Al Kresta's Blog, page 7

"No--They're ROSE."

What else might Cardinal Dolan be saying?

Today on "Kresta in the Afternoon" - December 16, 2013

Talking about the "things that matter most" on December 16

4:00 – Rebuilding Catholic Culture
Rarely does a book come along that so succinctly explains the decline of modern culture, articulates a defense of the Church's teachings, and offers a hope-filled path for building a civilization grounded in Catholic truth. In Rebuilding Catholic Culture, Dr. Ryan Toppingdoes all three, pulling back the curtain on the false philosophies of the secularists and showing that in the West today the most formidable threat to freedom is not failing economies or Islam, but secularism. Our best defense, he claims, is a vibrant Catholic culture, and our best hope for creating it lies in the principles found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  You will discover sensible ways to begin restoring Catholic culture -- right now -- in your own life and family, and in our larger communities as well: in the theater, the classroom, in our hospitals, and even in the public square. Ryan joins us.
5:00 – Innocence: A Novel
He lives in solitude beneath the city, an exile from society, which will destroy him if he is ever seen. She dwells in seclusion, a fugitive from enemies who will do her harm if she is ever found. But the bond between them runs deeper than the tragedies that have scarred their lives. Something more than chance—and nothing less than destiny—has brought them together in a world whose hour of reckoning is fast approaching. It’s the latest novel from the Catholic bestselling author Dean Koontz who blends mystery, suspense, and acute insight into the human soul in a masterfully told tale that will resonate with readers forever. He joins us.

5:40 – Kresta Comments: New Interview with Pope Francis Published by La Stampa

Pope Paul VI May Be Beatified Soon, After Healing of Child In Utero

By Kathy Schiffer

Pope Paul VI, author of the 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life), will likely be beatified in the next few months, according to a report by Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli.Writing in the Italian newspaper La Stampa,Tornielli reports that the Medical Commission of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has declared that the former pope’s healing of an unborn child is “unexplainable.” Patrizio Polisca, Benedict XVI and Francis’ personal doctor, is chair of the Medical Commission.The alleged miracle will now be studied by theologians and cardinals, before the case is forwarded to the Holy Father for approval.The case involved a pregnant woman in California in the early ‘90s.  Doctors advised the mother to abort, after they found an abnormality in the developing fetus which normally results in brain damage.  The woman refused and continued the pregnancy, praying for the intercession of Pope Paul VI.When the child was born, the medical team was surprised to find no evidence of defects.  However, only after the child reached puberty could doctors assert with absolute confidence that he had made a full recovery.  Finally last year, Father Antonio Marrazzo, C.Ss.R., postulator for the cause of canonization for Paul VI, said with confidence that “a truly extraordinary and supernatural event had occurred, thanks to the intercession of Paul VI.”Several years ago, Father Marrazzo had received a list of a number of possible miracles; and from the list, he felt that the strongest case could be made for healing of the unborn child who appeared to be healed in utero.And last year—on December 20, 2012—Pope Benedict approved the declaration of Pope Paul as a person of “heroic virtue”, granting him the title of “Venerable”.According to Catholic News Agency:

The debate over the late Pope’s cause has intensified over the past year, with doctors exchanging medical opinions until yesterday’s final verdict. Speaking at a conference on Paul VI’s visit to the Holy Land last November, the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Angelo Scola, said the former Pope’s beatification “should be relatively imminent.”

Today on "Kresta in the Afternoon" - December 13, 2013

Talking about the "things that matter most" on December 13

4:00 – Good News, Bad News: Evangelization, Conversion and the Crisis of Faith
Six years ago our friends Fr. John McCloskey and Russell Shaw wrote Good News, Bad News: Evangelization, Conversion and the Crisis of Faith. Based on the great success and influence that Father McCloskey has had in helping instruct many converts to Catholicism, especially numerous high profile DC figures, this book is a powerful combination of the methods, theology, and theories that McCloskey uses in his evangelization efforts. In addition to his compelling insights on how to teach or share the faith in a winning, inspiring way, this work includes the contributions of several dozen converts of Fr. McCloskey who give their own moving testimonies of why they converted to Catholicism, and how that life-changing journey happened for each of them. We revisit this inspirational book today with Fr. McCloskey.

