No, Pope Benedict is not going to sing a Barry White-like song about sex being a drug, but, in fact, simply reiterated yesterday the church's ban against artificial birth control as well as more recent teaching against using artificial procreation methods.The reason the church is doing this was to mark the 40th anniversary of Pope Paul VI's "Humanae vitae" ("On Human Life").Are your surprised? It wouldn't be the Catholic Church, if it didn't hold onto outdated beliefs and backwards ways of thinking. In their minds, if it was believed 40 years or centuries ago, it should still be applied today. Because, you know, times haven't changed.Benedict believes that human life risks losing its value in today's culture and worries that sex could "transform itself into a drug" that one partner had to
Proving once again that the Catholic Church is capable of using modern technology to spread ancient superstitions, Pope Benedict plans to text message thousands of young Catholics on their mobile phones during World Youth Day in Sydney in July.This is just a sad attempt to make the rigidity of religion seem appealing to young people. Along with a teenage girl receiving a message from her BFF that the cute boy in school said he likes her, she will also receive daily messages of hope and inspiration from Pope Benedict.One wonders if Pope Benedict regrets not having this kind of technology earlier in his career. Perhaps, he could have texted the orders to move a pedophile priest from one parish to another, taking the operation of protecting criminals into the digital age.I'm sure there are al
The Pope's visit was a great success in my mind. He came with a purpose and did not hold any punches at the diplorable actions of the US Cardinals in the debacle of perverted priests. And he did not hold...
I am a big admirer of the current Pope, am glad he came to America, and hope he had a good time.Nonetheless, it really is about time for a papal proclamation announcing that God is a bi gender twister. But since that is not going to happen anytime soon, it would be good if he just turned down the gay bashing a bit.However, I tend to pay him no mind on this stuff. When the Pope preaches the sin of queerness, it carries the same theological weight as the edict against birth control—who cares? Not most Catholics.When dealing with any of these patriarchal religions, there is gonna be plenty of bullshit—it really has nothing to do with what God has to say on the matter, but what a bunch of old coots with dirty, misogynistic minds have thought up.Jesus talked about a lot of stuff, most of w
You really need to stick to ministering to the flock. World affairs does not seem to be your forte.I am a devout Catholic, always have been, always will be. However, this statement....well....just read it....Pope Warns Against Undermining U.N.Friday, April 18, 2008 11:45 AMUNITED NATIONS --Countries that act unilaterally on the world stage undermine the authority ofthe United Nations and weaken the broad consensus needed to confront globalproblems, Pope Benedict said on Friday. In a major speech to the U.N.General Assembly, the pope also said that the international community sometimeshad to intervene when a country could not protect its own people from "grave andsustained violations of human rights." I hope the Pope was not referring to Iraq, where a broad coalition of countries were invol
Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges guests Wednesday, April 16, 2008, during the arrival ceremony for the Pope on the South Lawn of the White House. Said Pope Benedict XVI during the ceremony, "Mr. President, dear friends, as I begin my visit to the United States, I express once more my gratitude for your invitation, my joy to be in your midst, and my fervent prayers that Almighty God will confirm this nation and its people in the ways of justice, prosperity and peace." White House photo by David Bohrer.Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" from the U.S. Copyright Office.editors note: while no copyright is associated with this image these two points are relevant: Privacy ri
81 years ago today, a child was born to the name of Joseph Alois Ratzinger. Young Joseph has since gone on to become the 265th Pope. If I were to list his lifetime of accomplishments, this post would be so long that it wouldn’t even be the Pope’s birthday anymore by the time [...]
The 20 April schedule as posted on the Holy See web site:9:30 AM: Visit to Ground Zero in New York. Prayer of the Holy Father.2:30 PM: Holy Mass at New York's Yankee Stadium. Homily of the Holy Father.8:00 PM: Arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Farewell ceremony at John F. Kennedy International Airport of New York. Address of the Holy Father.8:30 PM: Departure by plane from John F. Kennedy International Airport of New York for Rome.The Pope's complete schedule:APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND VISIT TO THE UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION HEADQUARTERS (APRIL 15 - 21, 2008)
Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in the U.S. safely in an historic visit being met by President Bush, the First Lady and Jenna - amongst others at Andrews Air Force Base. After spending time with the President and his family he left to go to the Archdiocese in Washington, D.C.
There will be a huge [...]
Yet, he vows to fight clergy sex abuse in America saying, "I am deeply ashamed, and we will do what is possible so this cannot happen again in the future."We will absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry. It is more important to have good priests than many priests. We will do everything possible to heal this wound."Words. Just words. If there is one thing about religious people is that their words have little to do with their own actions.And if you wanted an update on the Pope's visit, he just landed in Washington this morning and was met by another hypocritical leader of a corrupt institution:
So Pope Benedict XVI has started his trip of America which means that he will travel around in his popemobile. So let us take a closer look at this Mercedes vehicle that will be used for this American trip. The car was shipped over more than two weeks ago from Rome, and you will notice [...]
