secular Institute for the laity under religious vows

from "Vatican News"

Vatican Honors 500 Years of Swiss Guards

By NICOLE WINFIELD
The Associated Press


VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI thanked the Swiss Guards on Sunday for their 500 years of service protecting the popes, as the Vatican opened its official commemorations of the anniversary of the first mercenaries' arrival from Switzerland.

An honor corps of Swiss Guards, in their full blue- and-yellow bloomered dress uniforms and red-plumed helmets, stood at attention in St. Peter's Square as Benedict addressed them from his studio window. He recalled how Pope Julius II had summoned the mercenaries to protect him and the Vatican. They arrived Jan. 22, 1506.

From" The New Jersey Post"

New Jersey Passes Death Penalty Moratorium Measure

TRENTON, N.J. - Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark praised the New Jersey Legislature for passing a death penalty moratorium bill, calling it "a giant step" toward finding another way to punish criminals and protect its citizens.

"The state of New Jersey took a giant step in affirming what the bishops have long stated: that a developed and civil society should examine alternative processes for protecting its citizens and punishing effectively those who have committed grave wrongs," he said.

The archbishop, who is also president of the state's Catholic conference, issued his statement after the bill passed the state Assembly Jan. 9 by a vote of 55-21. The bill had passed the state Senate by a vote of 30-6 in December. New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey has said he will sign the bill before he leaves office Jan. 17.

The bill suspends executions while a task force studies how the death penalty has been applied in the state. New Jersey would become the third state to enact such a moratorium.


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Black Pro-life Apostolate Announces Rosary Campaign

NEW YORK - The New York-based National Black Catholic Apostolate for Life will hold its second annual "Black Catholic Rosary Across America for Life" Jan. 23 to mark the 33rd year since the Supreme Court legalized abortion virtually on demand.

Black Catholics and all people who support the culture of life are invited to pray the rosary for life on that day to end abortion and all acts of violence against human life, said Franciscan Father James Goode, OFM, the apostolate's founder and president.

On Jan. 22, 1973, the court handed down its Roe v. Wade decision, which threw out most state restrictions on abortion, and its companion decision, Doe v. Bolton, which permitted abortions through all nine months of pregnancy.

"By praying the 'Black Catholic Rosary Across America for Life,' we as black Catholics are committed through the intercession of Mary, the mother of life to impact our community with the message of life and change lives and attitudes," the priest said.


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Ky. Diocese, Insurers Agree To Abuse Settlement Fund

COVINGTON, Ky. - The Covington Diocese and its insurers have agreed to establish a fund that could reach $85 million to settle child sex abuse claims.

The agreement paves the way for a court-approved settlement of 382 claims made against the diocese by Nov. 10 last year.

The agreement between the diocese and its insurers, Catholic Mutual Group and American Insurance Co., was announced in Boone County Circuit Court before Special Judge John Potter.

Potter was conducting a fairness hearing on the settlement plan offered jointly by the diocese and by lawyers for the claimants.

Under the plan, the diocese would contribute $40 million to the settlement fund, Catholic Mutual Group would provide $40 million and American Insurance Co. would add $5 million.

The plan calls for the money to be distributed to claimants with the amount to be determined by the gravity of each person's claim, with compensation ranging from $5,000 to $450,000 per individual.


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Diocesan TV Reminded About Closed-Captioning

WASHINGTON - The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is 10 years old, but some of its provisions are still being implemented.

One that escaped the notice of many Catholic broadcasters is the requirement that most broadcast programming must be closed-captioned.

The requirement is placed on local television stations, which are at risk of Federal Communications Commission fines for not complying.

But stations have told their local programming providers that the providers must pick up the tab for closed-captioning.

But in an era where the overwhelming majority of shows on local channels are network programs, syndicated fare, local news and infomercials, there are very few other programming providers.

Of those few, one would be a Catholic diocese producing a Mass for shut-ins. The closed-captioning requirement took effect Jan. 1.

However, some local stations didn't notify diocesan program providers who was going to be on the hook for closed-captioning until just a few months ago.

