Al Kresta's Blog, page 323
May 11, 2011
Today on Kresta - May 11, 2011
Talking about the "things that matter most" on May 11
4:00 – 6:00: Direct to My Desk
The use of the death penalty continued on a downward trend in 2010, according to a report published recently by Amnesty International. The report, "Death Sentences and Executions in 2010," hailed the progress achieved in the last decade, saying that in this period no less than 31 countries abolished the death penalty either in law or in practice. We look at Catholic teaching on the use of the death penalty. Also, yesterday President Obama, in search of Hispanic votes and a long- term immigration overhaul, stood at the U.S.-Mexico border for the first time since winning the White House and declared it more secure than ever. He told the crowd that it's up to them to tell Congress to pass legislation providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants. We apply Catholic Social Teaching to the prudential judgments involved in immigration issues.
4:00 – 6:00: Direct to My Desk
The use of the death penalty continued on a downward trend in 2010, according to a report published recently by Amnesty International. The report, "Death Sentences and Executions in 2010," hailed the progress achieved in the last decade, saying that in this period no less than 31 countries abolished the death penalty either in law or in practice. We look at Catholic teaching on the use of the death penalty. Also, yesterday President Obama, in search of Hispanic votes and a long- term immigration overhaul, stood at the U.S.-Mexico border for the first time since winning the White House and declared it more secure than ever. He told the crowd that it's up to them to tell Congress to pass legislation providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants. We apply Catholic Social Teaching to the prudential judgments involved in immigration issues.
May 10, 2011
Dissident Theologian Hans Küng says Church must follow his advice
The Catholic Church is seriously, possibly terminally ill and only an honest diagnosis and radical therapy will cure it, one of the sharpest critics of Pope Benedict XVI, the Swiss Catholic theologian Hans Kung, has written.Speaking in Munich on May 2, Kung introduced his new book, "Ist die Kirche noch zu retten?" ("Can the Church Still Be Saved?").
Kung argues that the malady of the church goes beyond recent sexual abuse scandals. According to him, the church's resistance to reform, its secrecy, lack of transparency and misogyny are at the heart of the problem.
He said that the Catholic church in the United States has lost one-third of its membership."The American Catholic church never asked why," he said."Any other institution that has lost a third of its members would want to know why." He also said that eighty percent of German bishops would welcome reforms.
Kung is one of today's most outspoken Roman Catholic theologians. Because he questioned the doctrine of infallibility in 1971, he had his "missio canonica," the license needed to teach Roman Catholic theology, withdrawn. Thereafter, he became professor of ecumenical theology in Tubingen.
He told the mostly elderly audience in the Diocese of Munich and Freising, the former diocese of Benedict XVI, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, "I would have preferred not to write this book. It is not pleasant to dedicate such a critical publication to the church that has remained my church."
He said he had hoped that Benedict would find a way forward in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) which in the early sixties reformed the church in a number of ways, such as the celebration of Mass in local languages instead of Latin.
However, Benedict has distanced himself from Vatican II and "failed in the face of the worldwide sexual abuse by clergy," King said. Benedict is "in essence a person for medieval liturgy, theology and a medieval church constitution."
Referring to the celibacy debate that arose after the sexual abuse cases, Kung said, "the Roman Catholic church survived for the first thousand years without celibacy." He is strongly in favour of allowing priests and bishops to marry.
Kung compared the changes needed in the Catholic church to the democratic changes taking place in the Arab world."When will in our church the youth take to the street? That is our problem; we have no young people anymore," he said to laughter from the 350 people present.
At the end of the book Kung returns to the question: "Can the church still be saved?" He said he has not lost his vision of a church that would meet the expectations of millions of Christians, but certain conditions have to be met. In their reforms, this Church should show Christian radicalism, constancy and coherency, he said. "I have not given up the hope that it will survive," Kung ended.
More than 340,000 signed up for World Youth Day
Some 340,000 young people from more than 170 countries have signed up to participate in World Youth Day Madrid.The main objective of the event, World Youth Day 2011's executive director said, is "so young people experience Madrid as a welcoming city and that their days here be unforgettable."
Events are scheduled for Aug. 16 – 21 and include a vigil and Mass with Pope Benedict XVI.