Pope Benedict will today begin his three-day visit to the US and will travel around in his pope-mobile.
It’s said that when he arrives at the Washington’s Nationals Stadium Pope Benedict will address the church’s challenges which are closing Catholic schools and parishes, funding trouble and fewer priests which are all said to be tied to [...]
Pope Benedict XVI is expected to arrive in the United States in Washington, D.C. tomorrow night. He will be in New York Friday through Sunday. In anticipation of his visit, the pope prepared a video speech to the American people. It follows this post.A friend who works for the Archdiocese of New York has been working in preparation for the visit for months — and has worked especially hard the last few weeks. His office is responsible for preparing the music for his Masses at St. Patrick's Cathedral and at Yankee Stadium. I am sure he'll be relieved once it's all over.Be sure to check back for coverage of the pope's journey to America during the course of the week. We'll be blogging as things happen as much as possible with a mix of commentary and review of his presence here.
Here is an interesting email that I just received about coverage of Pope Benedict XVI.
I’m part of a small team of journalists in Chicago who have put together something new that I thought might interest you. We are going to cover the Pope’s visit to America in a new way.
We are working on a [...]
Pope Benedict XVI plans to make his first US visit to New York and Washington DC. The theme of Benedict's visit: Christ Our Hope. Check out his appropriate salutation...I believe this is the first of it's kind for any pope. I would guess that nearly all readers of this blog our protestant, and many feel a perceived disconnect between the Roman Catholic Church, and the bizillion protestant denominations in the US. After viewing the video, what is your reaction?
A Vatican spokesman today denied rumours that the Shroud of Turin's ancient image is adorned across the pope's very own toilet paper. When asked to stop back tracking and wipe the slate clean by an overly enthusiastic local report, cardinal Alphonso had this to say to awaiting press." We totally refute such blatant lies, why everyone knows his holiness uses Sudoku toilet roll whilst in quiet meditation." The Global News Terrorists wonders if the cardinal is telling the truth or is he merely trying to keep a lid on the whole matter? We can assure our readers we will try to get to the bottom of this for you one way or another.The Editor
When Pope Benedict visits St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan later this month, he will address a gathering of priests and discuss the sex-abuse scandal that has plagued the American Catholic Church for nearly a decade, the AP reports.The AP says Benedict's message will be on "trust and hope."The Catholic Church has paid out more than $1 billion in settlements nationwide to victims of sexual abuse at the hands of priests.We'll have much more on this and the pope's visit to America in the coming days, so be sure to check back frequently.
Catholics are poised to take on a historic role in America that can transform the future of our country. If we do the right thing now, we won’t just restore the sanctity of life to its proper place as the fundamental right upon which all others depend – we will also make Catholics the most important [...]
I guess the New York times had to apologize for this optical illusion featuring Pope Benedict XVI. Is it really an Optical Illusion or is GOD actually trying to say something about the Catholic church by way of some obscure picture. Hmmm… guess we’ll never know for sure now.
Kelly O’ConnorThe Catholic Church has officially ended their campaign to improve the public image of the Church with the latest papal encyclical, Spe Salvi, which means “saved by hope” for the Latin fans out there. The Catholic Church’s history is littered with crimes against humanity, and Pope Benedict XVI seems to desire the return to pre-Vatican II Catholicism. This was a concern voiced by many at the time that the former Joseph Ratzinger* was canonized to this position. The former pope, John Paul II, had made great strides in the modernization of the Church, and many were reluctant to elect somebody who would reverse that trend. Despite John Paul’s dogmatic adherence to the sexual proscriptions of Catholicism, he at least officially accepted evolution, admitted Protestants in
Pope Benedict will make his first U.S. visit as pontiff in April 2008, making the third anniversary of his election. FN contributor Father Jonathan Morris discusses the cities and locations he will visit, as well as how this pope connects with people in ways that differ from Pope John Paul II.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anHRR8HaRP4
The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict has praised Indonesia's efforts to promote relations between different religions.He made the statment at a ceremony to welcome Indonesia's new ambassador to the Holy See.The Pope says Indonesia is playing an important and positive role in promoting inter-religious cooperation and was right to condemn violence.He says one of the gravest threats to Indonesia's cherished idea of national unity is the phenomenon of international terrorism.Indonesia News Blog: http://indosnesos.blogspot.com
Move over Millie Bush . . . and make way for Chico the cat! Chico is a long time friend of one of the most powerful men in the world, Pope Benedict XVI, and is releasing a book about the pontiff later this month. From RIA Novosti…
A nine-year-old ginger Siamese cat Chico will narrate the biography of his master, Pope Benedict XVI, in a book, an Italian publishing house spokeswoman said Wednesday.
