Pope Approves Barring Gay Seminarians

Catholic World News reports:

Vatican, Sep. 19 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) has given his approval to a new Vatican policy document indicating that men with homosexual tendencies should not be ordained as Catholic priests.

The new document-- which was prepared by the Congregation for Catholic Education, in response to a request made by the late Pope John Paul II (bio - news) in 1994-- will be published soon. It will take the form of an "Instruction," signed by the prefect and secretary of the Congregation: Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski and Archbishop Michael Miller.

The text, which was approved by Pope Benedict at the end of August, says that homosexual men should not be admitted to seminaries even if they are celibate, because their condition suggests a serious personality disorder which detracts from their ability to serve as ministers.

Priests who have already been ordained, if they suffer from homosexual impulses, are strongly urged to renew their dedication to chastity, and a manner of life appropriate to the priesthood.

The Instruction does not represent a change in Church teaching or policy. Catholic leaders have consistently taught that homosexual men should not be ordained to the priesthood. Pope John XXIII approved a formal policy to that effect, which still remains in effect. However, during the 1970s and 1980s, that policy was widely ignored, particularly in North America. The resulting crisis in the priesthood-- in which one prominent American commentator observed that the priesthood was coming to be seen as a "gay" profession-- prompted Pope John Paul II to call for a new study on the question.

The Congregation for Catholic Education prepared the Instruction after soliciting advice from all of the world's bishops, from psychologists, and from moral theologians. A draft of the Instruction was then circulated among the Vatican dicasteries concerned with the issue, notably including the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The pending release of the Instruction, in the face of certain criticism from liberal forces in America and Western Europe, demonstrates the determination of the Vatican to improve the quality of priestly ministry, and to protect the Church from some of the scandals that have recently shaken the Catholic community-- and no doubt deterred many men from entering priestly training.

Informed sources in Rome indicate that the Instruction probably will be made public after the Synod of Bishops, which meets in Rome from October 2 through 23.

I will mention that one of the advantages of having an internet subscription to CWN is that you get email notices about news of this sort as well as access to the full story. It is well worth the money.

Don't Miss This

Are you suffering from mild to severe conscience pangs? Are there blockages in your moral life? Are you selfish and uncharitable? If you answer yes to one or more of these questions you might be suffering from hardening of the heart. This is an extremely serious condition and you must go to the right doctor immediately. If not correctly treated immediately upon death you might suffer something far worse than just heart burn, though burn is an apt metaphor....

The Divine Physician gives his credentials, outlines the benefits of coming to him, and introduces us to his associates ... even has a photo ... hilariously done but with the truth all over it by (who else?) The Curt Jester. Zip right over there and read the entire thing.

As God Is My Witness, I Will Never Do Gauge Swatches Again!

You know, I used to knit sweaters all the time, long ago in my pre-children days. I never once checked the gauge. I just knit and the patterns worked. So why when prepping for this poncho I decided to suddenly get all proper I don't know.

However, I did it and found (quelle horreur!) that I needed needles three sizes larger than called for. Whew! Good thing I checked the gauge. So, what with my fits of knitting passion alternating with fits of total neglect it took a year to get the darned thing done. But, hey, it is ready just in time for Rose to wear it when (and if) the cooler weather hits Dallas. Right?

I finished casting off last night and before weaving in the loose yarn ends had Rose try it on. It looked really great. Except, you guessed it, that two of her friends could have fit into it with her. Aaaaargh!!!

Luckily I liked knitting it and was considering making one for Hannah also if she deemed it fashionable enough. So I will not be beat by this stupid (although totally cool looking) poncho. We will be getting more yarn. I will use the called for needles and try not to have all those times of neglect. So let's see if I can get the time down to ... oh ... maybe six months.

