Baptist Pastor Does Some Good!

I copied this from the Good Counsel Network's Blog, Maria Stops Abortion.

"London based Baptist Pastor, Mike Gilbart Smith has written to Marie Stopes International in response to their TV Advert and the controversy surrounding it. In a brilliant letter he asked them the 20 questions that they apparantly cannot answer, since his letter in May he received an acknowledgement and a promise of a full response, but he is still waiting as far as I can see from his blog, http://lovingchurch.blogspot.com/search?q=marie+stopes
I am printing the whole of his letter here, since sometimes readers don't/can't follow links through and anyway it really cuts to the heart of the matter.

When you have read it, and are reminded of the awfulness of what Marie Stopes and other abortionists do, don't forget to do something positive and sign yourself up for some slots with www.40daysforlife.com/london or if you are not in London, contact http://www.hgpi.co.uk/ to find your nearest abortuary vigil of prayer.

Dear Tony,
I’m writing as a pastor of a church who is going to be addressing the issue of abortion in my teaching and in some upcoming articles in the light of your recent advertising. I want to make sure that I would not be misrepresenting you in any way at all, though I should make clear to you that I do believe that abortion, and particularly providing abortion is immoral.
However, I also want to be as courteous as I can with those with whom I disagree. I do not want to assume bad motivation for what you are doing. I understand the arguments of wanting to provide “safe” (obviously for the mother and not the baby) abortion when your fear is that if “safe” abortion were not provided, then back street abortion would inevitably be sought. The compassion you show to mothers I believe to be genuine, but misplaced.
I do happen to agree with what I heard a Marie Stopes spokesperson say when she was hoping that there would be a removing of the taboo about speaking about abortion. I too hope that this taboo will be removed so that there can be an honest public debate about abortion.
To contribute to this debate I hope to write some articles about abortion and about Marie Stopes in particular. There is much information on your website, but there were some questions that I didn’t find answers to, which I would be very grateful if you’d answer.
I must also be clear that intend to distribute your answers.
If you would rather meet in person to have a face to face conversation, I would also be very glad to do that.
(I will use the term “mother” for the pregnant woman). Feel free to exchange the term for “Pregnant woman” if you would prefer that term, or to use another term of your choosing.
1) When speaking to a mother will you always make it clear exactly what help is available to mothers who decide to keep the baby.
2) What ongoing support do you offer to mothers who decide to keep the baby?
3) Do you always ask mothers if they are feeling pressurised into having abortions from others (e.g. boyfriends, husbands, parents, or the general expectations of society)?
(Several women whom I have spoken to who have had abortions have told me that they felt immense pressure that in a society where abortion is legal, there will be people telling them that having an abortion is “doing the right thing” and that it is irresponsible to have the baby.)
4) Do you always suggest to mothers that it is never irresponsible to carry a baby and give birth once they are pregnant?
5) I’ve noticed in your FAQ’s that in more than sixty questions there is a lot of information about abortion, but there is no information on the development of the foetus. Do you think that the developmental stage of the foetus should be a factor that a mother should be informed about in order to have adequate information in making a decision as to whether to have an abortion?
6) I understand that you must legally have a sonographic scan before an abortion is carried out. What details from that scan will you always communicate to the mother so that she might make a correctly informed decision?
a. Will you always tell the mother the estimated age of the foetus?
b. Will you always tell the mother what this corresponds to in terms of development?
c. Could you outline the detail that you would go into as to the development of the foetus, with the following being a suggestive rather than an exhaustive list?
i. Will you tell the mother whether there is a heartbeat?
ii. Will you tell the mother whether the child has a brain?
iii. Will you tell the mother whether the child has a limbs and fingers and fingernails?
iv. Will you tell the mother whether the child has ears eyes and a nose?
v. Will you tell the mother which internal organs of the child are functional?
vi. Will you tell the mother the gender of the foetus if that is discernable?
d. If you don’t volunteer that information do you always ask the mother if she would be interested in knowing the facts about the foetus’ development in order to help her make her decision?
7) Do you have a policy in training staff that they avoid the terms “baby” or “child” in reference to the foetus?
8) Do you have a policy encouraging staff to use the term “pregnancy” instead of “foetus” or an equivalent term that would point to the fact that there is an organism other than the mother involved in the pregnancy?
9) Do you have a position as an organisation about when a human embryo/foetus becomes a human being?
10) Do you think that it would be morally acceptable to provide abortion even if you believed the foetus was already a human being?
11) If infanticide were legalised in some country, would you offer that as a service?
12) What is the minimum time allowed for a proper counselling session to look through all possible options before going ahead with an abortion?
13) How much did the NHS pay you last year to carry out abortions?
14) Do you think that there is any conflict of interest in Marie Stopes providing advice on whether a mother should have an abortion when Marie Stopes is paid for providing abortions?
15) In order to get your email address I phoned the 0845 300 80 90 number. Will my call automatically be counted in your statistics as being from a woman who called for advice but didn’t receive an abortion?
16) If a woman calls your line twenty times, will they be “counted” on your statistics of the number of women you’ve helped once or twenty times?
17) If after an abortion, the baby (I assume we can now use this term without controversy as she is outside the womb) shows some signs of life, do you have a policy stating that the medical personnel present should act to resuscitate? Do you have a policy saying that they may not act to resuscitate?
18) Would you carry out an abortion if the stated reason given by the woman was that she wanted a boy, and this foetus is a girl?
19) If asked would you carry out a selective abortion in order to remove the healthy girl from the womb and leave the healthy boy in the womb?
20) In your five abortion clinics in China, what proportion of those who are aborted are girls?
Thank you so much for your willingness to answer these questions. In removing the taboo from conversation about abortion I trust that you are wanting honest, open and informed debate. I hope that you taking the time to answer these questions will add to the honesty and help to remove the taboo from the abortion conversation.
Perhaps if you want to add to the honesty of the debate you’d also be happy to post the answers you give on your own website?
Many thanks,
Sincerely,
Mike Gilbart-Smith "