5:00 – Innocence: A Novel
He lives in solitude beneath the city, an exile from society, which will destroy him if he is ever seen. She dwells in seclusion, a fugitive from enemies who will do her harm if she is ever found. But the bond between them runs deeper than the tragedies that have scarred their lives. Something more than chance—and nothing less than destiny—has brought them together in a world whose hour of reckoning is fast approaching. It’s the latest novel from the Catholic bestselling author Dean Koontz who blends mystery, suspense, and acute insight into the human soul in a masterfully told tale that will resonate with readers forever. He joins us.

5:20 – The Catholic “Hobbit”
Before you visit theatres for the second installment of the film based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved “The Hobbit,” brush up on your elvish and pack your “Baggins,” because Tolkien Scholar Joseph Pearce is here to take you on an extensive tour of the Catholic themes found in “the Hobbit” and in the life of JRR Tolkien

WATCH LIVE: Conference on Religious Persecution - December 13-14 in Rome

Religious freedom is under siege.  Around the world, from Cairo and Damascus to Tehran and Beijing, Christianity finds itself increasingly persecuted.Beginning today the Religious Freedom Project at Georgetown University, together with Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion, is hosting a two-day conference in Rome to highlight Christianity’s contributions to the understanding and practice of freedom for all people.  At the conference, new findings will be presented from a two-year study by dozens of scholars concerning Christianity’s contributions to freedom.The Sorbonne’s Rémi Brague, winner of the 2012 Ratzinger Prize, and His Beatitude Mar Louis Raphaël I Sako of Baghdad, patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldean Catholic Church, will deliver keynote addresses. Other speakers will include Baylor University President Ken Starr, former solicitor general of the United States, and Marcello Pera, former president of the Italian Senate.CLICK HERE to watch the LIVE WEBCAST from Rome on Friday, December 13 and Saturday, December 14 from 3:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. EST at the Aleteia website.Following is a detailed agenda. 

AGENDAFriday, December 13, 2013, 9:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.9:30-10:00 a.m. | Welcoming Remarks
Thomas Farr
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Christians and Religious Freedom
Marcello Pera, Why We Should Call Ourselves Christians (Even if We Aren’t)10:00-11:15 a.m. | The Terrible Facts: What is Happening to the World’s Christians?Kirsten Powers (Moderator)
Paul Marshall, Who Persecutes Christians—and Why?
Todd Johnson, How Many Christians Are Persecuted?
Mariz Tadros, Where and How are Christians Persecuted?: Spotlight on Egypt and the Middle East11:15-11:30 a.m. | Coffee break11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. | The First Thousand Years: Christianity’s Early Relationship to Freedom (as Persecuted and as Persecutor) Timothy Samuel Shah (Moderator), Theological and Secular Arguments for Religious Freedom in Early Christian Thought
Robert Louis Wilken, The Christian Roots of Religious Freedom
John Rist, Augustine on Religious Freedom and Religious Coercion
Elizabeth DePalma Digeser, Lactantius’ Doctrine of Religious Freedom and Its Influence on Constantine
Ian Christopher Levy, Tolerance and Freedom in the Age of the Inquisition1:00-3:00 p.m. | Lunch3:00-4:15 p.m. | Christian Views on Dignity, Slavery, Proselytism, and DemocracyWilliam Inboden (Moderator)
Kyle Harper, Christianity and the Roots of Human Dignity
Robert Woodberry, Protestant Missionaries: Cultural Imperialists or Agents of Democracy?
Donald Miller, Where the Spirit Leads: Pentecostalism and Freedom
Daniel Philpott, Christianity: A Straggler on the Road to Liberty?4:15-4:30 p.m. | Coffee break4:30-5:45 p.m. | Religious Freedom in the Lion’s Den?Mariz Tadros (Moderator)
Anthony O’Mahony, The Contributions of Ancient Christian Communities to the Contemporary Middle East
Duane Alexander Miller and Philip Sumpter, Between the Hammer and the Anvil: Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land
Elizabeth Prodromou, Orthodox Christian Contributions to Freedom6:00-7:30p.m. | Keynote Address by Professor Rémi Brague, God and Freedom: Biblical Roots of the Western Idea of Liberty.Saturday, December 14, 2013, 9:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.9:30-10:00 a.m. | Opening address by Ken Starr10:00-11:15 a.m. | Christians Among the Most Vulnerable: Empowering Women and the Poor in Developing Societies Allen Hertzke (Moderator), Christian Contributions to the World’s Newest Nation
Rebecca Shah, Empowering Poor Women in Asia, Africa, and Latin America
Richard Burgess and Daniel McCain, Christianity and Freedom in Central and Northern Nigeria
Sara Singha, The Challenge and Leaven of Christian Communities in Pakistan11:15-11:30 a.m. | Coffee break11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. | Christianity and Freedom in AsiaChad Bauman and James Ponniah, Growth and Challenges for Christianity in      India
Fenggang Yang, The Dynamism of Chinese Christianity
Robert Hefner, Christianity and Religious Freedom in the World’s Largest Muslim Nation
Reg Reimer, Christianity in Vietnam: Contributions to Freedom Amidst Adversity1:00-3:00 p.m. | Lunch3:00-4:15 p.m. | Would Europe or America Exist Without Christianity?Roger Trigg (Moderator)
John Witte, Calvinist Contributions to Freedom in Early Modern Europe
David Little, Early Experiments in Religious Freedom in Colonial America
Matthew Franck, Christianity and Freedom in the American Founding4:15-4:30 p.m. | Coffee break4:30-5:45 p.m. | A conversation on Christianity and Freedom in the Future of the WestMatthew Franck (Moderator)
Roger Trigg
David Novak
Remi Brague
John Allen6:00-7:30 p.m. | Keynote Address by Archbishop Louis Raphael Sako, Chaldean Patriarch of Iraq, Christianity Matters: What Middle Eastern Societies Will Lose If Christians Flee

