Lepanto League Information Service

Brave New World Update

2007-05-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

Apparently, biology still counts for something.

Norwegian Ecumenical Farce

2007-05-07T08:50:00.000-07:00

This is ecumaniacly funny. One notes that the expression "woman priest" is an oxymoron--the female form of the word "priest" is "priestess," as in: "the High Priestess of Hecate." Also, one wonders which of the two sects mentioned here, the Protestants or the Mohammedans, is actually further from Catholicism...

Lots of Opportunity for Martydom

2007-05-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

IRAQ: Christians live in fear of death squads

Is Islam Compatible With Democracy?

2007-04-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

Part I

Another Two-Year Retrospective

2007-04-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

Benedict’s Global Agenda gets to some of the main points concisely.

Christians Murdered in Turkey Again

2007-04-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

The three victims were found with their throats slit.

Pope on Evolution - sort of

2007-04-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

The headline "Pope puts his faith in the Book of Genesis, not Darwin" mischaracterizes a highly nuanced position.

The Fumbling Irish

2007-04-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

One wonders just what question was actually asked in this poll.

Go Tell Your Bishop

2007-04-11T07:13:00.000-07:00

A Twelve Step Program for Bishops written by Bishop Rene Henry Gracida should be distributed to each of the U.S. bishops repeatedly until they "get" it. You should write your bishop with evidence (e.g., newspaper articles) about any Catholic pro-abortion politicians residing or working in your diocese, and remind your bishop of his need to take action and avoid scandal. Fraternal correction is not optional. It is demanded by authentic charity.

Over and above fraternal correction, the bishop has a serious and binding obligation:

But there is another correction which is an act of justice purposing the common good, which is procured not only by warning one's brother, but also, sometimes, by punishing him, that others may, through fear, desist from sin. Such a correction belongs only to prelates, whose business it is not only to admonish, but also to correct by means of punishments.

Oblivious to Beauty

2007-04-11T07:05:00.000-07:00

This article gives some food for thought regarding our subculture's inability to recognize the beautiful.

Europe/Islam Overview

2007-04-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

Although not from a Catholic viewpoint, this is a useful synopsis of the situation of the state of conflict between Europe and Islam.

pope's lenten message

2007-02-13T22:19:00.000-08:00

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS
BENEDICT XVI
FOR LENT 2007

“They shall look on Him
whom they have pierced” (Jn 19:37)

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

“They shall look on Him whom they have pierced” (Jn 19:37). This is the biblical theme that this year guides our Lenten reflection. Lent is a favourable time to learn to stay with Mary and John, the beloved disciple, close to Him who on the Cross, consummated for all mankind the sacrifice of His life (cf. Jn 19:25). With a more fervent participation let us direct our gaze, therefore, in this time of penance and prayer, at Christ crucified who, dying on Calvary, revealed fully for us the love of God. In the Encyclical Deus caritas est, I dwelt upon this theme of love, highlighting its two fundamental forms: agape and eros.

God’s love: agape and eros

The term agape, which appears many times in the New Testament, indicates the self-giving love of one who looks exclusively for the good of the other. The word eros, on the other hand, denotes the love of one who desires to possess what he or she lacks and yearns for union with the beloved. The love with which God surrounds us is undoubtedly agape. Indeed, can man give to God some good that He does not already possess? All that the human creature is and has is divine gift. It is the creature then, who is in need of God in everything. But God’s love is also eros. In the Old Testament, the Creator of the universe manifests toward the people whom He has chosen as His own a predilection that transcends every human motivation. The prophet Hosea expresses this divine passion with daring images such as the love of a man for an adulterous woman (cf. 3:1-3). For his part, Ezekiel, speaking of God’s relationship with the people of Israel, is not afraid to use strong and passionate language (cf. 16:1-22). These biblical texts indicate that eros is part of God’s very heart: the Almighty awaits the “yes” of His creatures as a young bridegroom that of his bride. Unfortunately, from its very origins, mankind, seduced by the lies of the Evil One, rejected God’s love in the illusion of a self-sufficiency that is impossible (cf. Gn 3:1-7). Turning in on himself, Adam withdrew from that source of life who is God Himself, and became the first of “those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage” (Heb 2:15). God, however, did not give up. On the contrary, man’s “no” was the decisive impulse that moved Him to manifest His love in all of its redeeming strength.

The Cross reveals the fullness of God’s love

It is in the mystery of the Cross that the overwhelming power of the heavenly Father’s mercy is revealed in all of its fullness. In order to win back the love of His creature, He accepted to pay a very high price: the blood of His only begotten Son. Death, which for the first Adam was an extreme sign of loneliness and powerlessness, was thus transformed in the supreme act of love and freedom of the new Adam. One could very well assert, therefore, together with Saint Maximus the Confessor, that Christ “died, if one could say so, divinely, because He died freely” (Ambigua, 91, 1956). On the Cross, God’s eros for us is made manifest. Eros is indeed – as Pseudo-Dionysius expresses it – that force “that does not allow the lover to remain in himself but moves him to become one with the beloved” (De divinis nominibus, IV, 13: PG 3, 712). Is there more “mad eros” (N. Cabasilas, Vita in Cristo, 648) than that which led the Son of God to make Himself one with us even to the point of suffering as His own the consequences of our offences?

“Him whom they have pierced”

Dear brothers and sisters, let us look at Christ pierced in the Cross! He is the unsurpassing revelation of God’s love, a love in which eros and agape, far from being opposed, enlighten each other. On the Cross, it is God Himself who begs the love of His creature: He is thirsty for the love of every one of us. The Apostle Thomas recognized Jesus as “Lord and God” when he put his hand into the wound of His side. Not surprisingly, many of the saints found in the Heart of Jesus the deepest expression of this mystery of love. One could rightly say that the revelation of God’s eros toward man is, in reality, the supreme expression of His agape. In all truth, only the love that unites the free gift of oneself with the impassioned desire for reciprocity instills a joy, which eases the heaviest of burdens. Jesus said: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself” (Jn 12:32). The response the Lord ardently desires of us is above all that we welcome His love and allow ourselves to be drawn to Him. Accepting His love, however, is not enough. We need to respond to such love and devote ourselves to communicating it to others. Christ “draws me to Himself” in order to unite Himself to me, so that I learn to love the brothers with His own love.

