles did in body; for when her Priests by the grace of <b>exorcism</b> lay their hands on believers, and forbid the evil spirits to dwell in their minds, what do they, but cast out devils? And the faithful who have left earthly words, and whose <b>tongues sound forth</b> the Holy Mysteries, speak a new language; they who by their good warnings take away evil from the hearts of others, <b>take up serpents</b>; and when they are hearing words of pestilent persuasion, without being at all drawn aside to evil doing, they <b>drink a deadly thing</b>, but it will never hurt them; whenever they see their neighbours growing weak in good works, and by their good example strengthen their life, they <b>lay their hands on the sick</b>, that they may recover. And <b>all these miracles are greater in proportion as they are spiritual, and by them souls and not bodies are raised</b>. (Pope St. Gregory I, commentary on Mark 16, quoted in St. Thomas Aquinas's <a href="https://www.ecatholic2000.com/catena/untitled-56.shtml#_Toc384506956" target="_blank">Catena Aurea</a>)</i></blockquote>
It is worth emphasizing that St. Gregory also expounds on why the volume of miracles are more prevalent in the early Church—because they were useful in giving the Church root. From there, the Church stood with greater strength, having a firm foundation and the assurance of a divine pedigree. The Catechism <a href="http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/156.htm" target="_blank">#156</a> refers to miracles as one of the means by which faith is nourished (cf. <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2014/07/is-faith-belief-without-evidence.html" target="_blank">Is faith belief without evidence?</a>). Although miracles have occurred in every age in the Church, it is sensible to expect greater "proofs" would be given at the beginning of a new era in the divine economy of salvation. This is somewhat analogous to an infant requiring much sleep until he grows in strength and depends less on it.<br />
<br />
St. Gregory's spiritual interpretation of the Mark 16 passage is echoed by others, including Fr. Cornelius Lapide (d.1637), the Flemish exegete, by quoting St. Bernard (d.1153):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Mystically: S. Bernard (Serm. de Ascens.) says, “The first work of faith which worketh by love is compunction of heart, by which, without doubt, <b>devils are cast out</b> when sins are rooted out of the heart. After that they who believe in Christ speak with new <b>tongues</b> when old things depart but of their mouth, and for the time to come they speak not with the old tongue of our first parents, who declined unto words of wickedness in making excuses for their sins. But when by compunction of the heart, and confession of the mouth, the former sins have been blotted out, in order that men may not backslide, and their latter end be worse than the beginning, it is needful that they <b>take away serpents</b>, that is, extinguish poisonous suggestions, &c. If they shall <b>drink</b> any deadly thing it shall not hurt them. This is, when they feel the stings of concupiscence, they shall not consent. They shall <b>lay their hands upon the sick</b>, and they shall recover. This is, they shall cover their evil affections by good works, and by this medicine they shall be healed.” (Lapide, <a href="http://www.catholicapologetics.info/scripture/newtestament/2markend.htm#ch16" target="_blank">Commentary on Mark 16</a>)</i></blockquote>
So, when someone asks, for example, why doesn't the Church still heal the sick or raise the dead, the answer should be that it does, every day, in the sacrament of Confession. Whenever an earnest soul makes his sacramental confession, a miracle occurs. We have the visible installment of belief from the miracles of Christ and his apostles and saints through the ages. It is up to us to recognize the greater healings occurring in spirit.<br />
<br />
<b>Further resources:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.ncregister.com/blog/armstrong/christs-power-shines-even-in-creepiest-case-of-demonic-possession-says-psyc" target="_blank">Christ’s Power Shines Even in “Creepiest” Exorcism Case, Says Psychiatrist</a> by Patti Armstrong, 2018.<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rite-Making-Modern-Exorcist/dp/0385522711" target="_blank">The Rite</a> by Matt Baglio, 2010.<br />
<a href="https://www.patrickcoffin.media/jhauntings-possessions-and-exorcisms/" target="_blank">Hauntings, Possessions, and Exorcisms</a>, Adam Blai interviewed by Patrick Coffin, 2019.<br />
<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/us-exorcists-demonic-activity-is-on-the-rise-45102" target="_blank">US exorcists: Demonic activity is on the rise</a> by Patti Armstrong, 2011.The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-79752019651974190152019-05-26T19:42:00.004-07:002019-05-26T19:44:41.758-07:00Serial Killers & Abortionists: Psychological parallelsThe subtitle of the 2018 film <i>Gosnell</i> is "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gosnell-Americas-Biggest-Serial-Killer/dp/B07KBQN1MM/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=NJP230Z1MNANE08RQK2C" target="_blank">The Untold Story of America's Most Prolific Serial Killer.</a>" This is more than just a description of someone who took multiple lives. When one compares some of the common psychological and other characteristics of serial killers and supporters of abortion, one finds ominous parallels.<br />
<br />
<b>DEHUMANIZATION OF VICTIM</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Compartmentalization is aided by another universal process: <b>the capacity of human beings to dehumanize “the other” by regarding outsiders as animals or demons who are therefore expendable</b>. Serial killers have taken advantage of this process in the selection of their victims: They often view prostitutes as mere sex machines, gays as AIDS carriers, nursing home patients as vegetables, and homeless alcoholics as nothing more than trash. By regarding their victims as subhuman elements of society, the <b>killers can delude themselves into believing that they are doing something positive rather than negative. They are, in their minds, ridding the world of filth and evil</b>. (<a href="https://www.academia.edu/4093239/Serial_Murder_and_the_Psychology_of_Violent_Crimes" target="_blank">Serial Murder and the Psychology of Violent Crimes</a>, 2008)</i></blockquote>
Dehumanization of victims was something the writers of the 1991 film <i>The Silence of the Lambs </i>incorporated into the character of the killer, who was based on several real serial killers, when he referred to his victims as "it."<br />
<br />
Likewise, proponents of abortion avoid confronting the humanity of the enwombed victim. As made well-known by the 2019 film <i>Unplanned</i>, when the enwombed infant is dismembered, he/she is "reassembled" for inventory in a room referencing not "human" remains, but rather, "products of conception."<br />
<br />
A defender of her days as an abortion counselor declared, "fetuses are not people," and "It is not a baby. It is <b>medical waste</b>." and<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>While it was shaped like a baby, what I was looking at was <b>not a person</b>. It was a fetus. A fetus <b>my patient had chosen not to make into a baby</b>." (<a href="https://rewire.news/article/2015/10/19/day-learned-aborted-fetuses-arent-people/" target="_blank">Rewire News</a>)</i></blockquote>
Activists at abortion rallies have been seen with signage <a href="https://twitter.com/obianuju/status/1131237001385132033" target="_blank">referring to the enwombed as "parasites,"</a> paralleling the serial killer's reframing of their victims as some type of "filth and evil."<br />
<br />
<b>EUPHEMISMS</b><br />
Related to dehumanization is euphemistic language. I reviewed a number of other euphemisms used by supporters of abortion in my <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2019/03/takeaways-from-unplanned-movie.html" target="_blank">review of Unplanned</a>. Though euphemisms are common to political issues of all sorts, these are specifically designed to avoid confronting the humanity of the victim. Not one of the abortion industry's euphemisms, such as:<br />
<ul>
<li>Planned Parenthood</li>
<li>Anti-choice</li>
<li>Tissue</li>
<li>Products of conception</li>
<li>Reproductive health</li>
<li>Her body</li>
</ul>
or a host of other diversionary terms directly confront the humanity of the enwombed.<br />
<br />
Notice also how referring to the baby as "waste" and abortion as "healthcare" aligns with the serial killer's delusion that he is "ridding the world of filth and evil."<br />
<br />
In March, Georgia House member Stacey Abrams used the euphemism "<a href="https://twitter.com/staceyabrams/status/1107696994158592002?lang=en" target="_blank">forced pregnancy</a>" to describe a bill against abortion. Notice how the term avoids the humanity of the victim, as does the language of the serial killer. Diverting the matter to a "pregnancy," something the mother undergoes, or calling abortion "healthcare," etc., is to use "<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/9780470672532.wbepp165" target="_blank">sanitizing language</a>," which makes the idea of abortion more easily digestible for its proponents. (And, nevermind that the women in question are already pregnant. Saying "forced pregnancy" is like saying that the prohibition of all murder is "forced parenthood" to the victim's parents.)<br />
<br />
Kermit Gosnell, the now-imprisoned abortionist featured in the 2018 Gosnell film, said in the 1960s, he pushed for "the liberalization of the performance of <b><a href="https://www.philly.com/philly/news/year-in-review/20100311_DOCTOR_FROM_HELL_______OR_GODSEND_.html" target="_blank">therapeutic abortions</a></b>." He likewise touted his work in abortion, saying, "<b><a href="https://youtu.be/6MK1Hi9foMI?t=181" target="_blank">I provide the same care I would want my daughter to receive</a></b> and I feel I fulfill that standard." And, a reporter quoted him as saying, "<a href="https://youtu.be/6MK1Hi9foMI?t=267" target="_blank"><b>my work to the community is of value</b></a>."<br />
<br />
Like the attitude of the serial killer thinking he is "doing something positive," phrases that describe abortion as "healthcare," or as "therapeutic," or as opposition to "forced pregnancy," are all euphemisms designed to delude one to believe he is committing some act of heroism by killing the enwombed.<br />
<br />
<b>HIDING/OBSCURING THE VICTIM'S IDENTITY</b><br />
Related to both of the prior categories is the serial killer's and the pro-abortionist's desire to conceal the identity of the victim. Some serial killers conceal the face of the victim:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>[D]epersonalization of the body...refers to actions taken to <b>obscure the identity of the victim</b>, as through mutilation or covering of the face. (<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=BwMMCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA159&lpg=PA159&dq=serial+killer+psychology+cover+victims+face+%22depersonalization%22&source=bl&ots=BPFyaSr8Z3&sig=ACfU3U1v3tGzHCfNzNoHTdR3APeMtdIHJw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwibydmPw7fiAhVSOK0KHXqmBxk4ChDoATACegQICBAB#v=onepage&q=depersonalization&f=false" target="_blank">Handbook of Psychological Approaches with Violent Offenders</a>, 1999) </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>However, in cases of sexual or lust murder, the <b>victim's</b> <b>face may be covered in order to dehumanize or depersonalize the victim</b>. (<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=TZc3cMSB-3wC&pg=PA131&lpg=PA131&dq=serial+killer+%22cover+the+victim%27s+face%22&source=bl&ots=65fYHCnd5t&sig=ACfU3U3o-T0nbkxKGiVaWUQzeVKr7l8low&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwivvaS2xLfiAhUIKa0KHRtjAAkQ6AEwAXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22cover%20the%20victim's%20face%22&f=false" target="_blank">Serial Murder and the Psychology of Violent Crimes</a>, 2008)</i></blockquote>
The notorious "Jack the Ripper" was famously known to target faces in his attacks, especially disfiguring the faces of his last two victims.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdOZT34k0iJyfagXPec_OqnV0DiC25lxbxJZQAMAZuT7QH-7j0t0FOg0il8c3mDSKg0WASj1kDsfAZMNZ9lJRpwHd5QJcMTmZMyoKakrUjZVTnzpwTi9x1GF9QoZuHZ0LHn2eofS0h-m3/s1600/serial-500231058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="500" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwdOZT34k0iJyfagXPec_OqnV0DiC25lxbxJZQAMAZuT7QH-7j0t0FOg0il8c3mDSKg0WASj1kDsfAZMNZ9lJRpwHd5QJcMTmZMyoKakrUjZVTnzpwTi9x1GF9QoZuHZ0LHn2eofS0h-m3/s320/serial-500231058.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Planned Parenthood openly decries the notion that a mother should <i>see</i> her baby via a "mandatory ultrasound." Young women have been <a href="https://www.lifenews.com/2015/12/21/she-asked-planned-parenthood-if-she-could-see-the-ultrasound-of-her-baby-no-its-against-our-policy/" target="_blank">denied by Planned Parenthood their request to see their baby in an ultrasound</a>. Planned Parenthood has also <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-undercover-video-shows-planned-parenthoods-nationwide-will-only-do" target="_blank">refused to even perform an ultrasound unless the mother is "terminating"</a>—per another of their euphemisms.<br />
