Pope on The Huffington Post

Michael Huffington: Turkey Has No Place in the European Union

2009-12-21T09:50:34Z

Last night on 60 Minutes there was a 14-minute segment about Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). It was an honest look at religious freedom (or lack thereof) inside one of America's military allies. It is a story that should be seen by the leaders of the free world as well as people of faith.

Here is the clip:

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The Ecumenical Patriarch of 300,000,000 Orthodox Christians (of which I am one) is similar to the Pope of the Catholic Church. And yet he is a treated as a second-class citizen in his own country where he was born. The Orthodox "Vatican" is called the Phanar and it is located on less than an acre of land in the city of Istanbul. There have been so many threats of violence that they have had to use barbed wire and cameras to protect the priest inside the property. The last century has seen the Orthodox Christian population diminish from 2,000,000 in 1900 to less than 4,000 in all of Turkey today. Most were forced out. Yet this geographical area of the world was mostly Christian a thousand years ago.

Over the past 20 years, Turkey has been trying to gain admittance to the European Union. Turkey is not a European country. Most of its land mass is in Asia Minor. It is not ethnically, socially, culturally or religiously European. Yet the U.S. government (especially under President George W. Bush) has lobbied the Europeans forcefully to admit Turkey into the EU because Turkey is our military ally, and the American military and political establishment didn't want them falling into the Russian or the Iranian sphere of influence.

I visited Istanbul in 1972, and Ankara in the 1980's when my company had an office there. The Republic of Turkey was founded less than a century ago by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on October 29, 1923. His government changed the local culture from an Islamic dominated society into one that was modern, democratic and secular. One of the major changes was that women were given the right to vote. They were also given the freedom and encouraged not to wear the veil. But today Turkey is returning to its Islamic traditions under the government of Prime Minister Erdogan who took office in 2003. He belongs to the Justice and Development Party which was founded by former members of an Islamist political party. Whereas I never saw women wearing the long black burqas during my visits, I did notice in the 60 Minutes segment that women are now doing so. (Under the Shah of Iran burqas were banned by law, but under the law of the Islamic Republic of Iran they are required.) Will that someday happen in Turkey also?

It is clear that Turkey is a different place than it was in 1987 when it originally made its application to accede into the EU. If Turkey were ever allowed to join the European Union, the consequences would be reminiscent of those that happened to the city of Troy when it allowed the Trojan Horse inside its fortified walls. The Muslim culture would ultimately dominate Christian and secular Europe. As can be seen in Turkey today that country does not welcome or protect other religions within its borders. They have seized Orthodox Church properties, closed churches, monasteries and schools. If one walks with a priest down the streets of Istanbul it is not a comfortable feeling. Many priests will change out of their church clothes and wear business suits once they leave the confines of the Phanar. This is not religious freedom as we know it in the west. While we welcome people of all faiths in America we cannot be so naïve as to expect all countries to do the same. But we cannot allow their cultural mores to snuff out our religious freedoms or the freedom of women to have equal rights.

France and other European countries rightfully have serious and well-founded reservations about admitting Turkey into the EU. If Turkey were admitted any Turkish citizen could travel, work and reside in any EU country because they would no longer need a visa. There are Islamist fundamentalist in Turkey as there are in Iraq, Iran, Egypt and other Muslim countries. This would be a security nightmare. The American Administration should butt out of this issue and let the Europeans make their own decisions.

This brings me back to the interview with Patriarch Bartholomew. At the end of the interview the Patriarch says that he feels crucified in his own country. It is clear that over the last century the church has been crucified in that there are only 4,000 Orthodox Christians left out of a population that totals 72,000,000 people. In the Bible Luke 9:5 says "And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them." It is probably past time for the Patriarchate to leave its homeland. The Turks have made it unbearable to live and work there. There are many other countries in this world that would welcome the Patriarch and the several dozen priests that remain. And why should the next Ecumenical Patriarch of 300,000,000 souls have to be a Turkish citizen just because the Turkish government "won't allow" any other citizen of any other country to hold that position? A government should not hold a veto right over the spiritual leader of any religion. Orthodoxy will grow faster and more soundly if its roots are planted in nourishing soil. After all Jesus Christ did not stay in Jerusalem or Bethlehem for most of his ministry. He had no physical house or building to live and work in. Instead he wandered the countryside meeting all who wanted to listen.

In so many things, growth comes from adversity. Although the vast majority of Turkish people are genuinely good people, the government is far from exemplary. Why stay where you are not wanted? The history of Christianity shows us that it is important to reach out to those with ears to hear. Christ and his disciples did not stay in Israel to build their church but went far and wide to preach the gospel. I hope Patriarch Bartholomew will reconsider his understandable desire to stay in his homeland. There are hundreds of millions of people who could benefit from his spiritual direction if they had more access to him. All of us who are Orthodox Christians should be willing to help fund the relocation of the Patriarchate. America is the new Greece. If Saint Paul had not traveled to the gentiles in Greece where would Christianity be today?

Christopher Brauchli: Catholic Charities Meet the DC Council

2009-12-17T14:28:58Z

He who is near the Church is often far from God.  -- Les Proverbes Communs (c.1500)

It was a pretty easy call for Pope Benedict XVI. He expressed outrage over the tales of abuse of children in Ireland. It turns out that when Jesus said, "Suffer little children to come unto me," what happened in Ireland was not what Jesus had in mind.

The Pope was said to be "deeply disturbed and distressed" by the report of the Independent Commission of Investigation known as the Murphy Report. It examined more than 300 abuse claims in the Archdiocese of Dublin between 1975 and 2004. The 700-page report said that instead of being concerned for the victims of the abuse, the Church was more concerned about "the maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the church and the preservation of its assets." (The last item is easy to sympathize with since a number of dioceses in the United States have been driven into bankruptcy because of the claims of victims of sexual abuse.)

The Pope expressed that he shares "the outrage, betrayal and shame" experienced by the folks in Ireland over the disclosure of years of sexual abuse of children by priests in Dublin that went unpunished even after it was detected by the local police.

According to the Catholic News Service, he plans to write a special pastoral letter to Catholics in Ireland. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin said that a pastoral letter was "quite a significant document" and would mark the beginning of a whole process aimed at "a very significant reorganization of the church in Ireland."

