lifesitenews--2020-06-11--Community of priests in Wales under threat after celebrating sacraments during lockdown

CARDIFF , Wales , June 11 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) ― A community of devout Catholic priests in Wales is coming under mainstream media pressure over the celebration of a wedding during the COVID-19 lockdown , sparking fears that their work could be in jeopardy .
On June 8 Wales Online published a story about a wedding that took place at St. Alban-on-the-Moors Catholic Church on Tuesday , May 12 .
It identified the celebrant as Oratorian Father Sebastian Jones .
The digital newspaper was alerted to the story by photographs posted on Facebook .
Both Wales Online and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family who requested the wedding belonged to the devoutly Catholic―and famously marriage-minded―Traveller community .
Father Sebastian , who regularly ministers to the ostracized Irish Traveller ( aka “ Irish Gypsy ” ) community , believes that he had good pastoral reasons to perform the ceremony .
“ In seeking to be a pastoral priest to the specific pressing needs of the Travelling community during the indefinite uncertainties arising from the lockdown , I only ever hoped to protect individuals and families from grave consequences that are particular to them , ” Fr .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ superior .
LifeSiteNews has subsequently learned that Catholic priests in Cardiff have celebrated infant baptisms and at least one other Traveller wedding despite civil regulations currently forbidding both sacraments .
A source close to Fr .
Sebastian added that although Archbishop George Stack was initially “ fairly supportive ” of the Oratorian Father , he is experiencing a lot of pressure from outside forces .
There are fears that Fr .
Sebastian will be removed as the parish priest of St. Alban-on-the-Moors Church and that the new Oratory itself will be suppressed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reverend George Stack , told the media that Fr .
Sebastian felt compelled to perform the ceremony .
“ The parents of the family insisted that it take place immediately , '' the archbishop explained to Wales Online .
“ They went to the priest and he caved in , ” he continued .
“ When I say he was pressured , he felt pressured .
He was concerned .
Worried about the girl ’ s health and safety.
” Stack added that he thought performing the marriage was “ not the right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canon Law , all Catholics have a right to the sacrament of marriage unless there is an impediment , such as one or both the parties being underage , one or both being already married , or the parties being too closely related .
Marriage as a guarantee of chastity in the Traveller community At the same time , the Irish Traveller community is known to be “ almost unique ” among Catholic groups in strictly observing pre-marital chastity , LifeSiteNews has learned .
Irish Travellers marry young and are “ almost oppressively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for sin , engagements are short , and priests are not given much notice .
Traveller girls have committed suicide after being ostracized by their community for perceived unchastity arising from delayed marriage .
The importance of marriage to Travellers was exploited in Britain by the makers of the controversial “ Big Fat Gypsy Weddings ” television series .
LifeSiteNews has obtained a copy of a letter from Fr .
Sebastian to his superior Father Ignatius Harrison , the provost of the Birmingham Oratory , explaining why he has been witnessing marriages and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In seeking to be a pastoral priest to the specific pressing needs of the Travelling community during the indefinite uncertainties arising from the lockdown I only ever hoped to protect individuals and families from grave consequences that are particular to them , ” Fr .
Sebastian wrote .
“ Those who minister to this community know what I am referring to .
It was the urgency and persistence of the requests and their expectations that the Church could resolve a spiritual crisis in their lives that was my only motivation , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I overlook the gravity of their circumstances nor even the possible consequences for me personally in the celebration of a Sacrament in their lives and the disturbing effects of lockdown.
” Fr .
Sebastian added that he lacked the “ steeliness of heart ” to refuse baptism , during a pandemic , to babies belonging to families who had already buried children .
“ I am a Catholic priest , not a civil servant , ” he stated .
“ I appreciate that for those without Faith or experience of this particular Ministry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as a priest , I must put the salvation of souls above every other consideration , even my own peace of mind and risk from infection.
” Fr .
Sebastian also underscored in his letter the freedom of the Church to dispense the sacraments independently of the wishes of the secular state .
