A lot of people are getting worked up about H1N1, often called the swine flu. I must admit that I'm not too worried about the virus itself. However, I am worried about the vaccine.
In normal times, a drug must undergo extensive testing, often for years, before it is allowed to be sold to the public. The H1N1 vaccine, however, has gone through these approval stages like a "drive-thru". That's not some conspiracy theory I read in the National Enquirer. It came out of the mouths of Canada's top health officials.
Last week, I was watching CBC NewsWorld. There was a press conference on the vaccine being given by the federal Health Minister, Leona Aglukkaq, and Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones. They explained that the vaccine is already in mass production with the goal of being rolled out to the public at the beginning of November. Yet, they also admitted, on two separate occasions, that the vaccine has not been approved by Health Canada and that they are still awaiting some test results about this vaccine.
Does that strike you as odd? To me, it sounds like the proverbial cart before the horses. Why would you go into mass production before the vaccine is completely tested and approved? If it turns out to be a dud, are they going to trash millions of vaccines? That's our tax dollars.
I'm surprised at the lack of media interest for this issue. The journalists at the press conference didn't seem too preoccupied by the lack of testing. On the contrary, they were more interested in knowing why the vaccine wasn't made available sooner. In the absence of proper media scrutiny, the Internet has been flooded with ridiculous conspiracy theories about how this vaccine is intentionally being designed to kill zillions of people. Give me a break. Proper testing protocols may have been skipped, but let's not go off the deep end either.
Given the lack of scientific evidence, I personally will not get vaccinated. Sorry, but you won't inject me with something that hasn't been proven safe.
I'm not giving any recommendations to anybody on this issue. You make up your own mind and don't blame me for the consequences. I'm just telling you about my apprehensions.
For the record (lest I be accused of some strange backwardness), I am totally in favour of vaccination programs when a vaccine has been proven to be safe and effective. I have no moral issues with vaccination. I think vaccines are a great progress for mankind. BUT, they have to be proven safe and effective. In my humble opinion, that hasn't been done in this case.
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Saturday, October 17, 2009
Having a Crisis Pregnancy?
If you or someone you know is going through a crisis pregnancy, please call one of the numbers below. You will be treated with warmth, respect and care.
In Canada: call 1-800-665-0570 or leave me a comment on this blog.
In the United States: click here or call 1-800-395-HELP
No matter what your situation is, you are strong enough to make it through.
Believe in yourself!
You are not alone!
Help is available!
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In Canada: call 1-800-665-0570 or leave me a comment on this blog.
In the United States: click here or call 1-800-395-HELP
No matter what your situation is, you are strong enough to make it through.
Believe in yourself!
You are not alone!
Help is available!
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Thursday, October 15, 2009
Bizarre, unexplainable reflections of an abortionist.
I'm honestly shocked at this story. You've gotta read this. It gives you an idea of who we're dealing with.
I cannot believe that this abortionist has had such a clear internal illumination and awareness of the real life of the unborn baby that she is destroying, and that she has even experienced an emotional attachment to the baby that she is ripping apart (to the point of crying as she performs an abortion!) and yet she continues to be unapologetic in her abortion advocacy. It's unbelievable!
In some sense, she feels pain and pity for the baby she's killing, yet she continues to do it regardless. And she expresses this internal conflict quite openly.
What a bizarre and unreal state of mind. We need to pray for these people. I think this woman is on the verge of a conversion.
I cannot believe that this abortionist has had such a clear internal illumination and awareness of the real life of the unborn baby that she is destroying, and that she has even experienced an emotional attachment to the baby that she is ripping apart (to the point of crying as she performs an abortion!) and yet she continues to be unapologetic in her abortion advocacy. It's unbelievable!
In some sense, she feels pain and pity for the baby she's killing, yet she continues to do it regardless. And she expresses this internal conflict quite openly.
What a bizarre and unreal state of mind. We need to pray for these people. I think this woman is on the verge of a conversion.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Exclusive: Development and Peace approval rating at just 10%
Due to the high interest in our previous research regarding the approval rating of Fr. Rosica, Catholic Dialogue conducted an exhaustive enumeration of online articles related to the Development and Peace scandal.
The results show that only 10.1% of articles expressing an opinion on the issue were supportive of Development and Peace (D&P). The remaining 89.9% were critical of D&P. That's a staggering result. In a democracy, you can rarely get 89.9% of the people to agree on anything.
