Baby RIP

The mother said 'kill it', the high court judge thought, 'kill it' and the father eventually agreed and said, 'Okay, kill it'. The judge commended them both on their bravery and compassion. This appears to have been another High Court case in which truth and a human life have been sacrificed in the name of secular sympathy. It also appears to have been a case where everyone had a lawyer except the human being whose life was at stake.

How dare I say that?

On November 8th 2009, The Times published this article on a woman, now aged 19, with the same condition, studying at Royal Holloway, University of London and living independently who made a public plea to the parents not to withdraw life support.

Like Sheep Without a Shepherd...

"Don't leave so soon! Come back! I was just getting started! Now, where was I? Ah yes, women priests! Now, what I think is..."

Fr Ray Blake has picked up on a wayward Bishop in a country of wayward Faith, Ireland. One Bishop Willie Walsh has been calling for the usual Catholic-Lite TM changes on Church teaching, such as the ordination of women priests, changes to Church teaching on divorce and remarriage and homosexuality in an effort, presumably, to refashion the Church in his own image and basically turn it into the Anglican communion.

When a lay person muses on these things, even if they are celebrities, such as Tony & Cherie, the damage is limited by the fact that they are a lay people and are therefore not taken too seriously. When a Priest says this it is seriously harmful. But, when a Bishop says this then it is very, very, very damaging to the Body of Christ.

When a Bishop or a Priest says, "I think we need to open up a debate on..." then you know they are about to inflict a blow upon Holy Mother Church. Unfortunately, the mass media, who are always all too willing to pick up on a juicy story to undermine the Catholic Faith and the Papacy, do not treat the words of such mavericks with the scorn they deserve and fan the flames of publicity.

Those charged with authority within the Church should say, "The Holy Father and I are on one accord on this subject matter. It is clear to me why this teaching must be so. The reasons for it are this teaching are threefold. Firstly, ___________ etc. The Holy Spirit has always guided the Church. God has spoken through His Church and the matter is therefore closed. Thank you for the interview and may God bless you."

Perhaps I could design some 'Bishop Media Response Cards' and send them to Bishops so that when they have interviews they can preach the Gospel rather than their personal, heretical and highly damaging opinions.

A lesser discussed aspect of the Sacrament of Penance is that our sins have not just offended God, imperiled our souls and caused injury to others, both spiritual and temporal, but that we have wounded the Body of Christ. A part of our penance is that we make satisfaction not just for offending God but for wounding the Body of Christ, that is, the Church. Like St Paul, who heard Christ say, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me", that it can be hard when you are 'kicking against the goads'.

Yet, with these renegade Bishops, and we know it is more than a couple, there is no sense of reflection on the damage they are doing, the seeds of confusion, dissention and heresy that they foster. Having been charged with such an awesome duty, such a High Office within the Church, the Judgement, surely, is harder on them, for they have in their care so many souls. There is nothing more damaging to the unity of our Holy Mother the Church than an heretical Bishop charged with the Office of being Shepherd to his Priests and to the Diocese.

The quinquennial visit ad limina apostolorum of the Bishops of England and Wales is approaching in January and if you are concerned that your Bishop is 'out of line', the time to write to Rome to alert the Vatican to his dissention is NOW!

Now, where is my Basildon Bond paper, fountain pen and ink well...

MPs: A Persecuted Minority?

The Commons at its most effective?

After some investigation I could only find one 'good man' in Parliament. Her name is Helen Goodman, MP for Bishop Auckland.

Janet Daley today in her Telegraph blog suggests that outlawing 'gay hate' would create a thought-crime, since, she says, 'the government is trying to pass a law on “homophobic hatred” by the end of this parliamentary session which would make it a crime to criticise homosexual conduct or practice. They are determined to overturn repeated attempts by the House of Lords to insert a “free speech” clause into the Bill which would distinguish between acts of discrimination or victimisation, and the mere utterance of disapproval or condemnation.'

I would add that it could also, in future, see the arrest, fining or imprisonment of Priests, Bishops or Laity who preach against homosexual acts and civil partnerships since it would be a public offense to criticise homosexual culture. So, before the law gets passed we should get all of our 'gay hate' speech out before it becomes illegal. Here we go...

The act of homosexuality is a grave, serious and mortal sin which can and should be confessed in any Catholic Church across the globe.

While it is true to say that God by His very nature is not vengeful, rather patient and loving, the act of homosexuality remains one of the four sins crying out to Heaven for vengeance. Like all mortal sins, if it is unrepented before death then eternal salvation is most certainly placed in jeapordy.

The homosexual is advised according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church to unite his sufferings to that of his Saviour and, by persevering in the Faith and in struggling with his condition, while having recourse to the Sacraments which enable him to grow in holiness, he should courageously accept his share in the sufferings of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He is called, like all Catholics, to become a faithful friend of Our Lord Jesus Christ and insodoing become a Saint.