<br />
This aversion to ultrasounds is confirmed by former employees. For example, ex-Planned Parenthood worker Patricia Sandoval described how she was taught the following:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>So the most important thing here [at Planned Parenthood] is that <b>when we do the ultrasounds before their abortions, you never ever let the woman see the screen</b>. If she wants to see that ultrasound, that screen has to face the doctor, never the patient. I don’t care if she cries. I don't care if she’s screaming. <b>[She] never sees that ultrasound</b>. (<a href="https://youtu.be/1mXnJW-lNf0?t=1918" target="_blank">Patricia Sandoval - Testimony on Abortion</a>)</i></blockquote>
The ACLU also fights regularly <i>against</i> women <a href="http://www.startribune.com/aclu-and-top-kentucky-lawyer-differ-on-tackling-abortion-law/508120402/" target="_blank">seeing their ultrasounds</a> prior to abortion.<br />
<br />
Pro-life campaigns like <a href="https://prolifeaction.org/category/truth/" target="_blank">"Face the Truth"</a>, which show photos of aborted babies to the public, have likewise been <a href="https://dailynorthwestern.com/2016/07/16/city/anti-abortion-rally-sparks-conversation-outrage-among-some-evanston-residents/" target="_blank">met with hostility by abortion supporters</a>. It is another attempt to conceal the identity of the victim.<br />
<br />
Among serial killers and pro-abortionists, there exists a psychology that avoids looking upon the victim.<br />
<br />
<b>SELLING THE BODIES FOR SCIENCE</b><br />
Selling the bodies and body parts of victims is more common among abortionists, but known to happen among serial killers. We learned of the abortion industry's body part sales in recent years via first-hand video conducted by the <a href="https://www.centerformedicalprogress.org/human-capital/document-vault/" target="_blank">Center for Medical Progress</a>. In harmony with the serial killer's delusion that they are "doing something positive" when killing, we see another mental justification used by abortionists—that the body parts will go toward medical studies. Consider the following serial killer cases involving sale of body parts and using victims for medical study.<br />
<ul>
<li>Notorious Chicago <a href="https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/84377/Med_Ed_Day_Poster_2011.pdf" target="_blank">serial killer H.H. Holmes</a> "sold several of his victims' skeletons and organs to medical schools."</li>
<li>Victims of the <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burke_and_Hare_murders" target="_blank">Burke and Hare murders</a> were sold to physician Robert Knox for use in anatomy lectures.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2015/07/analysis-of-planned-parenthood-baby.html" target="_blank">Nazi scientists</a> testified that their murder was justified because they derived use by medically studying the victims.</li>
</ul>
<b>CONCLUSIONS</b><br />
The preceding parallels are not merely ordinary characteristics native to ordinary folk. The characteristics described are, in a sense, essential to the psychological justifications of both serial killers and pro-abortionists.<br />
<br />
For those whose hearts may be stung by the pain of abortion, there are many resources available, such as at <a href="http://www.abbyjohnson.org/resources" target="_blank">AbbyJohnson</a>, <a href="https://www.liveaction.org/learn/resources/" target="_blank">LiveAction</a>, or <a href="https://www.waterleafwc.org/" target="_blank">Waterleaf</a>.The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-52261831628147878742019-04-08T19:24:00.000-07:002019-04-08T19:27:33.507-07:00Is Judas in hell?In Dante's epic poem, Judas is depicted in the deepest pit of hell as the devil devours him. It brings to mind a common question: Is Judas in hell? Ultimately, we do not know for certain.<br />
<br />
But, we can deduce under what conditions Judas may have escaped damnation. Let's examine the words of the popes, theologians, and Early Church Fathers on the matter.<br />
<br />
<b>WHAT ABOUT THE SCRIPTURE THAT SAYS JUDAS "REPENTED"?</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>When Judas, his betrayer, saw that he was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, "I have sinned in betraying innocent blood." They said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." And throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. (Matthew 27:3-5)</i></blockquote>
Although the text says Judas repented, he obviously followed that by hanging himself. Thus, either he repented only momentarily but fell back into despair, or his repentance was not of the complete sort to which the Christian is called.<br />
<ul>
<li>St. John Chrysostom suggests the repentance might have borne fruit, if the devil had not quickly lured him back into despair: </li>
<ul>
<li><i>"[T]he <b>devil led him out of his repentance too soon</b>, so that he should reap no fruit from thence."</i> (St. John Chrysostom, <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/200185.htm" target="_blank">Homily 85 on Matthew, 2.6</a>, ca. 389 A.D.)</li>
</ul>
<li>And elsewhere: </li>
<ul>
<li>"<i>For this reason also <b>the wicked one dragged Judas out of this world lest he should make a fair beginning</b>, and so return by means of repentance to the point from which he fell." (St. John Chrysostom, <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1903.htm" target="_blank">Exhortation to Theodore</a>, 1.9)</i></li>
</ul>
<li>St. Leo suggests the same: </li>
<ul>
<li><i>"even <b>[Judas] might have found salvation if he had not hastened to hang himself</b>."</i> (Pope St. Leo, <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360362.htm" target="_blank">Sermon 62.4</a>, ca. 450 A.D.) </li>
</ul>
<li>St. Augustine deduces that Judas's repentance was not the sort that asked for pardon and mercy, for it produced no hope: </li>
<ul>
<li><i>For after [Judas] betrayed Him, and repented of it, if he prayed through Christ, he would ask for pardon; <b>if he asked for pardon, he would have hope</b>; if he had hope, he would hope for mercy; if he hoped for mercy, he would not have hanged himself in despair.... (Augustine, Exposition on Psalm 109. 8)</i></li>
</ul>
<li>Cornelius Lapide, the 16th-17th century exegete, describes the falsity of the repentance:</li>
<ul>
<li><i>Repented himself. <b>Not with true and genuine repentance</b>, for this includes the hope of pardon, which Judas had not; but with a forced, torturing, and despairing repentance, the fruit of an evil and remorseful conscience, like the torments of the lost.</i></li>
</ul>
<li>The Navarre Bible Commentary<i>: </i></li>
<ul>
<li><i>"<b>Judas' remorse does not lead him to repent his sins</b> and be converted." (The Navarre Bible, St. Matthew, on v.27:3-5, p. 174, 2005)</i></li>
</ul>
<li>Haydock's Commentary similarly suggests Judas originally repented, but the devil talked him out of it, leading him to "eternal destruction":<i> </i></li>
<ul>
<li><i><b>To his first repentance succeeded fell despair, which the devil pursued to his eternal destruction</b>. If the unhappy man had sought true repentance, and observed due moderation in it, (by avoiding both extremes, presumption and despair) he might have heard a forgiving Master speaking to him these consoling words: I will not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may be converted and still live. Origen. (<a href="https://www.ecatholic2000.com/haydock/ntcomment29.shtml" target="_blank">Haydock Commentary</a>, Matthew 27, 1859)</i></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuG8f1f0ihaA3AJYF6Pu5ZjWWSeQgLGo5uPLyrfzUBS7Vbr6rjMm8SdQrzalh0KvIh146f4d1Qzvb2SFF1hOFu8GU-1cGIsabgvL54vKnA1rhzQGSiUchoPqEiVZR1PMo1pi_KiDx98Gx0/s1600/Le_Portement_de_Croix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuG8f1f0ihaA3AJYF6Pu5ZjWWSeQgLGo5uPLyrfzUBS7Vbr6rjMm8SdQrzalh0KvIh146f4d1Qzvb2SFF1hOFu8GU-1cGIsabgvL54vKnA1rhzQGSiUchoPqEiVZR1PMo1pi_KiDx98Gx0/s1600/Le_Portement_de_Croix.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Le Portement de Croix</i> by Jean Fouquet, ca 1452-1460 (acquired from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Le_Portement_de_Croix.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>WHAT ABOUT WHEN CHRIST SAID "WOE TO THAT MAN BY WHOM THE SON OF MAN IS BETRAYED! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER FOR THAT MAN IF HE HAD NOT BEEN BORN."</b><br />
<ul>
<li>On this verse, Lapide seems to suggest the words are more of a corrective warning: </li>
<ul>
<li><i>"For “far better is it not to exist at all, than to exist in evil. The punishment is foretold, that him whom shame had not conquered, the denunciation of punishment <b>might correct</b>,” says S. Jerome. <b>He threatens him with the woe of damnation</b>." (Lapide, <a href="http://www.catholicapologetics.info/scripture/newtestament/26matth.htm" target="_blank">Commentary on Matthew 26</a>)</i></li>
</ul>
<li>St. John Chrysostom likewise suggests the context is corrective: </li>
<ul>
<li><i>This He said to comfort His disciples, that they might not think that it was through weakness that He suffered; and at the same time <b>for the correction of His betrayer</b>. (St. John Chrysostom, quoted in <a href="https://dhspriory.org/thomas/CAMatthew.htm#26" target="_blank">Catena Aura on Matthew 26:20-25</a>)</i></li>
</ul>
<li>Remigius, the sixth century monk, interprets the words as "emphasis": </li>
<ul>
<li><i>"<b>He adds, to give more emphasis</b>, "Good were it for that man if he had never been born." (Remigius, quoted in <a href="https://dhspriory.org/thomas/CAMatthew.htm#26" target="_blank">Catena Aura on Matthew 26:20-25</a>)</i></li>
</ul>
<li>Origen extends the meaning to refer to anyone who betrays Christ or his disciples:<i> </i></li>
<ul>
<li><i>"But <b>woe also to all betrayers of Christ</b>! and such is every one who betrays a disciple of Christ." (Origen, </i><i>quoted in <a href="https://dhspriory.org/thomas/CAMatthew.htm#26" target="_blank">Catena Aura on Matthew 26:20-25</a>)</i></li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<b>DID JUDAS BELIEVE HE COULD REPENT IN THE AFTERLIFE?</b><br />
Let's take a short segue to look at a strange thought regarding Judas and his hanging. There is an interesting sentiment that Judas may have believed he could repent in the afterlife.<br />
<ul>
<li>Origen says:</li>
<ul>
<li><i>Or, <b>perhaps, he desired to die before his Master on His way to death, and to meet Him with a disembodied spirit, that by confession and deprecation he might obtain mercy</b>; and did not see that it is not fitting that a servant of God should dismiss himself from life, but should wait God's sentence. (Origen, quoted in <a href="https://dhspriory.org/thomas/CAMatthew.htm#27" target="_blank">Catena Aura, on Matthew 27:1-5</a>, d.253 A.D.)</i></li>
</ul>
<li>And Blessed Theophylact: </li>
<ul>
<li><i>[H]e hanged himself <b>thinking to precede Jesus into hades and there to plead for his own salvation</b>.</i> (Bl. Theophylact, <a href="http://www.holytrinitymission.org/books/english/matthew_theophilactos.htm#_Toc67666107" target="_blank">Commentary on Matthew 27</a>, ca 1100)</li>
</ul>
</ul>
Of course, if Judas did hang himself with the intent to plead with Christ in the afterlife, he failed to understand the nature of temporal life as the time of repentance, as Origen suggests above.<br />
<br />
<b>WHAT HOPE IS THERE FOR JUDAS IF HE DID NOT TRULY REPENT AND DESPAIRED BY HANGING?</b><br />
First, let's examine two texts from recent Popes, confirming the uncertainty of Judas's fate:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Even when Jesus says of Judas, the traitor, "It would be better for that man if he had never been born" (Mt 26:24), <b>His words do not allude for certain to eternal damnation</b>. (St. John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, p. 186, 1994)</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>What is more, it darkens the mystery around his eternal fate, knowing that Judas "repented and brought back the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, "I have sinned in betraying innocent blood'" (Mt 27: 3-4). <b>Even though he went to hang himself (cf. Mt 27:5), it is not up to us to judge his gesture, substituting ourselves for the infinitely merciful and just God</b>. (Pope Benedict XVI, <a href="http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2006/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20061018.html" target="_blank">General Audience, Oct. 18, 2006</a>)</i></blockquote>
Origen also suggests there was some inkling of hope in Judas's behavior:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>[T]he instructions of Jesus had been able to produce <b>some feeling of repentance in his mind, and were not altogether despised and loathed by this traitor</b>. (Origen, <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/04162.htm" target="_blank">Contra Celsium</a>, 2.11)</i></blockquote>
