Las Nuevas Caras del Catolicismo Americano

IN REPLY TO (IRT)
COLORADODOG
“0BAMA”:
POSTED MAY 30, 2009 4:45 PM

IRT:
“- inviting Obama to speak at Notre Dame and then making a political spectacular out of it, calling him "a baby murderer" and "pro-abortion"

ANS:
Catholics didn’t invite Obama to Notre Dame (ND), Notre Dame did.

Obama voted three times to protect an abortionist to finish murdering his victim after he botched the abortion and the victim survived. Moreover, in the Senate Obama voted to protect Partial Birth Abortion (PBA).

You know what PBA is don’t you? A butcher poising as a doctor plunges a surgical scissors into the back of a little baby fighting for its first breath and sucks out its brains, and sells its flesh on the open market for $500/lb.

Planned Parenthood president Mary Calderone:
"Abortion is the taking of a life."

“Late-term fetuses are being dissected and their parts sold for huge profits. Only 2 percent of late-term fetuses have any abnormalities. They range in age from 4 to 7 months. Sometimes the babies are born alive, and the doctor must break their neck or beat them to death or put them to drown in the garbage with her mother's blood. Is this acceptable to you?"

Beverly McMillan:
“On why she stopped doing abortions: "It got to where I couldn't stand to see the little bodies anymore."

At ND, Obama called for the reduction of abortions while he lifted the ban on federal funding of abortion and gave the UN $50 million to fund the pro-Abortion UN Zero Population Org. That includes funding the murderers in China.

Mother Teresa
“The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between.

"America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men.

“It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts -- a child -- as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters"

Fifty million unborn are dead since “Roe v. Wade,” 43 million/ year die worldwide. What do you call murder?

IN REPLY TO (IRT)
COLORADODOG
THE HOLOCAUST:
POSTED MAY 30, 2009 4:45 PM

“In September 1945, Dr. Leon Kubowitzky, the Secretary General of the World Jewish Congress, personally thanked the Pope in Rome for his interventions on behalf of Jews, and the World Jewish Congress donated $20,000 to Vatican charities.

Dr. Raffael Cantoni, head of the Italian Jewish community's wartime Jewish Assistance Committee, who would subsequently become the President of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, similarly expressed his gratitude

The Union of Italian Jewish Communities proclaimed April 17 as a "Day of Gratitude" for the Pope's wartime assistance in defying the Nazis. Dozens of Italian Catholics, including several priests and nuns, were awarded gold medals "for their outstanding rescue work during the Nazi terror."

A few weeks later, on May 26, 1955, the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra flew to Rome to give a special performance of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony, at the Vatican's Consistory Hall, to express the State of Israel's enduring gratitude for the help that the Pope and the Catholic Church had given to the Jewish people

On the day of Pius XII's death in 1958, Golda Meir, Israel's Foreign Minister, cabled the following message of condolence to the Vatican:

"We share in the grief of humanity…When fearful martyrdom came to our people in the decade of Nazi terror, the voice of the Pope was raised for the victims. The life of our times was enriched by a voice speaking out on the great moral truths above the tumult of daily conflict. We mourn a great servant of peace."

Before beginning a concert of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Leonard Bernstein called for a minute of silence "for the passing of a very great man, Pope Pius XII."

IN REPLY TO (IRT)
COLORADODOG
THE HOLOCAUST:
POSTED MAY 30, 2009 4:45 PM

ANS:
Catholics don’t deny the Holocaust, they lived in it during WWII. Three thousand priests died from the Nazi atrocities in Poland alone. Pope Pius save over 700,000 Jews and was praised by A Righteous Gentile: Pope Pius XII and the Jews
By Rabbi David Dalin, Ph.D.

The London Times of October 1, 1942, explicitly praises him for his condemnation of Nazism and his public support for the Jewish victims of Nazi terror. "
Pinchas Lapide documents conclusively the extraordinary relief and rescue efforts conducted by Pius XII and his diplomats during the Holocaust.

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, tributes to Pope Pius came from several other Jewish leaders who praised him for his role in saving Jews during the war.

In 1943, Chaim Weizmann, who would become Israel's first president, wrote that "the Holy See is lending its powerful help wherever it can, to mitigate the fate of my persecuted co-religionists."

Moshe Sharett, who would become Israel's first Foreign Minister and second Prime Minister: "I told him [the Pope] that my first duty was to thank him, and through him the Catholic Church, on behalf of the Jewish public for all they had done in the various countries to rescue Jews…We are deeply grateful to the Catholic Church."

