Real Catholic Blog

Father Frank Pavone, the national director of Priests For Life, is hosting two important Webcasts in October, starting with one this Wednesday. We recommend them to you. Father Pavone is doing tremendous work in the defense of the unborn and anything we can do to hasten the day when abortion ends and create a culture of life is vital. These Webcasts will provide some very concrete ways to participate in doing just that (click here to register or learn more or hear archived Webcasts) and if your Internet access goes down, you can even call in and participate.

Here’s his invitation:

Friends,

The October Freedom Ride will call for freedom from the oppression of unjust laws and policies. Taking place just a few weeks before our national elections, the Freedom Ride will call in a non-partisan way for citizens to take an active and informed part in the elections and advance the culture of life in the voting booth. On these upcoming webcasts, you will receive ideas and inspiration to do that.

Click here to hear the replay of our first webcast that took place on September 7 with our special guests, Deal Hudson, Dr. Alveda King and David Bereit.

Priests for Life has formed a “Vote Pro-life” Coalition of national ministries. These groups work together to advance non-partisan activities to help the People of Life to engage the electoral process in an informed and responsible way.

The Coalition sponsors these webcasts that can be followed online or by phone, and that offer training for effective political action. …

I hope you will plan to join me and my expert panelists.

Thank you,

Fr. Frank Pavone

Thus read the headline of an excellent commentary from Michael Burleigh in The Telegraph. An exerpt from the must read, which encapsulates the entire sad British (and Western European) attitude toward faith:

Secularism is at the heart of Benedict’s concerns. By this the Pope does not mean the delimitation of Church and State, the sacred and profane — which is intrinsic to Christian culture as well as political society since the Reformation — but the amnesiac eradication of one of the principal roots of Western civilisation and the deliberate marginalisation of all religion to the private sphere. In its stead has come a society that thinks its existential despairs can be ameliorated by limitless consumer goods, or worse, by a state that racks up fathomless amounts of debt so as to throw money at problems that may have no material resolution.

Clink the link above and read the entir piece. Then let us know what you think.

Pope Benedict XVI’s recently concluded visit to Great Britain not only was historic, but a tremendous success. This long awaited trip was about as much as any Catholic could have dreamed. There were many aspects to it, and I will comment on them this week and beyond. Just knowing that the Bishop of Rome, after nearly 30 years, was planning an official visit to the land of villain Henry VIII was gripping.

Not only is Great Britain the country where so much damage was done to Christianity in centuries long past, its unfortunate cultural and moral decay has influenced Western and, specifically, English speaking countries. It bares it share of responsibility for the this era’s moral and cultural decline. Pope Benedict’s visit was a bucket of cold water across the faces of the purveyors of coarse culture and moral relativisim — the thousands of ignorant as well as purposeful protestors who fruitlessly demonstrated during his time there.

If he made them uncomfortable, good. Their anger, then, was less about the Pope than  against their self-installed dictatorship of relativism, an intangible tyrant that tortures their souls. It’s a pain the unfaithful find sufferable in order to experience a false sense of freedom and pleasure, despite the harm to their spiritual health.

Pope Benedict addressed this. He spoke politely, but emphatically — or, as Michael Voris puts it, he was cheeky, giving the Brits more than enough to reflect on.

Oh, Henry! The cheeky pope had a historic and successful mission in the land of Henry VIII .

CatholicVote.org late last week announced that its long-awaited Web site overhaul is complete. But in addition, as part of its two-year anniversary celebration, it released its latest commercial, “The Dream 2010,” which we gladly share below. Catholic Vote reports that within 72 hours of its release it had 30,000 views. Let us know what you think of it.

Catholic Vote, recognized for its creative, well produced and thought-provoking ads, promises more of the same, especially as election time draws near, and Catholics are called to make informed decisions as to who should represent us in government. While this ad doesn’t strike me as up to the standards of its past work, that is a pretty high standard. I look forward to seeing its next releases.

CatholicVote.org celebrates its two-year anniversary with a new Web site and another glossy, attention-grabbing ad.

Despite the best efforts of atheists, the U.S. Postal Service in May approved the issuance of a commerative Mother Teresa stamp. Finally, last Sunday, at a ceremony at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., exactly 13 years after she died on September 5, 1997, the USPS released the stamp. More than 145,000 people signed a nationwide online petition organized by CatholicVote.org to stiffen the spine of the USPS — and it worked. 

Now, let’s go out and buy as many as we can (see American Papist)! What better way to prove we were right, to show America how dear this woman was to all the world and to honor this saintly nun (CatholicVoteAction.org Blog). What better way to show our country the strength and grace of The Catholic Church and to spread the good message of The Church as exemplified by the life of Mother Teresa? As far as a simple, conventional method that’s every bit as powerful as anything in this Internet driven, social media crazed culture . . . nothing!

Worth every cent . . . and then some! The Mother Teresa stamp now is available from the U.S. Postal Service. Time to buy them up!