Papal Flags Descend On Abortuary

Not quite what the Home Office wanted, but 3 days after the Papal visit 40 Days for Life started in London. Catholics (and maybe a few protestants) are spending 40 days praying and counselling outside marie stopes house, which is now an abortuary. Help & support will be offered to the women going in by counsellors, while on the other side of the road the faithful will pray for them.

On Sunday after Mass we went there to pray, a young lady was there on her own at that moment. We said a Rosary and as we left someone else came to join her. Please come and pray there(108 Whitfield Street, Marylebone, London, W1T 5EA. Nearest tube station: Warren Street). People are there from 8am until 8pm every day and all night some days, check the schedule and please sign up.

If it is too far for you to travel (there was someone from Folkestone there on Monday) then please pray and fast for the success of this great venture.

John Paul II Consoles 2 Cardiff City Supporters in Ninian Park

It was only when I started to support City that I found out that the Pope had come to Cardiff in 1982. The supporters were still singing fondly about his visit many years later and may still be for all I know, sadly due to some of the language the song is unprintable.

In the photo the Holy Father is consoling two City supporters, after predicting that Ninian Park would be pulled down before a Pope would visit Britain again. And so it was, Cardiff now have a new stadium across the road and houses now stand where Ninian Park once stood!

Pope Benedict XVI was so saddened by this move that he chose not to visit Wales and thus just went to Britain instead of Great Britain. But to show what a hard core Cardiff City supporter he is, he started his trip in Scotland on the Feast of Saint Ninian!

Fr Finigan Gives Benediction At Good Counsel

Sadly you cannot make out the yellow & white flowers on the Altar in honour of the Holy Father's visit to Britain. Nor for that matter can you see much of Father Finigan, but that is fine as we all know that it is all about Jesus.

The photo is from the Good Counsel Network's Chapel in London.

Frodo Baggins To End Abortion

The 22nd September is Bilbo and Frodo Baggins Birthday, so Happy Birthday. Frodo looked at the great evil of his day in Middle Earth (see The Lord of The Rings, the books not the films) and set off to defeat it. He went into the battle against the Dark Lord Sauron and all his vast army by going into the heart of the dark land of Mordor, almost unarmed and with the army to support him being made up of Sam, his gardener!