St. John Chrysostom, although he believed the devil dragged Judas from life to prevent repentance, understood even Judas's sin was not beyond forgiveness:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>For although it may seem a strange thing to say, <b>I will not admit even that sin [of Judas] to be too great for the succour which is brought to us from repentance</b>. (St. John Chrysostom, <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1903.htm" target="_blank">Exhortation to Theodore, 1.9</a>)</i></blockquote>
Some might argue Judas was entirely possessed by the devil, and thus excused, however, this is not the understanding of the Church, nor does it account for his acknowledgement of guilt. Some might also argue he had gone mad. St. John Chrysostom (<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/200181.htm" target="_blank">Homily 81, On Matthew, 3.4</a>) and St. Leo I (<a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/360362.htm" target="_blank">Sermon 62.4</a>) reference "madness," however, both refer to it in the sense of a madness of sin.<br />
<br />
If we take the comments of Popes, theologians, and the Early Church Fathers as a totality, it seems the following might be 5 reasonable conclusions:<br />
<ol>
<li>Judas fell into grave sin in betraying Christ and handing him over to be condemned.</li>
<li>When Judas repented by trying to return the silver, his repentance was fleeting or inauthentic.</li>
<li>Judas's act of hanging indicates he did not trust in God's mercy and remained in a state of grave sin.</li>
<li>His only remaining opportunity for repentance was his final moment during the hanging.*</li>
<li>Conclusion: <i>If</i> Judas <i>authentically repented in his final moment</i>, he could possibly have found salvation.</li>
</ol>
Certainly, if Judas indeed repented in his final moment, his path is not a safe one to follow. None of us know their hour, and it is foolish to plan for a deathbed confession. Judas's example amplifies our need to repent and seek refuge in the sacrament of confession regularly, and especially when we commit a grave sin.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*There is a thought that Judas did not die by hanging, rather that he plunged from a cliff (cf. Acts 1:18), or that he hung himself and the rope broke, thus spilling him on the rock. But, for the purposes of this thought exercise, whether Judas's final moments came at the rope or on the rocks, the point remains the same—his last chance for repentance was his final moment.</span>The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-6489927738262910752019-03-27T18:14:00.004-07:002019-03-30T13:26:25.400-07:00Takeaways from Unplanned movieOne of the first sentiments I had after viewing the film <i>Unplanned</i> was the same as my opening <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2018/10/thoughts-on-gosnell-film.html" target="_blank">remarks last October about the film <i>Gosnell</i></a>: the scariest moment perhaps "is when one realizes how protected the abortion industry is."<br />
<br />
Let's review that and several other takeaways from the film. I will keep spoilers at a minimum.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOO4g2sZR9tu-ZJeesPYuoc9wuXfPPkLLvgYu4aryiLGO1HNMP7x8rCpkrEe5VlJVle9C5KQU8Vhpw7LIscxM_BcTXBl5V4SG9_tghHXhYxDtIMxdVf8b6yUsGBVhrHe2lAU5RQPjcotJ/s1600/Unplanned_Scn-113-8410_490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOO4g2sZR9tu-ZJeesPYuoc9wuXfPPkLLvgYu4aryiLGO1HNMP7x8rCpkrEe5VlJVle9C5KQU8Vhpw7LIscxM_BcTXBl5V4SG9_tghHXhYxDtIMxdVf8b6yUsGBVhrHe2lAU5RQPjcotJ/s1600/Unplanned_Scn-113-8410_490.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still from the movie <i>Unplanned</i> (2019). Obtained from <a href="https://www.unplannedfilm.com/downloads">unplannedfilm.com</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>AN IMPORTANT FILM</b><br />
Unplanned is an important insider look at the machinations of Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry on which it thrives. The film is based on the actual life of Abby Johnson, whose name is very familiar to Catholics and the pro-life industry. Her perspective as an acclaimed and former director of Planned Parenthood has inspired many. The film's epilogue notes how Johnson's organization <a href="https://abortionworker.com/" target="_blank">And Then There Were None</a> has provided resources for and helped lead over 500 workers to discover the truth about Planned Parenthood and subsequently abandon it.<br />
<br />
Planned Parenthood's business model is evident in the film. Abortions collect the largest margin of any product or "service" they offer. That means the difference in the amount an abortion costs them versus what they charge typically vulnerable women and girls is a larger dollar amount than anything else they offer. The description of this business model in the film is <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2015/10/27/planned-parenthoods-big-bad-business-model/" target="_blank">evidenced by the facts</a>.<br />
<br />
The film draws attention to Planned Parenthood publicly claiming they desire abortion to be "rare." Yet, as Abby Johnson and others have revealed, <a href="http://archive.aweber.com/exposingthelie/CbO0f/h/You_HAVE_to_See_This_.htm" target="_blank">Planned Parenthood issues awards for increasing abortion productivity</a>. This is hardly the organization's only lie.<br />
<br />
Although the film does not delve into it, Planned Parenthood's long list of lies includes denial that they <a href="https://www.liveaction.org/what-we-do/investigations/aidingabusers/" target="_blank">cover up child sex abuse</a>, and denial that they <a href="http://www.centerformedicalprogress.org/cmp/investigative-footage/" target="_blank">sell baby body parts and have altered abortion procedures</a> in order to procure specific parts.<br />
<br />
The film does involve more than one bloody scene, including a dramatic abortion. The film received an R rating, which seems excessive, considering bloodier films without pro-life messages are given lesser ratings. However, the film's co-director Chuck Konzelman pointed out the irony of this rating, because <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/unplanned-gets-unexpected-r-rating-15020" target="_blank">"abortion is an act of extreme violence."</a><br />
<br />
<b>THE SEDUCTION OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD'S EUPHEMISMS</b><br />
Another feature in the film worth mentioning are the several euphemisms and terms of snakery Planned Parenthood uses to disguise the truth.<br />
<ul>
<li><b>"Planned Parenthood"</b> - The very name of the organization itself belies the fact that abortion clients are already mothers. Its main product, abortion, and its other products like contraception, are designed to eliminate parenting. As some have noted, "unparenthood" more accurately describes their intentions.</li>
<li><b>"Anti-Choice"</b> - As is often the case, including with a complicit media, the term "anti-choice" is used to describe pro-lifers who recognize the enwombed as a life. As Father Corapi often used to ask of the abortion industry's use of the word "choice": "Choose what?"</li>
<li><b>"Tissue"</b> - The baby is referenced only as "tissue" that is not a baby "yet." In the film, we hear this used to convince a teen about the acceptability of having an abortion.</li>
<li><b>"Products of Conception"</b> - A lesser known euphemism is the official term used by Planned Parenthood to refer to the remains of the aborted baby: "Products of Conception." In the P.O.C. room, pieces of the baby are "reassembled" and accounted for, so they can determine that they got the entire baby. As I said, the film is disturbing, but the information it reveals in this mass media format is important in combating the lies about the enwombed. Ancient Egypt wasn't the only sinful nation plagued with rivers of blood. </li>
<li><b>"Reproductive Health"</b> - Another phrase heard in the film and with frequency in media and from politicians is the term "reproductive health" to refer to the dismemberment or pulverizing of an enwombed baby. The reality is, a baby that would otherwise continue to live and grow, is terminated—the very antithesis of "health" and a diabolical lie.</li>
<li><b>"Her body" </b>- Although the abortion industry has tried to sell the idea that abortion is ultimately about "her body," the nascent baby in the womb—left out of the abortion propagandist's equation—has his/her own unique DNA, distinct from the mother. Empirically and factually, the baby is not the mother's "body."</li>
</ul>
<b>SIN IS BLINDING</b><br />
For eight years Abby Johnson worked up close and personal with the abortion of some 22,000 babies. She was also not stuck at Planned Parenthood against her will and had family that consistently encouraged her to leave. But all those euphemisms and all Planned Parenthood's talk about health for vulnerable women serves as a veil, a means by which to deflect the public's attention, to avoid asking the actual question—is the enwombed a life?<br />
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Still, we have seen in modern days those who <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2019/02/refutation-of-justifying-abortion.html" target="_blank">admit that from the moment of conception, the enwombed is by all reasonable measure a human life</a>. Their justification for abortion comes in the the illogical idea that the baby's <i>value</i> is dependent on the mother's desire. If a mother considers herself "not ready" to raise a child or doesn't want to be connected to the father anymore (as was described in the movie about Johnson), the baby's very life loses value. This is to treat a baby the same as any other commodity, where market demand determines value. In this case, the mother is the market. This relativistic and perverse mentality deprives human life of objective worth.<br />
<br />
Johnson has <a href="http://www.abbyjohnson.org/abbyjohnson" target="_blank">spoken at length about the blindness of sin</a> she incurred. One takeaway for our own lives is to be on guard for what ways we might be deluding ourselves, falling for some seductive sales pitch on a particular sin.<br />
<br />
One of the sins to which Johnson was blinded in her youth was her having obtained two abortions herself. She suffered terribly from the second, yet still pursued a career fostering abortions. The film especially brings to light the lie especially underlying her second abortion. She had filed for divorce and discovered she was pregnant. She didn't want to be "connected" to that man anymore and the termination of the baby was a "fix" for that problem. Of course, she merely sacrificed her baby for that separation and took on a different cross, knowing she offered no fight for her own child's life and paid someone to end it. This is not an uncommon story. It underscores the importance of treating the conjugal act with the utmost sacredness, and should discourage anyone from engaging in casual sex, and certainly not commit to someone of questionable character which is <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2013/12/4-ways-pre-marital-sex-is-harmful.html" target="_blank">more difficult to avoid when engaging in sex with that person</a>. But modern phenomena like abortion and contraception imply that one needn't be as careful or choosy with a partner. It's another dimension of abortion's lies.<br />
<br />
<b>SOROS, GATES, AND BUFFET</b><br />
The film mentions the type of powers that fund Planned Parenthood, explicitly naming George Soros, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffet. The support from these multi-billionaires for an organization consistently caught lying and disguising its depraved work goes a long way in explaining its continued existence.<br />
<br />
Soros and Gates have given over a combined $32 million to Planned Parenthood in recent years, dwarfed only by Buffet, who issued the abortion provider a deluge of over $230 million. (see <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/planned-parenthoods-biggest-donors-gave-374-million-in-four-years" target="_blank">LifeSiteNews</a>.) Incoming donations such as these as well as Planned Parenthood's outbound political donations are reasons why many have questioned their reception of taxpayer funds and non-profit status. Their legal intimidation, also shown in the film, are important facts to know when understanding the entity that is Planned Parenthood. With such a concentration of influence from just a few donors, one rightfully must question how much of the organization's survival is due to ideology and paid propaganda. This is especially a fair question when one considers the euphemisms, that Planned Parenthood uses language to describe what they do other than language that actually describes what they do.<br />
<br />
Despite such colossal funding, Planned Parenthood still vies for public funds. Politicians who support them are not apt to reveal the flow of income they already enjoy from other sources. They typically hide behind miswordings like "health" to market things like abortion and contraception that are properly defined as non-medicine <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2018/12/5-modern-lies-sold-as-truth.html" target="_blank">or poisons</a>.<br />