In 1945, Rabbi Isaac Herzog, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, sent a message to Msgr. Angelo Roncalli (the future Pope John XXIII), expressing his gratitude for the actions taken by Pope Pius XII on behalf of the Jewish people.

"The people of Israel," wrote Rabbi Herzog, "will never forget what His Holiness and his illustrious delegates, inspired by the eternal principles of religion, which form the foundation of true civilization, are doing for our unfortunate brothers and sisters in the most tragic hour of our history, which is living proof of Divine Providence in this world."

IN REPLY TO (IRT)
COLORADODOG
POSTED MAY 30, 2009 4:45 PM
“BOTH WAYS”

IRT:
“[Catholics] always want it both ways:
- to be recognized as a foreign "nation" with tax exemption in the US as a "church"

ANS:
All religions have tax exemptions. The Catholic Church is a Charitable institution, do you wish to ban all charitable deductions. That might be a little costly if there is no charity.

IRT:
“- abortion is killing but capital punishment is not.
- crying about Catholic bashers while denying the Holocaust

ANS:
Abortion is murder; the unjust and intentional taking of an innocent human’s life.

Capital punishment is a penalty of just retribution for a murderer who unjustly and intentionally takes an innocent life, by neglect or intent.

IRT:
“- condemning gays from the pulpit and in these comments sections while hiding homosexual predators among their clergy.”

ANS:
Wrong again, the Church does not condemn the homosexual, it condemns “gay-sex,” lust, depravity, and licentiousness. These are violations of one’s self and others, a contradiction of their human nature.

Try looking up the “Dream Program” viz. “Catholic Charities DREAM (short for "Drug Resources Enhancement against Aids and Malnutrition). It has proven to be an efficient means of giving access to free ARV treatment with generic HAART drugs to the poor on a large scale: So far, 5,000 people are receiving ARV treatment, especially in Mozambique, but the program is being built up also in other countries: Malawi, Guinea, Tanzania and others.

“The clinic is run by the Italian Catholic charity, Santo Egidio, and treats 2,500 patients, among them 100 inmates from the local jail.

“Despite being FREE, the program aims at excellence in treatment, providing the best existent range of drugs (HAART) and regular.

Is it any wonder why you hate the Church so much; you have no sense what you hate. You only hate what you have no sense of what Catholics believe. Try the link below and find out what you actually hate, and then let me know.

The Official Teachings of the Catholic Church.
http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm

IN REPLY TO (IRT)
COLORADODOG
POSTED MAY 30, 2009 4:45 PM
“O’REILLY CATHOLICS”

IRT:
“O'Reilly's Catholics

ANS:
Sorry, wrong again. There are no O’Reilly Catholics. There are just Catholics period. Those who do not adhere to its teachings are spiritually “dead members” and are cut off from the sacraments of the Church until they are in good standing with the Church, whose head is God.

Many call themselves Catholic but unless they are in consonance with the Church and its teachings, they are only Catholics in name only, “dead members.” That includes pedophile and pederast priests, Bishops who cover up for perverts, active gays, adulterers, fornicators, and pro-abortionists and their collaborators and child abusers as well.

The person most responsible for his salvation is the individual. The Church is only there to assist man if he wants such assistance. Man has two choices, Heaven or Hell. The Church is there to help man get to Heaven. Man can choose Hell, but it will be his choice.

You can be mad as hell because the Church loves you, but there is nothing the Church can do about that; that is the mission of the Church, “To love one’s neighbor as one loves himself,” and to “Do unto others as they would do unto themselves.”

IN REPLY TO (IRT)
COLORADODOG
POSTED MAY 30, 2009 4:45 PM
“AMBASSADORS”

IRT:
“If priests and bishops are "ambassadors" who report to the Vatican why aren't they required to register in the US as agents of foreign nations?"

ANS:
The meaning of ambassadors is used in the sense that priest and Bishops are the official representatives of the Catholic Church in whatever country they may be.

IRT:
“…and why do we allow them, as agents of the Vatican, to interfere in US politics so much?”

ANS:
That’s just the way it is; the Church is ubiquitous throughout the world; why fight it, and why would any nation not want diplomatic relations with the Vatican? With all the information that flows into the Vatican from the four corners of the world, only a country full of nitwits wouldn’t want an ambassador in the Vatican.

Catholics are U. S Citizens; they have every right to be in politics and to participate in the affairs of their government.

The Catholic clergy cannot hold any political office. They have every right as all religious people do, to defend human life, and prevent evil.

Moreover, Catholics live in a society and have every right to participate in the affairs of the society in which they live. If you haven’t heard, there is a “Freedom Of Religion Clause” in the Constitution. Try reading it, and that should answer your question.