For the purposes of this enumeration, the articles published by the two main opposing parties of the debate were excluded. That meant leaving out close to 100 articles published by LifeSiteNews.com. It also meant excluding articles by D&P, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) or individual dioceses (note: the number of articles from LifeSiteNews far exceeds the number of articles published by D&P, the CCCB or individual dioceses). The enumeration was also limited to articles published between March 12, 2009 (when the first story about the scandal broke) and October 11, 2009. Finally, only Christian sources were considered, almost all of which were Catholic. This left more than 230 articles being published by parties that were not directly involved in the dispute.
The overwhelming disapproval rate for D&P is a serious challenge that the bishops must address at their Plenary next week in Cornwall. The vast majority of these articles were written by educated Catholics, some of them being clergy members, who applied fundamental moral teachings of the Church to the mounds of evidence compiled about D&P's partners. These are not renegades, schismatics or "ultraconservatives" (whatever that means). They are mainstream Catholics who care deeply about the health of their Church.
Let's pray that the CCCB rolls up their sleeves next week and makes some major reforms to D&P.
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The results show that only 10.1% of articles expressing an opinion on the issue were supportive of Development and Peace (D&P). The remaining 89.9% were critical of D&P. That's a staggering result. In a democracy, you can rarely get 89.9% of the people to agree on anything.
For the purposes of this enumeration, the articles published by the two main opposing parties of the debate were excluded. That meant leaving out close to 100 articles published by LifeSiteNews.com. It also meant excluding articles by D&P, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) or individual dioceses (note: the number of articles from LifeSiteNews far exceeds the number of articles published by D&P, the CCCB or individual dioceses). The enumeration was also limited to articles published between March 12, 2009 (when the first story about the scandal broke) and October 11, 2009. Finally, only Christian sources were considered, almost all of which were Catholic. This left more than 230 articles being published by parties that were not directly involved in the dispute.
The overwhelming disapproval rate for D&P is a serious challenge that the bishops must address at their Plenary next week in Cornwall. The vast majority of these articles were written by educated Catholics, some of them being clergy members, who applied fundamental moral teachings of the Church to the mounds of evidence compiled about D&P's partners. These are not renegades, schismatics or "ultraconservatives" (whatever that means). They are mainstream Catholics who care deeply about the health of their Church.
Let's pray that the CCCB rolls up their sleeves next week and makes some major reforms to D&P.
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Development and Peace scandal causing tangible harm
Remember that letter written by a bishop from Peru asking the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) to stop funding pro-abortion groups in their country? The Peruvian bishop was complaining that three of Development and Peace's partners were "very committed to the pro-abortion movement" in Peru. We never got a convincing response from the CCCB on that one. Just a gallon of bleach.
John Pacheco at Socon or Bust is now reporting that a bill has been tabled before the Congress in Peru to legalize abortion under some circumstances. Read his article here.
So now we have a tangible illustration of how our donation dollars can be used to advance the Culture of Death. If this bill gets passed, unborn babies will start losing their lives in Peru. And Development and Peace will have been an accomplice.
Lord, have mercy upon all of us!
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John Pacheco at Socon or Bust is now reporting that a bill has been tabled before the Congress in Peru to legalize abortion under some circumstances. Read his article here.
So now we have a tangible illustration of how our donation dollars can be used to advance the Culture of Death. If this bill gets passed, unborn babies will start losing their lives in Peru. And Development and Peace will have been an accomplice.
Lord, have mercy upon all of us!
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Bishop Says Funding 'Pro-Choice' Groups Okay if Restricted to Good Projects
LifeSite published an excellent article about a bishop anonymously discussing Development and Peace's funding of pro-abortion groups. This is an interesting article for a number of reasons, mostly because this bishop admits that Development and Peace is funding groups that are pro-abortion. Finally somebody comes clean!!
Yet, he doesn't think it's a big deal as long as the money is "earmarked" for projects that don't contradict Church teaching.
This approach poses a number of problems, many of which are enumerated in the article. I'll add two additional problems not covered in the article.
First, funds given to pro-aborts can be misused in ways that are extremely difficult to anticipate or even measure. Fr. Pierre Ingram, CC, who is a systematic theologian, wrote an excellent article on this matter here. He points out, among other things, that a pro-abortion group typically has a distorted understanding of life, sexuality and other moral issues. Those distortions will likely trickle into everything they do, even the programs that are supposed to be "not morally objectionable". He also explains that Catholics must not merely avoid committing evil, but must also avoid the appearance of cooperation with evil in order to not scandalize others. His article is a must read if you want to understand your faith better.