<br />
Such political and corporate funding could also explain why Planned Parenthood has been caught multiple times in outright lies yet fail to incur any consequence of significance. We are witnessing the undeniably naked emperor and are told to look the other way and deny it.<br />
<br />
<b>CATHOLIC ANGLE</b><br />
The film seems to avoid Johnson's eventual conversion to Catholicism. It only mentions an earlier stage of her spiritual development when she attended a generally Christian service. There are shots of pro-lifers praying the rosary at times, but nothing overtly Catholic, even though that appears to be central in where Johnson is today. This might make the film more widely appealing to non-Catholics to support the pro-life movement, but it's worth noting that the whole story has a definite Catholic component.<br />
<br />
Part of what I remember hearing about Johnson's exodus from Planned Parenthood was that one of the items she took with her when she left was a <a href="http://www.abbyjohnson.org/abbyjohnson/healing-in-public" target="_blank">bowl full of Miraculous Medals left by pro-lifers</a>. She had collected them over time. I think I might have seen a bowl on her desk late in the film that contained them, but it was hard to tell if that was an "Easter Egg" or just another prop. Perhaps a commenter can shed light. But, undoubtedly, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal lent her immaculate gaze to that day when Abby Johnson finally stood for innocent life in the womb.<br />
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<b>TAKEAWAYS FROM <i>UNPLANNED: BEHIND THE SCENES</i> (added 3/29/2019)</b><br />
<a href="https://formed.org/watch/5c8bede4f9266b13008b03e8" target="_blank">Unplanned: Behind the Scenes</a> is viewable over at Formed.org. There are a number of fascinating tidbits from this video and the phenomena behind the movie. But I'd like to focus on these three additional takeaways from this mini-film.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Providence</b>. Lead actress Ashley Bratcher (whom was warned not to take the role because she would never find work again) discovered that her mother had almost aborted her after already having been post-abortive. Not only was abortion considered, but her mother was literally seconds away from permitting the deed against Ashley, having gone all the way to a "clinic," and was in the room for an abortion before she walked out. This story adds a providential mystique to the film and what it represents.</li>
<li><b>Opposition</b>. Shawn Carney of <i><a href="https://40daysforlife.com/team/" target="_blank">40 Days for Life</a></i> made a prophetic statement which will undoubtedly come true. There will be critics of the film who will <i>avoid confronting the truth it exposes</i> by seeking refuge in more euphemisms, claiming the film is the "anti-Planned Parenthood movie, the anti-abortion movie, the anti-woman movie, the anti-fill-in-the-blank..."</li>
<li><b>Revelation</b>. Writer/Director Cary Solomon told an interesting story about how his father had seen the movie and experienced a conversion on the matter of abortion. He quoted his father as saying, "You've shown us what we didn't want to see." The statement superbly summates the theme of the film, from the power Planned Parenthood wields, to the truth about abortion itself.</li>
</ul>
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<hr />
Further resources:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.crisismagazine.com/2013/the-ambitions-of-bill-and-melinda-gates-controlling-population-and-public-education" target="_blank">The Ambitions of Bill and Melinda Gates: Controlling Population and Public Education</a> by Dr. Ann Hendershott, March 25, 2013</li>
<li><a href="https://www.lifenews.com/2016/08/09/hillary-clinton-once-thought-abortion-should-be-safe-legal-and-rare-two-no-longer-apply/" target="_blank">Hillary Clinton Once Thought Abortion Should be “Safe, Legal and Rare.” Two No Longer Apply</a> by Tom Glessner, August 9, 2016</li>
<li><a href="https://aclj.org/pro-life/shocking-planned-parenthood-annual-report-shows-abortions-taxpayer-funding-and-profits-soar-prenatal-services-and-cancer-screenings-plummet" target="_blank">Shocking Planned Parenthood Annual Report Shows Abortions, Taxpayer Funding, and Profits Soar; Prenatal Services and Cancer Screenings Plummet</a>, American Center for Law and Justice, 2018</li>
<li><a href="https://humandefense.com/why-planned-parenthood-must-be-stripped-of-tax-payer-funds/" target="_blank">Why Planned Parenthood Must Be Stripped Of Taxpayer Funds</a>, by Koree R Fellows, Human Defense</li>
<li><a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/01/23/planned-parenthoods-annual-report-is-out-heres-what-you-need-to-know/" target="_blank">Planned Parenthood’s Annual Report Is Out. Here’s What You Need to Know</a>, by Melanie Israel, The Daily Signal, January 23, 2019</li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Unplanned-Dramatic-Planned-Parenthood-Eye-Opening/dp/1414348355/ref=sr_1_1?crid=14ZBEE4GMXFE3&keywords=unplanned+by+abby+johnson&qid=1553651039&s=gateway&sprefix=unplanned%2Caps%2C161&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-opening Journey Across the Life Line</a> by Abby Johnson</li>
<li><a href="https://www.unplannedfilm.com/" target="_blank">Unplanned</a> movie website</li>
</ul>
The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-405803724920765902019-02-13T19:54:00.001-08:002019-02-17T14:53:13.095-08:00Refutation of justifying abortion because of zygote mortality, historic infanticide, and moreEvolutionary biologist Heather Heying's <a href="https://areomagazine.com/2018/08/24/on-abortion-time-space-error-and-ethics/" target="_blank">recent argument for abortion</a> makes appeal to zygote survival, historical periods of infanticide, and careers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnNMBMXrpFGR8tLFWhdIbiivQ3RM6Vl66Lv25Q5YmAyHvU1UpQoneG-ZVkIwQwJuGfNbrG658f0siwKL39WsYJUgTEpI31fmOiO6Popx6LHm9rUmhGn-LLrBP8W-3mvLpdKjg17To3G6E/s1600/baby-400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnNMBMXrpFGR8tLFWhdIbiivQ3RM6Vl66Lv25Q5YmAyHvU1UpQoneG-ZVkIwQwJuGfNbrG658f0siwKL39WsYJUgTEpI31fmOiO6Popx6LHm9rUmhGn-LLrBP8W-3mvLpdKjg17To3G6E/s320/baby-400.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Often, arguments for abortion avoid the ultimate question: is that which is in the womb a human life? This article clearly concedes it is, stating that even zygotes "are human, by any usual definition of the term." The argument in this article is not whether the enwombed are "human." Instead, their level of <i>sacredness</i> is called into question. Let's look at the various arguments in the article, starting with this matter of zygotes.<br />
<br />
<b>THE MAIN ARGUMENT: ZYGOTE SURVIVAL RATES</b><br />
The article says “most human zygotes throughout history never became children” because they were either “miscarried,” had “chromosomal abnormalities” that proved fatal to the zygote, or that “genetic and environmental conditions rendered the zygote non-viable.” The article then concludes of these zygotes:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>They are human, by any usual definition of the term, but they <b>cannot survive</b>. This happens to <b>most zygotes</b> that have ever been conceived. This fact leaves me, a biologist, <b>wholly unconvinced by arguments about the sanctity of life</b>.</i></blockquote>
Before we parse this conclusion, let’s again pause on the point of agreement. Fertilized zygotes “are human.” The article is correct in this regard. From the moment of conception, the nascent life has its own unique DNA, and is the empirical beginning of human life that progresses unto death. Now, let's analyze this main premise.<br />
<ul>
<li>Why should we question the sanctity of life of babies <i>in utero</i> on the grounds that “most zygotes” do not survive? Explanation for this foundational claim is absent. It is merely asserted. Later, we will address the claim that sacredness is attributed to varying stages of physical development.</li>
<li>The argument here resembles, but falls short of, a <a href="https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-syllogism.html" target="_blank">logical three-term syllogism</a>. The argument in syllogistic form is: Most zygotes die, therefore they are not sacred; or: Most Z are D. Therefore no Z are S. Missing is a second (minor) premise, such as a statement about what constitutes sacredness. The argument is logically invalid without even addressing whether the premises are valid.</li>
</ul>
Ultimately, it's nonsensical to assert life isn't sacred regardless of the frequency of biological malformations. It would not matter if 99% of zygotes didn't survive. No statistical appeals are necessary once we recognize human life is sacred and human life begins at conception.<br />
<br />
Keep that in mind when reading these next three bullets, <i>which are not foundational rebuttals to the article's zygote argument. </i>Remember, the statistics are inconsequential to sacredness of life. Where there is human life, the sanctity proper to human life is present. The following thoughts are rather an inspection of zygote mortality statistics.<br />
<ul>
<li>What effect does the pill, which literally siphoned the life out of society beginning in 1960, have on the failure of zygote survival? The <a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2010/022474s000lbl.pdf" target="_blank">FDA's description</a> of the "mechanism of action" of the oral contraceptive Ella admits: "alterations to the endometrium that may affect implantation may also contribute to efficacy." How many zygotes are counted that couldn't implant simply because the mother took an abortifacient pill? How many zygotes were deemed "flawed" because the mother had a virus, consumed too much alcohol, took drugs, used spermicides, had a bacterial infection, or an STD? Should we deny the sacredness of the nascent human on account of external forces? According to the article, which states "environmental conditions rendered the zygote non-viable," the zygote wouldn't even have to be "flawed" to lose sacredness. It only needs to fall victim to some unnamed environmental condition. This would be, of course, a nonsensical index to measure the sacredness of human life, for a baby could be speciously deemed unsacred on account of someone else taking heroin.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5443340/" target="_blank">An examination of embryo mortality rate studies</a> was published in June 2017 by Dr. Gavin E. Jarvis in the Cambridge Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience. He concluded current data is not reliable regarding the mortality of embryos, stating: "natural human embryo mortality is lower than often claimed and widely accepted." (e.g. A multitude of studies have widely disparate statistics, e.g. ranging from 46%-90% mortality for all pregnancies, from zygote to term.) </li>
<li>Consider the following: According to <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM198807283190401" target="_blank">a study in the New England Journal of Medicine</a>, the total "rate of pregnancy loss after implantation" is 31%—much less than half. If one denies the sanctity of life based on "<b>most</b> zygotes" not surviving, wouldn't one have to say life is sacred at the stage in which the gestational survival rate exceeds 50%? And, if not, the appeal to <i>"</i>most zygotes<i>"</i> is moot.<br /><br />But, again, the percentages are irrelevant. Life is sacred from conception, because, even as the article concedes, it is a "human" life. We needn't demand a certain stage of gestational development to elapse before we can attribute sacredness to the life. What these statistics demonstrate is that <i>post-implantation</i> abortion would be unacceptable even to someone who arbitrarily wishes to claim a greater-than-50% mortality statistic as the threshold for sanctity of life.</li>
</ul>
<b>INFANTICIDE</b><br />
Another phenomenon to which the article appeals to justify abortion is the reality of historical infanticide. Granted, it does not endorse infanticide, at least not for modern cultures. The article states of America: "Society-wide, we have agreed on this much: once they are born, let us not kill our children."<br />
<br />
That much is a relief (even though proponents of post-birth infanticide exist in the West, such as the notorious <a href="https://www.lifenews.com/2013/09/02/peter-singer-babies-are-a-commodity-so-abortion-and-infanticide-okay/" target="_blank">atheist professor Peter Singer</a>). However, the article still appears to use the reality of historical infanticide as justification of abortion as a necessary evil:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>There is a long list of <b>behaviors and actions historically available to women</b> who are trying <b>to control their own reproductive lives. Infanticide is on that list</b>. I am <b>not arguing that this is good</b>, but it is true. ... </i><i><b>Evolution responds to circumstance</b>. Most zygotes disappear before even making themselves known to their mothers. In many cultures, in which the environment was variable enough that many children were unlikely to make it to adulthood, <b>infanticide has been acceptable</b>. ... Indian and African slave populations in Surinam [used abortifacients] so that they would <b>not bring children into a life of slavery</b>.</i></blockquote>
