Pope Francis

I love the papacy, and the Church which that office shepards. I love the Church, her unity and infallibility. I want to say this before I get into details. As a matter of respect, I will keep this blog short.

This blog is about a person I have little positive to say about. I say this because Pope Francis has been a total disappoint for me. While I am no schismatic (seperater), Saint Pius the Tenth Society Mass attender or Sede Vacante (a schismatic who thinks there is no valid pope), I find Pope Francis totally uninspiring.

Having served in the military for 12 years, I was trained in security protocols. I even trained in martial arts with a military police officer (M.P.) and was in a men's fellowship with another M.P. I know that someone under police protection should not unnecessarily put his protection at risk as Pope Francis does regularly. Now, his excursions are common news. How he likes to drive around on his own in well known. What about the security detail that serves him. Should he not think about their lives?

I have studied Theology and Spirituality for years. I belonged to a secular order, and have recently taken vows. I have most of the great doctors of the Church. So I know false humility when I see it. Pope Francis seems to be a poster child for false humility. He does not seem to consider anyone (security detail included) except his enthusiasm for people. True humility considers others. True humility listens to security personnel when they speak about security protocols. Did Pope Francis? I have to wonder. Of course, I am sensitive to this issue being a veteran, and I understand that. However, when is pope Francis thinking about those who surround him, in the second most important way he can (after their souls) - their lives.

Rant over. I always pray for Pope Francis, but I remember Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. What great orthodox days those where!

Alan Keyes

Alan Keyes is a former presidential candidate. This is where I encountered him first. Later he had a radio show, in which he gave his conservative, Catholic insights. I was always impressed by Alan.  

As a former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, Alan has worked in Washington and can give solid insight on the workings of national politics

His tough stance on pro-life issues, uncompromising loyalty to the Pro-Life movement and fascinating intellect made him a must-listen talk show host for me. Secretary Keyes has not been afraid to put himself on the line for the unborn, as was demonstrated in his arrest at Notre Dame when President Barrack Obama gave the commencement address. Barrack being awarded with an honorary doctorate was the straw that broke the camel's back for me, and former Secretary Keyes was there fighting against it when I could not.

Alan has a sharp intellect that does not let fallacious arguments go. He, like myself at times, is a pit bull for the Lord on matters of faith and values. He has debated atheists, liberal politicians and many others in trying to bring justice to the public square.

Alan would make a great addition to your speaking engagement. Be warned, however, he will not pull punches, and has a direct speaking style. However, the value of his insights are worthy of any Catholic event. (Hint: Get him to speak on Pro-life issues, his tender side will come out.)

To Mr. Keyes, I thank you for your many years of service to Holy Mother Church. Your tireless work for the Lord will never be forgotten by Him. Speak on, Mr. Keyes, speak on!

Persecution By Homosexuals

If you did not know Cardinal Francis George apologized for saying that homosexuals might act like KKK members if the Catholic Church had too public an image during a Gay Parade.

This is an example of abandoning your flock. Catholics need to be told the truth about the homosexual agenda, so they can fight back against it. Homosexuals have attacked a church in San Francisco, banging on the doors. This was popularized by many Christian commentators including Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family.

Abandoning the Flock
This seems to be a case of an archbishop abandoning the flock. Catholics need to hear the unvarnished truth about what homosexuals are doing in Society. They are a very aggressive force that does not mind violating Church property rights and throwing glitter all over people. Keep in mind, Gingrich has no idea what is in that glitter. Letters have contained Anthrax and Gingrich has no idea what is being thrown over him.

Gay Adoptions
Obama has been so aggressive with his gay adoption policy, that he has forced Catholic Adoption agencies to shut their doors due their funds being cut off. The homosexual marriages in New York State and New Hampshire have caused backlashes which has created movements to overturn those laws.

Stand Firm
Catholic's need firm leaders. Who in every thought, word and deed, stand for the truth, like Cardinal Timothy Dolan, a leader who unabashedly stands for the truth, if with a bit of grace.

Please leaders, do not abandon the truth and in doing so abandon your flock. Stand firm and resolute. If the Homosexual Movement has acted like terrorists, let it be so. If they have attacked Catholics, say it is so. Do not let the flock suffer for the wolves.

Catholic Fantasy Fiction

I have heard many criticisms of Fantasy Fiction in Catholic circles. There have been many blogs about Harry Potter and other fiction being immoral because of the magic involved. Even the pope, prior to his papacy, has spoken on Harry Potter, concerned about young readers and that:

It is good, that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because those are subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly. 

Cardinal Ratzinger's concerns were correct. Having every wish fulfilled by the wave of a wand, is problematic for Christianity. There is no submission to the will of God in these acts. However, the courage and determination of Harry Potter to protect others shows the virtue of fortitude. So Harry Potter can be a mixed bag.