This event is made possible by a grant from the Historical Society’s Religion and Innovation in Human Affairs Program.

Today on "Kresta in the Afternoon" - December 12, 2013

Talking about the "things that matter most" on December 12

4:00 – If Aristotle's Kid Had an iPod
Parenting is hard . . . but it's not impossible. As a parent, you know that raising children presents greater questions every day. Aristotle has the answers . . . you just have to know how to find them. Conor Gallaghermasterfully weaves Aristotle's ancient philosophy, scientific studies, pop culture, and parenting tales together making If Aristotle's Kid Had an iPod a funny, rich, and informative read, and an indispensable guide for any parent who wants to pass on the secrets of a happy life to their kid. He joins us today

5:00 – Education in Virtue
The Disciple of Christ- Education in Virtue is a Christian curriculum structured on the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas regarding the virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit.  It aims to provide a consistent structure and systematic instruction for youth to learn about the virtues so that they can form the habits and dispositions necessary to live as disciples of Jesus Christ.  This curriculum emphasizes Christian discipleship as indispensable toward human flourishing and the quest for joy.  It has been developed in response to the call for a New Evangelization, firmly conveying the reality that happiness is found in a life of holiness. The genesis of the project, Sr. John Dominic of the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, is here to discuss it


5:40 – Kresta Comments

Mob of topless pro-choice feminists attacks praying men

A video of lesbian violence against Christians goes viral, despite a media blackout
Yelling, topless women spray-painting men’s crotches. Protestors spitting in faces. Lesbians performing lewd acts and shoving their bare breasts on praying men. A mob of thousands of angry women dancing around a burning effigy of the pope. No, it’s not newsreel footage from Nazi Germany. It’s present day Argentina. Haven’t heard about it? That’s because the mainstream media has been dead silent on an event that should have been front page news across the globe. It was caught on tape, however, and watchers of the shocking, now viral video are mostly calling it “satanic” and noting it certainly would have been big news if Christians had assaulted pro-choicers and lesbians.
An escalating annual event
An escalating annual event Canada’s pro-life LifeSiteNews broke the story last week. It took place in San Juan, a city of 500,000 in western Argentina, on Sunday, November 24th. Seventeen thousand women attended the 28th annual National Meeting of Women, a feminist conference to discuss violence, gender issues and abortion rights. Then, as has become a custom since at least 2008 following the conference, many participants took to the streets to rampage and attack the local churches. 
Only 500 feminists tried to storm a cathedral in Podomos, Argentina following last year’s National Women’s Conference. At 7,000 this year, the violence is growing. Knowing what was coming, some 1,500 faithful turned out to defend San Juan’s cathedral from invasion and damage. Men linked arms in a ring outside, while another 700 people prayed inside. A priest led exorcism prayers before the rioting protestors turned up. The video shows topless women gyrating in lesbian sex acts, drawing Nazi symbols on the men’s faces, molesting them, spitting and chanting: “To the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church, who wants to get between our sheets, we say that we want to be whores, transvestites and lesbians. Legal abortion in every hospital.” Throughout the entire clip, the men stand like a stone wall and quietly pray the rosary. Not one demonstrator got inside.