Blood and water

“They shall look on Him whom they have pierced.” Let us look with trust at the pierced side of Jesus from which flow “blood and water” (Jn 19:34)! The Fathers of the Church considered these elements as symbols of the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist. Through the water of Baptism, thanks to the action of the Holy Spirit, we are given access to the intimacy of Trinitarian love. In the Lenten journey, memorial of our Baptism, we are exhorted to come out of ourselves in order to open ourselves, in trustful abandonment, to the merciful embrace of the Father (cf. Saint John Chrysostom, Catecheses, 3,14ff). Blood, symbol of the love of the Good Shepherd, flows into us especially in the Eucharistic mystery: “The Eucharist draws us into Jesus’ act of self-oblation … we enter into the very dynamic of His self-giving” (Encyclical Deus caritas est, 13). Let us live Lent then, as a “Eucharistic” time in which, welcoming the love of Jesus, we learn to spread it around us with every word and deed. Contemplating “Him whom they have pierced” moves us in this way to open our hearts to others, recognizing the wounds inflicted upon the dignity of the human person; it moves us, in particular, to fight every form of contempt for life and human exploitation and to alleviate the tragedies of loneliness and abandonment of so many people. May Lent be for every Christian a renewed experience of God’s love given to us in Christ, a love that each day we, in turn, must “regive” to our neighbour, especially to the one who suffers most and is in need. Only in this way will we be able to participate fully in the joy of Easter. May Mary, Mother of Beautiful Love, guide us in this Lenten journey, a journey of authentic conversion to the love of Christ. I wish you, dear brothers and sisters, a fruitful Lenten journey, imparting with affection to all of you, a special Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 21 November 2006.

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

Hurrah for Bishop Laun!

2007-02-08T06:45:00.000-08:00

And, boo to Erich Leitenberger, if the report about him is accurate. Austrian mall owner excommunicated over abortion clinic rental.

After Decades of Neo-modernism this is a bit of a Shock

2007-01-24T08:24:00.000-08:00

Jesuit Statement on Abortion

Holy Father on Children and the Media

2007-01-24T06:27:00.000-08:00

CHILDREN AND THE MEDIA: A CHALLENGE FOR EDUCATION

VATICAN CITY, JAN 24, 2007 (VIS) - Made public today, Feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists, was Benedict XVI's Message for the World Day of Social Communications, which this year is due to be celebrated on May 20, on the theme: "Children and the Media: A Challenge for Education."

The Holy Father's Message has been published in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese. Extracts from the English language version are given below:

"The theme of the Forty-first World Communications Day," the Holy Father's Message begins, "invites us to reflect on two related topics of immense importance. The formation of children is one. The other, perhaps less obvious but no less important, is the formation of the media.

"The complex challenges facing education today are often linked to the pervasive influence of the media in our world. ... Indeed, some claim that the formative influence of the media rivals that of the school, the Church, and maybe even the home. 'Reality, for many, is what the media recognize as real.'

"The relationship of children, media, and education can be considered from two perspectives: the formation of children by the media; and the formation of children to respond appropriately to the media. ... Within this framework, training in the proper use of the media is essential for the cultural, moral and spiritual development of children."

"Educating children to be discriminating in their use of the media is a responsibility of parents, Church, and school. The role of parents is of primary importance. They have a right and duty to ensure the prudent use of the media by training the conscience of their children to express sound and objective judgments which will then guide them in choosing or rejecting programs available. In doing so, parents should have the encouragement and assistance of schools and parishes in ensuring that this difficult, though satisfying, aspect of parenting is supported by the wider community.

"Media education should be positive. Children exposed to what is aesthetically and morally excellent are helped to develop appreciation, prudence and the skills of discernment. Here it is important to recognize the fundamental value of parents' example and the benefits of introducing young people to children's classics in literature, to the fine arts and to uplifting music. While popular literature will always have its place in culture, the temptation to sensationalize should not be passively accepted in places of learning."

"Like education in general, media education requires formation in the exercise of freedom. This is a demanding task. So often freedom is presented as a relentless search for pleasure or new experiences. Yet this is a condemnation not a liberation! True freedom could never condemn the individual - especially a child - to an insatiable quest for novelty. In the light of truth, authentic freedom is experienced as a definitive response to God's 'yes' to humanity, calling us to choose, not indiscriminately but deliberately, all that is good, true and beautiful. Parents, then, as the guardians of that freedom, while gradually giving their children greater freedom, introduce them to the profound joy of life.

"This heartfelt wish of parents and teachers to educate children in the ways of beauty, truth and goodness can be supported by the media industry only to the extent that it promotes fundamental human dignity, the true value of marriage and family life, and the positive achievements and goals of humanity. Thus, the need for the media to be committed to effective formation and ethical standards is viewed with particular interest and even urgency not only by parents and teachers but by all who have a sense of civic responsibility.

"While affirming the belief that many people involved in social communications want to do what is right, we must also recognize that those who work in this field confront 'special psychological pressures and ethical dilemmas' which at times see commercial competitiveness compelling communicators to lower standards.

"Any trend to produce programs and products - including animated films and video games - which in the name of entertainment exalt violence and portray anti-social behavior or the trivialization of human sexuality is a perversion, all the more repulsive when these programs are directed at children and adolescents. How could one explain this 'entertainment' to the countless innocent young people who actually suffer violence, exploitation and abuse?"

"Again I appeal to the leaders of the media industry to educate and encourage producers to safeguard the common good, to uphold the truth, to protect individual human dignity and promote respect for the needs of the family.