An important point to make, is that Pope Benedict has not spoken on the matter. Only Cardinal Ratzinger did. Thus the statements have no binding authority. They consist of a theological opinion, unless it can be shown that Pope John Paul II had approved the letters.

Full Disclosure
I am a Fantasy Fiction author. For those of you who do not know, I am the author of The Hammer of Justice, a fantasy novel with Catholic underpinnings (read deeply to see them, although some are more obvious). I have considered whether fantasy fiction is moral or not. It is very clear to me that it is, since it is fiction. If I were to portray it realistically, endorsing its practice, I would have failed. In fact, in my novel, I portray sorcerers as practicing evil and juxtapose good clerics against them.

Where I Draw the Line
I have a big problem with realistic magic, that was practiced by witches and sorcerers in that past, favorably portrayed. The Church has been clear about its condemnation of sorcery, and to even suggest that such practice is even morally neutral, is immoral in my book.

Thus Ex 22:18 condemned the sorceress to death without explanation. Lv 19:26 and 31 prohibited magic, astrology, necromancy and divination; Lv 20:27 added the calling up of spirits. Dt 18:10-11 summed this up by proscribing soothsayers, astrologers, magicians, sorcerers, charmers, those who summoned up ghosts or spirits and those who consulted the dead (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Christian Faith and Demonology).

Even J.R.R. Tolkien portrayed sorcerers as evil. The stronghold of Sauron, Dol Goldur (Hill of Sorcery), is described as a dark, evil stronghold. Sauron is, of course, the dark lord and archenemy of Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien, of course, is talked about on the Vatican website in a positive light. The challenge with sorcery is to make the word sorcery properly characterized as evil. What do you think?

Government Persecution of Catholics

It is accepted amongst many scholars that persecution of Catholics is on the uprise. Archbishop Dolan of New York and William Lori, Bishop of Bridgeport, Connecticut give good examples.

What the Obama Administration is doing, seems intentional according to Archbishop Dolan. This, after Notre Dame allowed the President to speak on its campus. It seems wisdom is sometimes lacking in Catholics. We are not supposed to give pro-abortionists a platform from which to speak, which makes them look legitimate in Catholic eyes.

Christians Persecute Christians
Perhaps, some Christians do not know the commission that Christ gave us, to preach the Gospel "Preach the Gospel to all Nations" (Matthew 28:19). However, recently, many Christians have tried to silence other Christians from preaching the Gospel. While, for Catholics, this applies only within your field of competency according to Christefidelis Laici. Certainly, any informed Catholic may give a basic Catechesis.

In my experience, some Catholics are trying not to rock the boat, any have silenced other Catholics from preaching the faith. Most often, these are cafeteria Catholics who do not take their faith seriously. Perhaps, many of these Catholics are wanting to preserve their income, over the sake of the Gospel.

Certainly, the virtue of prudence demands that one give due consideration to a proper time, method and place to preach the Gospel as John Paul II had stated:

This phenomenon [of cultural sensitivity] implies a particularly sensitive response which is entrusted to your own judgement and pastoral prudence.

However, total silencing of the preaching of the Gospel, has nothing to do with prudence. Even Pope Benedict XVI has called us to evangelize:

"We cannot keep to ourselves the words of eternal life given to us in our encounter with Jesus Christ: they are meant for everyone, for every man and woman. ... It is our responsibility to pass on what, by God's grace, we ourselves have received" (Pope Benedict XVI, Verbum Domini, 2010).

Ongoing Persecution
More Christians have died in the Twentieth Century, due to persecution, than all centuries in the past combined. This often stated statistic seems overlooked by Catholics in the United States.  Some Christian Groups have called this the "Age of Martyrs." According to one set of statistics, 26 million Christians died in the 20th Century, compared to 14 million in all centuries before combined.

What would your answer be to deny your faith? Steve Centanni, of Fox News, was captured by Palenstinian Terrorists along with independent cameraman Olaf Wiig. As Olaf recounted it on Fox News, he told Centanni that the terrorists were planning to execute him if he did not take the Shihada, which is the muslim proclamation of faith.

Centanni stated:

We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint, and don't get me wrong here, I have the highest respect for Islam, and learned a lot of very good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do, because they had the guns, and we didn't know what the h**l was going on.

Centanni, if he was a Catholic, had an opportunity for matyrdom. He could have given an alternate Shihada instead of "There is one God and Muhammad is his prophet," he could have said:

There is one God, and He is Jesus Christ.

However, he did not. It is a sad dissappointment.

This just points to the loss of a sense of holiness in our culture and the growth of secularism. Certainly, sincere Catholics endeavor to be holy. I would hope they would all struggle to be Saints. However, persecution has only one true response: Saintliness.