The Pope probably won't have to spend a lot of time writing the letter. He can use some of the same language he used in 2008 when describing his distress at sexual abuse by those who work for him (and the Lord) in the United States and Australia.

As pleased as one has to be with the Pope's willingness to confess error, as it were, one cannot help but feel a touch of sadness that notwithstanding its distress over the Irish scandal. Its distress is not enough to cause it to abandon its willingness to abandon the poor and distressed in Washington D.C., now that the D.C. Council has acted.

On December 15, 2009, the D.C. Council voted 11-2 in favor of a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the District. Subject to Congressional review within 30 days after its final passage, the District will join the states that already recognize same sex marriage. That distresses the Pope and his employees almost as much as sexual abuse of children. But, and this is unfortunate, the distress threatens to manifest itself not in a relatively harmless (if "significant document," as Archbishop Martin described it) pastoral letter, but in a withholding of support for the poor in the district. (The poor in Ireland can be grateful that the Pope's disapproval of what went on there is punished by a pastoral letter rather than withholding support from the needy.)

When the possibility of approval of same-sex marriage reared its head in November, spokespersons for Catholic Charities said they might eliminate social service programs that, among other things, help the poor with homelessness and health care.

Catholic Charities has long been a significant provider of benefits to those living in the District. According to the Catholic on Line, each year "it serves 68,000 people . . . through a range of services, including shelter, nutrition, counseling, employment and job training services legal and health care assistance, immigration assistance and more." It has been receiving $18 to $20 million annually for its services.

The bill does not require religious organizations to let same sex couples wed in disapproving churches' facilities or require the churches to perform the services. However, the church is worried that it might have to give same sex couples employed by the church employee benefits offered to couples in traditional relationships.

If the church is seeking peace of mind on this question, rather than political propaganda, it might wish to consult with Nancy Pollikoff, a law professor at American University.

In a thoughtful analysis of the question Ms. Pollikoff observes that the church could opt out of the requirement imposed by the District that requires that heterosexual spouses and same-sex domestic partners receive equal benefits. The church has the option of electing to be subject to federal law rather than the District's law and federal law does not require employers to treat same sex partners the same as married couples.

If the Pope is as concerned about helping the needy as his employees suggest, perhaps he could write a pastoral letter complaining about the District's actions and permit Catholic Charities to continue their useful work. The new law in D.C. hardly seems to warrant a harsher response than that given the Murphy Report. Christopher Brauchli can be e-mailed at brauchli.56@post.harvard.edu. For political commentary see his web page at http://humanraceandothersports.com.

Vinnie Rotondaro: Crossroad for the Vatican

2009-12-16T17:26:24Z

The Vatican's doctrinal crackdown on American nuns will only add fuel to a fire that now has young Catholics, like myself, fleeing the Church. The unilaterally conducted investigation reins in nuns in for such infractions as not wearing a religious habit or living outside of convents. Or, more to the point, promoting the ordination of women to the priesthood.

Yet it comes at a time when studies show that many young American Catholics--leery of a creed that is identified with scandal and dogmatism--are abandoning their religion in remarkable numbers.

According to a 2007 study conducted by Catholic University's Life Cycle Institute, just 15 percent of college-aged American Catholics attend mass regularly. The rest know Catholicism only from what the media tells them of it. The authors of the report, Bill D'Antonio and Vincent Bolduc, conclude, "Once a generation has established a pattern of Mass attendance, evidence suggests that it does not change much throughout their lives. If we follow the present pattern, the church of 2050 may well be a fraction of its present size."

To stem this tide, the Catholic Church needs to rebrand itself in the eyes of American youth.

No doubt, the thought of crafting a public image--of doing PR--would strike the Church as unsavory. But the Vatican has a long history of dropping the ball. Pope Benedict XVI only made his ecumenical trip to the Middle East after his disastrous remarks in Regensburg, which stirred wide protests among Islamic leaders. Rome only responded to pedophilia in the priesthood after American Bishops had received thousands of reports and had repeatedly reassigned suspected molesters. Going even further back, the Church only tackled the authoritarianism of the Soviet Union in the 1980s after prostrating itself before Nazi Germany with the Concordant in 1933; and it was only after the Concordant, which emerged partly from a fear of Communism in the Soviet Union, that Pope Pius XII moved to shelter Jews in Italy during World War II.

Imagine how much stronger the Church would be today had it gotten it right the first time around in any of these cases. But the Church doesn't need to wait for the next absolute moment. As a curative measure, it can beef up its image as a player on issues like poverty, immigration, genocide, the death penalty, nuclear disarmament and workers' rights. These are issues that interface with core Catholic concerns and affect the reality of people in the States and throughout the world. They are also issues that American Catholics are deeply involved in. The Jesuits have a volunteer program, of which a growing number of college graduates participate in. Then there are community organizations like the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, which President Obama worked for in the 1980s.

Conversely, the Vatican's investigation of American nuns only generates indignation. Many were angered this September when a nun supporting the ordination of women to the priesthood was removed from her teaching position at archdiocesan parishes in Cincinnati. Similarly, public outcry followed when Rev. Ray Bougeious, a prominent Boston priest, was threatened with excommunication for his role in the women's ordination movement in August.

For the Vatican such policing is simply a matter of enforcing orthodoxy. But for Americans, the refusal to at least engage in dialogue is repellent--particularly among younger Catholics. According to the Life Cycle report, a majority of young Catholics are mistrustful of "moralistic judgments," 80 percent disagree with the statement, "Catholicism contains a greater share of truth than other religions," and decreasing numbers are concerned with the sacraments and the consequences of personal sin.

By contrast, young Catholics are strongly inclined to "view social sins--bigotry, failing to give women equal rights, lack of respect for diversity, neglect of the poor--as major ills they need to confront."

To bring young Catholics back into the fold, the Vatican and the American Bishops must visibly champion the Church's social justice efforts. Pontifical tactics, like the investigation of American nuns, get them nowhere but the history books.

Pope Urges Action On Climate Change: 'This Is A Growing Crisis'

2009-12-15T07:47:20Z

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI called for urgent action to protect the environment, saying Tuesday that climate change and natural catastrophes threaten the rights to life, food, health – and ultimately peace.