“ I have lectured and written for nearly twenty years on the Church ’ s constant teaching that in matters of the Sacraments the Church is not subject to the State , ” he wrote .
Fr .
Sebastian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ freedom in such matters and that the ceremonies he performed did not bring about “ civil effects , ” as they were not recorded by the government .
“ Ultimately these Sacraments are a question of competence , ” he reminded his superior .
“ The Catholic Church alone and not the State has competence in these spiritual matters .
The present confusion arises from the notion that every institution is subject to the State .
The Church has always vehemently rejected such a violation of her liberty.
” LifeSiteNews has learned that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Traveller community in the Diocese of Cardiff , the largest in the U.K. , since August of last year .
According to Fr .
John Chadwick , who wrote to Archbishop Stack in support of the priest , Fr .
Sebastian “ routinely ” visits Traveller sites outside Cardiff City and is “ widely known as a devoted and reliable pastor.
” “ I can confirm that some of the pastoral interventions made by Fr Sebastian have been so timely that he may well have saved lives as a consequence , ” Chadwick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and perhaps uniquely , present acute pastoral need.
” The Margaret Clitheroe Trust , which advocates for marginalized communities like the Travellers , has written to Archbishop Stack on behalf of Fr .
Sebastian , saying that he is a “ shining example ” of leadership .
“ He is a shining example of a leader who works to proactively overcome the barriers that Travellers face within society , ” wrote Samuel Bowden , the Chair of Trustees .
“ I think everyone can agree that Father Sebastian ’ s actions in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ceremony were … simply motivated by compassion , ” he continued .
“ In particular , this compassion was towards a group that is considered to be least in society .
I can not help but feel this work is in the greatest traditions of Christ , spending time on the margins to love those who are left behind or judged by others.
” Bowden asked the archbishop to be aware that delayed marriage has led to female suicide in the Traveller community .
“ This may seem hyperbolic , but it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a culture and community of which there is so little understanding , ” he said .
“ Service to such a unique and marginalised group , with such a unique set of needs , is never going to be straightforward.
” Wales may not be the only place in the locked down United Kingdom where Catholics priests are discreetly administering the sacraments to laypeople who ask for them .
LifeSiteNews has been made aware of unsubstantiated rumours of clandestine Masses being celebrated in other nations in the union .
Public masses have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 , and in Scotland since March 19 .
Many of the British laity have communicated their longing for the sacraments to their bishops , and one group of Catholics produced a video asking merely that the churches be reopened for private prayer .
Cardinal Vincent Nichols of the Westminster Archdiocese told Catholics last month that it would be a “ scandal ” to reopen .
However , churches in England and Wales are expected to open for private prayer next Monday .
Earlier this week blogger priest Father John Zuhlsdorf brought attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forbidden by their bishops to minister to the laity .
He called this “ moral injury.
” “ One writer defines moral injury as resulting from a betrayal of what is morally right by someone who holds legitimate authority and in a high stakes situation , ” Zuhlsdorf wrote .
“ For example , priests who really believe in the cura animarum , and who are ordered , bullied , threatened by authority above them to go against what they believe is right and good for themselves and their people .
Application : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the faithful during the COVID-1984 lockdown.
” Not all clergy performing weddings have been pilloried in the press .
At least two Church of England marriages have been celebrated since the U.K.-wide lockdown and marriage moratorium were imposed in late March .
One involved a young man dying in hospital who wished to marry the mother of his child , his fiancée of 15 years .
This ceremony , which could not be civilly recorded , was performed by a hospital chaplain .
A second Anglican wedding ceremony , this one joining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ performed in a hospital chapel in May .
LifeSiteNews has reached out to the Provost of the Birmingham Oratory and to the Archbishop of Cardiff for comment .
A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Cardiff has assured LifeSiteNews that he will communicate with us tomorrow .
To respectfully make your opinion known to Archbishop Stack , please contact :

CARDIFF, Wales, June 11, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) ― A community of devout Catholic priests in Wales is coming under mainstream media pressure over the celebration of a wedding during the COVID-19 lockdown, sparking fears that their work could be in jeopardy.