However, there is someone who gave a different response. Mary of Egypt, "The Little Arab" was coerced to convert to Islam, but she refused. Her uncle wanted to marry her to a muslim. But Mary had a vision from the Blessed Virgin and would not go back on her promise. She suffered so much, in fact, that she was small from malnutrition. Mary, left her abusive uncle and worked for various families, eventually becoming a Discalced Carmelite Nun.  Mary, because her holy life, refused to convert to a false faith. Mary's uncle could have killed her, but she did not care. God was her all in all.

Today she is called St. Mary of Egypt. Several miracles are attributed to her. It all started by a simple refusal to submit to the coersion of muslims.

UPDATE
Bishop Aquila of North Dakota, stated that the Church may be persecuted in the future:

“We could see the possibility of it within the United States where we are no longer free to preach the truth from the pulpit or to present Catholic teaching."

Catholics in Political Life

One of the thorniest discussion topics among Catholics is politics. Politics is hands-off by many Catholics, especially around Cafeteria Catholics, who pick and choose their doctrine.

Catholics and Politics
This is strange to me, because the bishops of the United States are hands-on when it comes to political policy. In fact, the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us we have a responsibility (read "sin not to exercise") our duties as citizens:

The Church, because of her commission and competence, is not to be confused in any way with the political community. She is both the sign and the safeguard of the transcendent character of the human person. "The Church respects and encourages the political freedom and responsibility of the citizen"(Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2245).

While it is generally a venial sin not to exercise our duty to vote, it can become a mortal sin when, with sufficient knowledge and full consent of the will, a person becomes a deciding vote in an election that has a moral issue at the center of it:

"Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1859).

 Despite many bishops speaking out about abortion being the most important issue in the 2008 elections, 53% of Catholics voted for Obama. Disregarding the informed opinion of a bishop is a lack of faith in Catholicism. We must give it due consideration.

Should We Discuss Politics Among Catholics?
It is our duty to inform and educate. Of course, we must do such according to our competencies (Christefidelis Laici, 62). Politics is often avoided. When I was studying Speech Communications, one of the key rules they said was "Do not discuss religion and politics at work or a Social."  We, however, have a different calling.

We must educate our fellow Catholics on doctrine, and how our faith should inform our voting habits. We should put Catholicism at the head of our list when choosing a candidate. In my opinion, no issue is more important in the upcoming election, except maybe the economy and possible bankruptcy of our Country.

Is Islam Peaceful?

It was often said that Islam is peaceful.  Indeed George W. Bush said "Islam means peace."

For Catholics, this is another issue. Does Islam mean peace? A search of the Vatican website shows no such quotation by the Holy Fathers.

Should Catholics Believe Islam Means Peace?
Obviously, given that the Holy Father did not say such a thing, we should not consent to it. Indeed, some muslim translators have said that Islam means submission, not peace. So, based on their analysis, we should not be quick to concede that Islam means peace.

Islam is the Source of 80% of Conflicts in the World?
This is a stretch to say. This often-cited statement, which comes from various websites. The Journal Jewish Political Review says that Islam has an 80% higher violence rate than other religions. Some sources say they are involved in 80% of wars and conflicts. Indeed, in 2010, 100% of terrorism against Americans was committed by muslims according to the Department of Justice. These are not pleasant numbers.

Should We Believe that Islam is Peaceful?
Just because members of an organization are violent, does not mean a religion condones violence. However, in the case of Islam, the Koran and another muslim holy text does condone violence:

“They [Christians and Jews] desire that you should disbelieve as they have disbelieved… but if they turn back, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them, and take not from among them a friend or a helper” (The Koran, Surah 4:89).

“[Believers] [i]f you do not go to war, he [God] will punish you sternly, and will replace you by other men” (The Koran, Surah 9:39).

“…according to the statement of Allah's Apostle, ‘Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him’” (Sahih Bukhari. 9:84:57).

While muslims say that Surah 4:89 only applies to the time the Koran was written, muslims throughout history have not taken it as such. Indeed, in a statement about the invasion of Spain, a muslim historian writes:

“Musa Ibn Nosseyr sent his son Merwan to Tangiers, to wage a holy war upon [Spains] coast…” (Ibn Abd-el-Hakem: The Islamic Conquest of Spain).

It seems that muslims throughout history have interpreted certain Koranic texts as advocating religious violence against non-muslims.

Is Islam Peaceful?
While certain muslims advocate peace, they might not be following Koranic doctrine. Indeed a group called the Sufis were strongly influenced by Catholic monasticism. Although they have their own violence.

I would say that Islamic doctrine is not peaceful. It is rather warlike, like the Norse Religion of Thor and Odin. However, certain muslims may be peaceful. However, that does not change the doctrine. The deeper you get into Islam, the more war-like you may become, as Daveed Gartenstein-Ross suggests.