Archive for Politics
Looking back over the posts I’ve done this year, I think I made some hits and misses in reporting on the biggest stories of the 2009 in regard to events in the Catholic Church. But I think I got the top six. In order:
1. Benedict XV’s Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus welcomes Anglican dioceses and communities home by establishing a special Ordinariate for them as they move into full communion with the Church. This move to help end a almost 500-year old division is the event in the Church in 2009 that will probably have the greatest historical impact.
2. The honorary doctorate given to President Obama at Notre Dame creates controversy — and galvanizes the pro-life movement in the United States. L’Osservatore Romano becomes strangely pro-Obama at precisely the wrong moment.
3. U. S. Catholic bishops take up arms in the health-care debate. Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, as head of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-life Concerns, writes passionate appeals to Congress on abortion and stem cell research.
4. Pope Benedict XVI declares both John Paul II and Pope Pius XII Venerable. Controversy ensues.
5. Pope Benedict’s new social encyclical Caritas in Veritate creates discussion about world events to secure social justice — and more ludicrous misunderstanding than you can imagine.
Other stories I covered: Pope Benedict’s trip to the Holy Land and the controversy over the film of Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons. And this may be “hometown” news for me, but it does have a great impact on the Church in the U.S. as a whole: New York got a New Archbishop, Timothy Dolan.
Others - controversy over the death of Ted Kennedy and this pro-abortion Catholic’s highly public funeral Mass, the new priestly sex abuse crisis in Ireland — I sort of missed. I certainly followed them while they were happening, but didn’t have time to blog about them.
I only sort-of blogged on one truly unexpected and welcome development. A Catholic Democrat in Congress, Bart Stupak of Michigan, becomes a hero the the pro-life movement by galvanizing his colleagues from both parties to vote against federal funding of abortion. Who would have thought tha a Catholic Democrat would lead the fight against abortion? His countepart in the Senate, Ben Nelson, could have made history on this blog too, but caved in to the pro-death forces.
Let’s have more of this same kind of story in the coming year.
Filed under: Abortion, Angels and Demons, Dan Brown, Life Issues, Politics, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II, Pope Pius XII, stem cell research | |No Comments
Rocco at Whispers in the Loggia has some great stuff about the pilgrimage to Rome for Fr. Damien’s canonization tomorrow.
Damien de Veuster was the Belgian priest who gave his life to the people of the leper colony of Molokai in Hawaii, dying of the disease there himself in 1889. Rocco notes the important lesson from his life and that of all other Christian heroes: “The saints aren’t the talkers, but the doers.”
In an ironic counterpoint, another famous Hawaiian, President Barack Obama has just won the Nobel Peace Prize, for talking about peace — while engaging in two foreign wars (which he promised nine months ago to end), maintaining Bush’s torture policies abroad, and oh yes, waging unprecedented war on helpless unborn children (Remember when his fellow Nobel laureate, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, called abortion “the greatest destroyer of peace today”?)
They dress the wound of my people as if it were nothing: “Peace, peace!” they say, though there is no peace. (Jeremiah 6:13-15)
Yes, talk is cheap, Mr. President, when there are wounds to bind.
Here is something about one of those genuine pro-human rights heroes who should have won the Peace Prize.
Update: Oct 22
I didn’t know this when I wrote the original story. But it is good to know. Thanks to Sheila’s Inforum.
President Obama issued a statement expressing his “deep admiration for the life of Blessed Damien de Veuster…I also want to convey my best wishes to the Kingdom of Belgium and its people, who are proud to count Fr. Damien among their great citizens. Fr. Damien has also earned a special place in the hearts of Hawaiians. I recall many stories from my youth about his tireless work there to care for those suffering from leprosy who had been cast out.”
Continued the president, “Following in the steps of Jesus’ ministry to the lepers, Fr. Damien challenged the stigmatizing effects of disease, giving voice to the voiceless and ultimately sacrificing his own life to bring dignity to so many. In our own time as millions around the world suffer from disease, especially the pandemic of HIV/AIDS, we should draw on the example of Fr. Damien’s resolve in answering the urgent call to heal and care for the sick. I offer my prayers as people of all faiths join the Holy Father and millions of Catholics around the world in celebrating Fr. Damien’s extraordinary life and witness.”