The ‘new evangelism’ at work 

The video, posted by pro-life websites, has now been viewed at least 400,000 times and has elicited thousands of comments, many of them noting the “satanic” behavior of the abortion activists, and commending the men for their imperturbable restraint.

In a remarkable interview with LifeSiteNews, one of the men who defended San Juan’s cathedral, Oscar Campillay, told how during the two-hour ordeal he felt there “was something inhuman there, almost diabolic, that made one shudder.” But, he said, he decided to look in the eyes of a girl whose face was covered while she was assaulting him and to pray for her. “There was an instant in which our eyes met and we each held our gaze firmly,” he said. “Suddenly she became calm and quiet; slowly she uncovered her face and looked at me, and withdrew in silence away from the crowd.”

Today on "Kresta in the Afternoon" - Dec. 11, 2013

Talking about the “Things That Matter Most” on December 11
4:00 – Evangelii Gaudium: Pope Francis the RevolutionaryAccording to George Weigel, the first nine months of the pontificate of Pope Francis have often resembled a gigantic Rorschach test in which various commentators inside and outside the Catholic Church have “seen” their dreams and fears realized. Alas, what has been “seen” has often had little to do with the record of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as priest and bishop or with his most consequential decisions as Pope. Those projections reached fever pitch with the publication on Tuesday of Francis’ first apostolic exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel), which was celebrated, or lamented, as if it were an Occupy Whatever position paper for a G-8 summit. Instead, the papal document should be read and appreciated for what it manifestly is: a clarion call for a decisive shift in the Catholic Church’s self-understanding, in full continuity with the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. George joins us to make his case.
4:20 – Former Ambassadors: Obama’s call to close Vatican embassy is ‘slap in the face’ to Roman CatholicsPlans to move the U.S. embassy to the Vatican onto the grounds of the larger American embassy to Italy, though in a separate building and with a distinct entrance, are drawing fire from five former American envoys despite the tacit consent of the Vatican itself. Justified primarily on the grounds of enhanced security, the move is drawing fire from former Vatican Ambassadors James Nicholson, Francis Rooney, Mary Ann Glendon, Raymond Flynn, and Thomas Melady. Ambassador Flynn is here to explain his objections.
4:30 – U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Landmark Hobby Lobby CaseThe U.S. Supreme Court last week agreed to take up two challenges to the HHS Mandate, one of which is Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., a landmark case addressing the Constitutionally guaranteed rights of business owners to operate their family companies without violating their deeply held religious convictions. We talk to Lori Windham, an attorney with the Beckett Fund which filed this case.
4:40 – The Philosophy of “The Hunger Games”With the amazing success of the film The Hunger Games: The Girl on Fire over the last week, we talk about the Philosophy of the books – and now the movies. Katniss Everdeen is "the girl who was on fire," but she is also the girl who made us think, dream, question authority, and rebel. The post-apocalyptic world of Panem's twelve districts is a divided society on the brink of war and struggling to survive, while the Capitol lives in the lap of luxury and pure contentment. At every turn in the Hunger Games trilogy, Katniss, Peeta, Gale, and their many allies wrestle with harrowing choices and ethical dilemmas that push them to the brink. Co-editor of The Hunger Games and Philosophy, George Dunn, joins us.
5:00 – Kresta Comments: Pope Francis Named TIME Magazine “Person of the Year. Why?
5:40 – Being Single During the Christmas Season
Christmas can often be a difficult for singles. It can feel very lonely when it feels like everyone around you is dating or married. How do you deal with that? At Christmas Eve dinner, there is always that Aunt who asks: "when are you going to get married already?" How can you stay joyful at Christmas when you are single? Mary Beth Bonacci is here to answer these questions and more.