Persiflage:

"Will the murderer at large be welcomed into paradise after he gets the needle?

There are idiots all around that will celebrate this gutless cowardly act...."

The only beginning is at the beginning, which in the case of this great nation lies in the separation of "church" and state. This means an end to non-profit status for all organized religions, an end to the disgrace to secularism known as "faith-based funding" with its deplorable "conscience clause."

Religious institutions engaged in social welfare work that is NOT faith based, does not entail conversionist activities might reasonably claim tax deductions for that work.

I would add that the ending of tax-exempt status should be announced a year in advance, giving religious institutions the time they need to seek alternative funding sources.

?
...but what would Jesus say??
Posted by: persiflage | May 31, 2009 2:16 PM

HE did say.

Mt. 26:52 ...for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. (NASB)

.

See today's headlines just below:

A stalwart representative of the pro-life movement murders another physician for Jesus' sake, in church and on Sunday at that - ironies abound.

'Kansas abortion doctor shot to death at church.

Mike Hutmacher / MCT / Newscom file Abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed at his Wichita church on Sunday, police say. Tiller had been among the few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortions.'

Will the murderer at large be welcomed into paradise after he gets the needle?

There are idiots all around that will celebrate this gutless cowardly act....

...but what would Jesus say??

See today's headlines just below:

A stalwart representative of the pro-life movement murders another physician for Jesus' sake, in church and on Sunday at that - ironies abound.

'Kansas abortion doctor shot to death at church.

Mike Hutmacher / MCT / Newscom file Abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed at his Wichita church on Sunday, police say. Tiller had been among the few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortions.'

Will the murderer at large be welcomed into paradise after he gets the needle?

There are idiots all around that will celebrate this gutless cowardly act....

...but what would Jesus say??

?

Too bad the Vatican is not a real but a fake of a country. I mean, like any other NORMAL and real country in the World it cannot reproduce with children of their own. The amount of people who lives there remains steady for decades, unless they employ additional citizens from the real country of Italy. It does not grows in population like a real and NORMAL country. Because there is no normal, natural and/or reproductive sex going on in there.

Why in the world does the USA have an ambassador to that fake of a country?
Go figure.

.

TTWSYFAMDGGAHJMJ2 pontificated:

"The Vatican is an independent nation, a government of its own. Moreover, it is one of the most important States in the world. Why? Because it has its ambassadors in nearly every nation in the world, viz. its Bishops and Priest who report to the Vatican from all over the World."

If priests and bishops are "ambassadors" who report to the Vatican why aren't they required to register in the US a agents of the foreign nation and why do we allow them, as agents of the Vatican, to interfe in US politics so much?

O'Reilly's Catholics always want it both ways:

- to be recognized as a foreign "nation" with tax exemption in the US as a "church"

- abortion is killing but capital punishment is not.

- crying about Catholic bashers while denying the Holocaust

- condemning gays from the pulpit and in these comments sections while hiding homosexual predators among their clergy

- inviting Obama to speak at Notre Dame and then making a political spectacular out of it, calling him "a baby murderer" and "pro-abortion"

American Catholics are the new US Taliban and they are joining forces with Palin evangelicals and gay-hating Mormons to take over this country and jam their ancient Abrahamic hypocricy down the rest of our throats.

No more US Ambassadors to the Vatican.

No more tax exemption for the politically active RCC (Republican Catholic Church) or the right-wing Mormon hate PAC.
-

Who says USA taxpayers by far are the largest provider of domestic and global assistance for the needy?

reseller hosting

IN REPLY TO (IRT)
CHOPIN224
POSTED | MAY 28, 2009 12:23 PM

I am chagrined that we even have an ambassador to the leader of the world's Catholics. I don't care for any religion but shouldn't we then have ambassadors to the leaders of the world's Jews, Muslims, Hindis, Shintos, etc.? How about the leader of the Greek Orthodox Church?
It is all so ridiculous. So much for separation of church and state.

ANS:
Where is the head of the Muslims, the Shintos, Hindus and Jews and Orthodox State governments.
Don’t we have ambassadors to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and India the seat of all those religions?

The Vatican is an independent nation, a government of its own. Moreover, it is one of the most important States in the world. Why? Because it has its ambassadors in nearly every nation in the world, viz. its Bishops and Priest who report to the Vatican from all over the World.

Any nation or government who wouldn't want that access to the information that the Vatican receives would be a major blunder on the part of that government.

IN REPLY TO (IRT)
SPERRICO |
POSTED: MAY 28, 2009 8:21 PM

IRT:
“Let's see with Roberts, Scalia, the other eye-talian, Sotomayer will make at least four Catholics on the Court. God save America from dictation from the Vatican.