And so today The 40 Days for Life has started in London, the heart of the dark land of Mordor. For the next 40 days little Hobbits will go to Marie Stopes house, now an abortion mill, and Pray, Fast and Counsel women so as to end abortion. So sign up on the website and do your bit, offer your Priest a lift and come even if you don't have a gardener!

Ecumenical Diablog in Hyde Park!

Photo of Hyde Park sent in by Declan. Coach to Brum at 2.30am!

Email The Holy Father

There is quite a bit of negative stuff out there about The Holy Father's visit to Britain later this week. Hardly surprising when we remember who is the prince of this world. The negative ones, be it the BBC (Beelzebub Brainwashing Catholics), The Tablet, newspapers, lay catholics, or even clergy, end up doing the evil one's dirty work for him. Some do so knowingly, some unknowingly and yet others just fall for his temptations of, 'It's too much trouble.....' etcetera.

Please e-mail the Holy Father (benedictxvi@vatican.va) and thank him for the visit and for his leadership. Offer some prayers for him, The Good Counsel Network will be having twenty seven hours of Adoration to spiritually support the Holy Father & his visit to Britain (sorry, but as he is not going to Wales, it is just Britain and not Great Britain).

Then pack a Welsh flag or two and see you at Hyde Park

Yes going to see the Holy Father will not be without a struggle, they will make it hard for us.

Do Prepare For Cardinal Newman's Beatification

Cardinal Newman's Beatification will take place in Birmingham on 19th September (bring a Welsh Flag). Go and read his complete works and Father Kerr's short work and you will know all you need to know..........or you could watch Cardinal Newman at 2000 on EWTN each Monday at 6.00am or Fridays at 5.00pm, 30 minutes long.

Or, if you can, come and hear Fr Nicholas Schofield, the youngest Parish Priest ever appionted in Westminster, talk about Cardinal Newman's life. The talk starts at 7pm on Tuesday 14th September in the social centre, below the Church of St James Spanish Place, 22 George St, London, W1U 3QY. Father Schofield is PP of Uxbridge, diocesan Archivist and a prolific historical writer, but more immportantly he supports the Good Counsel Network!

Traditional Rite at Downside Abbey

The Latin Mass Society’s residential training conference for Priests wishing to learn the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Traditional Latin Mass) held at Downside Abbey, Somerset, from Tuesday 10th August to Friday 13th August was a great success. The highlight was the Solemn Pontifical Mass celebrated at the Faldstool by Bishop Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of Karaganda in Kazakhstan on the Thursday. Father Andrew Southwell, LMS National Chaplain, and Rev. Matthew McCarthy FSSP were Deacon and Sub-deacon, with Canon Marcus Kunkel ICKSP as Assistant Priest. There were over thirty priests in choir and a congregation of more than 100.

During the conference twenty Priests received intensive tuition in the celebration of the Usus Antiquior and eleven laymen were instructed in serving the Mass. Bishop Schneider gave a well-received keynote lecture on the Priest as ‘Eucharistic man’ and was also the main speaker at the closing conference dinner. His book, Dominus Est, which advocates receiving Holy Communion on the tongue whilst kneeling has attracted worldwide attention.

The conference included daily Sung Mass, Lauds and either Vespers or Compline in the evening; there was Benediction after Vespers.

Father Ray Blake, the well-known blogger, who attended the conference, said: “Downside was a tremendous experience. Most of all I enjoyed the sense of fraternity amongst the Priests, the solidarity, the sharing of our love for Holy Mother Church and her liturgy”.

Doctor Joseph Shaw, LMS Chairman, said: “This conference was the sixth to be organised by the LMS during the last three years. Over 100 Priests have now attended, of whom about 85 now regularly celebrate Mass in the Usus Antiquior. The LMS will organise a further two conferences in 2011”. (For further information, please contact John Medlin, General Manager, or James Murphy, LMS Office Manager, on 02074047284 or E mail info@latin-mass-society.org)


For more photos go to www.flickr.com/photos/egguzzi/sets/72157624745135076/ where a set of pictures is available from Eric Caudle.