In his annual message on the Roman Catholic Church's World Day of Peace, the pope argued that the world's economic, social, and environmental problems are moral crises that require mankind to rethink its way of living.

Wayne Besen: The Gay Community's Pope Problem

2009-12-02T10:40:47Z

It is time to admit that the gay community has a gigantic Pope problem. Under the leadership of Benedict XVI, the Vatican has become an implacable foe of liberalism, modernity, and basic rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Rome has eagerly jumped with both feet into America's culture wars and is working on a global scale to punish or purge ideological dissenters within the church. This aggressive activism presents a formidable new front in the fight for parity -- one with considerable political clout and financial resources.

Last week, a coalition of totalitarian religious activists and radical clerics joined forces to unveil the "Manhattan Declaration" at Washington's National Press Club. This rambling manifesto, written by former Watergate felon Chuck Colson, called for "Christians" to disobey laws they didn't fancy and to ignore civil rights laws that protected GLBT people from discrimination. It was a dishonest document filled with historical revisionism that promoted theocracy, encouraged anarchy, and supported the dissolution of the rule of law. It falsely portrayed right wing Christians as victims, even as they pledged to work tirelessly to deny equality to those who would not adhere to their sectarian church rules.

An extreme manifesto of such breathtaking cynicism and insincerity is no surprise coming from what passes for "leaders" in today's evangelical circles. It was striking, however, that more than 15 key American Catholic leaders signed on to the "Manhattan Declaration". Signatories included heavyweights such as Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York and Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, DC. This was clearly a call to arms and a powerful signal that the Roman Catholic Church is taking the gloves off to fight political battles in America.

This hands-on involvement from Rome has passed the "trend" stage and appears to be official policy. Consider the significant involvement the Catholic Church had in stripping marriage rights away from GLBT couples in a Maine referendum held earlier this month.

In the same manner, on June 11, the Washington, DC Archdiocese threatened to abandon the homeless and quit charity work in the District if it had to comply with anti-discrimination laws. Catholic Charities had the audacity to believe it was entitled to collect $8.2 million in tax dollars meant to serve all DC residents, and then still get to handpick whom it deems worthy of assistance.

Catholic involvement with arch-conservative politics is growing by the day. In May, Catholic groups tried to stop President Barack Obama from speaking at a Notre Dame commencement ceremony because of his pro-choice position.

Earlier this month, Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin put the clamp on Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), banning the lawmaker from communion because he is pro-choice. This was reminiscent of The St. Louis Archbishop refusing to give communion to John Kerry during his presidential campaign.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has suddenly begun to steer GLBT Catholics to 12-step programs that promise to "cure" homosexuality or support them in a lifelong celibacy. The Catholic Diocese in Sioux Falls, South Dakota urged its 128-thousand members to oppose an attempt to bring legalizing embryonic stem cell research to a public referendum. (I guess the sacrosanct "people's right to vote" on controversial social issues only applies to same-sex marriage)

In fighting back, we must remember that the Vatican is launching these attacks from a position of weakness. It has yet to recover its moral authority from public exposure of rampant child sexual abuse scandals that cost the Church billions of dollars in legal settlements.

The Vatican appears to be acutely aware it is losing its worldwide market share. It is basically defunct in the Middle East, where the religion began, and on life-support in Western Europe, where it once prospered. In Africa, Rome competes with Islam and Anglicanism for a shrinking slice of the pie. (Who can forget that while in Africa the Pope said condoms could make the AIDS crisis worse.) South America, one of its few remaining strongholds, is losing Roman Catholics to evangelical faiths by the millions.

Instead of competing against the conservative evangelical brand, Pope Benedict has decided to embrace it, shaping a conspicuously political Catholicism that embraces extremism and drives out dissenters. The Vatican has become so doctrinaire that it recently launched an invasive probe into the lives of America's 60,000 nuns to enforce anachronistic rules. In January, Benedict welcomed back excommunicated Bishop Richard Williamson who denied that millions of Jews died in Nazi death camps.

Fortunately, Benedict is a cold, unsympathetic figure and the majority of American Catholics often ignore his edicts. The strategy for the GLBT community should be to stand up to Rome and help mobilize mainstream Catholics to fight back against an authoritarian Pontiff who is hell-bent on making the Catholic Church as unpopular and unappealing as His Holiness.

Visit www.TruthWinsOut.org

Pope John Paul II 'Whipped Himself In Remorse For Sins'

2009-11-23T11:12:01Z

The Pope, who died five years ago, is being considered for sainthood by the Catholic Church.

Forbes Power List (PHOTOS): The World's Most Powerful Leaders

2009-11-12T13:03:02Z

Forbes has announced its list of the most powerful people in the world. Click here to see.

How exactly do you measure power?

While wealth does appear to be a contributing factor (look at the how the super-rich sit near the top of the list), Forbes is obviously looking at other factors from political influence to philanthropic heft -- hence why someone like Rupert Murdoch is more powerful than Bill Gates, and why a Mexican drug dealer makes the list at number 41.

And while it may come as no shock to learn that Barack Obama grabbed the top spot, looking at the world leaders present on the list may draw some surprises too. No Ahmadinejad? Silvio Berlusconi, a man who can barely control his own libido, at 12?

Let us know who you really think are the most powerful world leaders by voting in the poll, and send us your comments, especially about anyone that should have been on the list but wasn't, below.

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Pope Benedict XVi Releases Album

2009-11-11T17:14:51Z

Move over, Snoop Dogg?

As an white-haired octogenarian bachelor from a scholarly background, he hardly fits the profile of the first-time music artist.

Tom Gregory: Vatican Confirms: Goldman "Doing God's Work"

2009-11-09T23:11:22Z

(Reuterz: Rome)

L'Osservatore Romano is reporting that Goldman Sachs is indeed Doing God's work, and His Former Holiness Joseph Ratzinger has confirmed the unsolicited hostile takeover. Writing under his pen name Benedict XVI, Ratzinger verified that total control of the popular religion has been transferred to Goldman Sachs and His New Holiness Lloyd Blankfein. Ratzinger added, since they now own the place, they should be doing the work.