ANS:
Isn’t it better for the Justices to consort to the Constitution then to rely on European and Foreign law, not in the Constitution as was done in Lawrence v. Texas?

The Court relied on the English criminal laws passed in the first instance by the Reformation Parliament of 1533. in “Lawrence v. Texas,” (LvT) and said traditional moral law served no legitimate purpose to the State and could not be a basis for Civil Law because it was subjective.

The Court referred to the Wolfenden Report: Report of the Committee on Homosexual Offenses and Prostitution (1963). Parliament enacted the substance of those recommendations 10 years later. Sexual Offences Act 1967, §1.

Moreover, the Court cited An adult male resident in Northern Ireland Dudgeon v. United Kingdom, 45 Eur. Ct. H. R. (1981) ¶ ;52. The European Court of Human Rights the European Court of Human Rights considered a case with parallels to Bowers and to today's case LvT.

Subsequently, “The European Court of Human Rights” was cited.”

“The condemnation of gay sex,” the Lawrence Court said, “has been shaped by religious beliefs [and the Natural Moral Law as was done by Thomas Jefferson], conceptions of right and acceptable behavior, and respect for the traditional family. For many persons these are not trivial concerns but profound and deep convictions accepted as ethical and moral principles to which they aspire and which thus determine the course of their lives

Chief Justice Burger joined in the opinion for the Court in Bowers and further explained his views as follows: "Decisions of individuals relating to homosexual conduct have been subject to state intervention throughout the history of Western civilization. Condemnation of those practices is firmly rooted in Judea-Christian moral and ethical standards." 478 U. S., at 196. “

SCALIA: “It seems to me that the "societal reliance" on the principles confirmed in Bowers and discarded today has been overwhelming. . The Court's discussion of these foreign views (ignoring, of course, the many countries that have retained criminal prohibitions on sodomy) is therefore meaningless dicta. Dangerous dicta, however, since "this Court ... should not impose foreign moods, fads, or fashions on Americans." Foster v. Florida, 537 U. S. 990, n. (2002) (Thomas, J., concurring in denial of certiorari).

At least at the Vatican the precepts they defend are those of the Natural Moral Laws embedded in the Ten Commandments, and relied on by the Founding Fathers and our Judeo-Christian moral heritage, and not the decadence that has enveloped the whole of European culture. Our Constitution is what distinguishes us from all other nations.

IN REPLY TO (IRT)
BOB2DAVIS
POSTED MAY 28, 200

IRT
“Once again Catholics are concerned about the "unborn.” Funny how they are not similarly concerned about the poor, the hungry, the sick, the homeless, the prisoners and all the other mandates of their Jesus.

Have you ever heard of “Dream?” Africa is estimated to have more than 60% of the AIDS-infected population.

http://dream.santegidio.org/homep.asp?Curlang=EN

“Catholic Charities DREAM (short for "Drug Resources Enhancement against Aids and Malnutrition” has proven to be an efficient means of giving access to free ARV treatment with generic HAART drugs to the poor on a large scale: So far, 5,000 people are receiving ARV treatment, especially in Mozambique, but the program is being built up also in other countries: Malawi, Guinea, Tanzania and others.

“The clinic is run by the Italian Catholic charity, Santo Egidio, and treats 2,500 patients, among them 100 inmates from the local jail.

“Despite being FREE, the program aims at excellence in treatment, providing the best existent range of drugs (HAART) and regular blood testing according to European standards.

“Treatment is linked with a nutrition program as well as guidance and sanitary education by volunteers ( and other HIV patients). Today Dream has saved the lives of some 20,000 AIDS victims.”

“Two million people in Africa are getting drug therapies for AIDS as part of the DREAM project. Twelve laboratories already exist in eight different African countries.” Are Catholics brainwashed? Do they hate gays or the sin? Ask Dream.

Today, the so-called Charity on the Left is contraceptives, and Abortion. President Obama, compliments of the charity of the US Government, is proposing to give $50 million to the UN for Population Control, viz. money to kill poor people’s unborn in Third World countries, and money for contraceptives and eventually AIDS and STDs, notwithstanding a fund that will also fund China’s killing a mother's unborn.

IN REPLY TO (IRT)
BOB2DAVIS
POSTED MAY 28, 200

IRT
What if the "unborn" become murders, or gay, or poor? They will just have to suffer through life or even be executed."

ANS:
So you’re suggesting we murder them and put them out of their misery?

How about letting the unborn, as you have, decide for themselves what they will be instead of someone deciding for them before they’re even born? Who has the authority to decide when innocent people should die or live or have no right to be born? Isn't that God's prerogative?