"The Church herself, in the light of the message of salvation entrusted to her, is also a teacher of humanity and welcomes the opportunity to offer assistance to parents, educators, communicators, and young people. Her own parish and school programs should be in the forefront of media education today."

Items of Note

2007-01-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

Religious Persecution Growing Worldwide, Group Says

The Spread of Faith: Religion, Born Again - Der Spiegel, Germany - Jan. 15, 2007

Bosnia's Muslims divided over inroads of Wahhabism

Prod Bigotry Alive and Well in Nebraska

"It Is the Right for Every Muslim to Interpret the Quran for Themselves" It is not readily apparent whether this gal is a Mohammedan-style "Womanpriest" or is attempting a hermaneutic of peace on the Koran.

Another Long Regensburg Analysis

2007-01-16T16:48:00.000-08:00

Another Long Regensburg Analysis We wonder whether this Jesuit's hope that a hermaneutic of peace can actually be applied to the Koran by the Mohammedans is not pure Pollyannaism.

Catholic bishops uneasy at demand for new mosques

2007-01-16T16:37:00.000-08:00

Catholic bishops uneasy at demand for new mosques

We Stick With the Church's Prudential Judgement on the Death Penalty

2006-12-30T11:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some comments from critics of the execution of Saddam Hussein including Cardinal Martino's:

Saddam's execution punishes 'a crime with another crime. ... The death penalty is not a natural death. And no one can give death, not even the state.' _ Cardinal Renato Martino, Pope Benedict XVI's top prelate for justice issues, to the Rome newspaper La Repubblica.

Mohammedans Try To Commandeer Spanish Cathedral

2006-12-30T03:05:00.000-08:00

Cordoba cathedral in Spain is situated inside a complex that used to be a mosque. The mosque itself was built upon the remains of a church which had been destroyed by the invading Moors. It is currently the subject of a third attempt by Muslims to allow it to be used as an Islamic place of worship.

Orthodoxy's SSPX

2006-12-22T09:55:00.000-08:00

Tsk tsk.

God's Law or Secular Law?

2006-12-22T07:11:00.000-08:00

The Muslim Charter "an initiative challenging Muslim communities living in the West to subordinate their interpretations of Sharia law to the laws of the land" sounds from this article like an initiative with really horrific implications.

The practical subordination of God's law to secular law is a mark of totalitarianism, and the results have been particularly apparent in the 20th century. The very concept of human rights can only be coherent if such rights arise from something transcending the arbitrary secular law. The Nuremberg Trials only make sense if there is a "higher" law than that promulgated by the state. If there is not such a "higher" law, the Nuremberg trials represent nothing other than an exercise of force.

No, the problem is not in the Mohammedans believing that God's law is higher than the secular law. The Catholic Magisterium certainly teaches that. The problem is that many (arguably a plurality of) Mohammedans have a terribly defective understanding of God's law, most problematically in the area of religious freedom. One risks various forms of oppression up to and including death to convert from Mohammedanism to Christianity in most Mohammedan-majority countries.

For those groups of Mohammedans who do believe that God's law prohibits the killing of non-combatants and who also believe that God's law prohibits violent repression of religious freedom, we can have respect--with them we can engage in dialogue. Unfortunately, there is clearly no consensus within Mohammedanism that such is the nature of God's law.

The proposed Muslim Charter effectively asks Mohammedans to convert from their religion to secularism. This will not be good either for their own souls or for the European countries they live within.

3 Non-Negotiable Principles

2006-12-21T07:29:00.000-08:00

Not news, since it was from March, 2006. But it is from a new compilation from the International Observatory - Cardinal Van Thuân - for the social Doctrine of the Church. Sounds very odd in English to call it an Observatory. Check it out.

The three non-negotiable principles.

Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI
to the participants in the Conference promoted by the European People’s Party

«As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, the principal focus of her interventions in the public arena is the protection and promotion of the dignity of the person, and she is thereby consciously drawing particular attention to principles which are not negotiable. Among these the following emerge clearly today:

- protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception until natural death;

- recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family - as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage - and its defence from attempts to make it juridically equivalent to radically different forms of union which in reality harm it and contribute to its destabilization, obscuring its particular character and its irreplaceable social role;

- the protection of the right of parents to educate their children.

These principles are not truths of faith, even though they receive further light and confirmation from faith; they are inscribed in human nature itself and therefore they are common to all humanity.. The Church’s action in promoting them is therefore not confessional in character, but is addressed to all people, prescinding from any religious affiliation they may have. On the contrary, such action is all the more necessary the more these principles are denied or misunderstood, because this constitutes an offence against the truth of the human person, a grave wound inflicted onto justice itself».

One Shot of Anthropophagy, Please!

2006-12-19T08:27:00.000-08:00

Speaking of products from Hell, anthropophagy has been given new life by the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to the fraudulent hype regarding the fetal stem cell miracle cures that will soon become for us a fountain of youth, we have the much more prosaic and common problem of vaccines that are derived from aborted fetal stem cell lines. Moral theologians correctly distinguish between the remote cooperation with this crime that we incur when we (typically unwittingly) have our children inoculated from the more obvious (and messy!) direct killing and eating of a human victim. Nonetheless, the acts are of the same genus. When we kill humans and then use their tissue to sustain our health or life, we are acting in the mode of cannibals.

In a word, it is ghoulish. That the medical industry and the government regulators who approve their products subject citizens to the dilemma of choosing between vampirism or not vaccinating our children is shameful and criminal. It is also bad policy.

The FDA is currently accepting comments from the public on this very issue. The public has until December 28th to submit comments. This can be done online at the FDA.

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/oc/dockets/comments/CommentSearch.cfm?CID=&AGENCY=FDA

The docket ID is: 2006D-0383. You can just enter that and click the "Find" button. Then enter your comment.

Don't Buy What Hell is Offering

2006-12-18T06:10:00.000-08:00

In New Zealand, Catholics are advised not to buy from Hell. The majority of abortions occur after contraception has been used, but has failed. The underlying premise of the use of condoms is that the users are attempting to prevent the exchange of bodily fluids with someone who might transmit any one of a number of horrifying diseases. Pregnancy is considered to be one of the horrifying diseases that may be transmitted.