On June 8 Wales Online published a story about a wedding that took place at St. Alban-on-the-Moors Catholic Church on Tuesday, May 12. It identified the celebrant as Oratorian Father Sebastian Jones. The digital newspaper was alerted to the story by photographs posted on Facebook. Both Wales Online and the BBC neglected to mention that the family who requested the wedding belonged to the devoutly Catholic―and famously marriage-minded―Traveller community.
Father Sebastian, who regularly ministers to the ostracized Irish Traveller (aka “Irish Gypsy”) community, believes that he had good pastoral reasons to perform the ceremony.
“In seeking to be a pastoral priest to the specific pressing needs of the Travelling community during the indefinite uncertainties arising from the lockdown, I only ever hoped to protect individuals and families from grave consequences that are particular to them,” Fr. Sebastian stated in an email to his superior.
“I am a Catholic priest, not a civil servant.”
LifeSiteNews has subsequently learned that Catholic priests in Cardiff have celebrated infant baptisms and at least one other Traveller wedding despite civil regulations currently forbidding both sacraments.
A source close to Fr. Sebastian added that although Archbishop George Stack was initially “fairly supportive” of the Oratorian Father, he is experiencing a lot of pressure from outside forces. There are fears that Fr. Sebastian will be removed as the parish priest of St. Alban-on-the-Moors Church and that the new Oratory itself will be suppressed.
The Archbishop of Cardiff, the Right Reverend George Stack, told the media that Fr. Sebastian felt compelled to perform the ceremony.
“The parents of the family insisted that it take place immediately,” the archbishop explained to Wales Online.
“They went to the priest and he caved in,” he continued.
“When I say he was pressured, he felt pressured. He was concerned. Worried about the girl’s health and safety.”
Stack added that he thought performing the marriage was “not the right thing to do.”
But according to Canon Law, all Catholics have a right to the sacrament of marriage unless there is an impediment, such as one or both the parties being underage, one or both being already married, or the parties being too closely related.
Marriage as a guarantee of chastity in the Traveller community
At the same time, the Irish Traveller community is known to be “almost unique” among Catholic groups in strictly observing pre-marital chastity, LifeSiteNews has learned. Irish Travellers marry young and are “almost oppressively” chaperoned beforehand. To prevent occasion for sin, engagements are short, and priests are not given much notice. Traveller girls have committed suicide after being ostracized by their community for perceived unchastity arising from delayed marriage.
The importance of marriage to Travellers was exploited in Britain by the makers of the controversial “Big Fat Gypsy Weddings” television series.
LifeSiteNews has obtained a copy of a letter from Fr. Sebastian to his superior Father Ignatius Harrison, the provost of the Birmingham Oratory, explaining why he has been witnessing marriages and performing baptisms for the Travellers.
“In seeking to be a pastoral priest to the specific pressing needs of the Travelling community during the indefinite uncertainties arising from the lockdown I only ever hoped to protect individuals and families from grave consequences that are particular to them,” Fr. Sebastian wrote.
“Those who minister to this community know what I am referring to. It was the urgency and persistence of the requests and their expectations that the Church could resolve a spiritual crisis in their lives that was my only motivation,” he continued.
“At no time did I overlook the gravity of their circumstances nor even the possible consequences for me personally in the celebration of a Sacrament in their lives and the disturbing effects of lockdown.”
Fr. Sebastian added that he lacked the “steeliness of heart” to refuse baptism, during a pandemic, to babies belonging to families who had already buried children.
“I am a Catholic priest, not a civil servant,” he stated.
“I appreciate that for those without Faith or experience of this particular Ministry my pastoral decisions are incomprehensible. However, as a priest, I must put the salvation of souls above every other consideration, even my own peace of mind and risk from infection.”
Fr. Sebastian also underscored in his letter the freedom of the Church to dispense the sacraments independently of the wishes of the secular state.
“I have lectured and written for nearly twenty years on the Church’s constant teaching that in matters of the Sacraments the Church is not subject to the State,” he wrote.