Books, Not Enough Books

“When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.”- Desiderius Erasmus

Extra National Day of Prayer & Fasting For Life

Dear Friends

Chris Bryant, a Labour MP, plans to introduce a ten-minute rule bill to make sex education compulsory in schools. The proposal will be debated on 8th September. While this bill has little chance of success it is still vital that we do not sit back and do nothing. For more details about this bill click here. Therefore we [Good Counsel] will have an extra National Day of Prayer & Fasting for Life on 7th September, Vigil of Our Lady's Birthday for the defeat of this bill and the end of abortion and euthanasia.

Please let others know about this, as it is short notice.

Contraception and Conscience

Most Rev. John Charles McQuaid, D.D. Archbishop of Dublin, Primate of Ireland.

25th November, 1970

For some time past, in this Diocese, statements have been made by various categories of people in the daily press and in magazines concerning the regulation of birth. Any writer or speaker who wishes to venture into the area of the doctrine of the moral law is gravely obliged to understand correctly and to state accurately the objective moral law as the teaching authority in the Church explains that law.

In a Diocese, there is only one teaching authority who, under the Pope and in union with him, is competent, by virtue of his sacred office, to declare the authentic and objective moral law that is binding on all the Faithful of his Diocese, both priests and lay folk. That authority is the Bishop.

Accordingly, to correct the confusion that has been caused in the minds of the Faithful of this Diocese, we hereby formally declare the doctrine of the objective moral law concerning the regulation of birth: every action which, either in anticipation of the marriage act or in the accomplishment of that act, or, in the development of the natural consequences of that act, proposes, either as an end or as a means, to make procreation impossible, is unlawful in itself. In other words, any such contraceptive act is wrong in itself.


This is the constant teaching of the church. This is the teaching recently reaffirmed by the Pope, supreme Teacher of the Law of God in the Church of Christ. Much is being written about conscience, as if conscience can make right that which is wrong in itself. Conscience is a judgment by which an individual decides from general principles that a particular act is good or bad. That judgment is for each man the rule of his moral conduct but his judgment, if it is to be right according to the objective moral law, must agree with that law. A man, through blameless ignorance or confusion, may be mistaken in the judgment that a particular act is right. Because of that blameless ignorance or confusion he is excused from personal sin; none the less his judgment is false and his action is wrong in itself. Hence the serious obligation binding on every man to inform himself correctly, especially in the Sacrament of Penance, concerning what is objectively right and wrong, so that, in his particular judgment, he may act only in agreement with the moral law.

Our Divine Master has Himself established in His Church the teaching Authority that, with full certainty, can declare, make clear and defend the moral law. To observe that law, we need not merely knowledge but grace that will sustain our weakness, in even the most difficult circumstances of human life. That grace we can always obtain by humble prayer and by the reception of the Sacrament in which we meet the Author of grace Himself. “Come to Me,” He has urged, “and I will refresh you, for my yoke is sweet and my burden light.”

May the Mother of God, by her most powerful intercession, obtain for the Faithful of this Diocese, priests and lay folk, the signal grace loyally to accept in all their life the doctrine of the moral law that the Church unfailingly affirms.

My emphasis, I found this on;

http://lxoa.wordpress.com/2010/08/28/contraception-and-conscience/#more-162

Pro-Life Station Adverts Are Up

As we all know Marie Stopes International has run television abortion adverts this summer. Well now the Good Counsel Network says;

Well they're up. Some of our [Pro-Life] posters have already appeared in Central London tube stations. Please pray that they are successful in attracting many women who may otherwise consider aborting their children.

Please pray also that we may raise the funds to continue the campaign if it is successful. And in the meanwhile, let's enjoy seeing Our Blessed Mother's image in tube stations.

It was quite a battle getting them up, but that's a story for another day. If you bump into one of our posters on your travels, ask Our Lady of the Wayside to prepare the hearts and minds of people in this country for the visit of the Vicar of Christ and to end the practise of abortion and euthanasia in our land.

God bless You.
If you would like to donate to our campaign click here.