The gigantic and almost universally unexamined assumption that the widespread availability of (and instruction in the use of) contraceptive techniques and devices reduces the rate of abortion has absolutely no evidence to support it. This bears repetition. THERE IS NO STATISTICAL EVIDENCE that the availability of contraception reduces the rate of abortions. On the contrary, there is a strong correlation between widespread availability of contraception and a high rate of unwanted pregnancies.

So, we concur with the call in New Zealand to boycott the products that are being offered by Hell.

Sacred Music, A Most Worthy Cause

2006-12-16T12:33:00.000-08:00

Check out the Sacred Music Website and read Dr. Mahrt's Message

Special Message from William Mahrt, President of the CMAA Dear Friend of Sacred Music,

The first Sunday of Advent is soon upon us. For most of Church history, people at morning Mass would hear a glorious Gregorian melody sung to the text of the Introit from the choir's book, the Graduale. The words of the first chant of the new liturgical year convey the meaning and capture the purpose of all sacred music:

Ad te levavi animam meam.
To thee have I lifted up my soul.

If you are like most Catholics in this country, you will not hear this melody on Advent. Nor will a bright of "Puer natus est" greet you on Christmas morning. Nor will a plaintive "Invocabit me" mark the first Sunday of Lent. For many people, not even the most basic chants, such as seasonal Marian antiphons, are heard in their local parishes.

It is no secret that Catholic music is not what it should or could be, so I'll not continue with a litany of loss. What we need now is a clear path forward. More precisely, we need to walk the path that the Church has laid before us. Our generation must continue the restoration of sacred song.

Indeed, the Church has urged our parishes to adopt Gregorian chant and polyphony because the chant is an integral part of Mass. Pope Benedict XVI has said that even new music for the Church should share in the lineage of chant. Cardinal Arinze, head of the Congregation of Divine Worship, has called for a full Latin Mass with chant every week in all but the smallest parishes.

But how do we get from here to there? Musicians need training, singers need resources, priests need education, the Bishops who are working for change need support, and the faithful need to experience sacred music so they can come to love it and sing it with the angels and saints.

As a means toward that end, I like to ask you to join and generously support the Church Music Association of America. The CMAA is a nonprofit organization uniquely positioned to make a difference: through our journal Sacred Music, through colloquia and workshops around the country, through distribution of music and educational resources, and through expertise that we can share with musicians around the country and the world. We've put together an ambitious plan to make this a reality in our parishes and in our lifetimes.

We have already seen results. People around the world are using the CMAA's authoritative editions of Gregorian chant, via our website (musicasacra.com). We've published some of the most scholarly--and practical--writings on sacred music to appear in many years. Our summer colloquium, the most well attended in years, has produced fruit in parish after parish around the country.

The activities of the CMAA have been written up in Catholic World Report, The Wanderer, and Catholic World News, as well as many secular venues that are taking notice of the change in the air. Journalist Amy Welborn credits the CMAA for sparking a revival of sacred music that it impossible to miss.

When the US Bishops' subcommittee on music and the liturgy met in the Fall of 2006 to draft a new document on music, the CMAA was there to present a perspective that reflected the true intent of the Second Vatican Council, which called for Latin chant to be given primacy of place in the liturgy.

Our journal Sacred Music is the oldest continually published journal of music in the United States. A new generation of writers, composers, conductors, and editors have infused its pages with an impassioned zeal for beauty and truth. Circulation is rising rapidly. It is now a 60-page quarterly and has been warmly received in parishes around the country.

The CMAA is not a new organization. It was founded in 1964 in the closing days of the Second Vatican Council, as the coming together of the St. Cecilia and St. Gregory Societies. It quickly gained an affiliation with the Consociatio Internationalis Musicae Sacrae in Rome, founded by Paul VI to protect and propagate sacred music after the Council.

In a real way, the CMAA was made Rome's voice on matters of music in the United States. Our journal made the case for continuity with our sacred musical heritage. The CMAA helped publish the Liber Cantualis and the Adoremus Hymnal--two collections that have done so much to restore a sense of dignity and solemnity to modern worship.

Thanks to the efforts of its presidents, officers, members, and benefactors, the CMAA worked quietly and behind the scenes from the late 1960s onward. But music publishers began to promote styles and approaches that reflected popular and secular trends, rather than the true wishes Council. Even in the midst of upheaval, the CMAA maintained its high standards and ideals, and prepared for the future that is now upon us.

Times have changed again. Rome is becoming more explicit in its demands, and many US Bishops are prepared to help. A generation of new priests is determined not to repeat the mistakes of the 1970s. Many young people today are learning chant and Latin, and they want to help bring them back. New scholas are being founded all over the country, and they are singing at Mass. Diocesan Catholic newspapers are noting the change, and running more stories about exciting developments in sacred music.

The CMAA today is helping to make the difference. The restoration of the music of the Church requires a large investment of time and energy. But it is worth our every effort.

As John Paul II said in his St. Cecilia Day message, Gregorian chant and choral music based on it has "a special place" because it "corresponds best with the qualities demanded by the notion of sacred music, especially liturgical music."

Pope Benedict XVI, too, has been a magnificent defender of sacred music, speaking on the subject in many formal and informal talks. He has given a much-welcome tribute to the organ, which he said "gives resonance to the fullness of human sentiments, from joy to sadness, from praise to lamentation. By transcending the merely human sphere, as all music of quality does, it evokes the divine."

It is for this reason that the annual CMAA Colloquium on Sacred Music features organ at Mass and in recitals. This coming year, we will introduce new tutorials for organ as well, along with the best training in Gregorian chant and polyphony available. This conference alone--we have reserved enough space this year for 125-plus attendees--can transform Catholic music in America.

Now, let me let share with you a striking truth: the CMAA has no paid staff. Not even the outstanding contributors to Sacred Music are compensated. Maybe that can change someday, but, for now, anyone who does anything for the organization directly is contributing time and talent purely out of love for beautiful liturgy.