Fr. Sebastian noted that the Church herself asserts her freedom in such matters and that the ceremonies he performed did not bring about “civil effects,” as they were not recorded by the government.
“Ultimately these Sacraments are a question of competence,” he reminded his superior.
“The Catholic Church alone and not the State has competence in these spiritual matters. The present confusion arises from the notion that every institution is subject to the State. The Church has always vehemently rejected such a violation of her liberty.”
‘A devoted and reliable pastor’
LifeSiteNews has learned that Fr. Sebastian has ministered to the Traveller community in the Diocese of Cardiff, the largest in the U.K., since August of last year. According to Fr. John Chadwick, who wrote to Archbishop Stack in support of the priest, Fr. Sebastian “routinely” visits Traveller sites outside Cardiff City and is “widely known as a devoted and reliable pastor.”
“I can confirm that some of the pastoral interventions made by Fr Sebastian have been so timely that he may well have saved lives as a consequence,” Chadwick wrote.
“Travellers requesting marriage always, and perhaps uniquely, present acute pastoral need.”
The Margaret Clitheroe Trust, which advocates for marginalized communities like the Travellers, has written to Archbishop Stack on behalf of Fr. Sebastian, saying that he is a “shining example” of leadership.
“He is a shining example of a leader who works to proactively overcome the barriers that Travellers face within society,” wrote Samuel Bowden, the Chair of Trustees.
“I think everyone can agree that Father Sebastian’s actions in reference to the [May 12] ceremony were … simply motivated by compassion,” he continued.
“In particular, this compassion was towards a group that is considered to be least in society. I cannot help but feel this work is in the greatest traditions of Christ, spending time on the margins to love those who are left behind or judged by others.”
Bowden asked the archbishop to be aware that delayed marriage has led to female suicide in the Traveller community.
“This may seem hyperbolic, but it is simply the reality within the context of a culture and community of which there is so little understanding,” he said.
“Service to such a unique and marginalised group, with such a unique set of needs, is never going to be straightforward.”
Wales may not be the only place in the locked down United Kingdom where Catholics priests are discreetly administering the sacraments to laypeople who ask for them. LifeSiteNews has been made aware of unsubstantiated rumours of clandestine Masses being celebrated in other nations in the union. Public masses have been forbidden in England and Wales since March 20, and in Scotland since March 19.
Many of the British laity have communicated their longing for the sacraments to their bishops, and one group of Catholics produced a video asking merely that the churches be reopened for private prayer. Cardinal Vincent Nichols of the Westminster Archdiocese told Catholics last month that it would be a “scandal” to reopen. However, churches in England and Wales are expected to open for private prayer next Monday.
Earlier this week blogger priest Father John Zuhlsdorf brought attention to the suffering of priests who are forbidden by their bishops to minister to the laity. He called this “moral injury.”
“One writer defines moral injury as resulting from a betrayal of what is morally right by someone who holds legitimate authority and in a high stakes situation,” Zuhlsdorf wrote.
“For example, priests who really believe in the cura animarum, and who are ordered, bullied, threatened by authority above them to go against what they believe is right and good for themselves and their people. Application: being virtually forbidden to provide the sacraments to the faithful during the COVID-1984 lockdown.”
Not all clergy performing weddings have been pilloried in the press. At least two Church of England marriages have been celebrated since the U.K.-wide lockdown and marriage moratorium were imposed in late March. One involved a young man dying in hospital who wished to marry the mother of his child, his fiancée of 15 years. This ceremony, which could not be civilly recorded, was performed by a hospital chaplain. A second Anglican wedding ceremony, this one joining a doctor and nurse in marriage was performed in a hospital chapel in May.
LifeSiteNews has reached out to the Provost of the Birmingham Oratory and to the Archbishop of Cardiff for comment. A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Cardiff has assured LifeSiteNews that he will communicate with us tomorrow.