Blankfein ¬whose firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of S.P.E.C.T.R.E, will be trading in his current designation "No.1" for the more worshipper-friendly Nom de Plume of Lloyd Almighty.

While terms of the takeover remain undisclosed, sources confirm the deal includes several million followers, approximately 400 acres of real property surrounded by Rome, the land under Yankee Stadium, and assorted relics ¬ including the recently renamed "Shroud of Goldman."

In his first public statement, Lloyd Almighty issued the following:

"Blessed Are Those Who Ask For Nothing For They Shall Receive It In Abundance.

Blessed Are Those Who Are Merciful For They Are Unsuitable For Employment At Goldman Sachs.

Blessed Are The Goldman Sachs Market Makers, For They Generate Commissions Whether Clients Win Or Lose.

Blessed Are The Foreclosed Of Homes For They Provide Goldman Sachs Some Really Good Deals
[and]
Blessed Are The Meek Who Inherit The Earth, For the Mineral Rights Are Not Included, And Goldman Sachs Will See Them In The High Court To Challenge Any Inheritance."

(more)

Shroud of Goldman: LLoyd Almighty, center

Dr. Alex Benzer: Everyday Grace At Trader Joe's: Who You Really Are

2009-11-06T14:58:20Z

I want to share a quick story with you about something that happened at Trader Joe's grocery store yesterday.

These days, I'm in the middle of teaching a month-long mentoring program for men. We keep a certain amount of material in the course secret for two reasons: it works better when it comes at you as a surprise; and mystery makes me and the course look cool.

Kidding aside, I do want to share with you one thing that I teach in the course. Namely, the answer to the question, "Who are you really?"

One of the three answers I suggest is "You are a conduit for the abundance of the universe."

If you're sufficiently confused by that answer to be thinking, "Umm, English please," then you're on the right track. Allow me to illustrate by continuing the story. If you've ever been to Trader Joe's, one of their nifty features is that they always have a 'freebie corner' where they're giving away samples.

On this particular afternoon, they had samples of a chicken tikka masala. And it smelled gooood. So I stood in line, and right behind me was a mother with her toddler sitting right in the shopping cart. The kid was getting a little antsy about the food; mom was doing her best to calm him down.

My turn came, and the Trader Joe's lady handed me my small plate with the free sample. And, seeing how I was not in a hurry, I handed it to the mom: "Here you go."

The mom totally lit up with a heartfelt 'thank you' that I felt in my bones, all out of proportion to the gesture. A few seconds later I had my plate (delicious, by the way) and we were both on our merry shopping way again.

Now it's not like I donated a zillion bucks to cure malaria here and Pope Benedict is going to fast-track my application to sainthood (which would actually require that I die first, so no thanks!). I just passed a free sample on to someone who was behind me in line, who would have gotten it in about 30 seconds anyway.

But the reaction I got was all out of proportion to the deed - and it made my day. And perhaps made her feel good, too. This story is a perfect demonstration of your being a conduit for the abundance of the universe. Let me explain: the chicken sample was not really mine. It was free to begin with, so I never really owned it. By giving it away, I wasn't losing anything, because I knew there was more of that where it came from.

And, lo and behold, when I gave it away, more did come my way, with interest: the mom and kid's gratitude, and the little warming of my heart.

Well, guess what, boys and girls: that's true of any kind of possession and giving in life. You think you own stuff? Think again. You're born naked and you leave the same way. Can't take it with you, chief. And if the economic crisis of the past year has taught us anything, it's "easy come, easy go." You can't own stuff. But stuff can definitely own you.

Even if you had paid for the chicken, what makes it 'yours'?

So the next time you're thinking 'my car,' 'my house,' 'my boyfriend,' 'my girlfriend,' 'my toys,' as if somehow there's a stamp of ownership burning your name on that thing, you may wish to reconsider.

When abundance comes your way, you know that it's just like that free sample - the bounty of the universe presenting itself to you through sheer luck. Just as it would be silly to get too possessive of that morsel of free food once it lands in your hand - "this is my chicken now" - it would be equally silly to get hung up on any of your so-called possessions.

There is no fortune made on this earth, not one, that didn't have to do with crazy, insane luck. So there's no point in getting too attached or proud about what came to you through near-miraculous accident. By realizing that you are a perpetual conduit for this abundance -- a pipeline for the bounty of the universe -- you keep yourself from gumming up the works and getting in the way of your own access to abundance. Abundance is infinite! There's far more stuff than you could consume in 10,000 lifetimes.

We're not saying that you should make like Diogenes and give away all your earthly possessions and wear a barrel. By all means, protect your garden fruit from the varmints. Just don't get hung up on stuff so much that its loss can make you unhappier than its presence can make you happy.

I always find it funny when people on the road (including myself) won't let somebody in who's trying to merge. What, like we're going to run out of road or something? Or you might get somewhere 4.3 seconds sooner? There's plenty of road to go around.

Now some of you who are reading this may be in tough spots right now, and what I would say to you is act as if you really are a conduit for abundance. Don't let this temporary state get in the way of your generosity, your open-heartedness, your openmindedness.

Get the wheel of giving turning, in whatever small way you can, and the wheel will inevitably come back to you. As my pastor likes to say, you can only have what you give away, so start giving away more of that which you'd like to have! ('Cause if you're giving something away, it must mean you have lots of it, right? Twisted logic, but kind of true.)

And those of you who are not experiencing privation but are still feeling constricted - let's get you re-started. Start by smiling at passersby. Then work up from there.

One of the most eloquent passages on giving comes from Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet:

Then said a rich man, 'Speak to us of Giving.'
And he answered:
'You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.'

For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow? And what is fear of need but need itself?
Is not dread of thirst when your well is full the thirst that is unquenchable?

There are those who give little of the much which they have - and they give it for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome.

And there are those who have little and give it all.
These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty.

There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their baptism.
And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy,
And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue;
They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space.

Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes he smiles upon the earth.'

And that's everyday grace, my friends. Resolve to give of yourself daily and practice being what you really are - a conduit for abundance. The rest will take care of itself.

The power is within you
Dr Alex

PS: Want to practice some giving right now that ain't gonna cost you anything? Forward this message to someone whom you think would benefit from it.