Some dioceses have filed for waivers on the requirement until they can get the captioning equipment in place. Those who have asked for a waiver do not have to comply until their case is resolved.


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Ethical Approaches Make Church Unity Appear Distant

DURHAM, England - While many of the doctrinal differences that divided Christians for centuries are close to being resolved, different approaches to modern ethical questions are making Christian unity appear as distant as ever, said Cardinal Walter Kasper.

"I am very sad we are not able to speak with one voice on these issues to a world that needs to hear," the cardinal said at an international ecumenical conference at Ushaw College, a Catholic seminary in Durham.

The cardinal, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Durham and delivered the keynote address at the opening of an ecumenical conference organized by the university to discuss steps the Catholic Church and its dialogue partners should take at a time when full Church unity seems distant.


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�'Celibate Gay Priest' Resigns At a Catholic University

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - In response to a recent Vatican instruction on homosexuality and priesthood, a Benedictine priest who describes himself as a "celibate gay priest" resigned as chaplain and director of campus ministry at St. John's University.

In an e-mail to administrators and students explaining his decision, Benedictine Father Robert Pierson told them about his sexual orientation but said he does not accept several of the Vatican document's assertions.

The Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education has said candidates should not be accepted for priesthood if they have "deep-seated homosexual tendencies," live a gay lifestyle or have been sexually active.

"I do not believe my own sexuality is 'objectively disordered,' or that it puts me �'in a situation that seriously obstructs (me) from properly relating to men and women,'" Father Pierson said.

I am not surprised!, Are you!
n

from "the Washington Post"

Technology's Seamier Side
Fates of Pornography and Internet Businesses Are Often Intertwined

By Mike Musgrove
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 21, 2006; D01



At the adult entertainment industry's equivalent of the Oscars in Las Vegas this month, comedian-host Greg Fitzsimmons zeroed in on the entrenched relationship between the Internet and pornography.

"The Internet was completely funded by porn," he said from the stage of the 23rd annual AVN Awards show. And if it wasn't for the Internet, he added, "you guys would be completely out of business." The audience, packed with porn actors and adult entertainment moguls like Jenna Jameson and Larry Flynt, roared with laughter.

This week, the Justice Department said it subpoenaed four major Internet companies in an effort to crack down on children's access to porn. The government asked Mountain View, Calif.-based Google to turn over every query typed into its popular search engine over the course of one week. Google has said it will resist the demand.

The standoff has resonated in the online world not only because of its privacy implications, but because it goes to the heart of what has spurred the Internet to such prodigious growth. Online pornography, a $2.5 billion business and growing rapidly, pioneered such now-commonplace practices as streaming video, trading files and making online purchases. By comparison, sales of music downloads totaled $1.1 billion last year.

It's an old joke that every new technology is driven by porn: A big attraction for digital cameras, some hold, was the ability to take bedroom photos without having to take film to the snickering teenagers at the corner photo shop. And a force behind the rapid spread of VCR and, later, DVD sales was the ability to watch blue movies without being seen at a theater.

More recently, when Apple announced an iPod with video playback capabilities, there was a stampede among adult entertainment companies to announce that they were making video programming available in the player's format. Mobile porn is already such a booming business that it has its own trade show, the Mobile Adult Content Congress, which will take place in Miami next week. Scheduled speakers include representatives from Virgin Mobile UK and Vodafone, as well as porn actor Ron Jeremy.

"Of course pornography has played a key role in the Web," said Paul Saffo, an analyst with Silicon Valley think tank Institute for the Future. Explicit images have been key in the advent of many technologies, he said. "Porn is to new media formats what acne is to teenagers," he said. "It's just part of the process of growing up."

Pornography is a murky industry to track. A quick search on the term "porn" turned up 41.2 million hits on Google yesterday, compared with 194 million for "iPod" -- and 551 million for the word "blog."

How many adult-oriented sites are on the World Wide Web depends a lot on whom you ask. Local porn historian Ralph Whittington, a former curator at the Library of Congress who built a museum-quality personal collection of X-rated magazines and videos, said he believes there are about 200,000 pornographic sites on the Web. On the other hand, the Web site Internet Filter Review said it calculates that there are 4.2 million pornographic sites online, based on its own research.