To respectfully make your opinion known to Archbishop Stack, please contact:
The Rt. Rev. George Stack
Archbishop of Cardiff
Archbishop’s House
43 Cathedral Road
Cardiff, UK
CF11 9HD
Tel: 44 (0) 29 2022 0411
Email: [here ]
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lifesitenews--2020-06-11--34-year-old UK man dies after UK court approved his starvation while in coma after surgery

UNITED KINGDOM , June 11 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — A 34-year-old man in the U.K. has died after a High Court judge ruled that removing food and water from him , while keeping him in an artificial coma , so that it would lead to his eventual death was in the patient ’ s “ best interest.
” The patient , who needed a permanent stoma ( surgical hole in the stomach to collect digestive waste by means of a colostomy bag ) , had indicated earlier this year that he would not want to live with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life .
But the man , who for now may only be referred to as MSP , last month agreed to surgery to form a stoma immediately after his surgeon informed him that his life was at risk .
Following his surgery , Barnsley Hospital sought a legal judgment on its proposed plan to continue sedation while withdrawing food and fluids from the patient .
Mr. Justice Hayden ruled on June 1 that such a course was in MSP ’ s “ best interests ” and lawyers representing Barnsley Hospital have now confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr W considers that if MSP ’ s wishes are to be given effect , there should be withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration with continued sedation which , ultimately , will compromise respiration and lead to MSP ’ s death , ” Mr. Justice Hayden noted before ruling that such a course was in the MSP ’ s “ best interests.
” Hayden justified his decision by saying an advance directive written by MSP in February 2020 , as well as evidence given by his mother , made clear that he “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parenteral feeding ” and that in such an “ exercise of his personal autonomy he is entitled to take that decision which this court is required to and does respect.
” MSP had a history of chronic bowel issues and had surgery in October 2019 to form a temporary stoma , which was then reversed at his request on May 14 .
Within weeks , his condition worsened , and on May 27 , he agreed to surgery to form a stoma immediately after his surgeon informed him his life was at risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No to riots & revolution !
Sign the petition here .
“ It was clear from the evidence of the case that this was a young man who was struggling to come to grips with his illness , but who was also vulnerable and had a history of self-harming and bi-polar disorder , ” Andrea Williams , chief executive of Christian Concern , said in a press release .
“ Despite that , when he was faced with the biggest existential crisis of his life , whether he should live or he should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice Hayden admits that MSP was fully competent to give his consent to the procedure but chose to override that consent , ” WIlliams continued .
“ For a court of law to decide that a 34-year-old man who asked for a procedure to be done and who would have had some level of meaningful recovery would nonetheless be sedated and then deprived of hydration and food until he died is an absolute horror .
Let ’ s be clear , on the basis of the judgment , Mr Justice Hayden decided to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the ability to recover and ordered him to die.
” Dr. Anthony McCarthy of the U.K. pro-life group the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children ( SPUC ) told LifeSiteNews that “ deaths such as these are especially tragic as they come about as a result of a culture and judicial system which act unthinkingly , to patients ' great harm , on false prior perceptions of what makes human lives have value.
” In 2018 , Justice Hayden ruled that it was in the “ best interests ” to discontinue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alfie Evans , when hospital doctors said that the baby was essentially brain-dead and had no quality of life .
Video taken by Alfie ’ s parents had shown that the child was “ very much alive , ” reacting to stimuli such as lights and his father 's voice , displaying a variety of activity including yawning and stretching and taking breaths on his own .
The Christian Legal Centre ( CLC ) is urging the U.K. government to establish an urgent public inquiry to review the cases where doctors were ordered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court of Protection or the Family Division of the High Court .

The patient indicated earlier this year that he would not want to live with a debilitating condition, but he had agreed last month to surgery to save his life.
UNITED KINGDOM, June 11, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A 34-year-old man in the U.K. has died after a High Court judge ruled that removing food and water from him, while keeping him in an artificial coma, so that it would lead to his eventual death was in the patient’s “best interest.”
The patient, who needed a permanent stoma (surgical hole in the stomach to collect digestive waste by means of a colostomy bag), had indicated earlier this year that he would not want to live with a condition that hindered his social or sex life.
But the man, who for now may only be referred to as MSP, last month agreed to surgery to form a stoma immediately after his surgeon informed him that his life was at risk.