There we go...That wasn't so bad was it? How long I wonder, before MPs, outlawing thought and speech find themselves having to create a law protecting MPs from 'hate speech', because, as every day passes, it seems, the anger against this frighteningly anti-libertarian group of amateurs in Parliament grows and grows until finally the BNP get 20 seats in the House of Commons at the next election and the country tears itself apart.

Mandelson 'Cleverer Than Me', Says Satan

The Telegraph reports that, 'in a move that will see yet more power passed to the First Secretary, Lord Mandelson is expected to be increasingly used by Downing Street as the minister put up to “sell” the Government's message to the public. Lord Mandelson could also make history as the first minister to make weekly televised briefings. They would be broadcast direct through the Downing Street website.'

But what hasn't been reported is that Mandelson actually popped the real Prince of Darkness, Satan, to the post. Both Mandelson and Satan were selected for interview for the Orwellian sounding position of 'Minister for Information', but it was decided that Mandelson outshone Satan in terms of deviousness, cunning and sheer, unadulterated, propensity to wicked forms of deception.

Satan, speaking off the record, said, "Well this is just typical. First I get thrown out of Heaven, then my evil plans for the eternal death of the human race are thwarted by Christ and now this just adds insult to injury. I wanted that job, and all credit to the man Mandelson, he is cleverer than me, but I must say I still feel deep down that I taught him everything he knows. He basically took a trait of mine, wicked deception and took it another step further. Being Minister for Information would have been the ideal place to spread lies and deceit and I would have thoroughly enjoyed the role. That said, I wish him all the best and he knows I'll always be on hand to offer my advice."

A 'Bishop' Who Needs a Kick Up the Arse!

A comment on the All Souls Requiem Mass at St Mary Magdalen Church celebrated in the Extraordinary Form, by 'The Cardinal' on Valle Adurni's blog.

"I am a bishop, and I certainly do not understand this liturgy. Marionettes wearing birettas with grim looks on their faces is not what I understand by celebration. A soprano soloist who brings the opera house into church with her Bel canto is not an adornment to the sacred liturgy. A deacon who has never been taught how to hold a thurible correctly....Shall I go on? The whole thing was infinitely depressing. If you are going to do these things, for heaven's sake do them properly."

Can't you just hear the howls of the demons as they are sent into the squealing pigs!? If this guy really is a Bishop then his comment is depressing, but at the same time, heartening, because we know that a liberal Bishop who is less than loyal to the Holy Father has just seen the future and guess what, it isn't to his taste! Let's just examine that video once more...



Ah...beautiful, isn't it!? Now, let's analyse 'His Lordship's' comments.

1. "I am a bishop, and I certainly do not understand this liturgy."

Well, since the publication of Summorum Pontificum, written by His Holiness, explicitly asked Priests and Bishops to liberate the Traditional Latin Mass and at least make themselves familiar with it, should the Faithful ask for it, then you're really not doing your job properly. The Successor of St Peter has spoken and you've more or less told him to shove it. I wonder how that reaction to the desires of Pope Benedict XVI, now gloriously reigning, will be met by St Peter at Pearly Gates. May I suggest that given that the Vicar of Christ has asked you to do something, that you seriously consider doing it, for the sake of your soul and the souls in your care, lest you and they all be damned to a circle of Hell in which 'Shine, Jesus, Shine' is blasted out 24-hours a day with no hope of reprieve or consolation.

2. "Marionettes wearing birettas with grim looks on their faces is not what I understand by celebration."

The Traditional Latin Mass demands solemnity and devotion and how much more so the Mass for the Dead. I suppose that your idea of an All Souls Requiem Mass involves liturgical music from the B52s performing a live version of 'Shiny, Happy People' at the Communion Antiphon. This was a Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, of prayers for the dead, not a 'community celebration', unless that is you are talking about the Angels and Saints welcoming our departed brothers and sisters in Christ into the Biggest Ceaseless Party ever. This side of Heaven, who can say? But I'll bet that God was so pleased with the devotion and prayerfulness of this Mass that He demanded the release of an extra hundred thousand souls to be invited His Kingdom.

3. "A soprano soloist who brings the opera house into church with her Bel canto is not an adornment to the sacred liturgy."

Well, I sang in that Choir as well. It took weeks of practise, of rehearsal to get the Sanctus and the Libera Me right and if Faure's Requiem isn't good enough for you, then frankly, I'd recommend St Jude, because in terms of liturgical and musical taste, you're a lost cause. I thought, and many other parishioners thought, that the Pie Jesu was absolutely beautiful. What with a small choir boy with a sublimely angelic voice not being on hand, we went with the next best thing and she was good. Having heard reactions at the after Mass reception, I can tell you people thought it aided prayer and that the occasion merited it.

4. "A deacon who has never been taught how to hold a thurible correctly...Shall I go on? The whole thing was infinitely depressing. If you are going to do these things, for heaven's sake do them properly."

