The Roman Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch
13 hours ago
Monday, September 30, 2019
National Post: Christie Blatchford: Culture wars rear head over conservative candidate in university election
I wanted to share a story with you from National Post:
Christie Blatchford: Culture wars rear head over conservative candidate in university election
Garifalia Milousis was running uncontested for the Common Law Student Society's VP of equity, until some discovered her pro-life activism — and far worse
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/christie-blatchford-culture-wars-rear-head-over-conservative-candidate-in-university-of-ottawa-election
Sent from my iPhone
Christie Blatchford: Culture wars rear head over conservative candidate in university election
Garifalia Milousis was running uncontested for the Common Law Student Society's VP of equity, until some discovered her pro-life activism — and far worse
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/christie-blatchford-culture-wars-rear-head-over-conservative-candidate-in-university-of-ottawa-election
Sent from my iPhone
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Things Said and Unsaid Both Speak: Father James Martin and Catholic Belief
Archbishop Chaput’s Weekly Column: Father James Martin and Catholic Belief
Father James Martin, S.J., spoke at St. Joseph’s University earlier this week (Tuesday, September 17) on themes related to his book Building A Bridge. And as I expected, quite a few emails arrived in my inbox questioning his teaching on same-sex related issues and urging me to prevent his appearance. A local bishop is typically unable to do that, since most Catholic universities operate under the authority of the religious community that sponsors them. Father Martin has also, at times, been the target of bitter personal attacks. As I’ve said previously, such attacks are inexcusable and unChristian.
In reality, Father Martin has sought in a dedicated way to accompany and support people with same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria. Many of his efforts have been laudable, and we need to join him in stressing the dignity of persons in such situations.
At the same time, a pattern of ambiguity in his teachings tends to undermine his stated aims, alienating people from the very support they need for authentic human flourishing. Due to the confusion caused by his statements and activities regarding same-sex related (LGBT) issues,[i] I find it necessary to emphasize that Father Martin does not speak with authority on behalf of the Church, and to caution the faithful about some of his claims.
Among my concerns, I note the following:
1. Father Martin suggests that same-sex attracted people and those with gender dysphoria should be labeled according to their attraction and dysphoria, calling for use of the phrase “LGBT Catholic” in Church documents and language.[ii] But while the Church does teach that the body is integral to human identity, our sexual appetites do not define who we are. If we are primarily defined by our sexual attractions, then, in order to be fulfilled, it would follow that we must identify with and act on our attractions. Anything calling for the denial or restraint of our sexual appetites would logically amount to repression and even cruelty. This is the opposite of the Gospel’s clear teaching that our identity is found in Jesus Christ, created in the image and likeness of God and called to be sons and daughters of God.
2. Father Martin has, in the past, suggested that people are born “gay.” In his own words, “[i]t is a fact that people are born this way . . . [a] psychological, psychiatric, and biological truth.”[iii] To his credit, Father Martin has seemed to modify this view; studies have recently shown that there is no “gay gene,” and homosexuality is the product of a variety of factors. It’s true that many persons with same-sex attraction have experienced it for as long as they can remember, but no firm scientific consensus exists on the cause. Moreover, genetic dispositions – to the degree they do exist — say nothing about the benefit or harm toward which they dispose those having them. Any implication that a person’s behavior is predetermined, and that intellect and free will have little role in the formation and control of his or her sexual appetites, is both false and destructive, especially to young people.
3. Father Martin suggests that Catholic teaching on same-sex attraction as “objectively disordered” (for example, in CCC 2358) is cruel and should be modified. In his words, “saying that one of the deepest parts of a person — the part that gives and receives love — is disordered is needlessly hurtful.”[iv] But here Father Martin misrepresents Catholic belief. As the U.S. bishops stressed in their 2006 document, Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination: Guidelines for Pastoral Care:
It is crucially important to understand that saying a person has a particular inclination that is disordered is not to say that the person as a whole is disordered. Nor does it mean that one has been rejected by God or the Church. Sometimes the Church is misinterpreted or misrepresented as teaching that persons with homosexual inclinations are objectively disordered, as if everything about them were disordered or rendered morally defective by this inclination. Rather, the disorder is in that particular inclination, which is not ordered toward the fulfillment of the natural ends of human sexuality. Because of this, acting in accord with such an inclination simply cannot contribute to the true good of the human person. Nevertheless, while the particular inclination to homosexual acts is disordered, the person retains his or her intrinsic human dignity and value.[v]
It’s worth recalling here that the Catechism also describes lust, extra-marital relations, and contracepted sex (2351), masturbation (2352), and even non-sexual sins such as lying and calumny (1753), as intrinsically “disordered.” The suggestion that the wisdom of the Church, rooted in the Word of God and centuries of human experience, is somehow cruel or misguided does grave harm to her mission. Families have been destroyed because of this misperception, and Father Martin regrettably contributes ambiguity to issues that demand a liberating biblical clarity.