And, in the opening paragraph of the article:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Sometimes, though, <b>in the service of the greater good, abortions are necessary</b>.</i></blockquote>
You see in these related excerpts several ideas. Let's examine them:<br />
<br />
One must carefully read this section of the article to grasp exactly why historic infanticide is cited, ultimately, as justification for abortion. Although the article claims it is not arguing that infanticide is "good," it says it has at times in history "been acceptable." This ties into the opening claim that "in the service of the greater good, abortions are necessary." Essentially, this all amounts to arguing that, although abortion is not "good," it is something "necessary" to prevent something bad in the judgement of the mother. The "bad thing" ranges anywhere from the mother's judgement of saving a baby from growing up in slavery to the baby being an obstacle to the mother's career.<br />
This brings us to a segue. Earlier in the article, we see reference to the career factor:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>One of my friends escaped an abusive home, became addicted to heroin, and got pregnant very young, before aborting the fetus, getting her act together, and becoming a scientist. <b>That part where she got her act together and became a scientist? Far less likely had she been a teenage mother</b>.</i></blockquote>
To the devout pro-lifer, this is an atrocious razing of the ears and heart. One could imagine a paraphrase of the conclusion: "That part where the <i>baby</i> grew up to be a scientist? Far less likely since she was killed <i>in utero</i>." But, more to the point, the mother's potential future career is an irrelevant factor when determining the sacredness of the enwombed baby. It is not sensible to justify the killing of one's children on the grounds that one might enjoy a successful career without them. And, a baby is not more or less sacred if her mother eventually becomes a scientist, a seamstress, a homemaker, or whatever. We don't need to wait to find out what the mother's career aspirations are before we can determine if life in the womb is expendable. The life of the enwombed is sacred on its own merit. The mother's career is a diversion.<br />
<br />
<b>Scapegoating evolution</b><br />
Let's return to "evolution." You see how evolution is cited as a scapegoat both for the <i>unwilled</i> death of zygotes and <i>willed</i> infanticide. This is not the first time we've seen evolution speciously cited as some unimpugnably good force to justify something outside its purview (Atheist evolutionary biologist professor Gad Saad <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2018/07/can-morality-exist-independent-of-god.html" target="_blank">erroneously argued that "morality"</a> was strictly a "scientific" phenomenon of evolution). But the problem with such appeals to evolution is at least twofold.<br />
<ul>
<li>First, what constitutes behaviors that are "evolution responding to circumstances"? Zygote mortality? Killing the young? These are the first two notions the article mentions in light of "evolution responding to circumstances." These are both unwilled and willed deaths, which are deemed beneficial for "evolution." But, if these are not "good" but "necessary" evolutionary responses, what other willed and unwilled phenomena is? What about the Black Plague that wiped out a third of Europe? What about the Titanic tragedy? What about 20th century smallpox? What about killing the weak? What about killing the neighboring tribe because one tribe wants the others' more fertile land? What about Aztec temple sacrifices? What about any genocidal regimes in history? What about prolific serial killers? Shall we argue these are all simply "responses of evolution" because afterward there were more resources available per remaining person? Shall we legalize related forms of terminating life on the grounds that "evolution" delivered similar deaths in history? And shall we call each a necessary evil for a greater good? Kind of like a recent movie villain did with the snap of a finger?<br /><br />You see the danger in grouping things like zygote mortality, infanticide, evolution's "response," and abortion as an argument for "greater good."</li>
<li>Second, let's say one wanted to attribute <i>every</i> action in human history as the work of "evolution." That wouldn't make any of those actions "good." Nor would it make any of those actions "bad," nor even a necessary evil. The study of evolution is in the purview of science. It deals with observable facts. It has no capacity to quantify good or evil. One cannot use evolution as an axiom to say that an action that was the response of "evolution" (if that can even be "observed) is automatically "good." Value judgements must be derived elsewhere.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>LINE VS. CONTINUUM</b><br />
<br />
<b>Line</b><br />
The article then argues against the notion of a distinct “line” at which sacrosanct life begins. I emphasize sacrosanct because the article has conceded earlier that the fertilized egg is already a “human” life. This section of the article is really a thought exercise about what are acceptable stages of development it’s still okay to terminate that human life. The two most “obvious” lines, conception and birth, are both rejected.<br />
<ul>
<li>First, conception is rejected in the article on the grounds of the main argument, that “most zygotes are not destined to survive.” But, again, it is illogical to deny the sanctity of human life on the grounds that unwilled malfunctions or external factors sometimes interfere with biological processes. </li>
<li>Second, birth is rejected on the grounds that "for most moderns, the idea of abortion at nine months gestation, just before a full-term birth would occur, is a bridge too far." However, this is followed by another appeal to historic infanticide: "given the prevalence of infanticide in human history...this line has not always been considered sacrosanct." Two fallacies of argument are at work here:</li>
<ul>
<li>First, the appeal to "most moderns," is the fallacy of <a href="https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/tools/lp/Bo/LogicalFallacies/24/Appeal-to-Common-Belief" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">ad populum</a>. Even though the pro-lifer obviously agrees it is wrong to terminate a baby at 9 months (or any stage!), that view is not derived by submitting to "most moderns." Rather, the sanctity of life is intertwined with the value of humanity itself, a value necessarily beyond a human's biological cluster of subatomic particles, but in the human being's inherent participation in the image of the Transcendent. This idea is the <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2018/07/can-morality-exist-independent-of-god.html" target="_blank">foundation for all morality</a>. Morality dissolves when one attempts to reduce humanity to biological functions alone or as a tool, as in the case of determining a human's value based on what effect one thinks that human will have on the determiner's career. </li>
<li>The second fallacy is the appeal to historical "prevalence of infanticide." This is the fallacy of <a href="https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/tools/lp/Bo/LogicalFallacies/44/Appeal-to-Tradition" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">ad antiquitatem</a>, which argues if something was done in history, it must have been correct.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<b>Continuum</b><br />
So, if conception and birth are both inadequate "lines" to determine sanctity of life, when is it supposedly no longer okay to end a human life because it became too sacred? The article tosses out more than one suggestion.<br />
<br />
One of the article's suggestions is that abortion could be considered acceptable up to the stage when the baby would survive outside of the womb. The viability argument has been refuted in prior articles: e.g. <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2014/02/notre-dame-professors-flawed-argument.html" target="_blank">Notre Dame professor's flawed argument for abortion</a>).<br />
<br />
The article also posits the average age at which organs are laid down or when "brain development accelerates <i>in utero</i>" as a possible threshold to no longer allow for abortion.<br />
<ul>
<li>But, the article has already conceded that the zygote is "human." Arbitrarily appealing to this or that <i>normative and natural stage of development </i>as an apparent consideration for sacredness is nonsensical. Why should a baby be killable when it is at the correct and normal stage of life development? We're not even talking about an abnormality in development here—which is neither justification to end a human life. These are normal stages of development. A cynic might not be wrong to think such abortion-supporters are merely citing stages arbitrarily in order to accommodate abortion.</li>
<li>As well, considering sacredness of life in view of something like level of organ or brain development also suggests that even adults' lives would be "less sacred" if they suffered from some setback of organ or brain development. It also begs the question: What other developmental drawbacks can compromise the sanctity of one's life? Poor vision? Deviated septum? Narcolepsy? </li>
</ul>
The article does not actually define any of these considerations as the exact threshold of sanctity of life. Rather, it is ultimately arguing for a nebulous "continuum" for abortion instead of a definite line. From there, the article suggests the following unspecific solution:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>If we recognize a trade-off between the <b>positive social impact of keeping abortion available to women</b>, and the problems of providing carte blanche for all abortions up to some very late date, perhaps <b>we should seek a solution that renders barriers to abortion higher the farther along in the pregnancy a woman is</b>, but allows free and easy access early in pregnancy, and so <b>does not sacrifice a woman’s ability to choose her life’s fate</b>.</i></blockquote>
Many readers were probably already aghast at the phrase "positive social impact of keeping abortion available."<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>To start with the obvious, estimates of over <a href="http://www.numberofabortions.com/" target="_blank">1.5 billion babies</a> have been killed by abortion in the last 40 years. It remains a vexing reality, the elephant to end all elephants in the room, that the lives of aborted babies are not counted, and often not considered, when the effects of abortion are discussed. The previous quote parrots the common abortion supporters' sole angle: "her life," never the baby's. </li>
<li>Later, the article even claims that "[f]acilitating <b>choices that allow people to live</b> their highest and best lives is consistent with...a pro-choice...position." But, obviously forgotten in that statement is the bloody hemorrhage of lives intentionally lost in the womb. The idea that a supporter of abortion calls for "allowing people to live their highest and best lives" is one heap of irony. The babies aren't given a choice. They are dismembered or pulverized and killed. Only the woman who wants to pursue her science career gets a choice. And none of this even touches on the <a href="http://www.theunchoice.com/pdf/FactSheets/PsychologicalRisks.pdf" target="_blank">many statistics that show the psychological and social detriment</a> resulting from abortion.</li>
</ul>
The article segues here to call anyone who is pro-life and believes the possibility of the death penalty a hypocrite. This is a common claim by abortion supporters and has been rebutted in numerous places (eg. <a href="https://www.catholicvote.org/abortion-and-the-death-penalty-a-consistent-pro-life-ethic/" target="_blank">CatholicVote</a>, <a href="http://jimmyakin.com/2005/02/consisently_pro-2.html" target="_blank">Jimmy Akin</a>).<br />
<br />
<b>BROKEN LEG ANALOGY</b><br />
The article then attempts to justify abortion by claiming it is morally analogous to fixing a broken leg:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Furthermore, if you play soccer and break a leg doing so, it is not responsible to remain maimed simply because the playing of soccer brought with it the risk of breaking one’s leg. <b>It is, in fact, responsible to have your leg fixed, not merely so that you can live to play soccer again, but so that you can go on to contribute maximally to society</b>, living up to your potential, not just with regard to soccer, but in other regards as well. <b>If you have sex and end up pregnant, it is not responsible to become a parent out of a sense of moral obligation, if you are not ready to do so</b>. Responsible athletic and sexual behavior both involve a reduction, on the front-end, of the chances of undesirable outcomes. Setting a bone is not identical to aborting a fetus, <b>but there is a moral analogy to be made</b>, with regard to how a person should take responsibility for their actions.</i></blockquote>