It was All Souls Day. By all accounts, All Souls Day is not a day for dancing, what with the graves of our loved ones being so nearby. Regarding the dead, Our Lord said, "Blessed are those that mourn." He didn't say, "Blessed are those that 'celebrate'." There are of course great days of celebration within the Church, All Saints was particularly rousing, but as the Psalmist says and as also sang by The Byrds, 'A time to laugh, a time to weep etc.' I've been learning to serve the Latin Mass myself and I can tell you, it is more intricate than the Novus Ordu, personally I get nervous, especially kneeling so close to the Consecration. Next time I might have to take some valium beforehand because I have the tendency to tremble, what with being on my knees so much while on top of that being in the Presence of the King of the Universe.

The whole experience inspires awe and sometimes fear, for the All-Powerful God is being made present on the Altar. Now, 'my Lord', I may not always get the Latin Mass right, in terms of the words or the actions and even the Priest (and Deacon and Sub-Deacon) make minor liturgical mistakes every now and then. The whole point is that we learn from these mistakes and try to improve the next time so that God may be glorified by His clergy and servers by assisting at Mass more impeccably. I am quite sure that the Lord looks kindly on those who seek to follow the advice of His Vicar on Earth and overlooks their errors. After all, better to try and make mistakes than to stubbornly go against the wishes of the Holy Father because if you tried, you might get it wrong, because that, 'my Lord', would be Pride.

Bash the Bishops!

£37,000 to £41,000 plus benefits. Incredible. We can't even raise £100,000 for a Church building that is falling down and feed the hungry on the soup run and the Catholic Bishops Conference is advertising for a lucrative post for Marketing, PR and Fundraising! Meanwhile, the same Bishops are closing Church buildings around the country. Outrageous, scandalous and shocking! Bash the Bishops! Marketing and PR, eh? Well, here's some marketing and PR for you. £41,000 a year to 'raise the profile of the Catholic Church in the UK'? I can't wait to see some of the marketing ideas because coming at that price, they're bound to be well worth it! I fear, however, that this could see the roll out of the biggest nationwide parish Church poster campaign for FairTrade tea, coffee and cakes in the history of the World...ever! It'll probably be digital and involve widescreen plasma TVs.

At least we know the person hired will be solid and orthodox in their Catholicism because the post is being advertised in The Guardian, that bastion of religious freedom, respect and firm and loyal Catholic identity! Also, I'm sorry, but am I missing something? There are Priests, bloggers, widows and lay people doing more to 'raise the profile of the Catholic Church in the UK' than any marketing, PR executive possibly could and certainly more than the Conference of Bishops. Why? Well, people can tell we're not doing it for the money!

It is funny, isn't is, that the Bishops of England and Wales so rarely comment on the exponential growth of Catholic bloggers in the new media raising the profile of the Church and the Faith of Christ while the Holy Father commends us. I mean, anyone would have thought that they didn't appreciate it at all, really. Good grief! £41k!

How much was St Francis paid when he 'raised the profile of the Church'? Maybe the Bishops should take a leaf out of Pope Sixtus V's book, who, I learned very recently was a Franciscan Cardinal who upon being voted into the Papacy threw down his crutches, stood upright and exclaimed, "All my life I have sought the key of Heaven and now I have found it!" He went on to continue to live Franciscan poverty, cut costs dramatically and improve the lot of the Poor and all the needy of Rome and found time to drain the marshes, which may sound a footnote but I'll bet they needed draining! Bishops! For the love of God and His Church! Drain your marshes and start with this marsh, the position of Development Manager! I remain the Pope Benedict XVI's humble and obedient servant and yours!

Click here for more outraged comments on Damian Thompson's blog.

Social Darwinism Alert!

BBC Radio 4 last night aired a programme in which the issue of 'evolutionary psychology' was discussed, with, along others, Steve Jones, the famous geneticist (I have a friend who knows him, indeed who was taught genetics by him and he absolutely hates the Catholic Church) and David Willets MP (Con). The programme, 'Aping Evolution' was really quite offensive. I was not listening to it intently while making some pasta and tomato splodge with sliced olives and mushrooms in a haphazard attempt to find a mate, sitting on my tod in my eco-flat (honestly, I didn't wash, so my pheromone levels were high, but heck, still nothing happened!), until I heard the words 'evolutionary psychology'.

A few of the parishioners went to a recent British Humanist Society debate on Darwin at a Brighton pub and warned them of the dangers of Social Darwinism, that Darwinism as a theory is fine but that it was influential in Hitler's ideology, so I thought it worth a listen and turned it up.

The programme, marking the 150 years since the publication of Darwin's 'The Origin of Species' grabbed me by the scruff of the neck when Steve Jones and then David Willets MP began discussing evolutionary principles in relationship to human behaviour. Now, before you all start shouting, “Creationist!” at me, hear me out. As mentioned in the programme, there are distinct trends in human behaviour which can be explained in terms of evolutionary theory, even psychology. You can say, as was said, for example, that the type of partner you go for can be for genetic or defined very loosely, 'evolutionary' purposes. Say, a lady might go for a wealthy, powerful man who appears virile for genetic purposes, because she believes she'll get a strong gene pool for her babies. A man might go for a lady because of her sexy, childbearing hips. Admittedly, this is not what the programme presenters said, prefering to cite that the lady would choose this type because she'll get a better orgasm out of him, ignoring the whole question of children altogether conveniently for later!