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Read more: Alex Benzer, Trader Joe's, Tao of Dating, The Giving Life, Abundance, Everyday Grace, Self-Knowledge, Pope Benedict, The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran, Giving, Conduit, Spirituality, Living News

Crucifix Banned From Italy's Schools By New EU Court Ruling

2009-11-03T15:16:30Z
ROME — The Vatican on Tuesday denounced a ruling by the European court of human rights that said the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools violates religious and education freedoms.

In a decision that could force a review of the use of religious symbols in government-run schools across Europe, the court ordered Italy to pay a euro5,000 ($7,390) fine to a mother in northern Italy who fought for eight years to have crucifixes removed from her children's public school classrooms. The Italian government said it would appeal.
Read more: Public Schools, Islam, Crucifixes Banned, Atheism, EU Courts, Catholicism, Italy Schools, Immigration, Italy, Eu, Catholics, Religion, Education, Italian Schools, Courts, Vatican, Pope, Separation of Church and State, Faith, World News

Christopher Brauchli: The Pope and the Anglicans

2009-10-29T19:20:59Z
"God is decreeing to begin some new and great period in His Church, even to the reforming of Reformation itself..."
-- John Milton, Aereopagitica

If it had happened a few centuries ago it would have been part of the Counter-Reformation. Occurring now, it was still pretty significant. It was the news that Pope Benedict XVI had invited members of the Anglican Communion to abandon their church and join his. His invitation was addressed to Anglicans who are uncomfortable with gays and women as clergy.

It was a generous invitation and it was extended just 10 days before Halloween which is of no particular significance since that is also known as All Saints day, a day that, unlike the Pope's invitation, has nothing to do with spookiness. The invitation was a blanket invitation to Episcopalians, as they are known in the U.S., to abandon the Episcopal ship and set sail with one captained by the Pope.

In an October 20th press conference at the Vatican, Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that something called an "Apostolic Constitution" had been created that would enable Anglican faithful and their clergy to enter "into full communion with the Church." He described it as a "single canonical model for the universal Church which is adaptable to various local situations and equitable to former Anglicans in its universal application." He explained that the Pope hopes that the new enrollees can "preserve those Anglican traditions precious to them and consistent with the Catholic faith. Insofar as these traditions express in a distinctive way the faith that is held in common, they are a gift to be shared in the wider Church." (The gift to which he was referring includes neither women nor gays.)

Sadly, it is gratifying to those who have deep-rooted opposition to gays and women in the priesthood that they have been welcomed to the company of the faithful who believe as they do and do so in the name of the Lord. The invitation reinforces the recipients' belief that what was perceived as bigotry by those from whom they parted, is not bigotry at all but good sound theology. Inviting the congregants to join is not, however, the most amazing thing about the Church's new openness.

For many centuries celibacy has been the watchword for those entering the Church's priesthood. The reasons for it are diverse and it has in many cases been more honored in the breach than in the observance as shown by the hundreds of millions of dollars paid out by the Church in settlement of claims involving priestly pedophilia. Notwithstanding those episodes and tales of priests who secretly father children, the Church remains adamant that priests should live a life of celibacy. It is also aware, however, of the economic hardship that will be imposed on a married Anglican priest whose congregation moves whole cloth over to what was formerly the opposition, if he cannot join in the exodus. Accordingly, the new plan permits Anglican priests who are married to be ordained as Roman Catholic priests. They will not, however, be eligible for promotion to Bishop or higher ecclesiastical office such as Cardinal or Pope, a minor drawback since few priests attain those posts.

The possibility of a married Anglican priest becoming a member of the clerical opposition came as especially good news to the Church of the Good Shepherd, a parish in suburban Philadelphia. The Good Shepherd has been in a state of warfare with the Episcopal Church for many years. According to a report in the NYT, for the last 17 years the parish has refused to allow the local Episcopal bishop to come for a pastoral visit or confirmation. Because of the tolerance the Church has for Anglican priests (as distinguished from gays or women) even if married, the Church of the Good Shepherd will be able to take its priest, with it. Bishop David Moyer, who has led the church, is married and a father of three children. Although a Bishop and, therefore, not authorized even under the new rules to be married, he hopes that he may be grandfathered in. (Taking the Bishop along will be easier for the congregation than taking along its real estate. In 2009, the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania sued to take over the church building that has an estimated value of $7 million and only the Lord knows who will win that lawsuit.)

The new-found openness shown by accepting disaffected Episcopalians into the Roman fold may be just the first step. If the tradition to which the Pope adheres wants to make a home for other people who don't much care for gays and believe that women should be treated differently from men, they may want to reach out to the Taliban. Their attitudes are not as dissimilar as one might hope.

Christopher Brauchli can be e-mailed at brauchli.56@post.harvard.edu. For political commentary see his web page at http://humanraceandothersports.com.
Read more: Anglican Communion, Pope Benedict, Roman Catholic Church, Episcopal Church Split, Religion, World News

Sophie Pollitt-Cohen: So You're Thinking of Converting From Anglican to Catholic

2009-10-29T14:08:16Z
In an extraordinary bid to lure traditionalist Anglicans en masse, the Vatican said Tuesday that it would make it easier for Anglicans uncomfortable with their church's acceptance of female priests and openly gay bishops to join the Roman Catholic Church while retaining many of their traditions. --The New York Times

Congratulations on deciding to make the switch! If you're a PC user who has just switched to the Mac and want to find out how to adapt your old working habits to the Mac OS, you've come to the right place. Wait. Sorry. I plagiarized that from Apple.com. But really, it's not such a different concept. In converting to Catholicism, you are really just switching over your "files" (ideas/customs/most profound expressions of faith) to your "Mac" (Catholic) "hard drive" (brain/immortal soul).

Although it may feel that you're entering a brand new world ~~on your Mac~~ with Catholicism, you'll be happy to know there are some ~~interface~~ elements that should be familiar from ~~Microsoft Windows~~ the Anglican church. For instance, you are clearly already experienced with suspending disbelief. The Anglican church has no central hierarchy, and the Archbishop of Canterbury is the first among equals. Right. That makes sense. (I'm rolling my eyes.) If you don't think that's weird, you are prepared for our notion of geography. Vatican City is in Rome, which is in Italy, but it's actually its own city and country. Pretty cool, right? Similarly, once you start believing that communion is literally the body and blood of Christ, instead of a symbol, anything seems possible. Life is way more fun when you are optimistic.