Is that what you would want people to do to you?

We would have murdered Christ under your view. His father was unemployed, He was a fugitive in His own country, and was on the run. His mother was pregnant and gave birth to Him in a stable.

Joseph Fletcher, the late Chairman of Ethics at the University of Virginia, wrote 15 requirements for being human.

(1)Having an IQ under 40 is questionably human; an IQ less than 20 is not human;

(2) Newborns are not self-aware and therefore not human.

(8) Concern for others: Lack of this ambience indicates psychopathology.

(9) Completely isolated individuals are sub-persons;

(10) Ignorance and total helplessness are the antithesis of humanness”—Reference: Joseph Fletcher. "Indicators of Humanhood: A Tentative Profile of Man." Hastings Center Report. Volume 2, Number 5, November, 1972.”

Fletcher surmised all who are not human under his standards are expendable.

I though we fought WWII because a similar lunatic decided what kind of people should live. He was a maniac who wanted to build a super race. Some 60 million people died in the process.

Didn’t we just put down another madman in Iraq whose goons murdered over 300,000 people, and raped and maimed even more?. Instead of unborn, Iran wants to eliminate Jews, like Hitler did.

So much for deciding before we’re born on who lives or dies.

Then again, it could be that while Miguel Diaz personally takes a pro-life stance, he fully understands and believes in the legal and moral equity represented in the pro-choice position. And of course, it is the law of the land. He's got himself a rather unenviable job as Obama liaison to the Vatican - talk about the razor's edge! Whatever will thay talk about??

The 'murder' of undeveloped fetuses is prevented by the third trimester rule that governs legal abortions, although anti-abortionists can take solice in the fact that the Supreme Court has ruled against certain late term abortions e.g. Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act was upheld in 2007, without exception or provision - even to save the life of the mother.

Now that is a very poor reading of the law indeed. Nevertheless, fundamentalist Catholics can rejoice in this rendering. Yes, there is every good reason to wonder about Sotomayor's position on the issue of choice and the preservation of Roe v Wade.

The White House just now is seeking to sooth the justifiably ruffled feathers of pro-choice advocates with assurances, but I'm dead certain the subject will be brought up in the Senate confirmation hearings without fail.

IN REPLY TO (IRT)
CCNL
POSTED MAY 30, 2009 9:11 AM

IRT:
Once again, the USA taxpayers by far are the largest provider of domestic and global assistance for the needy.

ANS:
Did you ever ask yourself how many of those taxpayers are Christian?

con las nuevas caras del catolicismo americano viene un racismo tradicional contra ésos con una piel más oscura

IN REPLY TO (IRT)
BY: LUFRANK1 |
POSTED MAY 28, 2009 2:22 PM
IRT:
“That's what scares me. Another Justice steeped in the Dark Ages dogma of the Pope.

ANS:
Yes, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself,” is one of the Pope's chilling Dark Ages dogmas. Another is, ”Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Of course, there is those suppressing antediluvian “Ten Commandments,” the Court banned from the Public Square because they might corrupt little children’s minds. We don’t want little children reading, “Honor your Father and Mother,” or “Thou shalt not Steal, Lie, or Commit Adultery.”

The Court also proscribed that nefarious Fifth Commandment too. Just think if we had recognized the Fifth Commandment, 50 million unborn would still be alive In this time of financial crisis, it would have been a devastating blow to our economic crises; million of abortionists would be out of work and 50 million new children would be on welfare.

Is it any wonder why the Court banned that nefarious, from the Public Square, and forbid the mention of God, in Public Schools. Why read myths when we have such luminary classic literature for Kindergarteners such as “Daddy's Roommate," "Heather Has Two Mommies."

For students in Public High Schools, we have “Teen Advise 101 Tips to Help Teens Succeed in School and Life” including “How to Use a Condom,” and there’s also that sterling Social Science book, "Men Loving Men," – a NAMBLA book containing seven precautionary steps men may take in order to prevent being caught while molesting a child.

TTWSYFAMDGGAHJMJ2,

Once again, the USA taxpayers by far are the largest provider of domestic and global assistance for the needy.

IN REPLY TO (IRT)
BOB2DAVIS
POSTED MAY 28, 200

IRT:
“Once again Catholics are concerned about the "unborn.” Funny how they are not similarly concerned about the poor, the hungry, the sick, the homeless, the prisoners and all the other mandates of their Jesus.

