From Reuters,

Pope Benedict, in a new encyclical released on Friday, said atheism was responsible for some of the “greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice” in history.

The 75-page “Spe Salvi”, which takes its Latin title from a quote by St Paul (in hope we were saved), is an appeal to a pessimistic world to find strength in Christian hope.

Atheism could be regarded by some as a “type of moralism”, particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries, to protest against the injustices of the world and world history, he said.

Reciting arguments made by atheists, he said: “A world marked by so much injustice, innocent suffering, and cynicism of power cannot be the work of a good God. A God with responsibility for such a world would not be a just God, much less a good God.”

History has proven wrong ideologies such as Marxism which say humans had to establish social justice because God did not exist, the Pope wrote.

“It is no accident that this idea has led to the greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice,” the Pope said. Such a concept was grounded in “intrinsic falsity”.

“We have all witnessed the way in which progress, in the wrong hands, can become and has indeed become a terrifying progress in evil. If technical progress is not matched by corresponding progress in man’s ethical formation, in man’s inner growth, then it is not progress at all, but a threat for man and for the world,” he said. [emphasis added]

See, there’s a reason to be scared when “progressives” want to run everything.  As usual when something like this comes down from the Vatican, I feel a tad underqualified to analyze it in any sort of public way.  For that, I link you to people who are smarter than me, who do this type of thing for a living.

Gerald @ Closed Cafeteria
Jeff @ Curt Jester 

THE British teacher held for naming a teddy bear Mohammed has been found guilty of insulting religion and has been sentenced to 15 days in prison, her lawyer said.

She will also face deportation.

Looking tired and distressed, Gillian Gibbons, 54, earlier appeared in a Khartoum courtroom for the start of her trial charged with insulting religion and inciting hatred.

Sounds to me like she’s getting off easy. Sounds like it’s time to shake the dust off my sandals just before getting on the plane and being deported.  I’ll take deportation from a country under Sharia law any day.

Gillian’s close friend Peter Sorensen, 64, said: “It’s outrageous. She’d never do anything to insult Islam.

 

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“It’s appalling that there are people who get away with brutal crimes and yet a caring teacher is vilified because her pupils chose the name Mohammed for a teddy bear. It beggars belief.”

Maybe it’s time to reconsider one’s desire to never insult…

Remember, the radical Islamists want to take over this country too.  When they do, we’re all dead or imprisoned.  Catholics, Fundamentalists, Atheists, Jews.  Every one of us.

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If you ever go to a country run by radical Islam, it’s not a good idea to name a teddy bear Mohammed.  From the Sun:

A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Sudanese student today defended the British teacher accused of insulting Islam saying he had chosen to call a teddy bear Mohammad because it was his own name.

Gillian Gibbons, a 54-year-old teacher, was arrested on Sunday after complaints that she had insulted Islam’s Prophet by allowing the bear to be named Mohammad.

She is facing a third night in jail without being formally charged.

The boy said: “The teacher asked me what I wanted to call the teddy. I said Mohammad. I named it after my name.”

He said he was not thinking of Islam’s Prophet when asked to suggest a name, adding most of the class agreed with his choice.

Described as “timid and polite,” Ms Gibbons - facing 40 lashes for the ‘offence’ - had told friends how she was loving her life in the country.

This is what awaits countries in Europe that are gradually being taken over by radical Islam.  God help us all if they make it over to the USA.

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On Fox News Sunday yesterday, Republican candidate Fred Thompson really laid into the way Fox News has been overtly biased against him.  Without saying it, he really pointed out how Giuliani has been Fox News’s annointed one from the beginning, and he’s right. Good thing is, Thompson’s right on so many issues Giuliani is wrong on.  Hopefully, we will see Fox balance out their coverage of the Republican candidates.

See it here!

From the Telegraph comes this story about Papa Ratzinger’s plan to return to more sacred music in Masses at the Vatican.

After reintroducing the Latin Tridentine Mass, the Pope wants to widen the use of Gregorian chant and baroque sacred music.

Gregorian chant has been reinstituted as the primary form of singing by the new choir director of St Peter’s, Father Pierre Paul.

He has also broken with the tradition set up by John Paul II of having a rotating choir, drawn from churches all over the world, to sing Mass in St Peter’s.

He added that a pontifical office could correct the abuses, and would be “opportune”. He said: “Due to general ignorance, especially in sectors of the clergy, there exists music which is devoid of sanctity, true art and universality.”

Okay, I will gladly admit it.  As a guy who came of age in the late ’90s, I do enjoy “praise and worship” style music, but now that I am Catholic I recognize that there are problems with that style of music within the context of the Mass - because it’s not sacred.  It’s nearly rock music.  That having been said, I do have a distaste for some of the vapid, meaningless stuff that’s in the missallette created by the minds of those like Haugen and Haas.  When I have the chance, I would like to attend a TLM, and I will also be interested to see how the mood is different when sacred music and chant are used as opposed to what we have nowadays.  I’m pleased that at my parish, we are somehow able to come off with really reverent renditions of some of the ’70s stuff, thanks to a very talented organist and a choir director who won’t guve up his principals.

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I’ll join the chorus of folks who will tell you to go and see Bella at your local movie theater.  For my wife and I, local was a 1-hour drive away on the night of our anniversary (6 years.)

It’s a great movie, with a hardcore pro-life message; simply, a guy finds out a co-worker of his is pregnant, and he sets out to try and show her the importance of the life that exists in her, because she communicates to him that she plans to abort.  I must admit I would like to have seen some more development of her decision-making process, and some more character development in general.  But the message is clear.