4. Father Martin partners with organizations like New Ways Ministry that oppose or ignore the teaching of the Church, and he endorses events, such as PRIDE month, that cause confusion for the faithful. To the contrary we need to reaffirm, as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) stated in its 1986 Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, that
All support should be withdrawn from any organizations which seek to undermine the teaching of the Church, which are ambiguous about it, or which neglect it entirely. Such support, or even the semblance of such support, can be gravely misinterpreted.
5. Father Martin – no doubt unintentionally — inspires hope that the Church’s teachings on human sexuality can be changed. In his book, Building A Bridge, he writes: “For a teaching to be really authoritative it is expected that it will be received by the people of God . . . From what I can tell, in the LGBT community, the teaching that LGBT people must be celibate their entire lives . . . has not been received.”[vi] One might easily, and falsely, infer from such language that the Church’s teaching on sexual intimacy lacks binding authority for same-sex attracted Catholics.
Again to his credit, Father Martin has stressed that, “as a Catholic priest, I have . . . never challenged [the Church’s] teachings, nor will I.” [vii] But what is implied or omitted often speaks as loudly as what is actually stated, and in the current climate, incomplete truths do, in fact, present a challenge to faithful Catholic belief. When people hear that “the Church welcomes gay people” or needs to be more “inclusive and welcoming” without also hearing the conditions of an authentically Christian life set for all persons by Jesus Christ and his Church — namely, living a life of chastity — they can easily misunderstand the nature of Christian conversion and discipleship.
For this reason, Catholic teaching always requires more than polite affirmation or pro forma agreement, particularly from those who comment publicly on matters of doctrine. Faithful Catholics who are same-sex attracted need support and encouragement in the virtue of chastity. They deserve to hear – as all people do – the truth about human sexuality spoken clearly and confidently. Anything less lacks both mercy and justice.
In its 1986 Letter, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith warned us,
This Congregation wishes to ask the Bishops to be especially cautious of any programs which may seek to pressure the Church to change her teaching, even while claiming not to do so. A careful examination of their public statements and the activities they promote reveals a studied ambiguity by which they attempt to mislead the pastors and the faithful.
Supporters of Father Martin’s efforts will note, correctly, that several Church leaders have endorsed his work. Those Churchmen are responsible for their words — as I am for mine, as pastor of the Church in Philadelphia. And specifically in that role as pastor, I want to extend the CDF’s caution to all the faithful of the Church in Philadelphia, regarding the ambiguity about same-sex related issues found throughout the statements and activities of Father James Martin.
# # #
Editor’s Note: Columns will be published each week on www.CatholicPhilly.com and can also be found at http://archphila.org/archbishop-chaput/statements/statements.php.
[i] See, for example, Fr. Martin comments in “School defies Archdiocese of Indianapolis, refuses to fire teacher in same-sex marriage,” CBS News June 21, 2019
[ii] Rev. James Martin, S.J., “Reflections on Two L.G.B.T. Questions at the Synod”, America, 12 October 2018; Rev. James Martin, S.J., Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion and Sensitivity, Revised and expanded edition (New York: HarperCollins, 2018), 35.
[iii] From a Facebook video entitled “Q&A about the Pope’s recent comment ‘God made you gay.’”
[iv] Quoted in Jonathan Merritt, “This Vatican Adviser is Moving Catholics toward LGBT Inclusion”, Religion News Service, 6 June 2017.
[v] http://www.usccb.org/about/doctrine/publications/homosexual-inclination-guidelines-general-principles.cfm
[vii] Rev. James Martin, S.J., “What is the Official Church Teaching on Homosexuality? Responding to a Commonly Asked Question”, America, 6 April 2018.