ANS:
Catholic Charities:
Working to reduce poverty, promote human dignity, support families, and empower communities, Catholic Charities across the nation provided help and created hope for 7,736,855 (unduplicated) people regardless of their religious, social, or economic backgrounds in 2007. In all, 171 main Catholic Charities agencies, which included 1,668 branches and affiliates, provided an array of vital community-based services 13,919,070 times. For more information about the Catholic Charities network, visit

www.CatholicCharitiesUSA.org

Christian Charity Providing Vital Housing Services & Meeting Peoples Strengthening Families Provided Services That Build
Strong Communities to 3,482,216 People.

Catholic Charities agencies are responding to an increasing demand, especially among families, for housing services. Whether it was housing counseling, help with home repair, rent or mortgage assistance, temporary shelter, or transitional housing, 532,869 people received some type of housing-related assistance in 2007.

HEALTH-RELATED SERVICES. 265,696

PROVIDED SERVICES THAT STRENGTHEN
FAMILIES TO 1,156,240 PEOPLE
Counseling and mental health services.442,286
Immigration services. 375,982
Addiction services. 122,289
Refugee services 85,743
Pregnancy services. 82,576
Adoption services.. 47,364
n Provided Housing-related Services
to 532,869 People
Social support services. 1,704,248
Education and enrichment 612,092
Socialization and neighborhood services. 555,730

Services to at-risk populations. 344,440
Health-related services. 265,696
Counseling & Assistance.. 193,834
Temporary shelter.197,871
Supervised living.79,784
Permanent housing.. 43,334
Transitional housing. 18,046

IN REPLY TO (IRT)
BOB2DAVIS
POSTED MAY 28, 200

IRT
“Once again Catholics are concerned about the "unborn.” Funny how they are not similarly concerned about the poor, the hungry, the sick, the homeless, the prisoners and all the other mandates of their Jesus.

ANS:
Have you ever heard of Mother Theresa? Do you have any idea how many dying, poor, and hungry she and her Sisters saved? When she died, millions of the people of India lined the streets to pay homage to this irrepressible Saint of the Poor and Dying, as her funeral procession passed on the streets of Calcutta. She was a light of hope in a state of anarchy and a culture that was adverse to the poor and to Catholicism.

This is a woman who paraded her nuns across a raging battlefield between Israelis and Muslims and went into the Refugee Camps under siege, to administer to the sick, the dying, and the hungry. The battle came to a halt, the battleground was silenced, until Theresa and her Sisters left. What kind of Charity do you speak, certainly not Catholic.

So, Diaz is a "Catholic" theologian who can overlook the President's support of legislation to kill "born alive" aborted children to campaign for Obama.

And then, he can overlook the murder of thousands of Kansas children by the supporters of pro-abortion HHS Secretary Sebelius and support her nomination by the President.

I can understand Reese's enthusiasm, but can't believe Diaz will be acceptable to the Vatican.

So the cliche is that the future of the catholic church in America are the hispanics. Got to be kidding me! Well, wish them luck. Because if we carefully study the past and the present, the RCC in the USA have a very poor future ahead with the hispanics. The author ignores completely the large numbers of Hispanics who are not catholic, but follower of other religions and growing.

Also ignores that puertoricans; That is people who were born in the island territory of Puerto Rico after 1899 are/were not inmigrants but US citizens. Ms. Sonia Sotomayor was born in New York, one of the 50 States that makes up the good old US of A. That makes her a born US Citizen. But the author of this article/note is in very, very good company because it starting to look like the Pres. Mr. Obama also doesn't knows that. Or is looking the other way in order to push buttons. Go figure!

Why would you refer to someone whose parents were US Citizens as in the case of residents of Puerto Rico as immigrants?

This is the Washington Post I would expect better. It sounds biased that you will not recognize the people of Puerto Rico many of whom serve faithfully in are armed forces as citizens.

Correct it.

RE: Sotomayor's abortion ruling referenced in Fr. Reese's essay.

The following is pasted from the lead article in today's WaPo

"Sotomayor's most notable decision on abortion came in 2002, when she ruled against abortion rights advocates who wanted to challenge what is known as the Mexico City rule. It forbade overseas organizations that receive U.S. funds from providing or promoting abortion services. The rule has been a political football, put in place by Republican presidents and rescinded by Democrats, most recently by Obama in January."

The Mexico City Rule is an interesting label, recalling the RCC's condemnation of the decision to abort the fetus of a nine-year-old raped by her father and the Church's subsequent efforts to prevent it.

"He is obviously not your usual ambassadorial appointment. He is neither a big donor nor a politician..."

Neither was his predecessor Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon. I wonder if Fr. Reese remarked on it at the time.

Fr. Reese does seem to have gone a bit ga-ga over The Boy Messiah.