When confronted with something new, it can be tempting to think of the ways it is a lesser version of the old. This will make you depressed. Instead, like a new boyfriend who you need to stop comparing to your ex who was actually a lot cuter and knew how to take you to restaurants besides Thai Gardens lunch special, try to focus on the ways Catholicism is great for its own special reasons. For instance, the Anglican church was founded by King Henry VIII, who, while mad hot on The Tudors, was actually a fat lard. The Catholic Church was founded by Saint Peter, who wasn't fat and currently lives in heaven with Jesus and Peter Gallagher when he dies.

Besides Jesus H. Christ, history is filled with cool, famous Catholic people. What's that you say? That's because they were born before the Reformation? Sorry, I can't hear you. My Ludwig Van Beethoven CD is on too loud.

Some other smaller perks include being able to write a great autobiography, especially if you are from Ireland. We get 50 cents off at Tasti D-Lite (with a valid Tasti Card), and all nail salons have a secret back room with secret colors that only Catholics know about, including Wafer White, Thorny Brown, and Vatican Velvet. These are also the names of our secret racehorses that run in secret Catholics-only races.

Speaking of races, a lot of people considering the switch have been asking about our policy on black people. We currently allow them. But we're working on it.

In conclusion, although it may feel like you're entering a brand new world ~~on your Mac,~~ with Catholicism, you'll be happy ~~to know that there are some interface elements that should be familiar from Microsoft Windows~~. Because Catholicism is way better and you are going to love life a lot.

Read more: Communion, King-Henry-Viii, Rome, Horses, Racehorse-Names, Italy, Anglican Communion, Converting, Mac-Osx, Pope Benedict XVI, Catholic Church, Apple Computers, Beethoven, Immortal Soul, Jesus, Pc, The Tudors, Peter Gallagher, The Pope, Mac, The Reformation, Roman Catholic Church, The New York Times, Microsoft, Catholic, Apple, Global Anglicanism, The Vatican, Jesus Christ, Autobiography, Anglican Church, Vatican City, Frank Mccourt, Archbishop of Canterbury, Comedy News

Pope Speaks Out For Catholic Iranians (VIDEO)

2009-10-29T12:37:04Z
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI urged Iranian authorities on Thursday to let Catholics have the priests and churches they need to freely practice their faith in the country.

In comments to Iran's new ambassador to the Holy See, Benedict also urged Tehran to improve the situation of all Christian minorities so they are better integrated into society.

Human rights reports and Western governments say Christians in Iran, like other minorities including Jews and Zoroastrians, suffer arrests as well as discrimination by being kept out of some jobs. The United States has labeled Iran a country of particular concern for abuse of religious worshippers.

Benedict didn't mention international concerns over Iran's nuclear ambitions in a speech accepting Ambassador Ali Akbar Naseri's credentials. But the ambassador referred to the issue, saying Tehran fully respected international norms but protested efforts to block its right to pursue a nuclear program for peaceful purposes.

The ambassador also complained to the pope about what he said was the increasing spread of "Islamophobia" in the West and boasted that Iran's presidential elections -- sharply criticized internationally -- showed that it embraced the principles of democracy.

Iran and the Holy See have had diplomatic relations for more than 50 years.

Before the 1979 Islamic revolution there were some 300,000 Catholics in Iran. By 2005, emigration had reduced their numbers to around 25,000, divided among the Chaldean, Armenian and Latin churches, the ANSA news agency said.

Rome Reports Video

Read more: Iran, Pope Iran, Video, Iran Pope, Pope, Video Pope, World News

Kate Clinton: Sit on My Lapse

2009-10-28T18:20:32Z
When people wonder to me about what I'll do without George Bush, I tell them that I'll always have the Pope. And of course, the Cheneys who are keeping America safe, but not from themselves. I could do a whole new ninety minute Pope show if it weren't so annoying to my never or now non-Catholic friends. We lapsed Catholics find ourselves endlessly interesting, but it is a special ring of hell for listeners.

From his dubious just-following holy orders deep past, to his more recent past as Czar of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, under his old boss Pope John Paul II, who is beginning to look as benign as Mr. Magoo, Pope Benedict XVI's highlight reel of his four years pontificating is a doozy.

Like a sandcastle basilica facing an incoming tide, the RCC is facing a sea of secularism, and the Pope is using his mitered shovel to dig a futile moat. Since attendance at confession is down, big time, he upgraded sins for the modern era: drug dealing, corporate greed, child abuse. He incentivized confession by bringing back indulgences. Think double coupon days. He got rid of Limbo, just when I was getting over the loss of Pluto. He went to Africa and recklessly said that condoms have nothing to do with stopping the spread AIDS.

The Pope brought back the Tridentine face to-the-wall Latin mass. The mass looks like a time-out-corner punishment in kindergarten. He said protecting heterosexuality from the onslaught of homosexuality is as important as protecting the rainforests from destruction, making LGBT the clearcutters in the virgin forest of heterosexuality. First he tried to root gay men out of seminaries and lately he has been rooting out American nuns, for the sin of liberalism and tirelessly running the church's charities, hospitals, schools and cleaning up the altar after the mass. I have made our apartment a safe house on the underground railway for runaway nuns. Tell your friends. Password: Song of Bernadette.

And fall membership drives are no longer just the province of Public Radio. In a bid to boost his numbers, and annex the Divineland, the Pope preemptively cancelled the 450 year old split with Henry VIII's old Anglican Church and welcomed them, individually, by parish or by diocese into the healing vortex of the RCC after just a wee bit of counseling in the sweat lodge. More hot rocks! He is one Spiritual Warrior.

Acquisition details are still being worked out with uh, no one, certainly not the middling Archbishop of Canterbury and not so much with Episcopalians, that gay-bishop ordaining American League branch of the Anglican Church. Married Anglican priests with the impeccable het credentials of the wife and kids are welcomed. In your dreams is it the beginning of married priests. All reactionary, angry, misogynistic, homophobic Anglicans are also welcome.