There are nonetheless expenses, and they are mounting by the day. There are website costs, printing costs, typesetting costs, promotional costs, travel costs, and so much more. It is gratifying work but it is also rather alarming to do what we do on such an extremely thin budget.

This system works for now, but I look forward to the day when the CMAA can be more financially stable and thus expand dramatically our workshops, publications, and educational efforts.

Thus do we need your help.

Please keep your membership in the CMAA up to date, or, if you are not a member, join today. Musicasacra.com uses paypal to make joining and contributing easy. Or you can write the address below.

How much should you give? Year-end gifts of $50, $100, $200, and $300 are very much welcome. If you can give more--$500, $1000, or $5,000â€”please do, and know of our deep gratitude.

Also, please consider giving a gift subscriptions to Sacred Music to every Church musician you know. We also provide an option for a full parish membership for $150.

We do not have the resources to undertake expensive mailings with color brochures, much less hire writers to make just the right pitch. We have to rely on you to forward this note to other friends of sacred music. You know people who understand how critical this issue is. Help us to get to know them too.

Finally, I would like to ask you to say a prayer of thanks for those who have led this cause through difficult times, and pray for the future success of the CMAA and the restoration of the sacred in the liturgy and of excellence in its music.

Sacred music is a cause that affects all our lives as Catholics. It should be beautiful, holy, and universal, like the faith itself. The quality of our liturgy is also linked with the quality of our prayer. A revival in the Catholic Church will also have an impact on our culture. It will encourage conversions. It will help rebuild the practice of our faith after so many years of wandering.

Perhaps not this year, but maybe next or the next and then forever after, we can all be greeted on the morning of Advent to a rebirth of music that causes us to lift our souls to the Lord our God. A renaissance awaits. Please help make it possible.

Sincerely

William Mahrt
President

Pizza President?

2006-12-16T11:08:00.000-08:00

Domino's Pizza founder tosses money, influence to Sen. Brownback. This hit piece, surprisingly, lacks any quote from Frances Kissling.

Saturday Night is NOT All Right for Fighting

2006-12-16T10:27:00.000-08:00

Regarding Laetare Sunday, Father Cantalamessa, the Pontifical Household preacher, quoted recently from Leopardi's poem. Here is the poem in English translation:

THE VILLAGE SATURDAY NIGHT.

The damsel from the field returns,
The sun is sinking in the west;
Her bundle on her head she sets,
And in her hand she bears
A bunch of roses and of violets.
To-morrow is a holiday,
And she, as usual, must them wear
Upon her bodice, in her hair.
The old crone sits among her mates,
Upon the stairs, and spins;
And, looking at the fading light,
Of good old-fashioned times she prates,
When she, too, dressed for holidays,
And with light heart, and limb as light,
Would dance at night
With the companions of her merry days.
The twilight shades around us close,
The sky to deepest blue is turned;
From hills and roofs the shadows fall,
And the new moon her face of silver shows.
And now the cheerful bell
Proclaims the coming festival.
By its familiar voice
How every heart is cheered!
The children all in troops,
Around the little square
Go, leaping here and there,
And make a joyful sound.
Meanwhile the ploughman, whistling, returns
Unto his humble nest,
And thinks with pleasure of his day of rest.

Then, when all other lights are out,
And all is silent round,
The hammer's stroke we hear,
We hear the saw of carpenter,
Who with closed doors his vigil keeps,
Toils o'er his lamp and strives so hard,
His work to finish ere the dawn appear.

The dearest day of all the week
Is this, of hope and joy so full;
To-morrow, sad and dull,
The hours will bring, for each must in his thought
His customary task-work seek.

Thou little, sportive boy,
This blooming age of thine
Is like to-day, so full of joy;
And is the day, indeed,
That must the sabbath of thy life precede.

Enjoy, it, then, my darling child,
Nor speed the flying hours!
I say to thee no more:
Alas, in this sad world of ours,
How far exceeds the holiday,
The day that goes before!

In the original:

La donzelletta vien dalla campagna
in sul calar del sole,
col suo fascio dell'erba; e reca in mano
un mazzolin di rose e viole,
onde, siccome suole, ornare ella si appresta
dimani, al dí di festa, il petto e il crine.
Siede con le vicine
su la scala a filar la vecchierella,
incontro là dove si perde il giorno;
e novellando vien del suo buon tempo,
quando ai dí della festa ella si ornava,
ed ancor sana e snella
solea danzar la sera intra di quei
ch'ebbe compagni nell'età piú bella.
Già tutta l'aria imbruna,
torna azzurro il sereno, e tornan l'ombre
giú da' colli e da' tetti,
al biancheggiar della recente luna.
Or la squilla dà segno
della festa che viene;
ed a quel suon diresti
che il cor si riconforta.
I fanciulli gridando
su la piazzuola in frotta,
e qua e là saltando,
fanno un lieto romore;
e intanto riede alla sua parca mensa,
fischiando, il zappatore,
e seco pensa al dí del suo riposo.

Poi quando intorno è spenta ogni altra face,
e tutto l'altro tace,
odi il martel picchiare, odi la sega
del legnaiuol, che veglia
nella chiusa bottega alla lucerna,
e s'affretta, e s'adopra
di fornir l'opra anzi al chiarir dell'alba.

Questo di sette è il più gradito giorno,
pien di speme e di gioia:
diman tristezza e noia
recheran l'ore, ed al travaglio usato
ciascuno in suo pensier farà ritorno.

Garzoncello scherzoso,
cotesta età fiorita
è come un giorno d'allegrezza pieno,
giorno chiaro, sereno,
che precorre alla festa di tua vita.
Godi, fanciullo mio; stato soave,
stagion lieta è cotesta.
Altro dirti non vo'; ma la tua festa
ch'anco tardi a venir non ti sia grave.