It's more difficult still to track how many mainstream companies derive revenue from the adult entertainment industry, from search engines such as Google to video streaming providers such as RealNetworks Inc.

Mainstream companies almost never specify how much money they earn from the skin trade. "They don't like to talk about it," said Sasa Zorovic, an analyst for Oppenheimer & Co. "It's a huge, huge market. Yet no one will say a word about it."

Rob Enderle, a tech industry analyst, said that technology and pornography have an interdependent relationship that tech pundits don't often acknowledge.

"So much of the technology that we're using now for less risque purposes had its origins in porn," said Enderle, who pointed to online "streaming video" as one major example of a technology that was driven by porn in its early days.

For example, while Hollywood is still struggling with how best to put its movies online, entire porn empires have been built by production companies selling streaming-video programs on the Internet. Naughty America, one such company, has been in the business for five years but only last year decided to make some of its programming available on DVD.

The porn industry faces at least as much online piracy as Hollywood, said Dusty Lillo, a spokesman for the company. But for companies like Naughty America, pirated half-hour movies mean more viewers -- and more viewers means more potential customers. It's a dynamic that doesn't work as well for a Hollywood studio that may have its fortunes for the year tied up in one or two $100 million blockbuster films.

While attending a recent adult entertainment trade show in Las Vegas, Wired.com sex columnist Regina Lynn said she saw other emerging technologies that will likely be adopted by the porn industry before going mainstream -- for example, a start-up company called Mobile Streaming Solutions working to make live video chat possible on cell phones.

"They were so cute," Lynn said of the company's executives. "They were this bunch of 40-something-year-old Silicon Valley guys in business suits -- and they were so embarrassed to be there."

Staff writers Yuki Noguchi and Ben White and staff researcher Richard Drezen contributed to this report.

from The Imitation of Christ" book 4

MAN SHOULD NOT SCRUTINIZE THIS SACRAMENT IN CURIOSITY
MAN SHOULD NOT SCRUTINIZE THIS SACRAMENT IN CURIOSITY, BUT HUMBLY IMITATE CHRIST AND SUBMIT REASON TO HOLY FAITH

THE VOICE OF CHRIST

BEWARE of curious and vain examination of this most profound Sacrament, if you do not wish to be plunged into the depths of doubt. He who scrutinizes its majesty too closely will be overwhelmed by its glory.

God can do more than man can understand. A pious and humble search for truth He will allow, a search that is ever ready to learn and that seeks to walk in the reasonable doctrine of the fathers.

Blest is the simplicity that leaves the difficult way of dispute and goes forward on the level, firm path of God's commandments. Many have lost devotion because they wished to search into things beyond them.

Faith is required of you, and a sincere life, not a lofty intellect nor a delving into the mysteries of God. If you neither know nor understand things beneath you, how can you comprehend what is above you? Submit yourself to God and humble reason to faith, and the light of understanding will be given you so far as it is good and necessary for you. Some are gravely tempted concerning faith and the Sacrament but this disturbance is not laid to them but to the enemy.

Be not disturbed, dispute not in your mind, answer not the doubts sent by the devil, but believe the words of God, believe His saints and prophets and the evil enemy will flee from you. It is often very profitable for the servant of God to suffer such things. For Satan does not tempt unbelievers and sinners whom he already holds securely, but in many ways he does tempt and trouble the faithful servant.

Go forward, then, with sincere and unflinching faith, and with humble reverence approach this Sacrament. Whatever you cannot understand commit to the security of the all-powerful God, Who does not deceive you. The man, however, who trusts in himself is deceived. God walks with sincere men, reveals Himself to humble men, enlightens the understanding of pure minds, and hides His grace from the curious and the proud.

Human reason is weak and can be deceived. True faith, however, cannot be deceived. All reason and natural science ought to come after faith, not go before it, nor oppose it. For in this most holy and supremely excellent Sacrament, faith and love take precedence and work in a hidden manner.