The programme then focussed on the procreative habits of the wealthy and successful and compared them to the poor and less financially well off and addressed this in terms of 'evolutionary psychology', because, the programme asserted, the poor have children younger because it has been shown that poorer people live less long. 'Okay, let's just allow the scientists that one even though it must be a little bit more complicated than that', I thought, but then a female interviewee, the name of whom I didn't catch was trying to explain her confusion regarding why more poorer, younger women don't take the option of, and I quote, “perfectly safe and free abortion”. Well, what can we say? I suppose that you should look again at the theory of 'evolutionary psychology' and ask the question, 'What could be more unnatural as a process and more self-destructive to young mothers and their offspring than abortion?' The lady didn't even say contraception. She said, “free and safe abortion”. The next question you have to ask is, 'What is the psychological, evolutionary or possible good outcome that could come from procuring an abortion?' The next questions you have to ask is, 'Why should poor mothers want to kill their children? Why do you 'evolutionary psychologists' want them to?'

The 'great leap forward' on the evolutionary scale, as it appeared from the presenters, was not one of procreative and fertile mothers, rich or poor, but the female denial of womanhood and motherhood by means of sacrificing children for, you guessed it, careers. These poor mothers, Willets asserted, should be using 'self-control' and that is something obtained by having in mind a purposeful future such as a career. This was asserted despite the fact that another female presenter mused upon the fact that career women were leaving children too long and risked infertility. Well, self-control is all very well and noble but when 'self-control' turns into an abortive culture at the high altar of a career and money you have to ask whether the presenters were, in a round about way, saying, 'Poor women should abort because it just breeds more poor women and men, because, if they just knuckled down and got a career there'd be less poor people and more wealthier people'. Nice, eh? The social Darwinist's dream of turning human beings into capitalist cogs in the money machine begins to reveal itself.

The perplexity of human sexuality was then explained in terms of 'evolutionary psychology' and the reason it was so eerie was that it, like so much social Darwinism, it did not allow for Free Will. How does this theory of human psychology, for example, explain the fact that many women contracept for years? Is this at all beneficial to breeding, fertility and producing children in general, even if you have found a virile man? Homosexuality was not mentioned, which, whatever you believe in terms of morality is tantamount to reproductive suicide in men, nor was masturbation which is about as much evolutionary use, as my friend always says, 'as a spare cock at an orgy'. And this is, of course, the great danger with social Darwinism, that is, Darwinism as applied to human beings. It denies Free Will and Conscience and morality begins to be lost in the genetic soup of human decisions. There is no morality for the atheist geneticist because we're programmed to do whatever we do and nothing is attributable to us as individuals in terms of human responsibility. It is fundamentally amoral and when people show themselves to take morality seriously and, say, don't abort their children even though they are poor, the atheist geneticist cannot understand it.

Then, to cap it all off, the presenters examined among other 'teams', such as football teams, groups of school children and the number of 'close friends' people claim to have and decided that the 'evolutionary psychologist's' research had led them to believe that the in-built genetic number with whom human beings desire to form close friendships is between 12 and 15. So, it was asserted, this is why Our Blessed Lord took Twelve Disciples, not because He was the Son of God and He was building the Church upon the Rock of St Peter and the Apostles, but because Our Lord was programmed to do so because of His 'genetic make-up'. You can just imagine St Peter after having declared infallibly Our Lord to be, 'the Messiah, the Son of the Living God' only to be told by Christ, "Blessed art thou Simon Peter, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but My Heavenly Father. Thou art Peter, the Rock and upon this Rock I will build My Church and the gates of the Underworld will not prevail against it," only for Our Lord to continue, "Oh and by the way, I just thought I'd mention that I chose you guys in particular because I needed around twelve Disciples because that's the amount of people it feels good for human beings to form close relationships with due to our genetic, 'evolutionary psychology', because, if there is one thing that's going to mark our time together it is going to be feeling good!"

In fact, good point! How do 'evolutionary psychologists' view vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life? Again, sadly, the atheist geneticists worldview does not allow for a little bit of Mystery and prefer social darwinism, which is a little bit of history repeating itself.

St Mary Magdalen's Sin Tin

I've had an idea, for both myself and the other parishioners of St Mary Magdalens, that is, if they wanted to go along with it. Quite a few of us have these St Mary Magdalen Building Fund money tins which are sealed, basically so nobody can break into them to buy fags when they've run out of cash. I don't seem to be putting much of my spare pennies in recently and so I've had the idea of making financial reparation for sins. A not particularly new idea but one quite neglected by the Faithful, perhaps since those who misinterpreted the spirit of Vatican II opened up the windows of the Church to the foul stench of Protestantism. I've composed this small price list...