John Smeaton On The Tablet

John Smeaton of SPUC, has a very interesting post (http://bit.ly/95klN8) which in part shows that The Tablet is totally anti-Catholic. It is clear that The Pill is totally rotten to it's core and may well always have been. As one comment on Fr Z's blog said in response to my post, Catholics Don't Take The Pill Or The Tablet, I’m reading “The Letters and Diaries of John Henry Newman”, and occasional mentions of the Tablet pop up, with comments strikingly similar to ours (of course, I’m also not an Ultramontane!). Let’s see, so far for this volume, subtitled The Vatican Council, I found:
“The Tablet is far from accurate in many of its details.”—Bishop W. B. Ullathorne, 20 January 1870 (XXV, 18, n. 1).
“I go about very little [in Rome], but wherever I do go, I find the Tablet is considered intolerable.”—Henry James Coleridge, S.J., 23 March 1870 (XXV, 60, n. 3).
+++
Ven. John Henry Newman, pray for us!
Comment by amsjj1002

Some of the other comments on Father's post are also of interest....well to me at least.

John Pridmore In A Tie

I have know John slightly for a number of years, but don't think I have seen him in a tie before. Here is a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OY5DUuYDpo) of him speaking in Father Stephen Boyle's great Parish way down south in New Addington. After typing this I found a copy of his book, From Gangland to Promised Land, in a local charity shop, the updated 2008 edition no less. I think I would be right in saying that his book has sold more copies that Gordon Brown & Mrs Blair's books put together! To get a copy see, www.johnpridmore.com

Successful St Catherine’s Trust Summer School

The St Catherine's Trust for Traditional Catholic Education held its sixth Annual Summer School from Sunday 1st to Sunday 8th August at Ardingly College in West Sussex. It was attended by forty enthusiastic students aged from 11 to 18, and a volunteer staff of sixteen, including a chaplain, Fr Andrew Southwell.

The students studied a range of subjects covering every aspect of Catholic belief, history and culture, and heard a piano recital by the professional pianist Matthew Schellhorn, and a talk from the Catholic journalist Dominic Scarborough.

There was daily Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form, including Mass in Arundel Cathedral, by permission of Bishop Kieran Conry.

As part of the Summer School, the Latin Mass Society held its first ever residential Latin course, directed by Philip Goddard, the LMS's adviser on Latin, which made use of the LMS's teach yourself Latin primer, Simplicissimus. The course was based on the Latin of the liturgy, and examples and exercises were taken from liturgical texts. Students were divided into 'beginners' and 'intermediates', although all joined together for lectures on psalmody and liturgical poetry, the history of liturgical texts, and Latin in Philosophy. Students were delighted with the amount of Latin they were able to absorb, describing the course as 'transforming’ and ‘enriching' their engagement with the liturgy of the Church.

Doctor Joseph Shaw, Chairman of the LMS, said: “The Summer School is always exhausting but exhilarating; it is inspiring to see so many children being so prayerful. This is surely what Pope Benedict wants as part of the re-evangelisation of Europe”.

The St Catherine’s Trust Summer School is financially supported by the Latin Mass Society and other benefactors, and accepts students regardless of their ability to pay. Next year it will be held in Ushaw College in Co. Durham, from Sunday 23rd July to Saturday 30th July: see http://www.stcatherinestrust.org/ for more details.

[See http://tiny.cc/dog3e for pictures.]

Government Set To Apologise To The Pope

In light of the sharp rise in teenage pregnancies in Britain this year, the Con Dem Government along with ex-Ministers from the last Labour Government will say ‘Sorry, sorry and sorry’ to the Holy Father next month. The latest statistics show that in spite of the State, Marie Stopes et al telling every child in school that, “sex is just for fun, so just do it when you feel ready, but don’t get pregnant“, the number of pregnancies have risen. (See The Good Counsel Network’s blog for July for information about contraception failure) The pregnancy rate among the under 16's was up by 6.4%, whilst pregnancy outside of marriage amongst those saving sex for marriage is almost unheard of. This clearly shows that the Church is right, again.

As sexually transmitted diseases have also increased, could someone tell me what are the odds of a couple who saved sex for marriage and then stayed faithful, catching one of these diseases? The powers-that-be will tell you that this is not possible, but I think this says more about their sexual behaviour, than anything else! Chastity is not easy, but all things are possible with God.