God, eternal, incomprehensible, and infinitely powerful, does great and inscrutable things in heaven and on earth, and there is no searching into His marvelous works. If all the works of God were such that human reason could easily grasp them, they would not be called wonderful or beyond the power of words to tell.

[From Imitation of Christ, Book 4, by Thomas a' Kempis]

nancyanne, I like your thread. I don't have anything to contribute really, but I hope you continue posting.

Is that your baby as your avatar? That's one cute guy.
Wait, is he as 'he'?

Dear Flushd:

Thank you so much for you vote of confidence! I love doing it and I love my readers also and thank you so much. I so love the Catholic Church that I wanted to do this to just support her in a normal way not in a crazy way, just in the middle showing both sides--not far left or far right! Just loving the Church!

Yes it is a picture of how my baby doberman looks. Timber, of A2K did it for me; he was so good to do it; I am so greatful; I will never change it! Today, I took him to the vets and he was diagnosed with advanced cancer and I will know Friday morning if he has a couple of weks to live of months to live. Today is a hard day for me, I cannot stop crying, I love him so very much. The doctor told me not to put him down yet as he still has quality of life left. She put him on prednisone and a special diet.

He is almost 13 years old now and has such a wonderful life with me and I don't want him to suffer and the doctor said I will now exactly when the time is right because I am the mother and he is my baby! Those of you who have pets and have had pet know how hard it is today to hear this news! But I wouldn't trade this experience of having a dog for all the experiences in the world! You pet lovers know!

Thanks for listening everyone and Flushd and thanks for asking about him!

nancyann

from "Vatican News"

Caritas Internationalis Says Aid Still Needed to Secure Niger from Hunger
24 Jan 2006 11:07:00 GMT

Source: Caritas Internationalis

Nancy McNally
Website: http://www.caritas.org

Background GRAPHIC: Niger food crisis hits critical level


FIND A CHARITY: Aid groups respond to Niger food crisis


TALKING POINT: The global food aid controversy


FAMINE RESOURCE FILE: The reality of hunger


Vatican City, 23 January 2006 - Caritas Internationalis is calling for just over 2 million dollars to bring aid to those still suffering from the food crisis in Niger, as well as to rebuild Niger's own means of food production to keep its people out of the grips of hunger.

Although the most recent harvest, 2005-2006, was better than the previous season's, much of the population is still suffering from severe malnutrition. In the crisis of 2004-2005, over 3 million people were going hungry. Today, over 2 million are still going hungry. Most of those are women and children.

The funds are most needed to bring food aid to some 25,000 people. Of these, the most severely malnourished 10 percent will receive food through direct distribution, while the others will participate in a food-for-work programme. Those who are able-bodied will help dig wells, plant, or work in other ways towards re-establishing each community's own means of agricultural production, for food in return. The benefits will then extend to their families, or 150,000 people in

You know, let us pray for this priest. Ordinarily I would not post this, I would let it out, but I promised I would give you all info. Please look at the good he did also!

n

And pray for him!

n

Europe



The Times January 24, 2006

Priest raped us in an orgy, says nun
By Richard Owen



A PRIEST whose devotion to saving the souls of prostitutes and porn stars has earned him celebrity status in Italy has been arrested on charges of sexual violence and group rape.
Father Fedele Bisceglia, 69, was arrested after a nun alleged that she and other women had been raped at their Franciscan hostel at Cosenza in Calabria, southern Italy. Antonio Gaudio, 39, Father Bisceglia's assistant, has also been charged with sexual harassment. Both men deny the charges.



Father Bisceglia, a striking, white-bearded figure with piercing blue eyes, is a national figure in Italy because of his missionary work for the poor as well as his colourful, extrovert television appearances.

He is probably best known for having converted Luana Borgia, a porn actress, to Christianity ten years ago, persuading her to enter a convent on a retreat to reflect on her life and "purify herself spiritually". Father Bisceglia even accompanied Ms Borgia to the Bologna "Erotic Fair", where she announced her conversion and set up a stall collecting money for an ambulance for one of his missions in Africa.