Note that the Lepanto League has as its reading theme for next year "The 19th Century -- What the Hell Happened?" We are definitely reading Manzoni, and we may squeeze in some Leopardi.

2nd Protestant Reformation?

2006-12-13T05:49:00.000-08:00

A Second Protestant Reformation - the essayist argues that the homosexual rights movement constitutes a "Second Protestant Reformation." Hmm..., maybe he's got something there.

Plurality in Islam

Here are the translated words of Robert Redeker about Islam as published in Le Figaro last September--an appraisal of the Mohammedan threat. And, this pundit's article about that article's author, Le Figaro's apology, and the other folks also in hiding because of Mohammedan death threats.

Reflections on Ghastly Transhumanism

2006-12-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

The Anti-Theology of the Body is worth a read. Eastern Orthodox theologian David B. Hart considers the significance of John Paul II's Theology of the Body for bioethics and beyond.

MESSAGE FOR THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE 2007

2006-12-12T07:17:00.000-08:00

VATICAN CITY, DEC 12, 2006 (VIS) - Made public today was Benedict XVI's 2nd Message for the World Day of Peace. The Day falls on January 1, 2007, and has as its theme: "The Human Person, the Heart of Peace." The text has been published in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese.

Extracts from the Message are given below:

"At the beginning of the new year, I wish to extend prayerful good wishes for peace to governments, leaders of nations and all men and women of good will"

"As one created in the image of God, each individual human being has the dignity of a person; he or she is not just something, but someone, capable of self-knowledge, self-possession, free self-giving and entering into communion with others."

"Likewise, peace is both gift and task. If it is true that peace between individuals and peoples - the ability to live together and to build relationships of justice and solidarity - calls for unfailing commitment on our part, it is also true, and indeed more so, that peace is a gift from God."

"The body of rules for individual action and the reciprocal relationships of persons in accordance with justice and solidarity, is inscribed on human consciences, in which the wise plan of God is reflected. ... Peace is thus also a task demanding of everyone a personal response consistent with God's plan. The criterion inspiring this response can only be respect for the 'grammar' written on human hearts by the divine Creator.

"From this standpoint, the norms of the natural law ... should be welcomed as a call to carry out faithfully the universal divine plan inscribed in the nature of human beings. Guided by these norms, all peoples - within their respective cultures - can draw near to the greatest mystery, which is the mystery of God. Today too, recognition and respect for natural law represents the foundation for a dialogue between the followers of the different religions and between believers and non-believers. As a great point of convergence, this is also a fundamental presupposition for authentic peace."

"The duty to respect the dignity of each human being, in whose nature the image of the Creator is reflected, means in consequence that the person can not be disposed of at will. Those with greater political, technical, or economic power may not use that power to violate the rights of others who are less fortunate. Peace is based on respect for the rights of all. Conscious of this, the Church champions the fundamental rights of each person.

"In particular she promotes and defends respect for the life and the religious freedom of everyone. Respect for the right to life at every stage firmly establishes a principle of decisive importance: life is a gift which is not completely at the disposal of the subject. ... The right to life and to the free expression of personal faith in God is not subject to the power of man.

"As far as the right to life is concerned, we must denounce its widespread violation in our society: alongside the victims of armed conflicts, terrorism and the different forms of violence, there are the silent deaths caused by hunger, abortion, experimentation on human embryos and euthanasia. How can we fail to see in all this an attack on peace? Abortion and embryonic experimentation constitute a direct denial of that attitude of acceptance of others which is indispensable for establishing lasting relationships of peace.

"As far as the free expression of personal faith is concerned, another disturbing symptom of lack of peace in the world is represented by the difficulties that both Christians and the followers of other religions frequently encounter in publicly and freely professing their religious convictions. Speaking of Christians in particular, I must point out with pain that not only are they at times prevented from doing so; in some States they are actually persecuted, and even recently tragic cases of ferocious violence have been recorded.

"There are regimes that impose a single religion upon everyone, while secular regimes often lead not so much to violent persecution as to systematic cultural denigration of religious beliefs. In both instances, a fundamental human right is not being respected, with serious repercussions for peaceful coexistence. This can only promote a mentality and culture that is not conducive to peace."

"At the origin of many tensions that threaten peace are surely the many unjust inequalities still tragically present in our world. Particularly insidious among these are, on the one hand, inequality in access to essential goods like food, water, shelter, health; on the other hand, there are persistent inequalities between men and women in the exercise of basic human rights.

"A fundamental element of building peace is the recognition of the essential equality of human persons springing from their common transcendental dignity. ... The extremely grave deprivation afflicting many peoples, especially in Africa, lies at the root of violent reactions and thus inflicts a terrible wound on peace.

"Similarly, inadequate consideration for the condition of women helps to create instability in the fabric of society. I think of the exploitation of women who are treated as objects, and of the many ways that a lack of respect is shown for their dignity; I also think - in a different context - of the mindset persisting in some cultures, where women are still firmly subordinated to the arbitrary decisions of men, with grave consequences for their personal dignity and for the exercise of their fundamental freedoms. There can be no illusion of a secure peace until these forms of discrimination are also overcome, since they injure the personal dignity impressed by the Creator upon every human being."

"Humanity, if it truly desires peace, must be increasingly conscious of the links between natural ecology, or respect for nature, and human ecology. Experience shows that disregard for the environment always harms human coexistence, and vice versa."

"In recent years, new nations have entered enthusiastically into industrial production, thereby increasing their energy needs. ... Meanwhile, some parts of the planet remain backward and development is effectively blocked, partly because of the rise in energy prices."

"The destruction of the environment, its improper or selfish use, and the violent hoarding of the earth's resources cause grievances, conflicts and wars, precisely because they are the consequences of an inhumane concept of development."

"Thus there is an urgent need, even within the framework of current international difficulties and tensions, for a commitment to a human ecology that can favour the growth of the 'tree of peace.' ... It is understandable that visions of man will vary from culture to culture. Yet what cannot be admitted is the cultivation of anthropological conceptions that contain the seeds of hostility and violence. Equally unacceptable are conceptions of God that would encourage intolerance and recourse to violence against others. This is a point which must be clearly reaffirmed: war in God's name is never acceptable!"