Let's see with Roberts, Sacalia, the other eye-talian, Sotomayer will make at least four catholics on the Court. God save America from dictation from the Vatican.

they should castrate and take away all that they own to those that abandon women they left pregnant than have one baby aborted...
thats murder and genocide...

Won't find a bigger fan of abortion on demand (incl. partial birth abortion) than the Obama. Catholics seem to have lost their way.

chopin224, you are sooo ignorant!
The Vatican is a City/State equal to a country. The US ambasador to the Vatican is the same as the US amabasador to Britain, Jamaica or any other country. He/she does not represent Catholics but the U.S. diplomatic business. By the way ignorant, Isarael is a Jewish State, Most Arab countries are Moslem states and they have US amabasadors.

Hi: I was surprised to read Father Reese's comment:

"The only reason Catholics continue to be a stable percentage of the U.S. population is that Hispanics are making up for the white Catholics who are leaving."

This implies that Hispanic Catholics are not white. Hispanics are an ethnic group of people who come from Hispanic countries--they can be white or any other race or color.

Good article by Fr. Reese. Too bad the malcontents have nothing better to do than take pot shots.

"Once again catholics are concerned about the "unborn". Funny how they are not similarly concerned about the poor, the hungry, the sick, the homeless, the prisoners and all the other mandates of their jesus." What kind of drivel is this?? Does the writer realize that the Catholic Church through its many charities is one of the biggest supporters of the poor and disenfranchised. This kind of ignorance and stupidity just muddies up any discussion.

And who is running for re-election in 2012?

And what are the two largest growing demographics in the USA? Latinos and members of the Immoral Majority!! Sonia belongs to both or she would not have been chosen.

It is reasonable to think that immigrants seek in different churches the social support they probably had in their countries of origin. It is equally reasonable to predict that, once this kind of support becomes irrelevant, the immigrants will behave like the population as a whole.

In Latin America, for different reasons, Catholics in ever growing numbers have ceased to attend regular religious services. Perhaps ten percent of the Brazilians who consider themselves Catholics have regular ties with their church (Brazil is still viewed by many as the world's largest Catholic country). This percentage probably applies to the European countries with large Catholic majorities, such as Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain, where, incidentally, total fertility rates are well below replacement level (which would not be viable without effective and widespread family planning).

Saying that Catholics did not listen to their bishops as they voted for Mr. Obama is less than accurate. The large majority of these Catholics may not even know their bishops. And those who know them may not necessarily believe that their ideas are relevant to the quotidian of the common citizen.

Religion represents the believes and values of a certain group of people. Every church relies on centralized organizations to interpret and defend these theological principles. It is naive to try to change a dogma of faith, which is the essence of its existence. Abortion for the Catholic church is abominable whether we like it or not. I believe in Christ gospel and I'm a practitioner catholic in Mexico, firmly opposed to abortion. If your looking for a church that fits your way of living, I assure you will find many modern christian denominations. In contrast, I also believe in the right that we all have to think different, as long as we act with responsability.

How wrong can Father Reese be?

He's taking shots from both the left and the right---volleys of thunder followed by no rain.

"Although her position on abortion is not yet known, she did uphold the Bush administration's right to deny federal funds to overseas organizations that provided or referred clients for abortions, which will make it difficult to paint her as a pro-abortion radical."

That's what scares me. Another Justice steeped in the Dark Ages dogma of the Pope.

We don't have an ambassador to Catholics. We have an ambassador to the Vatican or Holy See, which is a sovereign city-state--an independent country.

The Reverend Father Reese's opinion piece presents several outcropping bones of contention not considered in the flaming comments which follow it like droppings.

Hispanic is not a race, as Fr. Reese repeatedly implies: "It has become a cliché to say that Hispanics are the future of the Catholic Church in America. Their numbers are growing because of immigration and births, while white Catholics are having fewer children and are leaving the church in great numbers."

Anyone with first hand knowledge of the system realizes Bush was not "reasonable" on immigration, nor could he talk Spanish. He could read Spanish cue cards (hey, unlike English, Spanish is a phonetic language, although he could read in English My Pet Goat) but he could not talk Spanish easily and at any length. Hey, he had trouble speaking English coherently. Yet the Reverend Father Reese claims he could: ”George Bush had been successful in wooing Hispanics. Bush spoke Spanish, was reasonable on immigration reform and understood their concerns since he had been governor of Texas." Bush never understood the concerns of the poor, preferring brutal law enforcement to handle the problems of poverty. All he had were large billboards reading: "Viva Bush" and bumper stickers reading the same on SUV's owned by those who would never speak a word of Spanish.

Again, the Rev. Fr. Reese calls John McCain's immigration policy "reasonable" as if citing the phrase "for we are all reasonable men." The promises of targeted stump speeches are not reasonable, nor give reason to trust.