The head of this year's World Youth Day, Yago de la Cierva, said the planning phase ended in January 2011. Since then, organizers have been working with the Vatican and Madrid city officials on implementing the plans. A large contingent of full and part-time volunteers were marshaled to manage logistics.
The culture and faith of Spain will be front and center the director added, emphasizing that "everything ought to be rooted in the 20 centuries of Catholic tradition in this country."
World Youth Day will begin on Aug. 16 with an opening Mass followed by various events until Aug. 18, when Pope Benedict XVI will be welcomed at Cibeles Square.
The next day the Way of the Cross will be prayed and the weekend will be spent at the Cuatro Vientos airfield. A vigil will take place there on Saturday night and the closing Mass will be celebrated on Sunday morning.
Pope Benedict XVI will also meet with university professors, women religious, seminarians, volunteers, those with disabilities and the sick.
World Youth Day cultural activities will fill the streets of the Spanish capital, with more than 300 different stops available for young people.
The traditional catechetical sessions will take place Aug. 17 and 18 at more than 200 parishes throughout Madrid, led by bishops from around the world.
Navy Authorizes Chaplains to Perform Same-Sex 'Marriages' in Naval Chapels
Anticipating the elimination of the military ban on homosexuality, the Office of the Chief of Navy Chaplains has decided that same-sex couples in the Navy will be able to get married in Navy chapels, and that Navy chaplains will be allowed to perform the ceremonies -- if homosexual marriage is legal in the state where the unions are to be performed.The advisory came in the form of an April 13 memo issued to all chaplains, in which the Chief of Navy Chaplains, Admiral Michael Tidd, said the Chaplain Corps was revising its Tier I training manuals, which had previously indicated that same-sex marriages are not authorized on federal property.
Instead, Tidd called for chaplains to comply with service-wide efforts underway to be more accepting of homosexuality and same-sex marriage as the end of the military policy on homosexuality nears.
Citing "additional legal review" by Navy attorneys, the admiral said the Navy "has concluded that, generally speaking, base facility use is sexual orientation neutral."
"If the base is located in a state where same-sex marriage is legal, then the base facilities may be used to celebrate the marriage," the admiral's directive states.
The admiral's memo also gives chaplains permission to "marry" homosexual couples – but would not force them to perform ceremines.
"Regarding chaplain participation, consistent with the tenets of his or her religious organization, a chaplain may officiate a same-sex, civil marriage: if it is conducted in accordance with the laws of the state which permits same-sex marriages or union; and if the chaplain is, according to applicable state and local laws, otherwise fully certified to officiate that state's marriages."
Navy spokeswoman Alana Garas confirmed the change was ordered, but told CNSNews.com that the document "does not reflect a change in policy, but a change in Tier I training for Navy chaplains that looks forward to when Don't Ask Don't Tell is removed"— something which will not happen, she said, until 60 days after the president, the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify to Congress that repeal will not harm military readiness.
But Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, is concerned that, in its haste to "hustle-in homosexuality," the Navy may be violating federal law – the Defense of Marriage Act.
"Offering up federal facilities and federal employees for same-sex marriage violates DOMA, which is still the law of the land and is bound to the duties of our military, including chaplains," Steve Taylor, communications director for Akin, told CNSNews.com."The administration and various states may be operating as if DOMA doesn't exist, but the Navy and Marine Corps and all the Armed Services are sworn to obey the law, which this new instruction violates," he added.
Tom McClusky, senior vice president of government relations at the Family Research Council, agreed that the Navy is totally ignoring DOMA, part of which defines marriage for federal government purposes as being between one man and one woman.
"You're talking about government facilities and government employees, so it would seem to be a direct violation of DOMA," McClusky told CNSNews.com. "I'm not seeing a lot of wiggle room there."
He said conservatives had warned months ago that the push to repeal the military ban on homosexuality would lead to efforts to introduce same-sex marriage -- but were dismissed at the time.
"This is what we thought was going to happen, and unfortunately now it's happening," McClusky said.
"Unfortunately, the military is getting out in front on this issue and when you have a president who doesn't believe the Defense of Marriage Act is a law he needs to follow, it's no surprise that the military would follow his lead," he added. "The president may think he's above the law, but he's not. If he has a problem with the Defense of Marriage Act, that's something that he needs to address legislatively, not just by ignoring it."
