Catholic Scholars Blast Common Core in Letter to U.S. Bishops

About 130 Catholic scholars around the country have signed a hard-hitting letter to U.S. Catholic bishops denouncing the Common Core State Standards as doing “a grave disservice to Catholic education” and urging the bishops  to ignore the standards or, in the more than 100 dioceses that have already adopted them, to give them up.

The letter was sent by Gerard V. Bradley, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, to every Catholic bishop in the country, with 132 scholars from various disciplines and institutions signing on.

Read more at The Washington Post >>

Catholic Bishops To Defy Obama's "Coercive" Abortion Mandate

 "No door is closed, except to capitulation."

From LifeNews.com

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops today issued a “Special Message” at the conclusion of their fall General Assembly, November 13, in Baltimore. They unanimously passed the special message, which can only be issued (at) such meetings and strongly condemned the HHS mandate.

They said that, with its “coercive mandate,” the Obama administration “is refusing to uphold its obligation to respect the rights of religious believers.”

When Bishops Do the Right Thing

His Excellency Bishop Robert Vasa

Commentary from LifeSiteNews
By Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, President, Human Life International

Ought we rejoice in Lent? Well, Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, Oregon, has given us the absolute best reason to rejoice in a penitential season: he yanked the title "Catholic" from a hospital in his diocese that refuses actually to be Catholic. What a refreshing development in episcopal leadership! In fact, Lent is probably the perfect time for such an act to take place because it is an exercise of discipline and courage, which we love to see in our prelates. Bishops who are true shepherds, and not politicians, strengthen us and enliven our faith - thank you, Bishop Vasa!

The point of contention that the good bishop had with the St. Charles Hospital in Bend, OR was the hospital's practice of surgical sterilization. Apparently the Board of Directors thought that the Church's clear prohibition of this practice was, uh, optional. So after a fair and timely investigation, the bishop could not convince the hospital administration to change practices and simply yanked the Catholic name and insignia from the building with the exception of the cross on top to remind them of their failure to live up to the challenge of the Cross.

Can't you hear the bishop wince when the president of the healthcare chain, James Diegel, said that the hospital had "an obligation to provide comprehensive health care services to our patients while remaining true to our values of compassion and caring for all"? This sounds like slimy Planned Parenthood language if you ask me.

Outside of the fact that sterilization is the direct mutilation of an organ of the body and is not true health - care, the Church condemns the act in no uncertain terms as immoral. Well, the bishop was right not to tolerate that kind of nonsense - and the Church is stronger for it! One hates to think how many other nominally Catholic hospitals are getting away with the same thing due to lack of honest Church investigations into their practices.

In serving an international mission like HLI, I have a privileged chance to see many bishops around the world who actually do the right thing when the terms of their office require it, and their churches are generally vibrant and faithful because of their strong leadership.

There are just a handful of bishops in the technologically-sophisticated western world, however, who exhibit the resolute moral courage that is required to remove the title of "Catholic" from an institution that is in rebellion against the authentic Faith; even fewer who have the guts to discipline a public figure who betrays the Faith in favor of his own leftist values. (Vice President Joe Biden, by the way, appeared in public on Wednesday with ashes on his forehead....) Yet, there is a growing trend in the United States toward greater episcopal strength and orthodoxy, and we have to applaud it when we see it because these bishops will be severely attacked and will need our support.

In a related case, Bishop Tobin of Providence, RI recently told Congressman Patrick Kennedy he couldn't receive Communion and was assailed ferociously by the pseudo-Catholic Chris Matthews on MSNBC; yet, lo and behold, the dissenting congressman decided not to run for Congress in the next term.

Are the two things related? One can't know for sure, but I would still call it a net gain for Catholic orthodoxy. When bishops do the right thing - there is no telling what can happen, even in godless politics.

The name "bishop" in the original Greek mean "overseer." In other words, he "watches over" his flock. We, as members of Christ's faithful, truly long for the courageous oversight of bishops - our faith, our families and our souls need such pastoral care.

If you haven't already decided on a special intention this Lenten Season, please pray in a special way for our bishops; prayers, fasting, and sacrifices can be offered for their continued strength and defense of the Church.

Bishops Consult Lesbian on Health Care

US Bishops Issue Pastoral Letter on Marriage, Condemn Contraception, Homosexual Unions

From Catholic World News

The bishops of the United States have issued a 60-page pastoral letter on marriage that offers an overview of Catholic teaching on the sacrament while addressing the challenges posed by contraception, same-sex unions, divorce, and cohabitation.

The draft of the document, which earned praise from pro-life and pro-family leaders, underwent nearly 100 changes before it was approved by a 180-45 margin. For example, in the section on contraception-- which cites Humanae Vitae seven times-- the sentence “this is an intrinsically evil action” was changed and expanded to

This is objectively wrong in and of itself and is essentially opposed to God’s plan for marriage and proper human development. It makes the act of intercourse signify, or speak, something less than the unreserved self-gift intended in the marriage promises.