Continuing to refer to "Hispanics" as "they" Fr. Reese writes: " Hispanics obviously ignored the bishops who attacked Obama. Polls show that they continue to support him." And why not as we find not tokens but persons of substance respected, including Secretary Hilda Solis, Judge Sonia Sotomayor and Dr. Diaz.

Hispanic is not a race. George Bush is not Latino. And Urs is not in the same league as Karl, yet we read this in Fr. Reese's opinion piece: Jim Martin, S.J., associate editor of America, has already fantasized that "he and the Holy Father can have some lively Rahner-Balthasar discussions." I hope they have some lively Father Charles Curran discussions, to find some charity in his case as well, as in so many others, all "arrested Americans" in need of liberation from Vatican oppression and de facto imprisonment.

I an chagrined that we even have an ambassador to the leader of the world's Catholics. I don't care for any religion but shouldn't we then have ambassadors to the leaders of the world's Jews, Muslims, Hindis, Shintos, etc.? How about the leader of the Greek Orthodox Church?
It is all so ridiculous. So much for separation of church and state.

DOTHERIGHTTHING- though that certainly happened within Mainline Protestantism this century, I don't think those factors are to blame for much of the upheaval within the Catholic Church in America. It would be easy for one to claim the abuse scandals were significant, but they weren't, as proven by one of the recent studies the Post wrote about.

Rather, I think a good bit of it has to do with the fact that certain clergy don't impart the religious teachings/messages as cleverly or in as good a way as they should (or other clergy are), and instead you get the sort of priests that cause the mini-ruckus surrounding Obama's speech at Notre Dame. Something where only a small minority of American Catholics really made an issue out of it -rather, mostly non-Catholic activists seizing on the opportunity (note how silent the Vatican was about this nonsense; they are above picking fights like that).

The 'new face' of Catholicism in the US will be of elements that have existed here and there for a long time- inclusion, ecumenism, messages of openness and outreach, and less of the very divisive religious rhetoric that has been plaguing most Christian circles (especially fundamentalists) for years now. This will bring new life to the Church, and new faces, as they see it's not just 'stuffy old dogma', but rather the teachings are a lot more relevant and attractive today than some expected.

Remove the demonizing words from comments by obviuus right-wing reactionary commenters and they would be wordless or speechless. Terms such as today's: left-wing socialists, abortion, protect the illegals, faithlessness, scientific materialism, support for pro-abortionist politicians, only-social-justice-matters brand of the Catholic faith, ad nauseam.

Once again catholics are concerned about the "unborn". Funny how they are not similarly concerned about the poor, the hungry, the sick, the homeless, the prisoners and all the other mandates of their jesus. What if the "unborn" become murders, or gay, or poor? They will just have to suffer through life or even be executed. Catholics are the biggest hypocrites and least "christian" of all denominations. I can only hope that there is a special hell just for them.

Meacham and Quinn continue their crusade to present left-wing socialists as "people of faith", people who detest Catholicism as "Catholics" and anti-humanists as "proponents of 'love'".
....."although he did campaign for Obama...", writes Reese. Yes, Mister Reese, you didn't really have to tell us that. You ALL voted for Obama.

If Catholicism in America needs a new heart, it's because priests like Reese cut out the old heart with their sharp knives of faithlessness, scientific materialism, support for pro-abortionist politicians, and their only-social-justice-matters brand of the Catholic faith.

Sorry, Farnaz, but Sotomayor was correct in not allowing Federal tax dollars go to shredding babies. Name a "rape, incest" or "life-threatened" mother who couldn't get an abortion. Or murder-contraception.

Name one.

You can't.

Abortion is murder. Period.

The only reason hispanics cling to the catholic church is because they protect the illegals. It is not that they are anti-abortion, they are for as many dependents as they can have, the more kids, the more freebies from the AMERICAN TAXPAYERS, what a culture of hypocrites.

Although her position on abortion is not yet known, she did uphold the Bush administration's right to deny federal funds to overseas organizations that provided or referred clients for abortions,

Now, this I did not know and do find alarming. This means that funds were withheld from rape victims, incest victims, pregnant women who risked death if they carried to term.

She will not state her "opinion" on abortion, of course, neither before or during the hearings.

But we now know more than we did.

The new face of Catholicism: In the caseof Judge Sotomayor a Catholic that does not go to mass on Sundays or days of Obligation (mortal sin) or abides by the moral teachings of the Church. I think I like the old face of Catholicism better (by the way am a male hispanic, and inmigrant, hopfully this makes my opinion more valid than a white anglo female one)