Meanwhile in upstate New York, my two brothers and their wives have been trying to keep their parish churches open. One brother from a small rural church first participated in prayerful sit-ins to forestall the closure and then occupied the church after the bishop ordered it closed. He went with his parish committee to Rome to plead their case. The church was shuttered. My other brother was in a liberal urban parish that welcomed the LGBT community, performed gay weddings and long participated in local anti-poverty and anti-war movements. He and his wife called their parish "The St. James Barely Catholic Church". The church was one of the first closed.

As a lesbian I have very little tolerance for the Catholic Church. It has less for me. My Hindu girlfriend, with the cool belief in reincarnation and many-armed deities, urges me to have more respect for the Catholic Church. After this latest move by the Pope and the church's usual denial of what is really going on in the back room, I have less respect for the church, but greater admiration for my brothers, their wives and all those who have struggled to keep their church open to all who practice loving spirituality in a secular world.

Read more: Religion, Roman Catholic Church, Satire, Secularism, Religion in America, Mass, Pope Benedict XVI, Religious Satire, Comedy News

Katie Halper: Best Political Halloween Costumes: Put Your Costume Where Your Mouth Is

2009-10-28T12:16:43Z

for more, visit KatieHalper.com

Put on a bunch of fake blood, carry a cane or crutches, draw on what
look like home-made stiches. You're... the opt out to the public option.

Put a pillow under shirt and carry a bunch of baby dolls. You're... Abstinence Only.

Wear a suit and glasses. Get a wolf
stuffed animal and apply fake blood to it. Carry around the wolf and a
baby (keep its eyes shut if possible so it looks asleep). In your free hand carry around a thesaurus. You're...
Sarah Palin

Combine a sexy nurse outfit with a pants suit. You're... Nancy Pelosi.

Wear a pope costume. Take three cards, which you will pin to your costume. Write "Holocaust Deniers" on one, "Married Priests" on another one and "Gays" on another one. Put checks next to and
Married Priests and Holocaust Deniers and draw a line crossing out the
Gay sign. You're... Pope Benedict. (Feel free to add a Hitler Youth Arm
band. Not sure what they look like but think Hello Kitty meets
swastika).

Wear a fancy suit with a top hat and a cane. Stuff yourself with
pillow so you look as bloated as possible. Wear a dollar sign around
your neck (you can make it out of tin foil.) You're... Too big to fail.

Wear a devil costume. Pin a hanger to it. You're... the anti-choice movement.

Wear galoshes, carry an oar and put a question mark on your shirt. You're... Roe v Wade.

Wear pajamas. a mustache and carry around a one way ticket to Costa RIca. You're... Manuel Zelaya... President of Honduras... Remember Honduras... It's a country.

Wear a cowboy hat and a suit (or an entire cowboy costume). Carry
around a pair of clippers. Cut out pieces of paper in the shape of
quote bubbles. Write things like "you can do it!", "believe in yourself," "it's not where you're from, it's where you're at." You're... George Bush.

Wear dog ears and a tail. Wear all blue. get a stuffed animal of a
donkey and tie a rope around its neck and drag the donkey around with
you so it trails on the floor. Feel free to step on it. You're a blue
dog Democrat.

Wear a polo shirt and khaki pants. Put a pillow (or two) in
the shirt. Carry around a microphone and stuffed animal elephant. Tie a
rope around its neck and drag around with you so it trails on the
floor. Feel free to step on it. You're... Rush Limbaugh.

Read more: George Bush, Blue Dog, Public Option, Rush Limbaugh, Manuel Zelaya, Too Big to Fail, Manuel Zelaya Honduras, Pope Benedict, Roe vs Wade, Sarah Palin Wolf Hunting, Pope Benedict XVI, Catholic Church, Hitler Youth, Roe v. Wade, Astinence Only, Nancy Pelosi, Sarah Palin, Anglican Church, Blue Dogs, Honduras, Anti-Choice, Opt-Out, Public-Option-Opt-Out, Anti-Choice Movement, Blue Dog Dems, Blue Dog Democrats, Halloween, Comedy News

Rev. Astrid Storm: Memo to Rome: Some of Us Like the Reformation

2009-10-27T16:30:20Z
NB: I've disabled comments on this piece because of some of the truly vicious ad hominem attacks it garnered after I first published it Tuesday afternoon. Still, I hope it will encourage perhaps more productive conversation elsewhere about the impact of Rome's sexism and homophobia. In the name of Christ, Rome can do better than this. I hope someday it will.

I may be a bit late in weighing in on the Roman Catholic attempt to lure away Episcopal priests, but that's because I've been busy ministering to an Episcopal congregation that's quickly growing, largely thanks to all the disaffected Roman Catholics (we fondly call them "recovering Catholics") who keep showing up at my church. In the past three Sundays alone, they've increased the size of my congregation by nearly 15%. Of the rest, about 70% are former Roman Catholics, and my church is probably not unusual among Episcopal churches in these statistics.

Back when I had more time, though, I was a member of the Episcopal Diocese of New York's Episcopal-Roman Catholic Dialogue Committee, which met every couple months at the Roman Catholic Archdiocesan offices in New York City to discuss areas of "convergence" between our two traditions. I was also involved at that time with the American Friends of the Anglican Center in Rome, which is how I wound up in Rome in 2006 for the 40th Anniversary of the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue, a week-long affair involving the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the president of the Pontifical Council Promoting Christian Unity, and Pope Benedict.

That trip and those dialogues taught me two interesting lessons: first, that the clergy scene in Rome certainly seems very gay -- and, particularly once cocktail hour was well underway, fun. But more importantly, I realized that the relatively few Anglicans ("Episcopalians" in the U.S.) involved in these dialogues -- and thus the Anglicans that the Vatican probably comes into the most (perhaps sole) contact with -- seem to wish they were Roman Catholic.