There is actually no moral analogy to be made here.<br />
<ul>
<li>Breaking a leg is a medical disorder that needs fixing. Pregnancy is the opposite of that. It is not a medical disorder.<sup>1</sup> Pregnancy is the normative, correctly functioning, and proper order of gestation and human life. This analogy is exactly backward. Abortion corresponds to <i>breaking</i> a leg, not fixing it.</li>
<li>Also, the notion that it's okay to have an abortion if the mother is "not ready to" "become a parent" is an argument that entirely ignores due regard for the enwombed. The value of the life in the womb is not dependent on the mental "readiness" of the mother. And adoption is an option. The mother's "readiness" is an inexcusable and irrational barometer for determining the worth of enwombed life.</li>
</ul>
<b>AN UNCONVINCING ATTEMPT TO CALL ABORTION "HUMANE"</b><br />
The final section of the article is called "A <b>humane and reasoned</b> response." But, this argument for abortion is neither.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>There is a question of <b>which of two lives we, as a society, prefer</b>. </i><i>Do we prefer the life of an adult who can make decisions for herself, and who has found herself in an unfortunate position? Or do we prefer the life of her unborn child—<b>a child who has not yet had the opportunity to make decisions for itself</b>, good or bad? ... </i><i>The implicit moralizing that <b>prefers the fetus to the woman</b> has judged the woman guilty for needing an abortion in the first place.</i></blockquote>
This is a glaring fallacy of <a href="https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/tools/lp/Bo/LogicalFallacies/94/False-Dilemma" target="_blank">false dichotomy</a>.<br />
<ul>
<li>First, think about this statement: "prefers the fetus to the woman." We are talking about <i>death</i> for the baby. <i>Death</i>. The mother's "punishment"—if one has been conditioned and deluded enough to believe motherhood is a punishment—is a possible career setback or lack of "readiness" to be a mother. She might have to complete her science degree via distance learning. We're not being asked if we "prefer" vanilla or chocolate here. We're not being asked which of the two shall be killed. We're asked if one person's <i>life</i> is as valuable as someone else's ease of getting job.</li>
<li>Second, the reason there are pro-life organizations like Ireland's <a href="https://loveboth.ie/abortion-the-facts/" target="_blank">LoveBoth Project</a> is because "the baby or the mother" is a false dichotomy. Love both. </li>
<li>Third, one of the ways we can help women (and men) avoid situations where abortion is seductive is to discourage pre-marital and recreational sex, stop handing out "birth control" to teens, and start teaching that sex is a serious act that could result in <i>another person who otherwise would never exist</i>. Particularly, Western culture fosters promiscuity from entertainment to education. From such attitudes we have <a href="https://www.mdlinx.com/internal-medicine/article/2816" target="_blank">record STDs</a> and articles promoting abortion instead of encouraging abstinence for those not "ready" to be a parent. Passing the culture's reckless norms onto babies by killing them <i>in utero</i> is an egregious injustice.</li>
<li>Notice the juxtaposition of a mother "who can make decisions for herself" versus the unborn child who cannot "make decisions for itself." The implication here is that, because only the mother is capable of making a choice in this situation, the choice should go to her. Apparently, the logic here is that the baby hasn't actually articulated a desire <i>not</i> to be dismembered or killed by suction machine. So let the mother chose because the baby can't decide yet! This ability-to-choose argument is utterly convoluted, and, much like most arguments for abortion, ignores the dignity of the enwombed human being.</li>
</ul>
Finally, let's look at one more excerpt from the article:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>By preferring the future <b>baby—who will need love and sacrifice, and lots of it</b>—over the adult—who does not need that kind of support—you guarantee that our <b>shared social fabric will be stretched ever thinner</b>.</i></blockquote>
Consider the following reactions to this quote:<br />
<ul>
<li>First, this assertion is actually <i>a call for less love</i>. Reread the statement to see. It says babies need lots more love than adults—therefore, it's better to kill a baby to save all that love effort. This brings us back to earlier in this blog post where we philosophized as to whether genocide or a massive plague is just evolution performing some good "response to circumstances." According to the this-requires-too-much-love theory, all such loss of life is good because now we can concentrate our "shared social fabric" of love on fewer survivors.</li>
<li>Second, according to this quote, a person who requires "lots of" love is expendable. The logical conclusion of such an attitude is to terminate the sick. What about a cancer patient that has a fair chance of recovery with months or years of treatment? What in the too-much-love theory suggests we should expend resources on such a person rather than salvage the "lots of" "social fabric" by killing them as soon as possible? Nothing,</li>
<li>Third, if even adults need some degree of love and support, proponents of too-much-love would commit suicide, no? This is not to be provocative. This is to let the trajectory of a claim play out of its own accord. The only thing in the article that suggests killing birthed people is bad is the statement: "Society-wide, we have agreed on this much: once they are born, let us not kill our children." But, not only is there is not full agreement on this matter as shown earlier, but leaving such a matter open to some implied majority has historically given rise in various cultures to cannibalism, human sacrifice, slavery, and more. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>FINAL THOUGHTS</b><br />
The modern abortion movement is the bloody scandal of our time. All this brings us to an even clearer understanding of the evil of abortion. Neither evolutionary, nor biological, nor career-based arguments for abortion can withstand scrutiny. Each collapses under their own fallacies and self-contradictions. Proponents of life from conception until death should stand strong in these dark times, by being informed, praying and fasting, and continuing to contribute time and resources on behalf of the enwombed innocents, marriage, and stable families.<br />
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<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><sup>1</sup>In extreme cases where pregnancy threatens the life of the mother, see discussion of <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2012/05/book-review-broken-path.html" target="_blank">incident at Phoenix hospital in 2010</a>—refer to paragraph beginning with "Brown's book is fraught with footnotes..."</span>The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-29324473287176318422019-01-27T10:42:00.000-08:002023-01-09T21:44:35.409-08:00When Bishops embrace politics over pastoringIn January 2019, the diocese of Covington Kentucky, under direction of Archbishop Roger Joseph Foys, issued a condemnation <i>one day</i> after a viral video <i>appeared</i> to show high school boys harassing an older man at the March for Life in Washington. The archdiocese called the students' behavior "<a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/covington-bishop-continues-to-condemn-catholic-students-despite-videos-prov" target="_blank">opposed to the Church’s teachings on the dignity and respect of the human person</a>" and issued an apology to the actual aggressor. The media had already politicized the issue, emphasizing race, and showing only a specious snippet of video that belied the story. The light-speed reaction of the archdiocese has left them embarrassed as <a href="https://relevantradio.com/2019/01/the-patrick-madrid-show-january-21-2019-hour-1/" target="_blank">subsequent footage of the incident</a> revealed the older man to have been the aggressor. Even though the archdiocese openly condemned the students absent of further investigation, their most recent statement said it is "important for us to gather the facts that will allow us to determine what corrective actions, if any, are appropriate." Lexington Bishop Stowe originally called the students a, "<a href="https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Third-Kentucky-bishop-apologizes-for-behavior-of-13560965.php" target="_blank">contradiction of the very reverence for human life that the march is supposed to manifest</a>." Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz tweeted a condemnation of what he claimed were "<a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/catholic-parents-are-right-to-be-angered-by-bishops-rash-judgement-of-covin" target="_blank">the shameful actions of the Covington Catholic High School students</a>." Other bishops made similar premature condemnations. They wittingly or not worked in concert with an unethical media, hostile to the Church and the pro-life movement. And, once again, they showed themselves perfectly capable of crying out in unison when politically popular, but painfully mute when needing to champion unpopular, but true, teachings of the faith.<br />
<br />
In February 2018, <a href="https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/paul-kalchik-persecuted-priest-chicago-cupich/" target="_blank">Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich</a> responded in a week to publicly condemn and sanction a priest who burned a flag promoting homosexuality that once hung in his parish. Meanwhile, after two priests in Cupich's archdiocese were arrested for committing a public sexual act with each other, Cupich said he would <a href="https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20180904/arlington-heights-pastor-removed-after-arrest-in-florida" target="_blank">wait for an investigation</a>. Neither originally, nor over four months later, has any public condemnation come from Cupich. Cupich is also the Archbishop who responded within 48 hours to the first Viganó letter about clergy abuse by say saying the Pope should focus on "other things" and that addressing the letter was to go down a "<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cupich-dismisses-vigano-claims-as-a-rabbit-hole-76667" target="_blank">rabbit hole</a>." Vexingly, the <a href="http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/cardinals-cupich-gracias-appointed-to-committee-for-february-abuse-meeting" target="_blank">Pope still appointed Cupich</a> to the organizing committee of the February abuse synod.<br />
<br />
In June 2018, news media drew attention to the temporary separation of family members crossing the southern U.S. border while screening occurred. Although these detainments were temporary and complicated by such matters as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430910/" target="_blank">child sex traffickers often posing as a child's parents</a>, multiple bishops, in a unified, simultaneous voice, condemned the policy in the harshest language. Tucson Bishop Edward Weisenburger referred to the practice "In light of the canonical penalties that are there for life issues" and suggested the hierarchy consider "<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/commentary-immigration-and-canonical-penalties-22607" target="_blank">canonical penalties for Catholics who are involved in this</a>". San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller said, "<a href="https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2018/06/19/bishops-across-u-s-condemn-separation-detention-of-migrant-children/" target="_blank">To steal children from their parents is a grave sin, immoral (and) evil</a>." Brownsville Archbishop Daniel Flores said, "<a href="https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2018/06/19/bishops-across-u-s-condemn-separation-detention-of-migrant-children/" target="_blank">separating immigrant parents and children as a supposed deterrent to immigration is a cruel and reprehensible policy</a>." Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron said, "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/BishopRobertBarron/posts/1811134632258989" target="_blank">The forced separation of children from their parents, which is underway now at our southern border, is an unconscionable violation of human dignity</a>." Chicago Archbishop Cupich also spoke out immediately (He did not wait for further investigation as with his priests in Feb. 2018), stating the policy was "<a href="https://twitter.com/CardinalBCupich/status/1009485529337991168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1009485529337991168&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.americamagazine.org%2Fpolitics-society%2F2018%2F06%2F20%2Ftrump-signs-order-stopping-family-separation-catholic-leaders-speak-out" target="_blank">nothing remotely Christian, American, or (sic) morally defensible...