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), said the change in training was a "good example of the type of uncertainty and confusion created in the rush to change the previous policy."
"Trying to make sense of this issue, for example, is something that should have been thought out beforehand – assuming the administration was even serious about doing this efficiently, fairly and respectfully," Hunter's communications director Joe Kasper told CNSNews.com.
Hunter plans on offering an amendment to the annual defense bill to require that all of the chiefs of the armed services – not just the chairman -- would have to submit certification that removing the military ban on homosexuality wouldn't harm unit cohesion and military order.
Four states plus the District of Columbia currently issue marriage licenses to homosexual couples – Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and New Hampshire. Vermont recognizes civil unions. Maryland, New York and Rhode Island recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
Quebec judge orders three-year-old into daycare for 'socialization'
QUEBEC, May 6, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com)
A Quebec judge has ordered a three-year-old and a five-year-old to attend state-funded day care following claims that the children lacked proper "socialization."
The parents of the Notre-Dame-des-Bois family were also ordered to place their two elder homeschooled children in public schools, and accused of failing to act quickly to correct learning disabilities, despite their doctor's testimony to the contrary.
"This is a shocking decision," said Paul Faris of the Canadian branch of the Home School Legal Defense Association, who have backed the family's case. He told LifeSiteNews this is the latest in the Quebec government's ongoing effort to "clamp down on choice in education."
He said the most concerning part is the judge's decision to "order the younger children who were not of compulsory school age into day care for socialization."
The family, who have homeschooled for four years, were reported to the province's Youth Protection Services in November 2009 after a run-in with the local school board. The elder children were ordered into school in April 2010 after court proceedings began in February 2010. There was a four-day trial in November, and Judge Nicole Bernier issued her ruling in March.
Faris said the court refused to hear the parents' expert witness and dismissed the testimony of the family doctor, who has been fully supportive of their medical decisions. In her ruling, Judge Bernier claimed the family doctor's testimony lacked objectivity and was "full of bias" owing to his relationship with the parents.
Faris said the judge gave "excess weight" to the government's experts, who he says "found that one child's hearing impairment 'indicated' that the parents could not be trusted and therefore all the children should be enrolled in public school programs." Judge Bernier determined that the security and development of the children was compromised by parental negligence.
In her ruling, Judge Bernier called the mother's teaching approach "outdated," saying it emphasized repetition exercises and acquisition of knowledge rather than the Ministry's preferred approach of teaching learning skills. She also criticizes the elder children's social development, noting that they had difficulty at first with the other children when they entered the classroom.
"The parents, though aware … of the need to stimulate each child by interactions with peers of the same age, outside of the family, either at school, kindergarten, or day care or occasional education trips, maintain their interest in the teaching model of the home school," she wrote, going on to lament that they are "refusing to integrate the youngest in kindergarten or day care, and opposing educational outings for the children."
"Their reasons are always the same and regard a social mistrust that does not meet the needs of their children," she added. She also took issue with the fact that the parents apparently had not obtained a homeschooling exemption under the Education Act, which requires that the parents offer a program equivalent to that offered in the schools.
The family, which is Roman Catholic, is now launching an appeal to the Quebec Superior Court.
Faris argued that the ruling ignored objective measurement of the children's successful development.
"This is a quality homeschooling family that exercised diligence in teaching their kids," Faris told LifeSiteNews. "We've had the kids tested and are certainly satisfied that they're doing well."
News of this family's plight comes as the Quebec government faces a Supreme Court challenge this month of their refusal to allow exemptions in the public schools from a controversial course in relativism known as "ethics and religious culture."
The government has even tried to impose the mandatory ERC program, which purports to present the spectrum of world religions and lifestyle choices from a "neutral" stance, on the province's private schools. A Superior Court judge ruled in June 2010 that their effort to do so had assumed a "totalitarian character."
In December, the government instituted a ban on religious instruction in its government-funded daycares.
Michael Donnelly, Director of International Relations for the Home School Legal Defense Association, said Quebec appears to be joining countries like Germany and Sweden in its repressive opposition to homeschooling.
"There is homeschooling freedom in most of Canada. However, it appears that Québec is more like Germany or Sweden when it comes to homeschooling regulations," said Donnelly.