"Today, however, peace is not only threatened by the conflict between reductive visions of man, in other words, between ideologies. It is also threatened by indifference as to what constitutes man's true nature. ... A 'weak' vision of the person, which would leave room for every conception, even the most bizarre, only apparently favors peace. In reality, it hinders authentic dialogue and opens the way to authoritarian impositions, ultimately leaving the person defenseless and, as a result, easy prey to oppression and violence."

"The protection of human rights is constantly referred to by international bodies and, in particular, the United Nations Organization, which set itself the fundamental task of promoting the human rights indicated in the 1948 Universal Declaration. That Declaration is regarded as a sort of moral commitment assumed by all mankind. There is a profound truth to this, especially if the rights described in the Declaration are held to be based not simply on the decisions of the assembly that approved them, but on man's very nature and his inalienable dignity as a person created by God. Consequently it is important for international agencies not to lose sight of the natural foundation of human rights."

"Were that to happen, the international bodies would end up lacking the necessary authority to carry out their role as defenders of the fundamental rights of the person and of peoples, the chief justification for their very existence and activity."

"The recognition that there exist inalienable human rights connected to our common human nature has led to the establishment of a body of international humanitarian law which States are committed to respect, even in the case of war. Unfortunately, to say nothing of past cases, this has not been consistently implemented in certain recent situations of war. Such, for example, was the case in the conflict that occurred a few months ago in southern Lebanon, where the duty 'to protect and help innocent victims' and to avoid involving the civilian population was largely ignored."

"The new shape of conflicts, especially since the terrorist threat unleashed completely new forms of violence, demand that the international community reaffirm international humanitarian law, and apply it to all present-day situations of armed conflict, including those not currently provided for by international law.

"Moreover, the scourge of terrorism demands a profound reflection on the ethical limits restricting the use of modern methods of guaranteeing internal security. Increasingly, wars are not declared, especially when they are initiated by terrorist groups determined to attain their ends by any means available. In the face of the disturbing events of recent years, States cannot fail to recognize the need to establish clearer rules to counter effectively the dramatic decline that we are witnessing."

"Another disturbing issue is the desire recently shown by some States to acquire nuclear weapons. This has heightened even more the widespread climate of uncertainty and fear of a possible atomic catastrophe."

"Unfortunately, threatening clouds continue to gather on humanity's horizon. The way to ensure a future of peace for everyone is found not only in international accords for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, but also in the determined commitment to seek their reduction and definitive dismantling. ... The fate of the whole human family is at stake!"

"Finally, I wish to make an urgent appeal to the People of God: let every Christian be committed to tireless peace-making and strenuous defense of the dignity of the human person and his inalienable rights. ... In Christ we can find the ultimate reason for becoming staunch champions of human dignity and courageous builders of peace."

Mirabile Dictu

2006-12-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

Anecdotal positive news about Mohammedan conversions to Christianity. Note well, if there is no compulsion in religion, then every Mohammedan must oppose the threats of discrimination, legal sanction, violence and death which hang over the head of any convert to Christianity in a Mohammedan-dominated country.

Mohammedans in Denial

2006-12-11T07:57:00.000-08:00

Mohammedan denial of the genocides of the 20th Century is deplorable. Shame on the Iranian government.

Da Vinci my A...

2006-12-09T09:01:00.000-08:00

Da Vinci my a..

Nice Mohammedan Tribute to the Blessed Virgin

Cologne Cardinal's Directive Stirs Inter-Faith Dialog Debate

The religious affiliation of the Congress

Catholicism: Best Brand on the Planet?

2006-12-08T06:48:00.000-08:00

The worst problems in the American Church come from bishops and pastors viewing it as a corporate business. Now this guy claims Catholicism has the best "brand" in history.

Unacceptable: Another venerable Catholic Church sold to become mosque.

Papal Love From the National Catholic Register

Missionaries of Lectio Divina

2006-12-07T17:31:00.000-08:00

"I urge you to become familiar with the Bible, and to have it at hand so that it can be your compass pointing out the road to follow." Zenit

Wearing the Hijab Because of Threats from Fellow Mohammedans

2006-12-07T15:17:00.000-08:00

77 percent of girls wearing the hijab said they did so because of physical threats from Islamist groups

Counterterrorism, integration of Islam in Europe

Apparent Victory: The Christian's Body that the Mohameddans were trying to steal from the Catholic widow in Malaysia has been reluctantly returned.

Christianity in India

DNA sequencing test may end long search for St Ketavan’s relics in Goa

Sensible Australian Mohammedans act Correctly

Gregorian chants between your study groups

2006-12-07T07:04:00.000-08:00

Hot off the Budapest Press regarding Catholic Culture

Christmas Gift Idea?

2006-12-06T06:52:00.000-08:00

Book Review: Saints: A Year in Faith and Art by Rosa Giorgi. Say, I wouldn't mind getting a copy.

is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian Religion...

2006-12-06T05:05:00.000-08:00

"As the government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian Religion..." I would be interested to see this verified from a less tendentious source.

John Allen's follow up on Papal Trip to Turkey

"Shall the Fundamentalists Win?"A lengthy excerpt from a book about Christianity in the Southern Hemisphere.

Immigration and religious demographics.

Mohammedans Kidnap Another Priest in Baghdad

2006-12-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

Chaldean Patriarchate confirms Father Samy’s abduction. The priest, who is rector of the Major Seminary, disappeared yesterday. He was supposed to open the new academic year yesterday.

You are invited to join the Patriarch in calling on Mary's intercession.

Fr. Groeschel and the Grinch

2006-12-05T06:37:00.000-08:00

Fr. Groeschel on opposing the Grinch this Christmas.