Today on "Kresta in the Afternoon" - December 9, 2013

Talking about the “Things That Matter Most” on December 9
4:00 – Study of 36 Chinese Abortion-Breast Cancer Studies a “Game Changer”A systematic review and meta-analysis of 36 Chinese studies by Dr. Yubei Huang and his colleagues in the prestigious journal, Cancer Causes Control, last week reported a significant 44% increased breast cancer risk among women with at least one induced abortion, compared to women without induced abortions.  Huang's team cited and supports a 1996 review and meta-analysis, led by Joel Brind, Ph.D. and colleagues at Penn State, who found a 30% risk elevation for women with any history of induced abortions. We talk to Dr. Brind about his long-time fight to get the medical community to recognize the abortion – breast cancer link.
4:20 – More of the Holy Spirit: How to Keep the Fire Burning in Our HeartsIn the last forty years, many Catholics have experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in their lives that resulted in a new passion for God and a zeal for spreading the gospel. In addition to a newfound love of prayer, Scripture, and the Eucharist, many have been blessed with the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as tongues and healing. Yet as the years go by, many often experience a waning of the gifts of the Spirit as well as a luke-warmness creeping into their lives. What can we do to keep that fire for God, which may have been ignited many years ago, burning brightly in our hearts? Sr. Ann Shields is here to tell us.
5:00 – Kresta Comments
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception / The Finalists for
TIME Magazine “Person of the Year” / Remembering Nelson Mandela / The Most Post-Christian Cities

A New Jesuit Saint Before Christmas

Blessed Peter Faber, S.J.By Kathy SchifferAny day now, Pope Francis is expected to issue a papal bull decreeing that Peter Faber, companion of St. Ignatius and co-founder of the Society of Jesus, is a saint.  No date for the canonization has been announced; but it is predicted that it will occur before Christmas.The process for the canonization, according to the Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire, will be what is called “equivalent canonization”—that is, a canonization when the Pope omits the customary judicial process and ceremonies involved, and simply decrees that the servant of God should be venerated in the Universal Church.  Equivalent canonization is an appropriate process for cases in which the holy person has, over a long period of time, been the object of veneration; when his or her heroic virtues (or martyrdom) and miracles are related by reliable historians; and when the fame of his miraculous intercession is uninterrupted.According to Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli, writing in La Stampa:

The process for his cause in the Congregation for the Causes of Saints is complete and now all that remains is for Francis to issue the Bull of Canonization that will proclaim the first companion of St. Ignatius a saint, extending the cult of the soon-to-be-saint to the Universal Church.

Faber was born in the Upper Savoy region of France in 1506 and died in Rome in 1547 just a few weeks before he was due to attend the Council of Trent. He was beatified in September 1872 with a Papal Rescript issued by the Sacred Congregation of Rites and ratified by the Society of Jesus. Now Francis is extending the liturgical cult to the Universal Church.

Faber’s canonization is of particular interest because the Jesuit is, according to Tornielli, “a model of spirituality and priestly life for the current successor of Peter.  At the same time, he is an important reference point for understanding the Pope’s leadership style.”
Faber lived in the sixteenth century, in a time when the unity of the Church was being threatened. He mostly avoided the doctrinal disputes which were going on around him, focusing instead on reform of the Church, becoming a pioneer of ecumenism.
Pope Francis spoke about Faber in his famous interview with Fr. Antonio Spadaro for the Jesuit journal Civiltà Cattolica, revealing some key aspects of the priest as a figure:

“[His] dialogue with all, even the most remote and even with his opponents; his simple piety, a certain naïveté perhaps, his being available straightaway, his careful interior discernment, the fact that he was a man capable of great and strong decisions but also capable of being so gentle and loving.”