Liberation from Nature

... the idea of liberation -- if we may indeed call freedom the common denominator of the modern mind and of our century -- has also fused very powerfully with feminist ideology. Woman is now considered the real victim of oppression. Therefore, the liberation of woman is the core of every activity undertaken for the sake of liberation. You might say that, here, political liberation theology has been superseded by an anthropological one. What is meant by liberation in this instance is not simply liberation from imposed societal roles but, ultimately, a liberation that aims to free man from his human biological determination. A distinction is now drawn between the biological phenomenon of sexuality and the forms it has taken in history, what one calls "gender." But the call for revolution against the whole historical shape of sexuality leads to a revolution against the biological givens as well. The idea that "nature" has something to say is no longer admissible; man is to have the liberty to remodel himself at will. He is to be free from all of the prior givens of his essence. He makes of himself what he wants, and only in this way is he really "free" and liberated. Behind this approach is a rebellion on man's part against the limits that he has as a biological being. In the end, it is a revolt against our creatureliness. Man is to be his own creator -- a modern, new edition of the immemorial attempt to be God, to be like God.

Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI)
in an interview with Pete Seewalt,
The Salt of the Earth

Remember Zork?

(Just admitting you recognize the word "Zork" dates you.)

Here's a text-based adventure story about Hamlet. I have only played a bit of it but it sure brings back those memories. Now, I just have to figure out if there are any grues hiding behind the tapestries. Via Catholic and Enjoying It.

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Readings
Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 78:1-2,34-38; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17

I really love the connections that are made between this incident with Moses putting the serpent on the pole so that any who were bitten by the poisonous snakes could look upon it and be healed ... with Jesus telling Nicodemus "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

This meditation from The Word Among Us makes the reason we should care about that connection even clearer so I am reprinting it in full here.

What a strange feast this is! We are so used to seeing crucifixes in our churches and homes that we may not have forgotten how shocking it is that Christians reverence the instrument used to kill our God. Would the relatives of a death row inmate display a picture of the electric chair in which he died?

And what a strange reading this is! God punishes complainers by sending poisonous snakes, relenting only after Moses pleaded with him. Then, God tells Moses to erect a remedy very much like the idols of their pagan neighbors!

The poisonous serpents that wreaked such havoc among the people are a good symbol for the people’s sin. They see no harm in complaining against Moses. They have no idea how poisonous their negative attitude is. But God knows that they’re really rebelling against him—the One who liberated them from their enemies, led them through the Red Sea, and fed them in the wilderness.

By mounting the serpent on a pole, Moses forced them to see their sin for what it was: rebellion that poisons their life as God’s chosen people. God wanted to teach and purify them, not to destroy them. So he made it possible that as soon as they acknowledged their sin, they were already looking at his merciful means of forgiveness.

When we gaze upon the cross, we also see our sins. Ours is the disrespect that strips the dignity of those who disagree with us. Ours is the indifference that condemns others to suffering by denying them meaningful work at a living wage. Ours is the stubbornness that silences the voices of contemporary prophets.

But we also see something else: God’s remedy for our sin. We see the outstretched arms of the one whose love is undying and unconditional, the one who forgives his enemies and promises paradise to all who repent. So the cross is a fitting symbol for Christians. Like a wedding ring, it reminds us of our Beloved’s fidelity. Like a child’s handprint or an ancestor’s heirloom, it makes present the one who has passed from our physical sight. Let’s exalt the cross today in our prayer!

“Father, thank you for providing the only remedy for our sins. Help me to acknowledge my need for you and so experience the fullness of your redemption.”

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

The purpose of our lives in this world is not comfort and security but training; not fulfillment but preparation. The world is a lousy home, but a good gymnasium. It's like an uphill bowling alley. The point is not to succeed in knocking down all the pins but to train our muscles. We misunderstand the point of this world if we expect it to be happy...

We cannot know what God's purpose is in each event, each detail. But we can know that every event, each detail, is part of God's purpose. Everything is grace. Job's sores were grace. Job's abandonment was grace. Jesus' abandonment ("My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?") was grace. Our abandonment is also grace.

Our attitude toward that fact should not be a passive resignation, because our activity too is part of that grace and divine plan and purpose. Our active struggle against suffering and every form of evil -- physical, psychological, and spiritual -- is part of God's will for us and part of our growth and learning. But at the same time as we say no to suffering, death, disease, and diminishment, we also say yes to God's hand behind it, and to God's wise and loving plan that includes in its plot both our sufferings and our efforts to conquer them...