The draft’s key paragraph condemning the legal recognition of homosexual unions remained unchanged:

The legal recognition of same-sex unions poses a multifaceted threat to the very fabric of society, striking at the source from which society and culture come and which they are meant to serve. Such recognition affects all people, married and non-married: not only at the fundamental levels of the good of the spouses, the good of children, the intrinsic dignity of every human person, and the common good, but also at the levels of education, cultural imagination and influence, and religious freedom.

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

• Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan (USCCB)
• Bishops OK marriage pastoral with many changes, some opposition (CNS)
• Draft of pastoral letter (National Catholic Reporter)
• Leaked US Bishops Draft Marriage Pastoral Letter Strong, but Under Fire from Dissidents (LifeSiteNews.com)

66 Bishops Decry 'Toxic Residue' of Notre Dame Scandal

Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua expresses "great distress" at Obama invitation and calls for invitation to be rescinded

From LifeSiteNews
By Kathleen Gilbert

Four more U.S. bishops have come out against the decision by the University of Notre Dame to honor President Obama with the commencement address and an honorary law degree at the school's graduation May 17.

Philadelphia's Archbishop Emeritus, Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, released to the Catholic professional group Legatus his letter to University president Fr. Jenkins expressing "great distress" at the invitation and calling for its retraction. (http://patricknovecosky.wordpress.com/2009/05/04/cardinal-bevilacqua-addresses-n...)

"While one may understand an invitation to President Obama to engage him in conversation on creating a culture of life, it is not appropriate for him to speak at the commencement exercises of a Catholic university, nor should he receive an honorary degree," wrote Bevilacqua. "Such actions cause confusion among faithful Catholics and send a mixed message regarding the clear Magisterium of the Catholic Church on life issues.

Read the rest of this entry >>

US Catholic Bishops Offer Support to Mormons Targeted for Defending Marriage, Backing California's Proposition 8

The US Catholic bishops have offered their "prayerful support and steadfast solidarity" to the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints in the face of attacks on the church and its members for working to pass California's Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage.

The support was offered in a November 21 letter from Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, chairman of the bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage, to Thomas S. Monson, president of the Mormon Church. The letter follows.

Dear President Monson,

On behalf of the members of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I am writing to express prayerful support and steadfast solidarity with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in view of recent events.

We have watched with great distress in recent weeks as some members of society have reacted intemperately, and sometimes even violently, to the decision of the voters in support of Proposition 8 in California. We have been especially troubled by the reports of explicit and direct targeting of your church personnel and facilities as the objects of hostility and abuse. We pray that prudence and healing may prevail.

The members of the Committee offer you our profound gratitude for your role in the broad alliance of faith communities and other people of good will who joined together to protect marriage, while at the same time, witnessing to the honor and respect due to every human person created in the image and likeness of God.

Fraternally yours in Christ,

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz
Archbishop of Louisville

Chairman, Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage

Does This Sound Like A Consensus?

From Catholic World News, "Off The Record"

Ideological allies? Absolutely not. But although they disagree on many other things, these voices are singing in tune on one topic. See if you can pick out the dominant note:

• Voice of the Faithful press release:

  Voice of the Faithful has publicly called for the Holy Father to ask for the resignations of all bishops who put the interests of the institutional Church before the safety of Catholic children.

• Sister Maureen Paul Turlish (writing in the Philadelphia Inquirer):

  Not one bishop has been removed from office because of his own complicity, collusion or cover-up of the church's continuing sexual-abuse problems. Nor has anyone been forced to resign for violating Canon Law or criminal or civil laws.

• Victims' lawyer Mitchell Garabedian (quoted in the Boston Herald):

  Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston attorney who has represented hundreds of clergy abuse victims, said Benedict needs to do more than meet with victims. He needs to remove the notorious bishops and supervisors who knowingly shuffled pedophile priests from parish to parish, allowing abuse to continue for years.

• CWN editor Phil Lawler (quoted in a Dallas Morning News editorial):

  Mr. Lawler, a conservative Catholic and Benedict supporter, told us yesterday that he's comforted by the pope's admission of shame over abusive priests but that it isn't enough. Said Mr. Lawler: "It would be truly liberating to hear him acknowledge that he is also ashamed of the bishops whose negligence – and even complicity – allowed the scandal to fester and undermined public confidence in the church."

• Victims' spokesman Peter Isely (quoted by AP):

  "It's easy and tempting to continually focus on the pedophile priests themselves," said Peter Isely, a board member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. "It's harder but crucial to focus on the broader problem - complicity in the rest of the church hierarchy."

• Bishop Accountability project (quoted in the New York Times):

  Anne Barrett Doyle co-director of Bishop Accountability, a Web site that documents the sexual abuse scandal, expressed similar skepticism. She said that what the pope did not say is more important that what he did. “Rather than shifting attention to pedophile priests, he needs to focus on the culpability of bishops,” she said. “The crisis occurred because many U.S. bishops were willing to hide their priests’ crimes from the police with lies.”