Signora Borgia, who was 30 at the time, said that she was "tired of the pornography business" and had been searching for a way to start again. She said that she had known Father Bisceglia "for some time" and they had become friends after she agreed to help him with fundraising for charity.

The priest, who is also a qualified doctor, is the founder of the Franciscan Oasis, a hostel and social centre at Cosenza providing food and shelter for the poor, detainees on day release, former prostitutes, young single mothers and illegal immigrants. He also set up a "Franciscan disco" in the town, offering "soft drinks and the Gospel instead of alcohol and drugs".

He is also noted for his missionary work in Africa, where over the past two decades he has campaigned to tackle leprosy and to set up hospitals, social centres and churches. Last year he became caught up in fighting in Congo-Brazzaville but escaped unhurt.

He makes frequent television appearances, notably on Domenica In (Home on Sunday), a popular afternoon variety and chat show.

He was also president of Cosenza football club last season. Father Bisceglia said that he was innocent of the charges, which were "completely invented". He said that the nun was unbalanced. "The woman is mad. I am being persecuted like Jesus Christ," he said.

However, local police alleged that telephone taps appeared to confirm the nun's story. Pornographic videos had been found at the priest's home, police said, some allegedly filmed at the Cosenza hostel.

Police said that the nun had been subjected to a psychiatric examination and found to be in full possession of her mental faculties. Allegations by three other women against the priest and his assistant were also being investigated.

Monsignor Salvatore Nunnari, the Archbishop of Cosenza, expressed "fraternal support" for Father Bisceglia but said that he did "not know all the facts. I have complete faith in Italian justice and the process of law," the archbishop said.

IndyStar.com Local News Metro & State

7:40 AM January 24, 2006


ND president questions 2 arts events
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The new University of Notre Dame president questioned Monday whether "The Vagina Monologues" and a Queer Film Festival held on campus the past few years should be sponsored by university departments.


The Rev. John I. Jenkins, who took over as president of the Roman Catholic school on July 1, did not say he would cancel the events, but is scaling back both events. He discussed the matter on Monday during a speech to faculty members and plans to address students on Tuesday. He said also wants to hear from alumni.
He told the faculty he worried that sponsorship by university departments indicated a certain level of acceptance. As an example, he said the school would face questions if it were to sponsor a play that was anti-Semitic.
"A reasonable observer would assume that the university is sponsoring an event that, in fact, is clearly and egregiously at odds with its values as a Catholic university," he said.
He said events that are inconsistent with Catholic values should not be allowed at Notre Dame.
After his 50-minute speech, though, some of the faculty questioned him, saying that a university is the place where thoughts and ideas should be challenged.
Margaret Doody, an English professor, said the university should be a place for freedom and that higher education had already been through a period where research and thinking were restrained.
"It was known as McCarthyism," she said.
But others praised Jenkins for taking up the issue. Margot O'Brien, who teaches in the accounting department, said plays such as "The Vagina Monologues" had no place at Notre Dame.
"It is a matter of treating something that is evil as good, and that's just wrong," she said.
Jenkins said he wasn't surprised by the responses.
"People have strong feelings about this and there are strong differences of opinions," he said.
Jenkins, who was a top Notre Dame administrator for four years before becoming president, told the faculty members he supported academic freedom -- calling it essential to the university -- but said academic freedom has limits.
"I do not believe that freedom of expression has absolute priority in every circumstance," he said. "While any restriction on expression must be reluctant and restrained, I believe that, in some situations, given the distinctive character and aspirations of Notre Dame, it may be necessary to establish certain boundaries, while defending the appropriate exercise of academic freedom."
Jenkins' predecessor, the Rev. Edward A. Malloy, allowed "The Vagina Monologues" and a Queer Film Festival on campus, but did not comment about them. He was criticized by Bishop John D'Arcy of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese for allowing them.
Jenkins said he would allow "The Vagina Monologues" to be performed on campus this year, but only in a classroom setting and tickets can't be sold. He said the film festival will go on, but under a new name -- Jenkins said the Queer Film Festival "seems to celebrate homosexual activity" -- and with limited content.
"My understanding is there won't be discussion of morality of sexual behavior or sexual activity but rather a discussion of films about gays and lesbians," he said.