Lessons from the saints about suffering
by Peter Kreeft (found at Thunderstruck)

Between Hurricane Katrina and the death of baby Susan Torres I've had various questions put to me about good and evil, suffering and joy, basically about the human condition. Go read the entire article. Kreeft says it so much better than I can. After all, a lot of what I know I learned from reading his work. Via LAMland.

Always Remember

Four years seems like a long time ago.

Until you watch this ... all the way through.

Then the tears fall and it is as if it happened yesterday.

11 September 2001
Dedicated to the men, women and children who lost their lives;
those brave people who gave their lives,
and the Heroes that responded to the emergency.

I will never forget.

They Remember Sept. 11

How I Remember It - a beautiful and moving tribute by Minivan Mom.

"I was getting ready to leave for work..." - The Balance Sheet

"It was the perfect morning for me, until I found a headline at the Drudge Report. The North Tower had been hit by a plane..." - Newton at Oh How I Love Jesus.

A short photo essay about Sept. 11 and what it has led to by Patrick Ruffini. Via Suitable for Mixed Company.

The Heroes of September 11, 2001 - How We Can Honor Them by Catholic Fire.

9/11 Remembered by Lost in the Cosmos features a link to Bishop Haverland's Pastoral Letter the day after the attacks.

“The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed; our country is strong.

A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” – President George W. Bush, September 11, 2001 Address to the Nation

Sept. 11 Links at Polipundit posted by Lori Byrd.

"One of the few calls I did take required an interpreter so I got on the line to AT&T’s translation service and my call was taken by a lady in the Dominican Republic. As soon as she heard my American voice, she cried out to me, “Oh my God, where are you? Are you okay? We have all been so worried.” Confessions of a Wayward Catholic.

September 11 Remembered, Part One and Part Two from Sigmund, Karl and Alfred. Not your average remembrance but definitely worth reading as it is very true.

Never, Never Forget - Michelle Malkin's incomparable roundup.

Photo Diary From Inside New Orleans

This amazing photo diary was kept by a New Orleans resident from before Katrina until he evacuated. There are a lot of photos but it is really worth going through and reading his commentary. Most interesting to me were the photos of the statue of Jesus standing behind the St. Louis cathedral (I hadn't seen any that showed just how many trees fell before and how amazing it was that the statue was left standing), his comments about the media, and his adventure once they decided they had to evacuate. Via Bettnet.

One of the Most Touching Things I've Read

TAJI, Iraq, Sept. 9, 2005 — Iraqi soldiers serving at Taji military base collected 1,000,000 Iraqi dinars for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Iraqi Col. Abbas Fadhil, Iraqi base commander, presented the money to U.S. Col. Paul D. Linkenhoker, Taji Coalition base commander, at a Sept. 5 staff meeting.

“We are all brothers,” said Abbas. “When one suffers tragedy, we all suffer their pain.”

The amount of money is small in American dollars - roughly $680 - but it represents a huge act of compassion from Iraqi soldiers to their American counterparts, said U.S. Army Maj. Michael Goyne.

Read the whole story

Via In Iraq for 365.

When MIT Came Knocking ...

Hi Julie,

I am a researcher at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I am working on an 'in-depth interviews' project with people of all ages from different communities across the country, and their relationship with technology.

I am very much interested to talk with you about your blog. I'm in Dallas this week. For your convenience I'm including a link to the school and to my research center.

Now there's an email you don't get every day. Tom and I checked it out and Grace really was from MIT, working on her dissertation, and interviewing bloggers around the country.

So, what the heck. Why not give it a whirl? Last Friday Grace came to our office and later to our home and taped all about blogging, Julie D. style. I think I now have an inkling of what it might be like to be the subject of a documentary. She'd ask questions and we'd talk about my answer some. Then I'd give the answer again for the camera, always watching out of the corner of my eye for the "cut" sign that I'd talked enough and also trying to keep in mind the original question.

