Wonderful action by the Bishop of Green Bay

Here!  Here!  Thank you Bishop David Ricken for suspending your diocese's collection to the CCHD, which is funneling money to groups that support abortion and same-sex marriage!

We could use more of this from our Canadian bishops.  So far, only three Canadian bishops have decided to withhold Lenten donations from Development and Peace, according to this useful website.  There are more than 60 dioceses in the Latin rite in Canada.

Corruption at USCCB worse than anyone thought

Right up there with the CCCB.

Calgary church loses charitable status for its "non-partisan political activities"

A Calgary church has lost its charitable status in part because it spends too much of its time advocating on social issues such as abortion and marriage.

In October, the Kings Glory Fellowship Association, a non-denominational Protestant group, was told by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) that for several reasons, including a lack of clarity on how it spends it money, they could no longer issue charitable receipts.

But the letter highlighted that the group spent more than 10% of its time on “non-partisan political activities and therefore strayed into activities “outside its stated purpose.” (Source)

God bless those folks for their dedication to proclaiming the Truth.  It's also nice to hear that Bishop Fred Henry came to the defense of this church. You

Totalitarianism is alive and well in Germany

When Catholics in Canada didn't bother opposing the advances of promiscuity in this country, they kept saying to themselves: "It won't affect me." It was most obvious when Chrétien and his gang were legalizing same-sex marriage. Most Catholics were opposed, but most didn't raise a finger to stop it, saying "if some homosexuals get married, that doesn't change my life."

Well, reality is setting in. Our school children are now being indoctrinated with contraception, casual sex and books like "My Two Dads". It's worse in other countries, but we're catching up fast. For example, read about these dads in Germany that are going to jail for the ominous crime of pulling their elementary-aged children out of sex-ed classes and for refusing to enroll them in a theatre production that informs young children on how to engage in sexual intercourse.

Can you believe it?  God helps us.

Bishop Fred Henry has spoken out bluntly regarding pro-abort politicians and communion

In an earlier post, I congratulated Bishop Thomas Tobin of Rhode Island for his strong stand on refusing communion to Patrick Kennedy.

In Canada, the only similar example that comes to mind among active bishops is Fred Henry of Calgary.  Even though Bishop Henry supports the Winnipeg Statement, he nonetheless was very vocal on the issue of denying communion to Catholic politicians engaged in grave sin. For example:

• In 2004, he said John Kerry, the presidential candidate, should be denied communion because of his anti-life positions.  
  
• In 2005, he enunciated the same principle, without referring to any specific politician, during a testimony before the Canadian Parliament regarding the bill to legalize same-sex marriage.  An NDP member grilled him about it (no surprise) but Bishop Henry held his ground admirably.  
• In fact, in 2003, Bishop Henry had been so blunt as to suggests Mr. Chrétien was jeopardizing his "eternal salvation" by trying to change the definition of marriage!

Good show!  We need to celebrate these success stories and applaud them.  At the time, I remember sending an email to Bishop Henry to thank him for his strong witness.  We need more of this.

However, all is not sunny in Calgary.  Even as Bishop Henry was denouncing same-sex marriage in 2003, he didn't appear to realize that his approval of contraception, as per the Winnipeg Statement, is inconsistent with his

Where are you, Msgr Gilles Lussier?

As recently reported by LifeSite, outspoken liberal priest Fr. Raymond Gravel has once again stirred up some controversy. This time, he appeared on a TV show claiming that people with homosexual attractions could never overcome those tendencies. This is an absurd claim, of course, made all the more ridiculous in light of the fact that he was sharing the stage with a man named Laurent Leclerc who was explaining his personal experience in successfully overcoming his own homosexual tendencies.

The most disturbing part of this incident was that Fr. Gravel dismissed the notion of homosexuality as being disordered. This is in direct contradiction of Church teaching, which is very clear on this matter:

Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must

Italians indignant at Court's attempt to ban crucifixes from schools

The European Court of Human Rights ruled today that Italian schools should remove crucifixes from classrooms, sparking uproar in Italy, where such icons are embedded in the national psyche.
(...)
The court ruling, which Italy said it would appeal, said crucifixes on school walls, a common sight that is part of every Italian's life, could disturb children who were not Christians. Italy has been in the throes of national debate on how to deal with a growing population of immigrants, mostly Muslims, and the court sentence is likely to become another battle cry for the centre-right government's policy to restrict newcomers. (Source)

In case you haven't been following European politics, this is just the latest intrusion of the "European government" into the internal affairs of individual member countries.  

As an economist, I support some of the initiatives that the European Union (EU) has brought.  I'm totally in favour of free trade and a common market.  I also can see the advantages of a monetary union and some harmonization of various economic and financial policies.  Such measures promote economic efficiency, facilitate capital and labour mobility (i.e. job opportunities) and lead to a general increase in living standards.  That was the original purpose of the EU.  

However, like any institution that acquires power and influence, it is easily hijacked by those common folks that suffer from the chronic condition called "Original Sin."  Over time, the EU has sought to expand

Anglican Church in West headed for self-destruction

Last week, the earth shook when the Vatican announced the vehicle through which Anglicans could be received into the Catholic Church.  For Traditional Anglicans, who had made the request to Rome, and for Catholics, this was a time of great celebration. 

Although Traditional Anglicans represent a relatively small group, there are many other conservative-minded Anglicans who are paying close attention and considering the jump to the Catholic Church.

This will have wide-spread ramifications for the Anglican Communion.  As more and more orthodox Anglicans leave for the Catholic Church, the remainder of the Anglican Church will be increasing composed of liberal-leaning Christians, drifting further and further from the essence of Christianity. These liberals will seek to increase their strangle-hold on Anglicanism by pushing for more liberal morality

We saw a first demonstration last week, as Ottawa Anglican Bishop, John Chapman, announced that a church in his diocese will be allowed to "bless" same-sex unions for the first time.  His announcement came just two days after the Vatican's announcement.  The bishops said:  "This will be Ottawa's offering to the ongoing discernment that is happening throughout the Anglican Church of Canada."  It seemed like a direct reaction to the announcement from Rome in order to appease the liberal wing in his church.

Here's a quote from the newspaper that caught my attention:

Bishop Chapman said liberal Anglicans in the diocese will likely believe the blessing protocol doesn't go far enough, while conservative-minded parishioners might think it goes too far. Chapman believes it's a healthy balance.

Strange analysis coming from a bishop.  He's looking for a "healthy balance" between two factions within the Anglican Church.  What ever happened to standing for the Truth?  Why not follow God's will instead of finding an arbitrary compromise between subjective opinions? Is that what Anglicanism in Canada has become? I'm afraid so.

The more orthodox Anglicans in Africa, which make up the bulk of the Anglican Communion, are within a hair of bolting.  To them, the idea of returning to the Catholic Church will become increasingly appealing.  The Anglicans in the West, which are but a small fraction of the total Anglican Church, have generally become so liberal as to be beyond recognition.  They support same-sex marriage, abortion, contraception, divorce, homosexual lifestyles, women priests, etc.  Their low birth rates will almost guarantee that they will disappear within a hundred years or so. 

By this time next century, the Anglican Church as we know it will probably have vanished.  That's what happens when you stray from the Truth.  Recall the wise words of Gamaliel in the Acts of the Apostles:

"So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; ³⁹but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!’ (Acts 5: 38-39)

The Anglican Church in the West is failing because it has strayed too far.

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Harry Potter and Dumbledore Used to Entice Fans into Activism for Maine Gay "Marriage" Push

In case you thought the Harry Potter books were harmless, think again.

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