If the secular world was sane the above would happen.

Priestly Sexual Abuse, Putting The Record Straight

We all know that when the Holy Father visits Britain next month the media will be full of stories about Priest sexual abuse. Today I found a helpful leaflet after Mass called, Putting The Record Straight, from Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, http://www.proecclesia.com/ What follows is most of the text of the leaflet taken from their website, the last paragraph is missing. Do contact them for copies and spread the word.

"First we must express our deep sympathy with victims of sexual abuse and with their families. To hear that any Catholic priest used his privileged position to abuse children fills us all with shame and horror, and that this was ever condoned by any bishop is totally unacceptable.
However, there is no question that the Catholic Church and our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI are undergoing a savage and ill-informed attack from the secular media of this country. We intend to list a few facts which we hope will put this attack in its proper context, partly out of regard for the truth but also to give ordinary lay Catholics the information they need to defend our beloved Church, to their family and friends, workmates, colleagues and fellow parishioners - while agreeing that child sexual abuse is a terrible evil which must be promptly rooted out, wherever it is discovered.

I. The Church

Recent coverage in the media gives everyone the impression that the sexual abuse of children is a particularly Catholic problem. Even the three party leaders discussing the Pope's visit in their televised debate spoke as if this should be taken into account, although they could have been expected to know better.

The figures show a different story. An American study, published on line by Sam Miller, who is not a Catholic but a prominent Jewish businessman from Cleveland, reveals that while a disgraceful 1.7% of Catholic Clergy have been found guilty of sexual abuse, 10% of Protestant Ministers have been found guilty. It also showed child abuse to be far more prevalent in schools, youth organisation and sports training with Catholic clergy at the bottom of the list below doctors, teachers and farmers. Mr Miller ends his article with these words “ Walk with your shoulders high and your head higher . . . Be proud to speak up for your Church. Be proud that you are a Catholic .”

The official figures in England and Wales are lower. Only 0.4 % of Catholic priests have been accused of child abuse in England and Wales since 1970 less have been found guilty.
That it happens at all is a terrible scandal but the truth is that only a very small number of Catholic priests ever abuse children sexually and it is dishonest of the media not to make this clear. When a Muslim terrorist plants a bomb which kills a large number of people we are always told, every time it is mentioned, that this movement concerns only a very small number of Muslims who are not representative of the vast majority. Where is a similar disclaimer for Catholic priests? Why are the British people being given only half the story?

The truth is that a young child is now safer in the Catholic Church than in any other institution including nursery or school. Since the Nolan Report, as soon as a priest is reported to have abused a child, the police are informed and the priest is removed from his parish that day and kept in a Convent or Monastery away from children while the accusation is thoroughly investigated. Even after the police have dropped the case, satisfied that there is no truth in the allegation, the Church continues to complete Her own investigation until satisfied.

It is encouraging that some non-Catholic journalists have pointed out these facts online and in personal articles out of an interest in seeing fair play. Sadly Church Officials in this country have been very slow to join in and help redress the balance.

II. The Pope

Our Holy Father has come in for special attention in this outpouring of hatred and abuse which is particularly distressing, as not only is he innocent of the charges made, he is the one who has done so much to prevent any future possibility of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.

I think we need to remind our non-Catholic friends, used to much smaller National bodies, that the Catholic Church consists of 1.3 Billion people world-wide who are looked after by over 400,000 priests. Obviously with these numbers it would be absurd to expect the Pope to leap into action at every allegation – true or false – and investigate it himself. Fortunately he doesn't have to as the local Bishop has the power and indeed the duty to suspend the priest immediately, inform the police and set up an investigation while fully co-operating with the police inquiry.

So lets stop blaming the Pope for generally failing to react to allegations of sexual abuse.
However there are two cases where he is to some extent involved which require some examination.

1. Father Murphy of Milwaukee Archdiocese.

The New York Times used this case to attack the Pope most unfairly without consulting Father Thomas Brundage JCL, the presiding judge in the case, about the true facts. It is clear that bad mistakes were made but they were not made by the Pope, Cardinal Ratzinger as he was then. The facts revealed by Father Brundage reveal that Father Murphy who taught in a school for the deaf, abused a boy in 1964 and went on to abuse other boys.