The funniest thing.
(And I wasn't even there for it.) Grace filmed me walking out of my office to my car and driving away. On the way I got some very curious looks as you can imagine with my one person entourage dogging my steps with her camera. I told a couple of men by the door, "It makes me look important, doesn't it?"

Grace said that on the way back in, these two men stopped her and said, "Who was that?"

"What?" said Grace. "You didn't recognize her? That's Julie D. I thought everyone knew her."

"Oh, yes, of course," the men nodded wisely.

(ha!)

Thought provoking things.
Did I think that blogging was an inherently anti-social activity given that you are actually alone when you are communicating with your "on-line community?" No, I don't (though I could tell that Grace didn't agree and we discussed this at length). Although more people can join in, I equate blogging to letter writing. Yes, you can use to avoid society if you want, but that applies to a whole lotta activities. (that is the short answer...)

How is Julie D. different than me? Truth to tell, I never thought of Julie D. as being a different persona but she's a bit nicer than I am. While I may rant and rave to my family while working out an issue, Julie D. tends to keep her cool better (the public versus private life thing).

Most surreal thing.
Filming me typing on the blog in my office while I played a song by The Killers. I am not sure I will ever hear that song again without thinking of Grace circling me, zooming in close on the keyboard, etc. It's really hard to just keep on doing what you're doing without looking at that camera.

The "at home" thing.
Grace filmed us playing Pounce (a great card game that I have been meaning to fill y'all in on for a long time). Good thing we weren't playing for points because she also was talking to Tom and the girls about if they read the blog (which they do), am I a social person (this got a loud laugh and many stories about how much I talk to everyone), why Rose would never want to live anywhere but Texas (does this need explaining? I didn't think so.).

An enlightening thing.
Grace said that there was a blogging couple in Vermont who had much the same attitudes that I did about blogging not being an anti-social activity. What makes that interesting at all was that she said, "they're about as different from you as they could be" (translation: liberal, Democrat, I'm guessing "not Catholic", fill in the blanks from there). That was very reassuring on a basic level. We may believe in totally different methods to get to our goals but that people with such a different mindset had the same basic practicality and common sense gave me a sense of hope for our polarized country (yes, yes, patting myself on the back so hard does hurt my arm some).

The unexpected thing.
After filming, Grace started asking about how I got to be such a "woman of faith" (I really felt as if I should be wearing a long shapeless black dress whenever she said that). So, well, y'all know me by now right? (ahem ... HAPPY CATHOLIC!) That kind of question just leads to faith sharing and more faith sharing. I must not have scared her too badly because we wound up having rather a heart to heart over various large issues of belief.

The final thing.
It was fun. And I liked Grace. If you're reading this ... stay in touch!

Hurray for Bollywood

BRIDE & PREJUDICE
Director Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) gives Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen the Bollywood treatment. Bright colors, song and dance breaking out at a moment's notice, romantic entanglements and humorous characters abound. Chanda manages to stay close to the basic story, even to the point of keeping the sisters' names similar (Maya instead of Mary, etc.). It was handy that both Hannah and Rose had read the book recently (I hate to think how many years it has been since I cracked the covers of that book) so they had a great time pointing out when the story deviated (less often than you'd think).

It is a lighthearted piece of fluff that will entertain once time through well enough. I don't think I'd care about seeing it again although it did make me want to rent Monsoon Wedding for another viewing. If you liked Bride & Prejudice at all, do give Monsoon Wedding a try if you haven't seen it. It is a more complex and authentic view of India and Bollywood. Or, for Austen fans, you can look for the next Indian movie going on my list to try, I Have Found It, an adapted version of Sense and Sensibility.

Happy Birthday Mary!

This is one I know my non-Catholic friends will have a little trouble with! "Why," they will ask, "does the Catholic Calendar include a day commemorating the Nativity of Mary? It's not like anyone knows what her real birthday was! And she's not Jesus, so why do this?"

All true. She is not Jesus. We do not know the real date of her birth.

We don't actually know the date of Jesus' birth either, come to that.

So, why bother?