"This judge's decision reads like one from these countries that are repressing homeschooling. The philosophy represented by this judge's decision must be resisted."
A Quebec judge has ordered a three-year-old and a five-year-old to attend state-funded day care following claims that the children lacked proper "socialization."
The parents of the Notre-Dame-des-Bois family were also ordered to place their two elder homeschooled children in public schools, and accused of failing to act quickly to correct learning disabilities, despite their doctor's testimony to the contrary.
"This is a shocking decision," said Paul Faris of the Canadian branch of the Home School Legal Defense Association, who have backed the family's case. He told LifeSiteNews this is the latest in the Quebec government's ongoing effort to "clamp down on choice in education." He said the most concerning part is the judge's decision to "order the younger children who were not of compulsory school age into day care for socialization."
The family, who have homeschooled for four years, were reported to the province's Youth Protection Services in November 2009 after a run-in with the local school board. The elder children were ordered into school in April 2010 after court proceedings began in February 2010. There was a four-day trial in November, and Judge Nicole Bernier issued her ruling in March.
Faris said the court refused to hear the parents' expert witness and dismissed the testimony of the family doctor, who has been fully supportive of their medical decisions. In her ruling, Judge Bernier claimed the family doctor's testimony lacked objectivity and was "full of bias" owing to his relationship with the parents.
Faris said the judge gave "excess weight" to the government's experts, who he says "found that one child's hearing impairment 'indicated' that the parents could not be trusted and therefore all the children should be enrolled in public school programs." Judge Bernier determined that the security and development of the children was compromised by parental negligence.
In her ruling, Judge Bernier called the mother's teaching approach "outdated," saying it emphasized repetition exercises and acquisition of knowledge rather than the Ministry's preferred approach of teaching learning skills. She also criticizes the elder children's social development, noting that they had difficulty at first with the other children when they entered the classroom.
"The parents, though aware … of the need to stimulate each child by interactions with peers of the same age, outside of the family, either at school, kindergarten, or day care or occasional education trips, maintain their interest in the teaching model of the home school," she wrote, going on to lament that they are "refusing to integrate the youngest in kindergarten or day care, and opposing educational outings for the children."
"Their reasons are always the same and regard a social mistrust that does not meet the needs of their children," she added. She also took issue with the fact that the parents apparently had not obtained a homeschooling exemption under the Education Act, which requires that the parents offer a program equivalent to that offered in the schools.
The family, which is Roman Catholic, is now launching an appeal to the Quebec Superior Court.
Faris argued that the ruling ignored objective measurement of the children's successful development.
"This is a quality homeschooling family that exercised diligence in teaching their kids," Faris told LifeSiteNews. "We've had the kids tested and are certainly satisfied that they're doing well."
News of this family's plight comes as the Quebec government faces a Supreme Court challenge this month of their refusal to allow exemptions in the public schools from a controversial course in relativism known as "ethics and religious culture."
The government has even tried to impose the mandatory ERC program, which purports to present the spectrum of world religions and lifestyle choices from a "neutral" stance, on the province's private schools. A Superior Court judge ruled in June 2010 that their effort to do so had assumed a "totalitarian character."
In December, the government instituted a ban on religious instruction in its government-funded daycares.
Michael Donnelly, Director of International Relations for the Home School Legal Defense Association, said Quebec appears to be joining countries like Germany and Sweden in its repressive opposition to homeschooling.
"There is homeschooling freedom in most of Canada. However, it appears that Québec is more like Germany or Sweden when it comes to homeschooling regulations," said Donnelly.
"This judge's decision reads like one from these countries that are repressing homeschooling. The philosophy represented by this judge's decision must be resisted."
Today on Kresta - May 10, 2011
Talking about the "things that matter most" on May 10
4:00 – Produced by Faith: Enjoy Real Success without Losing Your True Self
DeVon Franklin is the vice president of production for Columbia Pictures. DeVon says, "I know from my own experiences that if you will put your career in God's hands and trust him, you can't account for all the ways he will bless you. When you step out in faith, he will open doors and bring you opportunities that will surpass even your wildest expectations. . . . If I have learned anything, it's this: to get where you want to go, you first have to become the person God wants you to be." He is here to share how being bold about his Christian faith while being driven and ambitious has actually helped him to excel in a high-profile, fast-paced, competitive industry.