taken from "americancatholic.org"

Persevere in Prayer
Lord, may I persist in prayer,
Coming daily to your temple.
You wait for me here, always.
You never tire of me,
Why should I ever grow weary of seeking your face?
Forgive me, God, when I become lazy or disinterested,
Too caught up in the world to visit with you,
talk to you and seek your will, your loving will in my life.
from Healing Troubled Hearts: Daily Spiritual Exercises

Nancyann, when you pray do you always use formulated words, or do you compose your own? Which do you think would be more effective?

Today is the Feastday of St. Francis de Sales.
Buona Festa to all of the Salesian family!

"The person who possesses Christian meekness is affectionate and tender
towards everyone: he is disposed to forgive and excuse the frailties of
others; the goodness of his heart appears in a sweet affability that
influences his words and actions, presents every object to his view in the
most charitable and pleasing light."

-- St. Francis de Sales

I think that is awesome that you love your faith so much!

nancyanne,
I am so sorry to hear of the bad news. He is very beautiful and he looks amazing for a 13 yr old. It's obvious you have been taking such good care of him.

Lots of love to you and your special guy. I'll be sending positive thoughts to both of you.

p.s. Thank you very much for this thread. It brings me a lot of hope and reminds me to practise - -tolerance- -

Sure hope it all goes well - as well as such things can go, anyhow - with your baby, nancyann. I know just how hard that hits.

Nothing fixes it, but THIS might help you cross that bridge when you get to it.

That's a great site, 'KO.

I've had to make that decision also. Not easy.

But try to think of all the good years your pet has had with you.
He's a lucky pup to have such a loving owner.

I will address one at a time! Hi Neo: Thanks for posting the question! Personally I pray to Jesus all of the time in my own words unless I am at mass or in a group saying the rosary! I have such a hard time saying the rosary until times like this, I say it all of the time now ask Mary for strength in my time of need in anticipatating the loss of my baby whom I cherish! I once said to my spiritual director that I felt guilty only praying the rosary when I felt in need, he said Mary is such a Mother and of all people she would understand! The spiritual director was a great old wise Franciscan! I talk to Jesus all day long about everything. I pray the Angel of God prayer each time I get into my car and put my hands on the wheel and I ask my guardian angel to let me never hurt anyone in life--behind the wheel or in this site or anywhere! Today there was a field mouse that got into in my house and I didn't want my cat to get it or it would kill it so I got its tail and brought it outside and cringed my teeth all the way! I was so scared of it!

When I was younger, I prayed formal prayers all of the time and counted up all of the indulgences for everone I knew in a notebook. I wanted everyone to get equal share of the graces the I grew in the grace of the Lord, I think! I still have the note book!

But I go to confession every other week. That is about the only formal thing I do now!

George:

Thank you so much for posting about the feast day of St Francis De Sales, Patron St. of Gentility and Kindness. Don't you just love him for it. His writing are just so very beautiful to read--especially On The Love of God. That was so nice of you to do that! It made me so happy! Thanks again! Keep posting George and everyone! I love it.

n

Flushd:

You are such a good friend! Thank you for the kind thoughts and words! You have lots to offer our thread, keep posting; we love to hear from you! I spend lots of time today with my guy before counseling! He is on 6 pills and a special diet, no pain and his same laid back beautiful personality. His vet grabbed his neck yesterday when she gave ne the news and cried and said to him, "You have been my buddy all these years boarding at my house when mommy went on retreat! I will miss you!" I won't let him be in pain at all! When the time comes we will part!

Thanks for your thoughts and kindness....glad you are here with all of us!

n

And Timber, Our special Timber:

Thank you for our support! I just finished reading your suggested site about "Rainbow Bridge" and I have had to blow my nose and wipe my tears away! It helps so much! You know just what to say! Thanks so much! I will cherish the site for a long time!

n