The boys complained to Father David Walsh who quite correctly reported the matter to the Archbishop, Rembert Weakland, who unaccountably did nothing for years. So Father Walsh informed the Police who, surprisingly, took no action either. Eventually Father Walsh wrote to the Pope's representative, the Papal Nuncio in Washington about it. A meeting was held in 1974 attended by two Papal representatives and Father Murphy was suspended and removed from the school but the delay, inexcusable as it is, cannot be laid at the door of the present Pope. No-one in Rome even heard about this crime until ten years after it happened and Father Murphy was already suspended. Archbishop Rembert Weakland has also been disciplined now and removed from his Diocese.

Because the boys now said the Sacrament of Penance was used to approach them, this case had to go to Rome so Archbishop Weakland wrote to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by Cardinal Ratzinger, the present Pope, but it is unlikely he even saw the letter as the answer came two months later from Cardinal Bertone, his Deputy. This is because Cardinal Ratzinger was best qualified to deal with matters of Doctrine while his Deputy handled administration.

By now Father Murphy had had two severe strokes and was not expected to live long and as, he was already suspended and could no longer harm children, it was decided that it would be better not to start the lengthy defrocking procedure which would involve the boys again as witnesses. Two months later Father Murphy died and went to answer to his Maker.

I hope this shows that to claim as so many papers did that the Pope ‘did nothing and blocked action in this case ‘ is just not true.

2. Father Hullermann of Munich Diocese

The second attack concerns a Father Hullermann of Munich Diocese where the Pope was Archbishop. In 1980 Father Hullermann was accused of sexual abuse and sent for therapy, which at that time was thought to be effective. He came to live in a rectory in Munich to receive this therapy and while there helped out in a Munich parish on Sundays. This should not have happened but the present Pope who would have been involved if Father Hullermannn were appointed parish priest, would not necessarily have known this was happening. In 1982 the Pope was made Prefect of the Congregation for the Faith in Rome and seven months later, when he had completed his therapy, Father Hullermann was, against the advice of his therapist, assigned to a parish in Grafing. He was convicted of serious sex offences in 1986 and this is described by the media as a ‘smoking gun' against Pope Benedict XVI although he had been four years in Rome by then.

On the strength of these two false accusations we have the Oxford Professor, Richard Dawkins describing the Pope as “ a leering old villain in a frock….in charge of a profiteering, woman-fearing, guilt-gorging, truth-hating, child-raping institution. ” Fortunately, Damien Thompson puts this in perspective by writing “ The article conjures up the image of a nasty old man who's losing his marbles. It's not very nice about the Pope either ”!

We also have Foreign Office officials compiling a very offensive plan for the Pope's visit which includes items such as ‘visit an abortion centre, bless a homosexual civil union, etc.' The French paper, Le Monde joins in with a disgusting cartoon of the Pope with a child and there is a petition on the internet protesting about his visit. On 26th April Radio 4 broadcast a Report on “ The Pope's Track record in dealing with paedophile priests ”! They discussed the two cases covered above at some length, even describing Archbishop Weakland as a ‘whistleblower', but finally, disappointed at the lack of any real evidence against the Pope, they assured listeners that ‘Lawyers were still combing through documents looking for any evidence against the Vatican and the Pope'.

Now why would they want to do that?

A few more questions

How can we explain this media hysteria about something concocted out of nothing? If they are really concerned about children who are being abused why don't people attack places and institutions where it is much more prelevant? What about beginning with abortion clinics where not only are hundreds of unborn children killed but pregnant 13 and 14 year olds are regularly counselled without ever being referred to the police although they are obviously victims of child abuse?