</a>" These are just a small sample. But whatever one thinks of these detainment policies (<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-migrant-children-policy-under-trump-obama-2018-6" target="_blank">the policy was since deauthorized</a>), if the bishops were truly concerned about damage to families, where is their massive condemnation about ongoing issues that are destroying legions of families, in numbers no border detainments will ever approach? Where are the bishops' unified and sobering statements about family destroyers such as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4240051/" target="_blank">divorce</a>, <a href="https://aleteia.org/2014/11/13/12-ways-kids-are-harmed-when-their-parent-cohabitates/" target="_blank">cohabitation</a>, <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2013/12/4-ways-pre-marital-sex-is-harmful.html" target="_blank">pre-marital sex</a>, or <a href="http://www.ruthinstitute.org/BlogRetrieve.aspx?PostID=1471176&A=SearchResult&SearchID=31907198&ObjectID=1471176&ObjectType=55" target="_blank">contraception</a>? These things have created a hemorrhage of destruction in the institution of the family. Obviously, the bishops have shown they have the ability to issue strong condemnations in a unified voice. Why not conduct a communication blitz on these other matters instead of something politically charged that does not even constitute objective immorality?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPOYF9s37Q3Y8NtX8PrNMrjdFIooB7Pqk4hNPjiMpcNH5BL0eR_XFbBUs71IphRBeoo9xc1KqyYk1VI3EeKIy9o530LaB9stBNY4wrV_yhyphenhyphenOLed7qYu7vnWCb5c4mWHtYqPjgyGRX6qbB/s1600/Jesus_Chasing_the_Merchants_from_the_Temple_350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBPOYF9s37Q3Y8NtX8PrNMrjdFIooB7Pqk4hNPjiMpcNH5BL0eR_XFbBUs71IphRBeoo9xc1KqyYk1VI3EeKIy9o530LaB9stBNY4wrV_yhyphenhyphenOLed7qYu7vnWCb5c4mWHtYqPjgyGRX6qbB/s320/Jesus_Chasing_the_Merchants_from_the_Temple_350.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Jesus Chasing the Merchants from the Temple</i> by Quentin Matsys, 16th cent. <br />
Public domain image acquired from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jesus_Chasing_the_Merchants_from_the_Temple.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These incidents are some among many examples. Meanwhile, scandals among the hierarchy themselves persist. The faithful are left vexed. Stories of <a href="https://twitter.com/drewmarianishow/status/1034189442712592384?lang=en" target="_blank">infiltration</a> <a href="https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2013/02/fr-dariusz-okos-major-article-with-pope.html" target="_blank">abound</a>. Neither Pope Francis nor any other named bishops have been able to rebut the content of <a href="http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/archbishop-vigano-responds-to-cardinal-ouellets-letter-with-new-testimony" target="_blank">Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganó's letters</a> detailing cover-up of sexual deviance within the Church. Pope Francis has <a href="http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/pope-francis-comments-to-reuters-on-the-dubia-incomplete" target="_blank">neither replied to the 2016 <i>dubia</i></a> issued by four cardinals on the matter of Communion. Stories of priests teaching heterodoxy from the pulpit persist. Bishops consistently react fast when making popular political condemnations, but react glacially slow or altogether silently when upholding Church teaching or when condemning ills coming from their own ranks. The current state of bishops is unacceptable.<br />
<br />
What are the faithful to do? Foremost, there is prayer. Another consideration some Catholics have suggested is withholding Sunday giving in favor of other faithful Catholic and non-profit organizations. In this scenario, dioceses are withheld funds until the true doctrines of the faith are promoted and opponents from within the Church are silenced or expelled. However, there is opposition to that view, such as from Catholic radio host Al Kresta <a href="https://avemariaradio.net/audio-archive/kresta-afternoon-november-20-2018-hour-1/" target="_blank">from November 2018</a>. Phillip Lawler, who has been instrumental in journaling scandal within the Church, also has suggestions in his recent book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JXYQN26/ref=oh_aui_d_asin_title_o00_?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">The Smoke of Satan: How Corrupt and Cowardly Bishops Betrayed Christ, His Church, and the Faithful...and What Can Be Done About It</a>.<br />
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Further resources:<br />
<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-teenage-mind/201110/divorce-hurts-children-even-grown-ones" target="_blank">Divorce Hurts Children, Even Grown Ones</a>, Psychology Today (2011)<br />
<a href="http://donjohnsonministries.org/unprotected/" target="_blank">Unprotected</a> movie, Don Johnson Evangelistic Ministries (2018)<br />
<a href="http://www.ruthinstitute.org/news-noteworthy/children-falling-short-in-school-blame-parental-break-ups" target="_blank">Children falling short in school? Blame parental break-ups</a>, Nicole M. King and Bryce J. Christensen (2018)<br />
<a href="https://avemariaradio.net/audio-archive/kresta-afternoon-january-25-2019-hour-1/" target="_blank">Kresta in the Afternoon, Jan. 25, 2019</a>, hour 1, interview with Phil Lawler (on Covington Catholic incident)<br />
<a href="https://relevantradio.com/2019/01/the-patrick-madrid-show-january-21-2019-hour-1/" target="_blank">The Patrick Madrid Show, Jan. 21, 2019</a>, hour 1 (on Covington Catholic incident)<br />
<br />The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-72729097657239136872018-12-31T13:32:00.001-08:002018-12-31T13:33:46.018-08:005 modern lies sold as truth<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>who put darkness for light and light for darkness,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIGcTwyUgOP8bf_nvbAHW3KHBERdpS0s45P8yeCDtULQt6o1JRqV9Ub8rghWxaHN_rUNuPLwuxbpSpJhx3aSantbQzRjRhnZNl9Hm8zg7gMLNlR7egujew7gpcw2pM-6RarXWGmC69KTn/s1600/Michelangelo%252C_profeti%252C_Isaiah_01_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIGcTwyUgOP8bf_nvbAHW3KHBERdpS0s45P8yeCDtULQt6o1JRqV9Ub8rghWxaHN_rUNuPLwuxbpSpJhx3aSantbQzRjRhnZNl9Hm8zg7gMLNlR7egujew7gpcw2pM-6RarXWGmC69KTn/s320/Michelangelo%252C_profeti%252C_Isaiah_01_500.jpg" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of Prophet Isaiah in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Ceiling. <br />
Acquired from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sistine_Chapel_ceiling_-_Isaiah#/media/File:Michelangelo,_profeti,_Isaiah_01.jpg" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Today's culture, in plain sight, successfully sells lies that are often 180 degrees opposite the truth.<br />
<br />
<b>Contraception</b><br />
Birth control is "medicine," claimed Hillary Clinton in 2017. Planned Parenthood has called it "basic health care." Yet contraceptives used to prevent birth are the opposite of medicine—for their end goal is to cause a normally functioning body to malfunction. Birth control more closely resembles the <a href="https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/poison" target="_blank">medical definition of <i>Poison</i></a>: a substance that "may cause structural or <b>functional disturbance</b>."<br />
<br />
Read more in earlier TCV blog post: <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2017/10/birth-control-is-not-medicine.html" target="_blank">"Birth control" is not medicine</a>.<br />
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<b>Abortion</b><br />
"It's my body!" shouts the 21st century feminist of enwombed offspring. Yet, in reality, the fertilized egg—<a href="https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002398.htm" target="_blank">the zygote—has its own unique DNA</a>, distinct from the mother. A mother thus advances the culture's lie when she refers as "her body" to that which is not her body.<br />
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Additional resources: <a href="https://www.liveaction.org/news/life-begins-at-conception-science-teaches/" target="_blank">Science is clear: Each new human life begins at fertilization</a> (Sarah Terzo, 2013); <a href="https://www.lifenews.com/2015/01/08/41-quotes-from-medical-textbooks-prove-human-life-begins-at-conception/" target="_blank">41 Quotes From Medical Textbooks Prove Human Life Begins at Conception</a> (Terzo, 2015); <a href="http://thefederalist.com/2018/06/25/science-life-begins-makes-pro-choicers-look-terrible/" target="_blank">The Science About When Life Begins Makes Pro-Choicers Look Terrible</a> (Dr. Donna Harrison, 2018)<br />
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<b>Marriage</b><br />
During the years leading up to the 2015 gay "marriage" ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, there were three common slogans used to advance the idea of gay "marriage": <i>"love is love," "same love,"</i> and <i>"marriage equality."</i><br />
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Dialogue on this issue was minimal and even discouraged. Then-<a href="http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Obama-Used-In-Pro-Gay-Marriage-Radio-Ad-214755121.html#ixzz2a6bnvFas" target="_blank">First Lady Michelle Obama declared</a>: <i>"In a country where we teach our children that everyone is equal under the law, discriminating against same-sex couples just isn’t right. So, <b>it’s as simple as that</b>."</i><br />
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Although the state declared marriage redefined by stroke of a pen, marriage was not the only thing their verdict "redefined." The censoring of discussion disguised this. Notice how <i>each</i> of the three slogans advanced the idea that men and women are <i>interchangeable with</i> <i>no difference</i>. One ingredient is <i>equal</i> to another. This was among the undiscussed, dangerous side effects of the formulations: <i>"same," "equal," "A is equal to B."</i> These were the Orwellian newspeak that tickled many ears.<br />
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The idea that <i>Man+Man = Man+Woman</i> is absurd on its face. The sale of this idea that men and women are interchangeable variables is also contrary to science, which shows the <a href="https://www.focusonthefamily.com/socialissues/marriage/marriage/30-years-of-research" target="_blank">unique qualities brought to parenthood by mothers and fathers</a>, as well as the obvious family structure innate in the male and female union. Any children raised in such arrangements are deprived of one or more of their mother and father. The idea also paved the way for society's next chapter, discussed below (Sex/Gender), in denying the significant qualities between males and females.<br />
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Additional Resources: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100206043146/http://article.nationalreview.com:80/423469/reengineering-the-family/heather-mac-donald?page=1" target="_blank">Reengineering the Family</a> (Heather Mac Donald, 2010); <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtGrVK5o4wk" target="_blank">How Re-Defining Marriage Harms Society</a> (Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, 2012); <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Truth-Overruled-Marriage-Religious-Freedom/dp/1621574512" target="_blank">Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom</a> (Dr. Ryan T. Anderson, 2015); and additional social science resources in the endnotes at <a href="http://www.catholicstand.com/sex-marriage-victims-children/" target="_blank">Same-Sex “Marriage”: The Victims. The Children</a> (2015).<br />
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<b>Sex/Gender</b><br />
Modern transgenderism: It is the idea that a man can "become" a woman (or vice versa) either based on his own feelings and/or after a surgery alters some of his body parts. A significant portion of society is at the point where it cannot tell the difference between a boy and girl and even believes there are a multitude of sexes beyond male and female. This is the hypnotic effect that abusing truth has created.<br />
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The idea of switching "genders" is again contrary to science:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>In human embryos, the SRY gene encodes a unique transcription factor that activates a testis-forming pathway at about week seven of development. Before this time, the embryonic gonad is "indifferent"... (<a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/genetic-mechanisms-of-sex-determination-314" target="_blank">Genetic Mechanisms of Sex Determination</a>, Nature Education 1(1):25, 2008)</i></blockquote>
Instead of simply admitting a boy with xyz feelings is <i>still a boy who has these feelings</i>, society fosters the lie that he's not a boy at all, or that somehow a new "gender" can even be created as a result of sexual proclivities.<br />