Armenian Genocide

2006-12-04T16:20:00.000-08:00

A review of A Shameful Act By Taner Akcam Translated by Paul Bessemer. This book is on the Turkish genocide of the Armenians: a Turkish historian has mined and synthesized the Ottoman Empire's internal documents and memoirs.

News & Opinion

2006-12-04T06:45:00.000-08:00

Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor talking about the usual topics that secular journalists are so fixated upon.

In Lebanon, a crisis for Christians. Pierre Gemayel's murder is yet another blow to the Christian bloc, sidelined by a Sunni-Shiite political divide.

A thoughtful Mohammedan analysis of Pope Benedict's posture towards Mohammedanism.

Rwanda: Church Role in Genocide Under Scrutiny

Here's a blog entry reviewing Jihadwatch and providing some grounds for further research.

Nice blog entry on false causality, and the Mohammedan suggestion that critical occidentals are to blame when the occidentals make a criticism of some Mohammedans and then various Mohammedans start rioting/burning/murdering.

Two from the ever-popular American Thinker:

What Islamic Science and Philosophy?

Islam and the Problem of Rationality

72,000 Lonely Virgins

2006-11-29T09:12:00.000-08:00

This is, in a sense, about the birds and the bees, in that there may hopefully be a shortage of Mohammedan suicide bombers in the future, with consequent unemployment prospects for those virgins in Mohammedan Heaven.

Papal Visit et al.

2006-11-29T08:33:00.000-08:00

Follow in detail the Pope's Trip to Turkey on the American Papist

Religion and Respect for Law
Religious faiths, particularly Protestantism, Catholicism, Asian Ethnoreligion, and Hinduism, have a positive effect on a nation’s respect for the rule of law and level of corruption, according to a Baylor University research paper.

Islam vs. McWorld - 2004 NCR Review of a Book on Secularism's Threat to Mohammedanism

The Pope and Radical Islam - another John Allen piece.

Media and religion in the Arab/Islamic World

"Let me sum it all up. Until recently, the media in the Arab/Islamic world by and large have tended to aggravate numerous political and religious pathologies through their disregard for truth and accuracy, a habit shaped by their literary and propagandist antecedents. They have been the least faithful to Islam’s own standards, leading to dangerous distortions of this religion."

The address made to the Pope by Turkey's Director of Religious Affairs. He puts the obligatory, albeit implicit threat of violence against anyone who points out that numerous Mohammedans commit violence in the name of their religion in this way:

"...we all regret to observe that during the recent times Islamophobia has been in escalation promoting such notions that the religion of Islam with its sources and history encourages violence, that Islam has spread by force of sword and that Muslims are potentially violent. I wish to make it known to all that each member of Islam whose name originates from peace, is very much deeply touched and offended by such accusations and claims which are not based on any historical fact and on any scientific research nor do they commensurate with any sense of justice and fairness. Moreover, it should not be forgotten that such accusations and attempts can only serve to encourage those who perform wrong-doings on behalf of religion by way of exploitation."

Dialogue of religions?
- Another Turkish Mohammedan's viewpoint.

Religious Liberty

2006-11-27T15:54:00.000-08:00

Malaysian Catholic blogger writes about the Mohammedan oppression of Catholics.

The State of Religious Liberty in Turkey Sounds a bit more rosy than I've seen elsewhere.

Official Vatican Page on the Trip to Turkey

Basic Islam for Hindu Dhimmis: Hindu oppression by Mohammedans

Secular World Attacks Organized Belief

Now stop whining about our beloved Catholic/Hispanic immigrants.

2006-11-26T07:22:00.000-08:00

This article is getting a lot of play. European minorities torn between worlds - an anecdotal survey of cultural mishmash. See how good we have it? Now stop whining about our beloved Catholic/Hispanic immigrants.

And you may ask yourself:

2006-11-25T08:04:00.000-08:00

And you may ask yourself
This is a secular state?
And you may ask yourself
Where is that large Catholic Church?
And you may tell yourself
This is not equality of rights!
And you may tell yourself
This is not a European state!

LOW TURNOUT FOR POPE'S VISIT

A strange article on the ancient history and current situation in Abyssinia. Avert an East African Islamic Terror Volcano – Break down fake ‘Ethiopia’!

RECONSTRUCTION OF A GLOBAL CRISIS - How the Pope Angered the Muslim World

Conventual Franciscan Friar Martin Kmetecef describes Benedict XVI's forthcoming visit to Turkey as a "courageous gesture."

Nigerian Archbishop on Oil and the Common Good

2006-11-25T07:06:00.000-08:00

Here are excerpts from a speech that Abuja Archbishop John Onaiyekan gave at a Nov. 2-3 gathering of the Catholic bishops' conference of Nigeria. The theme of the gathering was "Making Oil and Gas Wealth Serve the Common Good."

Wahhabism, et alia

2006-11-24T09:51:00.000-08:00

Wahhabism

Turkish men on trial for insulting 'Turkishness'. Actually, it is because they are converts to Christianity.

Erdogan calls on pope to back 'alliance of civilizations'.

'Hi, my name is Ahmed and I want to be a suicide bomber'. An interview.

Goat Grabbing

2006-11-24T07:37:00.000-08:00

Goat Grabbing. Seriously. Better than a rodeo. Almost as good as Portuguese-style bullfighting.

"Police: Nationalist Turks occupy Haghia Sophia to protest papal visit."

Threats and extortion force Caritas Mosul to shut down

Blogger attacks Time Magazine Article on Islam/Christianity

Electronic jihad's cyber soldiers

Jihad Finds a Strange Advocate

2006-11-22T07:26:00.000-08:00

Opinion/analysis by Sandro Magister on the recent La Civiltà Cattolica editorial.

Hobnobbing Nabobs

2006-11-22T06:45:00.000-08:00

A regular conservativelonghairpalooza: America's Post-Secular Future.

That Wild and Wacky Former Archbishop

2006-11-22T06:35:00.000-08:00

Archbishop rejects excommunication. Milingo reminds me of certain other bishops who are in denial as to their excommunication--but at least Milingo provides comical relief.