Early this morning, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) conceded defeat in the Alaska Republican primary to unheralded challenger Joe Miller. Mr. Miller, a West Point graduate,  Persian Gulf War combat veteran, Ivy League law school graduate, attorney and former state and federal judge, was more than 20 points down in the most recent polls leading up to Tuesday’s election. However, he led by only 1,700 votes after voting ended, but 15,000 absentee ballots had to be counted, and a recount was in the offing. However, as the ballots were counted, Senator Murkowski saw that she was not gaining and conceded defeat.

Lesson learned: Senator Murkowski is, sadly, another Catholic in public office who flaunts The Faith and The Truth with her steadfast pro-abortion views. As bishop after bishop  have proclaimed, Catholics in public office cannot stand in good conscience in The Church while enabling the killing of the innocent unborn, just as they cannot tolerate the killing of a person on the street or in a robbery.

Although Catholic Democrats come under most public criticism for this by the faithful (because most Democrats are pro-abortion), there are CINO (Catholics In Name Only) RINOs as well (Republicans In Name Only), and both gladly trade on their Catholicism for votes while refusing to uphold the principle of Life. 

It was very telling that Alaksa Right To Life, other pro-life organizations and media (see Defend Us In Battle), as well as prominent pro-life individuals, endorsed Mr. Miller over an incumbent Catholic (see Gun Lovin’ Alaska Catholic Club blog), while the WISH List a women’s “pro-choice” political action committee endorsed Senator Murkowski. I tried to find Mr. Miller’s religious affiliation to no avail (he doesn’t list it on his campaign bio and a Google search came up empty). But I will take anyone of any faith any day who is unapologetically pro-life over someone who trades on his or her faith assuming people will step in line.

A recent Wall Street Journal article chronicled the problem evangelical churches are having keeping young members. It’s an interesting turn of media events, so to speak: After years of pounding the Catholic Church for its declining attendance at the expense of rising protestant churches with charismatic pastors, now it seems the media is examining the flight of young evangelicals to other churches.

It’s important for Catholics to understand why this is happening. While many of our dioceses went through (or are still in) a period of “hipness” to ”attract” young people, that’s exactly what drove them away — a lack of substance. While trying to be “relevant” to the young (and even not so young) the Church watered down the Mass and its emphasis on certain Church teachings. While evangelicals got a bump for a number of years by its sheer emotional pull, people soon find out that after a service, when the “alleluias” are over, there isn’t much there, there.

The American Church must never forget the substance and challenge of The Faith. For too long “Modern” Catholicism focused on emotion, not substance. But emotion does have a place — as a tool, not an end. It’s a lesson the Church in America has had to learn the hard way. Sadly, some still have not learned. Perhaps, this new exodus from the evangelical movement will give Catholic dioceses an opening to present the Truth to those so desperately seeking it.

As usual, Michael Voris at RealCatholicTV gets to the heart of the matter. Please take a view and let us know what you think.

Can the Catholic Church learn from the exodus of many from evangelical “mega churches”? 

Here is a recent installment of The Vortex from RealCatholicTV’s Michael Voris. It is an excellent testimonial to The Faith and its mission to resolve evil in the world: Four priests prayed at a Rockford, Ill., abortion center and saved lives! It’s not because they are priests, but the power of their faith.

 Four priests and the power of The Faith saved lives at an abortion center.

Teresa Shipley at Discovery.com reports that archaeologists believe they have discovered the bones of Saint John The Baptist, who baptised our Lord Jesus Christ (see John Paul II commentary), and infamously beheaded by King Herod at the request of his wife’s daughter, Salome (Catholic-Forum.com). The discovery was made at a 5th century monastary near the Black Sea in Bulgaria.

According to the article:

Bulgarian archaeologists excavating under an ancient basilica last week unearthed a reliquary, or a container full of human relics.

Bone fragments of a human skull, hand and tooth were found inside. …

The archaeologists believe that a date inscribed on the alabaster jar, June 24, is a good sign that the reliquary houses John the Baptist’s remains.

June 24 is the day Christian’s celebrate the birth of Jesus’ contemporary.

Seems a bit too coincidental to me. Besides . . . Bulgaria? How and why would John The Baptists’ remains find there way there? Of course, anything is possible. The Vatican is taking a cautious, wait-and-see approach. Fabrizio Bisconti, superintendent of the Vatican Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology, told CNN more information and research is needed before the Holy See will opine on the discovery (see CNN’s Belief Blog for more, including video).

It’s interesting to contemplate, but misidentifications, not to mention forgeries, in ancient and Biblical antiquities are common. We look forward to more information confirming or dismissing what would be a terrific find.

Saint John The Baptist’s remains may have been found. The authenticity of the find, however, impacts little on Catholic faith.

One more thing about the iPadres (really, I’m not obsessed about it): I forgot to post a picture of Father Padrini. Since I posted a video of the American iPadre, Father Jay Finelli, of Rhode Island, the least I can do is post a picture of his Italian counterpart. So, here is Father Paolo Padrini (Deacon Chronicle):

Not quite phoning God: The iPadre, Father Paolo Padrini, looks over morning prayers on his iPhone application.