Sins Against Chastity............................................................................................50p
Sins Against Temperance.....................................................................................25p
Sins Against Charity..............................................................................................75p
Unholy Presumption/Despairing of God's Mercy.............................................£1.50
Swearing/Blasphemy............................................................................................40p
Fornication..............................................................................................................£5
Recourse to Sorcery, Mediums or the Occult....................................................£6.66
Over-Drinking/Drug-Taking/Gambling...............................................................£3.40/£2.80*
The Use of Artificial Contraception in Marriage................................................£3.98
Sins Against the Poor such as refusing alms to one who asks..........................£5.99
The Sin of Sodom....................................................................................................£50/£500**
Wilful Murder..........................................................................................................£1,000
Membership of Secret Societies, Freemasons etc..............................................£5,000***

This scheme could lead to a decrease in sin, an increase in virtue and a steep increase in the coffers of the Building Fund. I'm thinking of asking if monasteries and convents in the UK might also like to be involved in the scheme because we could make a lot of money out of Brothers and Sisters who hate each others guts. And seminaries too! In just half an hour I have already made the Building Fund 50p out of this audacious and industrious project and I'm sure there is more money to come!

Crikey! How much money would we have raised from Tony Blair and Cherie too if they were involved in this money making scam...I mean scheme! If this plan catches on, St Mary Magdalen's Church could have its very own indulgences system and a marble Sanctuary quicker than you can say Jack Robinson in Latin! Jackus Robinsionis!

Please note that this scheme is one of Reparation for sin and in no way does it denigrate the Sacraments of God which we should have recourse to for all of our sins, mortal, venial or crying out to Heaven for Vengeance. If you do not keep up with your sin repayments your possessions are liable to be removed from your property and sold to pay for the Building Fund and St Anthony's Bread by England & Co Baliffs Ltd.

*£3.40 for lager/spirits and mixer drinkers and £2.80 for ale/bitter drinkers, with a flat rate of £3.40 for heavy gamblers and drug users.

**There are two rates for the Sin of Sodom, £50 if it is an unforeseen and unplanned sin of human weakness and desperation and £500 if it is chosen deliberately out of lifestyle choice in rebellion against our Maker and Redeemer. It's basically the Church's response to the 'Pink Pound'. I figure £50 is enough to make you think twice and hold fast to the Cross of Christ or have a blow out every now and then and pay the fine. Honestly, if the town council can do this with parking spaces, I see no reason why the Church shouldn't do the same with penitents...After all...it is Brighton and its time we cashed in!

***The price is high for the Freemasons active in the Church because, let's face it, their financial connections are so good and they're bound to be loaded, whether they are ignorant of the secret society's perniciously anti-Catholic agenda or not.

Conversations in Purgatory I

James: “Hello, Mark. Fancy seeing you here! What are you in for?”

Mark: “Oh hello, James, how long has it been?! Good God! Fancy seeing you here! I'm making reparation to God's Justice for the sin of lust at the moment. As you can see I am engulfed in the purifying fire right now. In particular, for that affair I had in 1896. My wife understood, but clearly the Lord didn't! Oi, will you let off some! Honestly, people here say that souls used to get released from Purgatory much quicker in the olden days. What with the Faith declining in various Western parts of the Earth and far less faithful pilgrim souls praying for the Church Suffering because they think it is too 'traditional', things are going slower here nowadays. Honestly! Do those Tablet readers think that God has changed!? Oi! I'm trying to have a conversation here! Let off some, will you!?”

James: “You had an affair? Well, I never! I never had you down as the sort, you old rogue you! Well, I never did that, I was always loyal to my wife, you know that. All in all I was a model husband and I still died a holy death.”

Mark: “Hmm...So what are you in for, James?”

James: “The sin of Pride, Mark. That's why I have to stand here with a sign saying, 'Poor Sinner' while other people laugh at me and deride me. It's all very humbling.”

Mark: “Uh-huh. Hang on...O holy joy! Oh thank you! A holy woman in Clapham just said a prayer for the forgotten souls! O hello, sweet Angel of God! You beauty! O joy of all joys! Gotta go James, I've just been released! Hope to see you in Paradise soon!”

James: “O that we shall meet soon merrily in Heaven! Bye Mark! ... John! Fancy seeing you here! It's been so long! What are you in for?! Murder, you say! Oh my God! Well I never! I never had you down as the sort! Well, you're lucky to even be here, aren't you mate?! I never took a life when I was alive. I didn't even harm a fly! Oh John...John! Don't leave so soon, we were just catching up! Oh bugger...Talking of buggers, Jack! Jack, me old mucker!...”

All Souls Day, St Mary Magdalen Church: The Movie!

Get a load of this! I've told Fr Ray that the Church looks even better in black and white so that is the colour scheme St Mary Magdalen's should go with...