Second, the Vatican -- which is our leader and guide -- decided to stop funding UNICEF way back in 1997 precisely because the organization was pushing abortion and contraception in developing countries. UNICEF had "earmarked" programs too, by which you could theoretically target your donations to unobjectionable causes. Yet, the Vatican, being wise and astute, realized that UNICEF was not providing sufficient accountability to ensure that donations were not being used for immoral purposes. As a result, they pulled the plug on financing UNICEF. Read the official Vatican announcement here. If it's good enough for the Vatican, it's good enough for me.
Why won't our bishops just follow the Vatican's example? That's all I'm asking. Is that too much to ask?
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Yet, he doesn't think it's a big deal as long as the money is "earmarked" for projects that don't contradict Church teaching.
This approach poses a number of problems, many of which are enumerated in the article. I'll add two additional problems not covered in the article.
First, funds given to pro-aborts can be misused in ways that are extremely difficult to anticipate or even measure. Fr. Pierre Ingram, CC, who is a systematic theologian, wrote an excellent article on this matter here. He points out, among other things, that a pro-abortion group typically has a distorted understanding of life, sexuality and other moral issues. Those distortions will likely trickle into everything they do, even the programs that are supposed to be "not morally objectionable". He also explains that Catholics must not merely avoid committing evil, but must also avoid the appearance of cooperation with evil in order to not scandalize others. His article is a must read if you want to understand your faith better.
Second, the Vatican -- which is our leader and guide -- decided to stop funding UNICEF way back in 1997 precisely because the organization was pushing abortion and contraception in developing countries. UNICEF had "earmarked" programs too, by which you could theoretically target your donations to unobjectionable causes. Yet, the Vatican, being wise and astute, realized that UNICEF was not providing sufficient accountability to ensure that donations were not being used for immoral purposes. As a result, they pulled the plug on financing UNICEF. Read the official Vatican announcement here. If it's good enough for the Vatican, it's good enough for me.
Why won't our bishops just follow the Vatican's example? That's all I'm asking. Is that too much to ask?
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Pro-Life Leaders From 170 Countries Praise Bishops Who Withheld Funds from Development and Peace
OTTAWA, October 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As the Bishops of Canada prepare to meet for their annual Plenary Assembly in Cornwall Ontario later this month, the International Right to Life Federation (IRTL) has written the bishops a letter regarding the recent controversy over the international development arm of the Conference - the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (D&P). Investigations over the past year have revealed that D&P has been funding dozens of organizations that support abortion and contraception, or otherwise undermine Catholic moral teaching.
The IRTL letter was sent to the Primate of Canada, Quebec City Cardinal Marc Ouellet.
Representing national pro-life organizations from over 170 countries, the IRTL thanks "the Canadian bishops who have prudently decided to withhold funds in the future from projects of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace until it has been determined that the recipients do not promote issues contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church."
I hope the CCCB will stop denying the obvious. I only hurts their credibility with each passing day.
Michigan bishop gives a great example
It's nice to see a bishop standing up for what's right. Case in point: Bishop Alexander Sample of Marquette, Michigan, blocked another bishop from giving a lecture in his diocese. Why? Because the bishop who was going to speak has dissented from Church teaching on some very important issues.
Here's what Bishop Sample had to say:
Well done, your Grace! Stand up for the Truth!
Read the full story here.
Here's what Bishop Sample had to say:
“Given Bishop Gumbleton’s very public position on certain important matters of Catholic teaching, specifically with regard to homosexuality and the ordination of women to the priesthood, it was my judgment that his presence in Marquette would not be helpful to me in fulfilling my responsibility.”
Well done, your Grace! Stand up for the Truth!
Read the full story here.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Ottawa Citizen gets it wrong on priest sex scandals
The Ottawa Citizen recently published an article where Janice Kennedy, who describes herself as a liberal Catholic, tries to explain the true causes of the sex abuse scandals in the priesthood.
Given her liberal leaning, you won't be surprised with her conclusions. She essentially says that the problem would go away if: 1) priests were allowed to marry and; 2) if women were allowed to become priests. Quite predictable and not exactly a deep revelation.