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But calling a boy a girl and a girl a boy is a dangerous inversion of reality that has led to <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-beast/201803/the-gender-reassignment-controversy" target="_blank">regretful surgeries</a>, <a href="http://www.ncregister.com/blog/armstrong/at-childrens-hospital-colorado-a-new-kind-of-child-abuse" target="_blank">harmful use of puberty blockers in children</a>, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/When-Harry-Became-Sally-Transgender-ebook/dp/B06Y39GXWF" target="_blank">other personal and public damage</a>, not to mention the instability caused to any other truth. In "redefining" marriage and what is a boy and girl, society has paved the way to other redefinitions, such as the recent effort to rebrand pedophilia under the moniker "<a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/pedophiles-put-themselves-under-the-lgbt-umbrella-in-rebranding-effort" target="_blank">minor attracted person (MAP)</a>." The trajectory will result in future "redefinitions" of parenthood and more as previously discussed in <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2016/07/5-difficult-issues-human-cloning-will.html" target="_blank">5 difficult issues human cloning will cause</a>.<br />
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Additional resources: <a href="https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2018/02/16/transgenderism-semantic-contagion-or-biological-fact/" target="_blank">Transgenderism: Semantic contagion or biological fact?</a> (Dr. Anne Hendershott, 2018); <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3030621/" target="_blank">The Genetics of Sex Differences in Brain and Behavior</a> (NCBI, 2010); <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170113000780" target="_blank">The myth of gender-neutral parenting</a> (Dr. Deborah Soh, 2017)<br />
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<b>Morality</b><br />
As previously detailed at length, modern atheists such as <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2016/12/why-science-cannot-answer-moral.html" target="_blank">Sam Harris</a>, <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2018/07/can-morality-exist-independent-of-god.html" target="_blank">Gad Saad, or Patricia Churchland</a> have attempted to explain morality strictly as a function of biology and evolution. Harris goes so far as to say morality exists even though <a href="http://www.catholicvoyager.com/2018/04/critiquing-sam-harris-on-free-will.html" target="_blank">he believes free will does not</a>.<br />
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But these efforts are as misguided as they are ironic. By assigning the label "morality" to biological instincts or automatic actions devoid of free will, morality's necessary feature of <i>obligation</i> is stripped from the equation. By reducing man to an automaton or animal obeying euphoric bodily chemicals, these atheists actually make the argument that morality doesn't exist.<br />
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<b>Conclusions</b><br />
The significance of these lies is not something to take lightly. They are prone to cause damage, whether to public policy, the innocent baby, the fatherless child, the sexually confused, or the very foundation of moral truth. We end with a relevant quote from a saint:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>[Y]ou did well in urging me not to betray the truth, but to refute the slanderers, <b>lest, by a success of falsehood against truth, many might be injured</b>. (Gregory of Nyssa, <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2904.htm" target="_blank">On the Holy Trinity</a>, ca 375 A.D.)</i></blockquote>
The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255955026366433532.post-35020052630615153692018-10-31T21:14:00.000-07:002018-10-31T21:33:25.799-07:00Thoughts on Gosnell film<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOsAdGufn6tvW2bT-ljjSbrdYIRVf3DMkWbP_GVMfOxBPDRj4mXeCThqZ6FY5OeeOgcSmWSfqFed15iUQOWULVMxZXt6_JwR2cGO1S4eYMgJdd5C1GtnsIesNJ4o2fWqBDpgy4hVftgSe/s1600/cain_gosnell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOsAdGufn6tvW2bT-ljjSbrdYIRVf3DMkWbP_GVMfOxBPDRj4mXeCThqZ6FY5OeeOgcSmWSfqFed15iUQOWULVMxZXt6_JwR2cGO1S4eYMgJdd5C1GtnsIesNJ4o2fWqBDpgy4hVftgSe/s1600/cain_gosnell.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dean Cain in <i>Gosnell</i> <br />
(production still from gosnellmovie.com/press)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i>Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer</i> is one of the most important films in recent years. It is an engaging, well-paced crime drama that sheds overdue light on the nature of the abortion industry and the government and media powers that protect it.<br />
<b><br /></b><b>ABORTION COVERUP</b><br />
Perhaps the scariest moment in the <i>Gosnell</i> movie is when one realizes how protected the abortion industry is. During a scene depicting pretrial questioning, a state official shrugs at the fact that the state of Pennsylvania neglected to properly vet abortion businesses.<br />
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In the actual case, Pennsylvania health department official Janet Staloski <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kermit-gosnell-clinic-not-inspected-2013-4" target="_blank">testified</a> that health department attorneys "changed their legal opinions and advice to suit the policy preferences of different governors" and that the state didn't want to be "putting a barrier up to women" seeking abortions.<br />
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The lack of media interest in the case likewise reveals the propagandist quality of the abortion industry. Whether from government or media, such propagandists have proven reluctant to even discuss abortion's true nature.<br />
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The actual <a href="https://cdn.cnsnews.com/documents/Gosnell,%20Grand%20Jury%20Report.pdf" target="_blank">Gosnell Grand Jury report</a> filed in 2011 goes on for over 60 pages detailing how the Pennsylvania Department of Health woefully permitted unsafe medical conditions to persist at abortion offices. Gosnell's office, as the movie reiterated, went uninspected at one point for a span of 17 years.<br />
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That section of the report begins:<br />
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<i><b>We discovered that Pennsylvania’s Department of Health has deliberately chosen not to enforce laws that should afford patients at abortion clinics the same safeguards</b> and assurances of quality health care as patients of other medical service providers. Even nail salons in Pennsylvania are monitored more closely for client safety. </i></blockquote>
The film moves along at a decent pace, beginning with investigators discovering illegal prescription drug activity from Gosnell's office. The abortion horrors transpiring there might not otherwise ever have been exposed if not for the state following the drug leads.<br />
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It is a fascinating watch, especially for those interested in true crime, courtroom drama, and police investigation. Ed Morrissey, senior editor at Hot Air and regular guest host on Relevant Radio, reviews some of the other accurate attributes of <i>Gosnell</i> <a href="https://hotair.com/archives/2018/10/13/just-accurate-gosnell-trial-americas-biggest-serial-killer/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Although the subject matter largely revolves around abortion, the movie is not graphic. Evening television depicts far more gruesome imagery than can be seen in <i>Gosnell</i>. That brings me to Baby Boy A.<br />
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<b>BABY BOY A</b><br />
Baby Boy A was born alive and subsequently murdered by Gosnell. "[T]he doctor just slit the neck," testified Kareem Cross, an assistant at Gosnell's office. A photo of the baby factored into Gosnell's guilt. Gruesome details of Baby Boy A's fate are given in the Grand Jury Report beginning on page 100. Cross was asked why she took the picture of this boy Gosnell killed. Cross testified:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Because it was big and it was wrong and we knew it. We knew something was wrong. ... I’m not sure who took the picture first, but when we seen this baby, it was – it was a shock to us because I never seen a baby that big that he had done. So it was – I knew something was wrong because everything, like you can see everything, the hair, eyes, everything. And I never seen for any other procedure that he did, I never seen any like that.</i></blockquote>
Below is a screencap of Baby Boy A from the Grand Jury Report.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8sp2HBQVi4gQ1FL-0mBko6ZS7w6sMqNqb5bUL7S38Gac7GdFJCwzAa1D0nJP_48kPMe9XM07VwLP9N665nM1xm42ZFjTegM9kKSqcZ3DEH0yW48nI6aBv_oct3lS4J01sGBUMRnrYak0/s1600/Baby_Boy_A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="450" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ8sp2HBQVi4gQ1FL-0mBko6ZS7w6sMqNqb5bUL7S38Gac7GdFJCwzAa1D0nJP_48kPMe9XM07VwLP9N665nM1xm42ZFjTegM9kKSqcZ3DEH0yW48nI6aBv_oct3lS4J01sGBUMRnrYak0/s320/Baby_Boy_A.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I asked film director and star <a href="https://twitter.com/yesnicksearcy/status/1057452743235981312" target="_blank">Nick Searcy via Twitter</a> why the photo was not shown in the movie. He graciously replied: "Because we have good taste and discernment."<br />
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While I respect that decision and the audiences <i>Gosnell</i> had to consider, I would like to have seen the photo in the film. Granted, the film's epilogue does refer the viewer to the <a href="http://www.gosnellmovie.com/babyboy/a/" target="_blank">Gosnell film website</a> to see the photo.<br />
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The issue brings to mind the question of whether or not to show images of aborted babies. For example, images are shown by the <a href="https://prolifeaction.org/category/truth/" target="_blank">Pro-Life Action League's "Face the Truth"</a> tours. Pro-life theology professor Dr. Monica Miller argues photos expose the truth of abortion's atrocity in a way non-visual communication cannot. In 2013, not long after the Gosnell trial, she was interviewed on the <i>Kresta in the Afternoon</i> show on the topic <a href="https://avemariaradio.net/audio-archive/kresta-in-the-afternoon-october-22-2013-hour-2/" target="_blank">Graphic Images: An Apologia</a> (written form of her arguments can be also <a href="https://prolifeaction.org/2013/miller/" target="_blank">read at Pro-Life Action League</a>). In the case of Baby Boy A, I do not find the photo that graphic. It is a photo of a newborn. I would like to have seen the image in the movie, if even by way of a long camera shot. To include the photo in the film seems consistent with the unmasking theme of the film itself. The matter also reminds me of the graphic nature of <i>The Passion of the Christ (2004)</i>. Although many criticized the brutality in that film, many others argued for the necessity of depicting the violence. And the Baby Boy A image is far more benign than what is depicted in <i>The Passion</i>.<br />
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<b>GOSNELL EVEN WORSE THAN FILM REVEALS</b><br />
Depicting all of Gosnell's crimes could probably fill multiple television seasons. The <i>Gosnell</i> film focuses largely on the investigation and parts of the trial, including Baby Boy A and the death of Karnamaya Mongar. However, his gruesome legacy went much further. As the film mentioned, Gosnell's atrocities go back at least to the early <a href="https://www.revolvy.com/page/Harvey-Karman?uid=1575" target="_blank">1970s in which he participated in an experimental abortion technique</a> that badly damaged many women's insides.<br />
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The Grand Jury Report goes on for hundreds of pages about his improprieties, including especially disturbing accounts beginning on page 6 under the subhead "Butcher of women."<br />
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For example, Gosnell tore the cervix and colon of one woman, prevented relatives from getting to her, and only let them in once they threatened to call police. The victim was brought to a hospital and had to have a portion of her intestine removed. Multiple other stories in the report tell of similar horror.<br />
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<b>SUMMARY</b><br />
All in all, this is a gripping film full of accurate details on one of the most important issues of our time. Not to be lost is awareness of the collaborative effort by government and media in facilitating Gosnell's crimes in the name of abortion. It is an eye-opening account to anyone unfamiliar with the abortion industry and the schemes that hide its true horrors.The Catholic Voyagerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01076867908302903171noreply@blogger.com0