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Contact: Kenneth A. Gavin
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215-587-3747 (office)
Chief Communications Officer
215-587-3747 (office)
Monday, September 16, 2019
The THREE HEARTS
The Three Hearts
Many people get confused when speaking of the Sacred Heart of Christ and the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady. They're unable to remember how to recognize which is which, as well. The picture above shows first the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Next comes the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady. You'll notice that Christ's Sacred Heart is encircled with thorns and topped with a Cross while Our Lady's Heart is surrounded by roses and, as it's often depicted, pierced with a sword (sometimes it's shown as pierced by three or seven swords).
The third heart above is the heart of St. Joseph, too often forgotten. But he shouldn't be. Fathers are so important, and now more than ever, we need to embrace St. Joseph as a patron, asking him to help fathers and the cause of fatherhood. You can recognize St. Joseph's heart by the lilies surounding it.
All three hearts are topped by flames symbolizing divine love.
Note that when Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are referred to, they're almost always mentioned or depicted in that order.
Many people get confused when speaking of the Sacred Heart of Christ and the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady. They're unable to remember how to recognize which is which, as well. The picture above shows first the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Next comes the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady. You'll notice that Christ's Sacred Heart is encircled with thorns and topped with a Cross while Our Lady's Heart is surrounded by roses and, as it's often depicted, pierced with a sword (sometimes it's shown as pierced by three or seven swords).
The third heart above is the heart of St. Joseph, too often forgotten. But he shouldn't be. Fathers are so important, and now more than ever, we need to embrace St. Joseph as a patron, asking him to help fathers and the cause of fatherhood. You can recognize St. Joseph's heart by the lilies surounding it.
All three hearts are topped by flames symbolizing divine love.
Note that when Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are referred to, they're almost always mentioned or depicted in that order.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
AUTOBIOGRAPHY of Patrick F. Walsh : TRUTH.FICTION.LIES: Confessions of an Italian, Irish-Catholic, American Immigrant to Canada.
Hello All,
This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad. My autobiography is now for sale:
I am going to attach files with information on my autobiography: TRUTH.FICTION.LIES: Confessions of an Italian, Irish-Catholic, American Immigrant to Canada.
People in Antigonish and St.FX: the book will be on sale at the St. F.X. Book Store, for Homecoming October 4-6. There will be lots of notice.
People in Calgary and St. Mary's; there will be a Launch at St. Mary's University, date to be announced, later in the term. The Book will be for sale at the St. Mary's Book Store. When the books arrive in Calgary they will also be on sale at Shelf Life Books and The Owl's Nest, and later Chapters/Indigo.
People in the rest of the world, Canada, USA, Australia, Great Britain, etc., may go to my new website:
and click on a link to the FriesenPress Bookstore, where you will find a discounted price.
The book will be distributed by Ingram, an American distributor, hence the prices in US Dollars.
Each individual bookseller will set their own price, but if you hunt for bargains don't forget the shipping charges.
An ebook will soon be available at a half-dozen ebook outlets. Here come some of the materials for our selling campaign.
PLEASE FORWARD THIS INFORMATION TO AS MANY FAMILY AND FRIENDS AS YOU FEEL APPROPRIATE. I LAUGHED AND CRIED WHEN I READ IT. I HOPE YOU MIGHT TOO.
Friday, September 13, 2019
Amazon Synod: How Pope Francis is shaping a new style of conversation in the Church
Sept13
Amazon Synod: How Pope Francis is shaping a new style of conversation in the Church Pope Francis will next month preside over one of his most important assemblies yet, the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region.
A working document released in June 2018 identified what the synod's three key themes would be: the role of women in the Church, the rights and traditions of indigenous people, and the need to provide greater access to the Eucharist.
Synodality means being accustomed to different paces, to different partners, to different narratives. There are no heretics anymore where the narrative is one of dialogue. In this as well as in so many other ways, Pope Francis has shaped a new style of conversation in the Church.
Read More
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Thursday, September 12, 2019
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Monday, September 9, 2019
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Friday, September 6, 2019
Canadian Jesuit among 13 new cardinals named by Pope Francis
Canadian Jesuit among 13 new cardinals named by Pope Francis
https://globalnews.ca/news/5845425/pope-francis-13-new-cardinals/
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