Among my fellow Episcopalians in these dialogues, I was often the only one pointing out that many Episcopalians like myself are uncomfortable with doctrines like the Perpetual Virginity and Immaculate Conception of Mary. I alone voiced skepticism at the circular reasoning of some of the Roman Catholic documents we studied. To my dismay, it was rarely suggested that the Anglican (or Episcopal) tradition had some lessons to teach Rome, rather than just the other way around. For example, women and gays were frequently referred to as "obstacles" to unity between the churches, but I never heard someone (other than myself) suggest that a major obstacle to unity was Rome's sexism and homophobia. Similarly, the dispersed authority of the Anglican tradition -- in the United States, our polity is especially and wonderfully democratic -- was presented as another barrier to unity, rather than a model that Rome should seek to imitate.

At any rate, when I heard the news last week that the Roman Church invited disaffected Anglicans into its fold, I wasn't surprised. In my experience, the few Anglicans who actually wish to be on these committees (I eventually dropped out not just for lack of time, but also interest and empathy) mislead Rome into thinking we're eagerly waiting such an invitation. Believe me, we're not.

In the likely event that there isn't much of a response, both in this country and, I'm guessing, throughout the Anglican Communion, maybe they'll actually grasp the high regard most of us have not only for our Catholic, but also -- and for some of us, especially -- our Protestant heritage. And from the demographics of my church, it would seem many of their own flock are starting to appreciate that heritage, too.
Read more: Liberal-Protestant, Pope Benedict, Women Priests, Catholic Church, Ecumenical, Gay Priests, Ecumenism, Episcopal Church, Homophobia, Anglicans, Rowan Williams, Religion, World News

Ed Gurowitz, Ph.D.: The "Generosity" of Pope Benedict XVI

2009-10-26T14:45:13Z

Pope Benedict XVI has opened the door of the Roman Catholic Church to those in the Anglican Communion (which includes the Episcopal Church in the US, the Church of England, and others) who are disaffected over issues of ordaining gays and women, same-sex marriage, etc. He has even said that these disaffected Anglicans, including married priests, can form their own congregations under the aegis of the Catholic Church and go on as if nothing had happened. Oh -- married clergy can’t become Catholic Bishops, but that’s probably unlikely even for unmarried clergy. (Presumably, given the issues involved, they won’t have to deal with what to do with female Anglican Priests, but it would be fun if they did.)

On the face of it, this sounds good – the Pope is willing to have the Catholic Church be a “big tent” to take in those who feel disenfranchised by the progressive views of, particularly, the Episcopal Church in the US. But this is the same Pope who, thus far in his short reign, has on numerous occasions emphasized that while the Roman Catholic Church is willing to co-exist with other Christian denominations, his commitment that the Catholic way is the only right way is unwavering. So why would he not only reach out to disaffected Anglicans, but even tacitly endorse one of the practices that most distinguishes the two churches, that of allowing clergy to marry?

OK -- time out for a credentials check. I’m a Jew who is married to an Episcopalian and who teaches and writes with my close friend Jim Beebe, an Episcopal Priest. I’ve made an avocational study of how the first century Jewish group called “followers of the way” came to be a new religion called Christianity and how that new religion and its mother religion came to be persecutor and victim, respectively. We are currently working on a book on this subject. None of that makes me an expert on Catholicism, Anglicanism, or much of anything, but I’ve probably studied more about the two (plus Judaism) than many, so you can take my views for what you think they’re worth.

So to the question I raised at the end of the second paragraph. I think the answer is simple -- the Pope’s move seems to me transparently calculated to sow dissension in the Anglican Communion and to further polarize it. The leaders in the Anglican debate are the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who has taken on the role of trying to resolve it for the benefit of the worldwide Communion, the Presiding Bishop of the United States, Katherine Jefferts Schori, and a number of Anglican Bishops in the US and particularly in Africa. Beginning in the 2008 Lambeth Conference (an every 10 years conference of bishops convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury -- 2008 had 800 bishops in attendance and was boycotted by a number of the aforementioned conservative bishops), Williams began to take steps toward finding a solution.

I don’t know if a solution can be found. Even if we take the case that the two sides of the Anglican debate are both people of good faith, the polarization is so great that it seems unlikely. Add to that that, in my opinion, the conservative position smells suspiciously of homophobia and sexism cloaked in dubious scripture, and it makes it even less likely. But one of the principles of negotiation is that the more difficult and polarized the parties are, the more you need to cut off alternatives to a solution. If Williams can appeal to both sides as Anglicans and to their commitment to the integrity of the Anglican Communion, he at least has a chance of starting with something both sides can agree on. If the Conservatives in the debate have a place to go and leave the Communion, the chances diminish.

But back to the Pope -- why would he do this? Well, maybe, just maybe, he gets two benefits from it -- he undermines the integrity of the Anglican Communion and possibly he has a place to move from to bring these disaffected Anglicans gradually into the arms of the Roman Catholic Church.

In our book, Jim Beebe and I take the view that the institutionalization of Jesus’ teachings in dogma and church politics has distorted those teachings beyond recognition. I can’t help but find the Pope’s “generous” gesture suspect in its piety and more likely to be cynically political.

Read more: Catholic Church, Katherine Jefferts Schori, Roman Catholic Church, Catholicism, Women Priests, Same Sex Marriage, Dr. Rowan Williams, Episcopal Church, Married Clergy, Gay Bishops, Anglican Communion, Pope Benedict XVI, Same-Sex Marriage, Archbishop of Canterbury, Living News

Kenya: Anglicans Reject Pope's Offer To Join Catholic Church

2009-10-23T12:03:34Z
The head of Kenya's Anglican Church, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, has rejected the Pope's offer to allow disaffected Anglicans to join the Catholic Church.
Read more: Catholic Church, Kenya, Anglican, Catholicism, Anglican Church, Catholic Bishops, Pope Benedict, Anglican Communion, Pope, Pope Benedict XVI, World News

Chile Outraged Over Giant Pope Statue

2009-10-22T14:32:18Z
SANTIAGO, Chile -- The neighbors couldn't help but notice the huge head of Pope John Paul II rising out of the sculptor's workshop next door.

Hidden behind the walls, the pope's left hand gripped Jesus on the cross while his right extended outward, an imitation of the gesture he had made during his visit to Santiago two decades earlier.
Read more: Chile, Chile Pope, The Pope, Latin America, Chile Pope Statue, Foreign Affairs, Pope, Pope Statue Chile, Santiago, World News