The Offensive Cross

Well, I'm offended. The Cross has made me cross. I've had a change of heart about the image of the Crucifix and I've decided that I am offended, awfully offended, because it suggests that I am in some way responsible for the death of the Lord our God. It suggests that because of my sins that I have committed Deicide. So, I'm mounting a legal challenge in the European Court of Human Rights because I'm offended. It isn't fair to say I was responsible for the death of Our Lord Jesus Christ because I haven't had a trial. So I want to be put on trial at the European Court of Human Rights. It is an ambitious plan so say a prayer for me that I'm not found guilty even though I leave behind me a trail of scarlet sins so large you could deck Buckingham Palace out in red with them and still have plenty of paint left for the rest of the neighbourhood. I'm appealing for Legal Aid of course so I know I'll get a fine lawyer. I'm going with that guy who got OJ off of that murder charge.

Not only does my local parish Church have the image of the Crucified in several places but look, in Padua they've even got a Giotto fresco all over the wall with the offensive image. So, I'm off to the European Court of Human Rights so that I can get painters and decorators in to whitewash the walls because this image breaches my human rights. Also, the Vatican museums have lots of images of Crosses and Crucifixes and offended tourists to the site of special cultural interest could see the offensive image and be offended, so its important that those walls are decorated in magnolia as well, or I don't know, brilliant white, maybe. The colour doesn't matter too much just as long as any evidence is destroyed...

Ad Limina Visit Fast Approaching: Write to Rome!

His Eminence Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski

Various bloggers such as Mulier Fortis have noted with horror that the Catholic Education Service (CES), far from having opposed the Government's plans to enforce sex and relationship education on Catholic Schools, limiting their ability to teach the fullness of the Catholic Faith to children in their care. Following a little browsing on the internet, I've discovered that the man to write to is pictured above. Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski is the curia for the Congregation for Catholic Education. You can click here for the Vatican webpage for the Congregation for Catholic Education.

It is interesting to note that the Cardinal himself warned in Feburary of this year of the disturbing trends among policy makers to impose secular-based education on religious schools. Zenit. On February 19th 2009, the Catholic news information website reported that new religious diversity laws in Canada would make teaching the Catholic Faith problematic in Catholic Schools.

Now, while it may be that the Cardinal would be gravely disappointed, if perhaps unsurprised by the UK Government's latest move, His Eminence would be horrified to learn that the CES appear to have spearheaded Ed Ball's initiative. It is particularly important that the Cardinal learns of this scandal before the Ad Limina visit, a 5-yearly visit to the threshold of the Apostles (ad limina Apostolorum) of the Bishops of England and Wales to Rome in January. This visit makes the Bishops accountable to Rome for their actions in regard to the health of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. If the Bishops of England and Wales, who have yet to make a formal announcement on this matter, and who have yet to condemn the plan are guilty of not opposing vehemently and steadfastly the Government's initiative, then it would amount to a betrayal of Catholic parents. James Preece of 'Catholic and Loving It!' has written boldly on this subject and writes as a concerned Catholic parent who feels severely let down by the Catholic hierarchy. Meanwhile, Fr Tim Finegan of The Hermeneutic of Continuity has written on the potential options of homeschooling in the wake of this disasterous policy commitment by what seemingly appears a deeply anti-Catholic Labour Government.

Mailing Address: Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, Palazzo della Congregazioni, 00193 Roma, Piazza Pio XII, 3
Telephone: 06.69.88.41.67
Fax: 06.69.88.41.72

Here is a letter outlining the main concerns of these developments to the Cardinal.

His Eminence Zenon Cardinal Grocholewski
Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education
Palazzo della Congregazioni
00193 Roma
Piazza Pio XII, 3
ITALY

6th November 2009

Your Eminence

According to Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for Education, the Catholic Education Service of England and Wales was, “part of a group which recommended to me that we should make this statutory, that we do have sex and relationships education for all children and young people, in all our schools, with parental opt out which I am reducing today with the support of the vast majority of faith schools."

The Catholic Education Service issued a press release on the 5th November in response to the development, stating that: ‘The Catholic Education Service for England and Wales (CESEW) believes that Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) is vital in the education of young people. It enables factual information from reliable sources to be communicated and misinformation from peers or street culture or exploitation to be avoided ... As age and growing independence brings young people ever closer to pressures, advertising and coercion to behaviour which can undermine the healthy life of young people, we are comforted in the knowledge that our schools and colleges will do an exceptional job in providing Sex and Relationships Education, set within the teachings of the Catholic Church.’

I find secular sex education difficult to reconcile with Catholic teaching in any circumstances and I would like to learn the opinion of the Dicastery. Am I right to expect the CESEW to oppose the sexualisation of children with rather more determination than it has exhibited to date?

I remain, most Eminent Lord, the Holy Father’s most humble and obedient son.

______________

Children! Don't Talk to Strangers or the Government!

Ed Balls: "Hello children of between 5 and 15. Do you want to see my condoms? Also, I've got lots of exciting things to tell you about sex and relationships. I see you are only 5. Oooh, yes I want to tell you things about your body of which you were not yet aware and tell you all about sex. Ooooh, I see you are only 10. I want to tell you about gay sex and you'll want to hear it. If you want you can either come to an All Party Parliamentary Group at my gaff or I will come to your classroom and show you my condoms and gay sex leaflets there."