On her first point, she argues that celibacy is unnatural and fosters uncontrollable impulses. Unfortunately, this argument does not hold water. Research has shown high rates of sexual abuse among teachers, Protestant ministers and other professionals. Do you know what these groups have in common? They're allowed to marry. Consequently, the fact of having regular sexual relations with a consenting adult does appear not "cure" anybody of their pedophile tendencies.
On her second point, about women priests, is largely irrelevant to the point being discussed. How would the existence of women priests affect men's ability to control their sexual impulses? In fact, many Protestant churches report a high incidence of harassment an sexual abuse of their women ministers by the males. Moreover, about 41 percent of all sexual abuse of children in the U.S. is done by women, so they certainly are not immune to pedophilia. Ms. Kennedy's article also contains a momentous historical inaccuracy, where she claims that women priests were common in the early Church. This is totally false and unsubstantiated.
The truth is that the priesthood and the vow of celibacy are not for everybody. Jesus himself told us so (Matt 19.12). A man who feels called to the priesthood has several years of formation and discernment in which he must ask himself if he can handle the vow of celibacy. If he cannot, he should do everybody a favour and leave the seminary. It would be imprudent to assume that some miraculous transformation will occur after his ordination and that he'll suddenly be able to manage it.
The union of man and woman in sexual intercourse is meant to imitate the union of love within the Persons of the Trinity, as well as to anticipate the intimate union we will have with God in Heaven. Although the vow of celibacy may seem unnatural from a purely worldly point of view, it is entirely natural from a spiritual point of view, since it skips the intermediate "sign" of sexual union and jumps directly to the union of the soul with God, which we all hope to enjoy in the beatific vision.
Given her liberal leaning, you won't be surprised with her conclusions. She essentially says that the problem would go away if: 1) priests were allowed to marry and; 2) if women were allowed to become priests. Quite predictable and not exactly a deep revelation.
On her first point, she argues that celibacy is unnatural and fosters uncontrollable impulses. Unfortunately, this argument does not hold water. Research has shown high rates of sexual abuse among teachers, Protestant ministers and other professionals. Do you know what these groups have in common? They're allowed to marry. Consequently, the fact of having regular sexual relations with a consenting adult does appear not "cure" anybody of their pedophile tendencies.
On her second point, about women priests, is largely irrelevant to the point being discussed. How would the existence of women priests affect men's ability to control their sexual impulses? In fact, many Protestant churches report a high incidence of harassment an sexual abuse of their women ministers by the males. Moreover, about 41 percent of all sexual abuse of children in the U.S. is done by women, so they certainly are not immune to pedophilia. Ms. Kennedy's article also contains a momentous historical inaccuracy, where she claims that women priests were common in the early Church. This is totally false and unsubstantiated.
The truth is that the priesthood and the vow of celibacy are not for everybody. Jesus himself told us so (Matt 19.12). A man who feels called to the priesthood has several years of formation and discernment in which he must ask himself if he can handle the vow of celibacy. If he cannot, he should do everybody a favour and leave the seminary. It would be imprudent to assume that some miraculous transformation will occur after his ordination and that he'll suddenly be able to manage it.
The union of man and woman in sexual intercourse is meant to imitate the union of love within the Persons of the Trinity, as well as to anticipate the intimate union we will have with God in Heaven. Although the vow of celibacy may seem unnatural from a purely worldly point of view, it is entirely natural from a spiritual point of view, since it skips the intermediate "sign" of sexual union and jumps directly to the union of the soul with God, which we all hope to enjoy in the beatific vision.
David Warren on our sexualized culture
I highly recommend that you read this excellent article by David Warren of the Ottawa Citizen. Mr. Warren is a Catholic convert and excellent writer.
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Sunday, October 11, 2009
Archbishop Prendergast shines again
The 40 Days for Life movement in Ottawa will hold a mid-point rally this Tuesday, October 13, at 6 pm. It will take place at Ground Zero (across from 65 Bank Street). Why don't you come and join us?
It is wonderful to hear that Archbishop Prendergast will be among us and will preside a Mass at 7 pm at St. Patrick's Basilica.
Thank you, your Grace, for standing with us. We love you dearly!
It is wonderful to hear that Archbishop Prendergast will be among us and will preside a Mass at 7 pm at St. Patrick's Basilica.
Thank you, your Grace, for standing with us. We love you dearly!
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