4:20 – UN Agency Calls for Population Reduction
A recent press release by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has named the official recognized date that world population is slated to reach 7 billion people: October 21, 2011. UNFPA's Executive Director Dr. Babtunde Osotimehin states that "the population projections underscore the urgent need to provide safe and effective family planning to the 215 million women who lack it." Steve Mosher of the Population Research Institute has a different view. He says that the world's 7 billionth human is a cause for celebration-- a victory over death. He is here to make his case.
4:40 – Free at Last, Free at Last: The Notre Dame 88 are Free at Last
Almost two years since they were arrested, all criminal charges have been dropped against 88 pro-lifers who protested on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in opposition to the Catholic university's invitation to pro-abortion President Barack Obama to deliver the commencement speech and receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree. In dropping the trespass cases St. Joseph County, Indiana prosecutor, Michael Dvorak brought an end to a difficult and long legal battle between the defendants and Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins. One of those charged, Monica Miller , is here.
5:00 – God, Sex and the Meaning of Life
This weekend the Archdiocese of Detroit will be sponsoring a conference on Blessed John Paul the Great's Theology of the Body - "Why the Fig Leaf? God, Sex and Sensibility." We talk with one of the keynote speakers, Bill Donaghy of the Theology of the Body Institute.
5:20 – Osama Bin Laden and "The Closing of the Muslim Mind"
With the death of Osama Bin Laden, many are asking how this will affect the war on terror, our relationship with Muslim dominated countries, and how it may affect Muslim thought. Robert Reilly has the answers. The author of The Closing of the Muslim Mind, Robert uncovers the root of our contemporary crisis: a pivotal struggle waged within the Muslim world nearly a millennium ago. In a heated battle over the role of reason, the side of irrationality won. He joins us.
4:00 – Produced by Faith: Enjoy Real Success without Losing Your True Self
DeVon Franklin is the vice president of production for Columbia Pictures. DeVon says, "I know from my own experiences that if you will put your career in God's hands and trust him, you can't account for all the ways he will bless you. When you step out in faith, he will open doors and bring you opportunities that will surpass even your wildest expectations. . . . If I have learned anything, it's this: to get where you want to go, you first have to become the person God wants you to be." He is here to share how being bold about his Christian faith while being driven and ambitious has actually helped him to excel in a high-profile, fast-paced, competitive industry.
4:20 – UN Agency Calls for Population Reduction
A recent press release by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has named the official recognized date that world population is slated to reach 7 billion people: October 21, 2011. UNFPA's Executive Director Dr. Babtunde Osotimehin states that "the population projections underscore the urgent need to provide safe and effective family planning to the 215 million women who lack it." Steve Mosher of the Population Research Institute has a different view. He says that the world's 7 billionth human is a cause for celebration-- a victory over death. He is here to make his case.
4:40 – Free at Last, Free at Last: The Notre Dame 88 are Free at Last
Almost two years since they were arrested, all criminal charges have been dropped against 88 pro-lifers who protested on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in opposition to the Catholic university's invitation to pro-abortion President Barack Obama to deliver the commencement speech and receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree. In dropping the trespass cases St. Joseph County, Indiana prosecutor, Michael Dvorak brought an end to a difficult and long legal battle between the defendants and Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins. One of those charged, Monica Miller , is here.
5:00 – God, Sex and the Meaning of Life
This weekend the Archdiocese of Detroit will be sponsoring a conference on Blessed John Paul the Great's Theology of the Body - "Why the Fig Leaf? God, Sex and Sensibility." We talk with one of the keynote speakers, Bill Donaghy of the Theology of the Body Institute.
5:20 – Osama Bin Laden and "The Closing of the Muslim Mind"
With the death of Osama Bin Laden, many are asking how this will affect the war on terror, our relationship with Muslim dominated countries, and how it may affect Muslim thought. Robert Reilly has the answers. The author of The Closing of the Muslim Mind, Robert uncovers the root of our contemporary crisis: a pivotal struggle waged within the Muslim world nearly a millennium ago. In a heated battle over the role of reason, the side of irrationality won. He joins us.
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