The president still has a long way to go before he can beat Damien as a doer . . .
Filed under: Politics, St. Damien of Molokai | |No Comments
From a June 5 (unsigned) notice in L’Osservatore Romano, posted June 6, by John Thavis of the Catholic News Service (CNS blog):
Obviously the Holy See and L’Osservatore Romano have been, are and will be fully at the side of the U.S. bishops in their commitment in favor of the inviolability of human life in whatever stage of its existence.
Other interpretations have no foundation, especially those that have wanted to use the newspaper’s articles to make it appear that the teachings of the U.S. episcopate on the inherent evil of abortion were an exercise in partisan politics, supposedly in contrast with a different strategy of the Holy See.
This is welcome, but rather belated news. I’ll let the American Papist do the talking as he issues a challenge to certain Catholics who were claiming that the Vatican disagreed with the policy of the U.S. bishops of abortion.
The Catholic News Service has also noted that, although it was widely believed that Obama would meed with Benedict XVI this July, while the President is visiting Rome, no meeting with the Pope has yet been scheduled.
Hmmm.
Filed under: Abortion, Life Issues, Politics, Pope Benedict XVI | |No Comments
This article came out several days ago, and hasn’t received much attention in all the furor. Father Jenkins has a lot of explaining to do, but he’s not the only one.
No Likely Support From Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees For Rescinding Obama Invite
By Frank Walker
May 10, 2009 - A great deal of criticism has been leveled at Notre Dame President, Rev John I. Jenkins, for his choice to honor President Obama at this year’s commencement. But Fr. Jenkins, like all university presidents, must consider the will of the school’s governing board. The Notre Dame Board of Trustees is a powerful organization, comprised of top international business owners, chairs of rich endowments, academic leaders, judges, attorneys, faculty, and prominent clergy. These individuals are typically very wealthy, well-connected and highly accomplished; many with broad interests outside the university. A closer look at the board and its affiliations might shed light on just how Notre Dame came to this decision.
Many of the influential alumni on the Notre Dame board are from the nearby Chicago area, and are part of the same Chicago power structure that President Obama ascended. Richard and Peggy Notebaert are leading members of the ND community, and Notebaert is chair of the Notre Dame trustees. While Obama served in the senate, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, received federal funding earmarked by Obama.. Key Obama campaign fundraiser, Frank Clark served on the board of the Notebaert Museum at the time. The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, where ND trustee Arthur Velasquez is on the board, also received millions in earmarks. Velasquez contributed to Obama’s campaigns in ’04 and ’08.
Chicago power at Notre Dame extends to political posts as well. Justice Ann Claire Williams was appointed by Bill Clinton in 1999 to the U.S. Court of Appeals 7th District. In 2004, she ruled that the Department of Justice could not subpoena hospital abortion records to enforce the ban on partial birth abortions. Left-leaning Chicago politics has a place on the Notre Dame governing board. Currently Ann Claire Williams is receiving serious attention among the top three possible Obama replacements for retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter.
Some Notre Dame board members have made ethical misjudgments in the past. Chicago trustee Philip B. Rooney, Chairman of Claddagh Investments, is former CEO of Waste Management Inc., the world’s largest waste services company. In 2002, Rooney and Waste Management, along with Arthur Andersen, Enron and others, were indicted by the SEC in a massive fraud case. WMI management eventually settled for 30.8 million in penalties. The SEC barred Rooney permanently from being an officer in a public company. He divested most of his own stock before the investigations caused shareholder assets to plummet. Despite this history Rooney retains his board position at Notre Dame today.
ND Trustee Douglas Tong Hsu is chairman of Far Eastern Group, a $32 billion dollar Chinese conglomerate. Hsu’s strong political connections in Taiwan lean toward unification with mainland China. He recently stated that democratic governance is a hindrance to investment, and praised communist China’s system for being more favorable to business with its staunch system of rule. In 2006, Hsu was indicted for breach of trust and forgery in connection with a major department store takeover. These charges also involved the Taiwanese first lady, Wu Shu-chen. With Douglas Tong Hsu, the political and business interests of the PRC have influence at Notre Dame. In 2006, ND President Jenkins led a small delegation to East Asia, where they met with Hsu, and travelled to communist Beijing to develop partner programs for the university.