I have not had time to write anything about this Feast of the Nativity of Mary. Thank goodness The Anchoress did ... and, naturally, much better than I would have anyway. She has a lovely and eloquent answer to that question that you really should go read.

If I was totally on top of things I'd be serving a birthday cake for Mary today ... good thing she's an understanding mother who knows that I've had too many back-to-school parents' night things coming up to fit in cake baking. So I will just wish her Happy Birthday and be thankful that she said, "Yes" to God for us all.

We Are More Than the Sum of Our Bumper Stickers

This post has been making the rounds.

I did not stop to help a * supporter today.

I had no idea how deeply my hate for that man ran. My lack of an interaction, with a * supporter is still haunting me a couple of hours later.

I was on my home and was on the ramp getting off the highway. I saw a mini-van on the side of the road. There was a lady standing next to the van and in her arms she held her child. I can only assume her mini-van had broken down. I don't know, perhaps with so many gad stations being out of gas, she had also run out. I slowed down and started to pull over to offer her a ride. At the very last second I noticed a "W" sticker on the back of her vehicle and I sped up and drove off.

I feel really bad as a human being. That child is not responsible for their parent's belief system. They are innocent and do not deserve to be out in the heat. (It is warm but not so bad that they would even break a sweat) I try not to punish people for what they believe.

On the other hand, so many hateful thoughts went through my head. I wondered how a person could see what was going on in NO and still have one of those awful stickers on their car. How could they support an awful excuse for a human being that has let our country down and is letting Americans die after they have made it through the storm? How can someone be so blind and so stupid?

I thought that if she loves * so much, maybe he would come along and help her the same way he is rescuing all of those poor people in the weather stricken part of our country. Let's see what her hero can do for her.

I never did go back. I was so upset with that sticker and with the fact that someone would support an idiot who is so clearly running our country into the ground.

So why am I writing this? It is not to boast, I really feel bad about passing this child and not picking up their mother. Perhaps it is for a catharsis of sorts? That would be an educated guess. I suppose it is because I feel conflicted and I am writing this to try and sort through what I am feeling. There are two emotional sides, for me, on this incident and neither seems completely right or wrong to me. Even writing this, I am still not able to work through what happened. I feel like I am floating between right and wrong and am unable to grab either side.

Thanks for listening.

Of course this woman's honesty has been applauded by some people (notably in her comments boxes) and condemned by others (notably in various conservative venues).

I was fascinated by her honesty and, of course, appalled that we have become so polarized that we would be judged worthy by our bumper stickers. Interestingly "Bush" has become such a dirty word that she could not bring herself to type it out. This makes me think of something that Hannah's history teacher told the class. He said that people who personally hate Bush are a little wacky because they don't know him personally at all and the teacher was pretty sure that Bush didn't know these people. Good point. How often do we identify the policies with the person and transfer that dislike onto someone who (most likely) is doing the best they can? (Worth reflecting on for those of us who weren't too fond of Bill Clinton.)

Looking further into it and reading through the comments, I came across her further thoughts on the subject.

In fact after actually being able to write it out and think it over, I was 100% wrong and would take it all back if I could. In fact my response, to the first person who answered my post, was that I did wrong and that I will be picking up a person no matter who it is next time. That does fall within reason - I may offer to call the police for a male who is stranded.

I am not someone who usually stops to think about something before helping someone. I just talked to my husband about taking in people from NO who needed help. There were no strings attached as to how people voted, etc.... He did feel uncomfortable since we have two small children so we have donated money and I have contacted someone I know, from NO, to offer any assistance we can give to them or their family.

Good for her. That's an important step forward in remembering that if we define ourselves solely by our political parties then we are limiting ourselves into being less than human. We must all remember that we are human beings in this together. As for the people responding who are telling her that she was right in the first place, well, they have such a narrow view of life that I feel nothing but pity for them. Lord have mercy on me for the times I have forgotten the big picture ... and bless them.