That, and in the ’special thanks’ part of the credits it’s really cool to see a bunch of priests listed, as well as Scott and Kimberly Hahn.

Check it out - bellathemovie.com.

Gerald has a great excerpt of a Boston Globe story.  Cardinal O’Malley is being very vocal on how it stinks that the Democrat party has been completely co-opted by hardcore pro-aborts.  Go to Gerald’s post to read it in its entirety.  But, I can’t help posting this gem:

Democratic National Committee spokesman Damien LaVera defended the party, which he called “a big tent party,” and he pointed out that there are 104 Catholic Democrats currently serving in Congress, including two who are vocal opponents of abortion rights, Senator Robert P. Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania and Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio.

Quite a defense of party diversity, eh?  Two of 104 “Catholic” Dems in Congress are pro-life!

Courtesy of CNS today, Christian meditation has been started at Georgetown.  Georgetown was founded as a Catholic university, so it’s interesting that we’re all surprised Christian meditation is going on there.

n the oldest building on the campus of the United States’ oldest Catholic university, Christian meditation has found a place to take root.

The structure — also the smallest building on the Georgetown University campus — is now home to a meditation center that had for two years before been based in a pair of adjoining row houses one block from campus.

In the center, organized meditation is offered twice a day, although students, faculty and staff can walk into the building at all hours for some moments of silent meditation.

I’ve not ever gotten into meditation, partly because I don’t have the attention span to sit still for long periods of time, and partly because I fear the counterfeit meditation that some Catholic folks try to imitate.  This sounds like it could be pretty good stuff, though this is a bit disturbing:

The Georgetown meditation session was flanked by two readings: one from a Chinese text called “Tao-Ching,” the other by the late Benedictine priest, Father John Main…

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My wife brought this to my attention.  Here’s a statement from Fr. Francis Mary Stone, MFVA, host of EWTN’s Life on the Rock program:

Regretfully, I have a message that does not come without significant pain to both you and me. I have to tell you in all honesty and truth, that I have been personally involved with helping a widow and her struggling family. Over the course of time, the mother and I have grown very close. As a result, I am compelled to take some time off to prayerfully and honestly discern my future.

Naturally he is in need of our prayers, and we certainly hope he makes the right choice.  He’s disappeared from EWTN’s website, and I doubt we’ll hear from him again, but we can hope.  He’s a good host for the Life on the Rock program.

What is really interesting here, though, is the comments from some bloggers and many blog comments about how Father should follow his heart and discern his vocation.  Perhaps it’s just me, but he already discerned his vocation and he already took vows of marriage to the Bride of Christ.

Here’s an example.  Suppose I put a blog post up here telling you folks that I had become involved with a young widow and her family, helping them out, and had grown quite fond of her, and I was in the process of discerning my vocation.  Would you put comments on here telling me that it was good that I was coming to terms with it and I should follow my heart?  Or would you castigate me, seeing as I already have vowed fidelity to my wife and have two daughters?  I rest my case.

Same deal with Father - he made his vows of fidelity, and for him to be “rethinking” those vows would be like me “rethinking” my vows to my wife.  Neither is acceptable.

Oh, and then there are the folks who are using this as some sort of a way to argue for married priests.  If only priests could be married, then Fr. Francis could continue his ministry while “following his heart.”  Never mind that he’s already married.

Many samples of such comments can be found here. 

Pat Robertson, of 700 Club fame, has now endorsed Rudy Giuliani for President, reversing his positions from just a few weeks ago when he stated that he wouldn’t be doing so since Rudy is dead wrong on abortion.

Aides to the former New York mayor—who were also dealing last week with fallout from the indictment of Giuliani’s former police commissioner—said that last week’s endorsement proved Giuliani enjoys broad support and that even social conservatives would embrace him despite his liberal stands on abortion rights, gay rights, and gun control.

For his part, Robertson, the former presidential candidate who founded the once mighty Christian Coalition, said the main issue isn’t Giuliani’s views on social policy but his perceived ability to stop the “bloodlust of Islamic terrorists.” Robertson also said Giuliani would appoint conservative judges, reduce crime, and limit federal spending.

Says Randy Brinson, an evangelical leader: “I think people still respect him [Robertson], but he doesn’t have the political sway he’s had in the past, given some of the outlandish statements he’s made.” Among those statements, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, was his comment that God was “lifting his protection from us” because of grave moral lapses. Like others who know Robertson, Brinson said the endorsement of Giuliani was a reflection of “who he thinks will win.”

But many Christian conservative voters, while they admire Giuliani’s toughness and his strength on the national-security issue, remain deeply distressed by his liberal views. And many won’t back him no matter what their leaders say, according to GOP pollsters and consultants.

Now, let me be clear.  If the choice is between Rudy or Hillary, I’ll vote for Rudy, because I believe at least we won’t be taken over by radical Islamists (or for that matter, all us Christians won’t wind up in gulags under a Giuliani administration.)  That said, it’ll be one of those “hold your nose and vote” situations…voting for one to keep the other out of office.  Robertson’s position seemed originally to be just that - not endorsing Rudy because he’s pro-abortion.  I like the fact that he’ll appoint strict-constructionist judges, but that’s just a campaign promise.

Look, maybe it would’ve made the most sense for Robertson to have endorsed no one in the primaries, and waiting until it was just between two candidates.  Then it wouldn’t look so much like Robertson had sacrificed his life-issues values.  And, of course, we must wonder how much weight Robertson’s endorsement has these days anyhow.

Oh yes, and let’s all hope Rudy doesn’t try to take Communion at a Catholic Church during this campaign.

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