There are Notre Dame trustees who directly support [sic] Obama administration goals. Dr. Mary Anne Fox is chancellor at U[niversity of] C[alifornia] San Diego and Vice-Chair of the National Science Board. Recently Fox announced the opening of a new research facility where the school will cultivate and experiment on human embryonic stem cells. The laboratory will partner with Scripps Research and the Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA where Fox also sits on the leadership council. In 2007 the Institute hosted a stem cell ethics conference. R. Alta Charo, bioethicist and advisor to the Obama transition team was a key speaker. At UCSD the bio-engineering department has just established a partnership with Tsinghua University in China, to further their research.
Raymond G. Chambers, co-founder of anti-poverty organization Millenium Promise, serves on the ServiceNation leadership council. ServiceNation is a political group that supports the enormous multiplication of federal national service programs in the Obama agenda, including the just-passed Kennedy Serve America Act. The Kennedy act was touted as the “largest expansion of community and national service since the launch of the Civilian Conservation Corps.” In September, Chambers was a panelist at the ServiceNation Summit as special envoy for malaria, United Nations.
Several Notre Dame board members lead American banks and major investment houses, where the federal government has sunk billions in bailout funds and stock purchases. Robert Conway was head of Goldman Sachs (AIG). Philip J. Purcell was formerly CEO of Morgan Stanley and COO of Dean Witter. Enrique Hernandez, Jr. is on the board of Wells Fargo Bank. Business leaders in this sector are under increasing pressure to appeal to the Obama administration, the Treasury Department, and the U.S. Congress for their survival and direction.
In conclusion, a review of the Board of Trustees at Notre Dame does NOT reveal a particularly strong Catholic identity. There are board members whose actions and associations put them in a position directly at odds with Church teaching and in line with the Obama administration. At the Notre Dame board, we see a group of well-connected well-heeled individuals from all sectors of society, and at the most prominent levels. Taking a stand against inviting the President of the United States would likely jeopardize membership in the elite club where they travel. Therefore it is highly unlikely that there will be any movement from within the board to rescind invitation to President Obama.
The whole story is here:
Filed under: Abortion, Life Issues, Peace and Justice, Politics | |No Comments
Well, this should open your eyes.
Everyone knows by now that President Obama has signed an executive order for federal funding for the harvesting of unborn children for parts (otherwise known as embryonic stem cell research).
He has also rescinded President Bush’s order for funding of alternative methods using another type of stem cell — methods that don’t destroy lives, and are much more promising when it comes to saving them.
Wesley J. Smith writes at First Things:
“The Administration didn’t publicize this part of the President’s nasty work, but the now dead 2007 Bush order explicitly required funding for “alternative methods” of stem cell research—such as the new induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSC), a process that changes skin or other cells such as hair follicles into pluripotent stem cells without making or destroying embryos. IPSCs offer so much promise—and all without the ethical contentiousness of human cloning and embryonic stem cell research. Indeed, these alternative methods are one of the few areas in which people who are pro-life and pro-choice, conservative and liberal, pro and anti-ESCR can agree upon, the very type of policy that this president said he wanted to pursue.”
So Obama wants to fund stem-cell research if and only if it destroys human embryos. Nothing ideological about this at all, of course! No, he truly is a pro-life president, really!
Read more here.
And then there’s this:
LONDON, March 12, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An Oxford University stem cell expert has urged the use of aborted children in organ transplants as a solution to the shortage of available organs. Sir Richard Gardner has called for a feasibility study on the possibility of obtaining organs from the bodies of aborted babies.
He said, “It is probably a more realistic technique in dealing with the shortage of kidney donors than others.”
The Daily Mail reports that pro-life and Christian groups have called the proposal “morally abhorrent,” and said it will result in abortions being timed to suit transplant patients. (More from Life Site News).
It’s only the first step. You can count on more of this happening as we continue down the slippery slope.
Filed under: Politics, health care reform | |No Comments
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