Would someone stop this sick pervert from perverting the nation's children? Also, I hear from other blogs that the Catholic Education Service have been about as useful at defending Cathoilc Schools as, in the words of a friend of mine, 'a spare cock at an orgy', which, ironically it seems is exactly what the Government would like to see more of in education. Catholics and all people who would really rather their children were allowed to have a childhood before entering adulthood! Rise up and start up the National Campaign! 'Children! Don't Talk to Strangers or the Government!'

The Big Debate: Stephen Fry Vs Oscar Wilde

Johnathan Dimbleby: I'm Johnathan Dimbleby. Welcome to the 'Intelligence Squared' debate in London where we've got an enthralling evening ahead of us. Two intellectual towers, two wits so sharp you could cut through all the red tape of Brussels in one go, two giants of humour, literature and British culture. Ladies and gentlemen, Stephen Fry and Oscar Wilde. Tonight's topic under discussion, 'God and His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church is Really Nasty and it Hates Queers.'

Stephen Fry: "Of course it is and of course it does."

Oscar Wilde: "Of course it isn't and of course it doesn't. We are all of us in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

Stephen Fry: "I knew you'd say that. Well, alright then, but as far as I'm concerned you can shove your Catholic Faith up your arse. In days gone by, I suppose I'd have been burnt alive for my homosexuality. How do you answer this, Oscar?"

(Crowd cheers)

Oscar Wilde: "Well, I wasn't injured by the Church. It was secular authorities who imprisoned me and I served my time for my offense. What is more, it gave me time to reflect on my family life and my sins and through that time at Reading Gaol I came up with De Profundis. According to the laws of the time, I made restitution for my crime, even though, quite blatently, it was a stitch up. No. I wasn't injured by the Church and in fact, if you look back at my life, you'll see it was the Church which offered me spiritual solace and refuge while all around me condemned me. Having flirted with the Faith so much for my life I was, at one point, asking a parish priest to receive me into the Holy Faith, but, as he decided, I was not yet ready, since it was obvious I fell so easily back into the mire of mortal sin, and, at the time, for such a public sinner to be received without sincere repentance would have caused scandal to the Faithful. My weakness for men led me into all kinds of unfortunate occasions of sin and all kinds of spiritual and temporal misery, such as so often afflict us men, drawn so easily to the sins of the flesh. However, the Lord, in His Mercy and Kindness was faithful to me, even though I was unfaithful to Him and my priest received me into full communion with the One True Church upon my death bed. So, in response to your assertion, while in periods of history the Church has not always shown mercy to those in your position and mine, you cannot just say that the Church despises homosexuals and as far as I'm concerned Christ only showed me love and salvation."

(Crowd murmurs)

Stephen Fry: "Oh come on! Your living in the dark ages! We've moved on now. Society has progressed and people have realised that religions, especially the wicked and insidious Catholic Church put restrictions on people, restrictions on people like us to have loving, human relationships. Homosexual relationships are not about sin, they are about love."

Oscar Wilde: "The love that dare not speak its name? Well, of course, I fell 'in love' with Lord Alfred Douglas, who was also a Catholic and is buried at Crawley Cemetery. He, too, died in the Holy Faith. But look at the consequences of our actions, driven as we were, by our passions. My wife and children suffered much on account of my actions, especially given the public nature of the scandal. I mean, where do you think I got so much inspiration for my children's books, such as The Selfish Giant?" As for love, well, modern interpretations of love are rather misleading, don't you think? They tend towards the shallow, they certainly lack depth, they seem transfixed upon the self, the satisfaction of the self and the indulgence of self-centred desires and passions. Homosexual relationships may 'feel' pleasurable, make people temporarily happy or even 'feel' good. But is love really about feelings, Mr Fry? Or is love something which makes demands on us. Perhaps, as we Catholics who gaze upon the Cross of our Saviour, we can see that love, actual love, comes at a cost. Love hurts, primarily because it comes at a cost to ourselves. Love is sacrificial in nature and essense. It looks not for the good of the one who gives it, but to the one who is in receipt of it."

Stephen Fry: "Well, you can use such flowery language, Mr Wilde, as is your flair, but why on earth did you get married in the first place given you were gay? I guess you just felt pressured into it because of the conventions of the time. Marriage and convention, Christian ideals of that society forced you to marry and lead a double life."

(Crowd applaud)

Oscar Wilde: "Ah, the conventions of the time. You make marriage sound like a dirty word. Is this love, Mr Fry, the love that dare not speak its name? While it is true to say that I did not always respect my Vows, it is would be a gross over-simplification that I did not love my wife. I never regretted marrying, I never regretted having children and I never regretted, according to the social mores of the time, which, as far as I can see, are more fruitful than the social mores of your time, accepting the profoundly vital institution of Marriage. My wife and my children gave me years of joy, which, regrettably, so many gay men will never experience because they are steeped in a culture which, as I knew too well, is inherently destructive, even while it remains alluring. I mean, if everybody thought the way in which you do regarding human sexuality, very few children would be born because everybody would see them as an impediment to personal gain, amusement and pleasure, like The Selfish Giant. You appear to live in a society now that resents children because of the responsibility that comes with having them. I would strongly argue that it is your society, not mine, and certainly not the Catholic community, that is on the verge of self-destruction."