“The book will be released next week,” she said.
The book’s author, Jeanne Perego, said the book, Joseph and Chico, was intended as a children’s book, which describes the Pontiff’s life, from his birth until his election as leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
Perego said she has never met Benedict XVI, but always wanted to write a book about him, as, in her opinion, he is an example of diligence, tenacity and sobriety.
In the foreword, Father Georg, the Pontiff’s secretary, says: “Here, dear children, you will find a biography very different to
Pope Benedict XVI has endorsed adult stem cell research, distinguishing it from the manipulation of stem cells from human embryos, which the Roman Catholic Church condemns.Speaking at the end of his weekly general audience, the Roman Catholic leader saluted delegates at a global conference on the use of adult stem cells to treat cardiac problems, organised by La Spaienza University in Rome."On this matter the position of the Church, supported by reason and by science, is clear," he said."Scientific research must be encouraged and promoted, so long as it does not harm other human beings, whose dignity is inviolable from the very first stages of existence."The Roman Catholic Church believes that an embryo is wholly a human being. For that reason, it condemns abortion and genetic manipulation such as research on embryonic stem cells.Unlike embryonic stem cells, or primitive cells from early-stage embryos capable of developing into almost every tissue of the body, adult stem cells divide t
I just watched on CNN the security breach that involved the Pope.
A man jump the security barriers when the Pope was passing and the security team stop him. At that moment, I noticed three things:
the Pope doesn’t use the Pope mobile(he like to be more open)
he was not aware of the breach
and more importantly, most of the security team rushed to the back leaving 2 guys in front. The “new” back team had troubles in keeping him down for a few seconds.
My questions are:
Should the Pope use the bullet-proof Pope Mobile more now?
If not, should the Pope use a bullet-proof vest unless he’s wearing one now?
What if a second person targeted the Pope but from the front at the same time? 2 guys might not be enough then.
Unfortunately, I could not see how many protected the front(10-15 feet’s from the jeep) at that moment. Maybe someone could answer this last point.
P.S. Nothing to do with technology except for the bullet-proof stuff
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Reading the opening pages of Pope Benedict XVI's new book Jesus of Nazareth, I couldn't help thinking of the closing pages of another book, Peter Berger's A Rumor of Angels. In a previous post, I tried to explain what I found defective about Berger's approach to the figure of Jesus in the New Testament and in human history. Here is Berger:The discovery of Christ implies the discovery of the redeeming presence of God within the anguish of human experience...It can hardly be doubted that it was in connection with the events surrounding the life of Jesus that this new understanding of God's relationship to man emerged. This is admitted by both those who want to root Christian faith in the historical figure and those who would see only the figure as witnessed to (and, presumably, transformed) in the message of the early church. However important may be the findings of historical scholarship on these events, I find it difficult to see how, in the wake of all the relativizations of whic
Are things this bad off for the Catholic church?
In a Vatican first, Pope Benedict XVI will appear in a photo calendar featuring shots of the pontiff in different poses for each month of the year.
Part of the proceeds from the sale of the calendar will go to benefit an orphanage in Rwanda. Do you think they can spare it?
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Two more cases of jihadists threatening free speech and countries have come up this week. First, there is the Islamic world's violent (surprise surprise) reaction to Pope Benedict's very courageous criticism of Islam. There's more about the case here.In the wake of this, the New York Times once again shows off its dhimmitude by saying that the pope owes the Islamofascists a "deep and persuasive apology". Uh-uh, NYT, he owes them no such thing, and was very brave to take them to task. I'm sure he knew quite well what he was getting into here, and it's good to find some good folks with the courage to speak out. It's a shame that more violence erupted, but the thing is, it just proved the pope's point - that Islam is violent. Michelle Malkin backs the pope in full, and points to some obscene photos that the online jihadists have been putting on the black market.Islamofascists have now run amok, vandalizing five churches in Shechem and Gaza (H/T: Hot Air and Michelle), and an Italia
Astute readers will recognize that this has been one of the main themes of this Blog. I wonder if Pope Benedict XVI will now be accused by advocates of "The New Ecclesiology" of being "legalistic"?Paul.
CNN reported that Pope Benedict XVI will be visiting the New York City in the month of April, and 14 paramedics of St. Vincent’s Hospital, Manhattan will be attending him. The Pope will be staying in the city for 3 days, during which these 14 people will be working in ...
On his first day spent in the city of New York, Pope Benedict XVI laid emphasis on recalling world’s nation their duty of religious liberty and protection of human rights. He also demanded a fresh dialogue among the varied stains of Christianity. Also, his historic stopover on the Passover ...