Hands of Christ: Katrina Relief

BLOGBURST FOR KATRINA RELIEF

Bloggers are taking time to encourage their readers to contribute to a relief agency of their choice for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

1. Pick a charity. (My favorite relief charity is The Salvation Army but there are over 200 charities listed.)
2. Make a donation, by phone, by mail, or by internet.
3. Go to this page and log your contribution.

Here is Instapundit's round up page and the TTLB Katrina Relief page where you can see the blog leader board.

FINAL NUMBERS (as of 1:40 p.m.)
$ 1,199,620 was donated through the blogburst of 1,805 blogs from 34 countries. OVER A MILLION DOLLARS! Wow, I am knocked out here.

Happy Catholic readers contributed $1,230! I couldn't believe it when I read that number ... $1,220! You guys ROCK!

KATRINA RESOURCES: see sidebar.

This is His Church...

From a certain point on you waged a campaign against the theologians and also reacted with increasing severity to internal theological criticism. One of your main sayings is: "This is His Church and not a laboratory for theologians."

I wouldn't want to battle theologians, because then I would, after all, be fighting against myself. Theology is a very important and noble craft, and the theologian's activity is very important. Criticism and being critical is also part of that. What I did campaign against is a theology that loses its criteria and thus no longer performs its service rightly. Just what we were saying: We are servants and don't ourselves determine what the Church is. This is the decisive point for me. However, this expression, "it is his Church and not ours," is really a fork in the road for me; to acknowledge that we do not excognitate what the Church is but that we believe that He wants her and that we should try to recognize what He wants with her and place ourselves in this service.

Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI)
in an interview with Pete Seewalt,
The Salt of the Earth

Romantic Tips

Kid Stuff
351

Rediscover and nurture the "child" inside of you. It's the key to your creativity, spontaneity, sense of wonder and joy.

352

When's the last time you watched cloud formations? Take your lover for a walk in a field. Find an unobstructed view. Flop down on a hilltop. What do you see in the clouds? What do you imagine?

353

Surprise her with a little "Trinket Gift" hidden inside a McDonald's Big Mac container.
Surprise him by hiding a favorite stuffed animal inside his gym bag.

354

Seventy-eight percent of all women love stuffed animals.
[Note: I am not one of that 78 percent.]

355

Most men love gadgets, electronic stuff or tools ... "boys' toys." Men never really grow up -- our toys simply get more expensive.

356

Get a favorite toy from his childhood: A toy, book, report card or picture from the wall. (Call his parents; they'll love to be a part of this idea.) Wrap it up and include a touching note.

1001 Ways to Be Romantic
by Gregory Godek

How Can We Love As God Loves?

Jesus taught that as God loves us, so too are we to love him -- and one another. How is this possible? Some days it seems hard enough to love ourselves, let alone other people -- or even God -- wholeheartedly! But God knows how he created us. He hasn't given us an impossible mission. How we do it is to ask him to fill our hearts with his love. Then, that love will start flowing back to him in praise and out to others in acceptance, forgiveness, and service...

We have only to ask. No special prayers are necessary. Simple words, spoken quietly, even silently, are sufficient. It's that easy, because God is so good.

The Word Among Us

If You're Not Reading the Interdictor, You Don't Really Have the Big Picture About NOLA

The Riverwalk may be on fire (shopping mall at the river at end of CBD/Quarter). Everytime we talk to the police, we hear about sniper fire at the fire scenes. I cannot confirm that there is any. This is all hearsay, but it's coming from the police. The police we talk to, while consistent about claiming there is sniper fire, are conflicted about whether it's police sniper fire trying to take out arsonists or criminal sniper fire trying to take out police and fire rescue teams. Again, this is rumor for now, but we're hearing a lot of this rumor.

Now this is something that requires tact, and I do not have much experience with reporting, but I think the world needs to know how overwhelmed the police are out here: I have reports from 3 different police sources that 2 police officers have committed suicide. Out of respect for their families, I will not name them or go into detail. Truly tragic how bad things are. I sincerely hope I did the right thing in reporting this.

Read the ongoing journal of The Interdictor.

Also, the owner of Intercosmos (Interdictor's employer) sends a plea for working space to use until New Orleans is rebuilt. Read about it here.