The situation today

In 2001 Pope John Paul II asked Cardinal Ratzinger to look into the question of sex abuse. The Cardinal decided that Bishops needed more guidance and he devised a form which must be completed every time an allegation of sex abuse is made. This form must be sent to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith when it is completed so Rome know how many allegations are made and what action has been taken. This simple procedure would probably have prevented the delay with Father Murphy's case and it should help in any future cases. So, far from being the problem, Pope Benedict XVI should be recognised as part of the solution.
The rest of the solution is Prayer and watchfulness. Prayer for Seminary students and Priests, for Bishops and Cardinals for Richard Dawkins and his fellows, whatever their motives, and for our Holy Father."

Monkey Wrote Shakespeare Sonnet!

Ever heard the one about putting enough monkeys in front of enough typewriters and in time they will write a Shakespeare Sonnet? It has been tried, the result shocked me.

Has Science Discovered God? Monday 23rd August 3pm, Wednesday 25th 8am or Thursday 26th 8pm, Sky 589 or online one hour long documentary.

Please forward this to as many atheists et al, as you can. The facts may help them!

A Melkite Catholic Priest Helps Out

Dear Stuart:

As a married Melkite Catholic priest with 2 jobs, I can't begin to blog although I hope someday to start my own. However, I am intrigued by the question that led you to seek me out.

We have a tendency to see history through the lense of the present. Can you imagine anyone asking in the year 675, "Please, could you direct me to the nearest Roman Catholic Church?" There would have been no answer to the request because it didn't exist. The same silence would have met the question "Please, could you direct me to the nearest Orthodox Church?" These distinctions are modern and it seems originated in the late 19th-early 20th century via the Anglicans.

When I was a U.S. Army chaplain, it was always interesting to see how the Army Chaplain Corps included Mormons and other similar heterodox groups under the "Protestant" umbrella. Sometimes, even the Orthodox were drafted under that umbrella. It reflects a confusion that probably existed within Christianity (and maybe in every religion's history). However, there was a "sense" to it in that I noticed that Episcopalians had more in common with Mormons than with Missouri Synod Lutherans! My own case, moving from cradle Baptist, to Episcopalian (ordained 8 years), to Russian Orthodox (ordained 2 years), to the Eastern Catholics (Melkite the last 13 years) reflects a search not so much for pedigree (although it began that way) but to (I hope) a greater spiritual connection with the truth.

Within Orthodoxy I shortly discovered that I was experiencing the same symptoms that I suffered within Protestantism IE a lack of authority. Who has the authority to decide? It seems to me that the Lord Jesus, in His blessed ministry to reveal the Father in His Person, would not have left us-incarnational as He is-without a tangible authoritative structure. Unfortunately, within Orthodoxy I experienced a similar mess as in Protestantism and while the diversity of ortho-doxy was not as pronounced, certainly a case can be made that the diversity of ortho-praxis was for me mind-boggling. There has always been diversity within the Church, but when diversity becomes the main ingredient in the ecclesiastical soup, the devil is probably striving for schism and/or apostasy.

There must be a communion, protected by the Holy Spirit Himself, where diversity is allowed but unity (spiritual, organic and authoritative) is ensured. When I moved to be in communion with Rome via the Melkites, it wasn't a change of faith or even of Church as much as it was a change in discipline, of praxis. The Melkite bishops themselves have come out and said that they agree with everything agreed upon during the first millenium and that they are ready to organizationally cease to exist when Orthodoxy and Catholicism re-unite, securing a movement for Melkites back as Orthodox in communion with Rome. So when I became Melkite, I didn't stop being Orthodox. I began to recognize the Lord's establishment of tangible authoritative structures.

The Orthodox conciliar approach to authority is but one aspect and a modern one at that. How far back (pedigree?) is this idea of the Patriarch of Constantinople as "first among equals"? The ancient canons are clear that Rome and the Petrine See hold first place but it is also clear that we are not talking about an absolute monarchy on earth either (unfortunately it is often seen like that by both sides-and too often practiced like that in Western ecclesiastical history).

So arguments about pedigree are really a-historical. What is happening in orthodox(small "o") ecumenical circles is a realization of this, an understanding that the middle "royal path" is where the living, breathing, Spirit-filled Church is heading (especially in light of the coming persecution). Polemics is a cheap tool of demons.

I have published this comment as a post, as it seemed well worth a read to me. Converts have many varied stories to tell of the paths that they have trodden to finally get home.