(Crowd clap nervously)

Stephen Fry: "But I don't understand it! The Church is always speaking against gays and homosexuality, but we can't help it because it is a part of us and its natural! Surely something so natural cannot be bad! How could you, who were so feted and admired for your genius feel attracted to an institution so arcane and stupid which says that you are basically born to sin?"

Oscar Wilde: "Our lot is not an easy one and we have a Cross to bear. Others have other Crosses. We are born into a fallen World, we are easily tempted and fall into sin. The inclination towards homosexual attraction may be an unwanted condition over which an individual has little control, yet certainly the act of homosexuality is stated by the Church to be a mortal sin resulting from an instrinsic moral disorder. But does God lie? I don't mind admitting that in my life I suffered from a condition which, objectively speaking, was and is instrinsically morally disordered. Is it really so natural? Is this how children are born? Are the fruits of homosexual relationships tangibly good or holy? No, God does not lie and neither does His Church, and yet the same Church teaches that while homosexuality presents to the Christian a struggle, there is no reason why, in uniting himself to the Cross of Christ and perservering in the Faith he should not attain holiness and perfection, if God so graced him in this life, or most certainly and more likely the next. Every human being is called to sanctity, holiness. Every person is called to be a Saint.

Meanwhile, you ask how I, who was such a genius that it was the only thing I wished to declare when I went to the US, could be so attracted to the Catholic Church. I was attracted to the Catholic Church because of Her beauty, the Mystery of the liturgy, the Mystery of Salvation and Holiness. I was also attracted to Our Lord Jesus Christ, in a spiritual sense that is, because He loved me unto death upon the Cross to redeem me and rescue me from all of my sins. He took all of my misery and my shame upon Himself on Calvary. The Church is in this World, but She is not of it. You won't find the sublime beauty and mystery of the Incarnation, the splendour of the Traditional Latin Mass and the Glory of God anywhere else. Nothing in literature, nothing in the arts, nothing at exclusive parties and nothing in the whole of luvviedom compares with the beauty of the Catholic Church. Now, do you fancy a gin and tonic?"

Stephen Fry: "Yeah, go on then. Sorry, I hope I didn't rant at you too much."

Oscar Wilde: "Ah, don't worry about it. To err is..?"

Stephen Fry: "Human! And to forgive is..."

Oscar Wilde: "Divine, darling! Absolutely Divine!"

Pope Invites Tony Blair to Vatican Politics Summit

Hint, hint?

The Daily Mail reports...

'Catholic convert Tony Blair is among several world leaders being invited to attend a top level summit with Pope Benedict XVI to discuss the role of the Church in politics. The two-day summit will be held at the Vatican and will include other Catholic politicians from all over the world, including German chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. vice president Joe Biden, former Spanish PM Jose Maria Aznar, and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Church officials have been quietly working on the conference, which will be called 'Witnesses of Christ in the Political Community', for several months.'

So, basically one Catholic is to meet a bunch of heretics to tell them to buck up their ideas and start being Catholic politicians, start being pro-life, start being pro-marriage and to stop killing the unborn.

Meanwhile, in moves that will surely cause consternation around all of Europe, some of the finer points of the European Project for a Bright Masonic Future are being revealed as more and more nations keel over at the sight of the EU juggernaut and sign up to have their national heritage, culture, religious identity and political sovereignty plundered by a load of bureaucrats with expenses claims longer than Tolstoy's War and Peace.

Italy is in uproar over a recent EU Court ruling that the deeply offensive Crucifix, in which God's love for mankind is expressed by His Suffering on mankind's behalf with cosmically outrageous generosity, could upset or offend non-Christians such as the lady who pushed for its removal from her local schools. The ramifications of this ruling are so huge that Europe could soon be a place where in 10 years time the Sign of the Cross will have been removed from every public place, national flag and even churches because non-Christians might accidently stumble in drunk or mistake it for a museum while on holiday and it is so offensive, especially to the wicked that the Devil himself is said to flee at the sight of it.

The EU's manifest desire to impose a secular culture on nations with a distinct national identity is deeply worrying. Even more worrying, however, is the latest EU plan, hidden for years by a group of 'shadowy' politicans moving behind the scenes. In an ever-increasing commitment to centralisation of power and a disdain for national subsidiarity, the EU Department of Culture and Music is to create a new position of EU Director of Music. Under the audacious plan EU music would be made by one individual and all other music would be banned. It is thought that with Tony Blair angling himself at the EU Presidency and European analysts making inferences from Mr Blair's political and musical connections, that Tony Blair will be behind a powerful campaign to see Sir Cliff Richard take the position.

All of Europe is said to be in uproar at the plan.