Following his surgery, Barnsley Hospital sought a legal judgment on its proposed plan to continue sedation while withdrawing food and fluids from the patient.
Mr. Justice Hayden ruled on June 1 that such a course was in MSP’s “best interests” and lawyers representing Barnsley Hospital have now confirmed that the man has died.
“Dr W considers that if MSP’s wishes are to be given effect, there should be withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration with continued sedation which, ultimately, will compromise respiration and lead to MSP’s death,” Mr. Justice Hayden noted before ruling that such a course was in the MSP’s “best interests.”
Hayden justified his decision by saying an advance directive written by MSP in February 2020, as well as evidence given by his mother, made clear that he “would unhesitatingly reject the striking artificiality of parenteral feeding” and that in such an “exercise of his personal autonomy he is entitled to take that decision which this court is required to and does respect.”
MSP had a history of chronic bowel issues and had surgery in October 2019 to form a temporary stoma, which was then reversed at his request on May 14. Within weeks, his condition worsened, and on May 27, he agreed to surgery to form a stoma immediately after his surgeon informed him his life was at risk.
PETITION: Yes to reform. No to riots & revolution! Sign the petition here.
“It was clear from the evidence of the case that this was a young man who was struggling to come to grips with his illness, but who was also vulnerable and had a history of self-harming and bi-polar disorder,” Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, said in a press release.
“Despite that, when he was faced with the biggest existential crisis of his life, whether he should live or he should die, he chose life. Mr Justice Hayden admits that MSP was fully competent to give his consent to the procedure but chose to override that consent,” WIlliams continued.
“For a court of law to decide that a 34-year-old man who asked for a procedure to be done and who would have had some level of meaningful recovery would nonetheless be sedated and then deprived of hydration and food until he died is an absolute horror. Let’s be clear, on the basis of the judgment, Mr Justice Hayden decided to override the express wishes of a patient with the ability to recover and ordered him to die.”
Dr. Anthony McCarthy of the U.K. pro-life group the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) told LifeSiteNews that “deaths such as these are especially tragic as they come about as a result of a culture and judicial system which act unthinkingly, to patients' great harm, on false prior perceptions of what makes human lives have value.”
In 2018, Justice Hayden ruled that it was in the “best interests” to discontinue treatment and remove life support from toddler Alfie Evans, when hospital doctors said that the baby was essentially brain-dead and had no quality of life. Video taken by Alfie’s parents had shown that the child was “very much alive,” reacting to stimuli such as lights and his father's voice, displaying a variety of activity including yawning and stretching and taking breaths on his own.
The Christian Legal Centre (CLC) is urging the U.K. government to establish an urgent public inquiry to review the cases where doctors were ordered to switch off life support by the Court of Protection or the Family Division of the High Court.
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lifesitenews--2020-06-11--JK Rowling just tugged loose the thread that will completely unravel transgenderism

June 11 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – I ’ m not a great fan of J.K. Rowling .
The Harry Potter series ends with a strange apologia for the culture of death .
Watching her 2016 film , Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , ended any lingering doubts .
A triumph of computer-generated special effects , the plot is an attack on religion , at both obvious and subtle levels : something for another post perhaps .
I came away thinking that with this film , and of course her notorious post-mortem outing of her fictional character @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fame and fortune had seized her for their own .
She had decided to maximize her sales by serving the progressive fashions of the day .
From now on , we can expect the kind of material Hollywood will instinctively love .
It is all the more surprising , then , to see her emerge as a champion of the rights of women , in defiance of the trans lobby .
She has generated a few Twitter storms already and has now written an essay setting out her position in some detail .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ who played leading roles in her films , and , as she must realize , she is risking a lot of future revenue , as well as death threats , by leaving the winding but brightly-lit path of wokery .
However she is already extremely wealthy , and has an immense fan base , so her vulnerability to the lynch mob is unusually low for a celebrity .
This is of considerable significance , because people who defy the Jacobins of our age usually disappear from public view , if they refuse to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anywhere .
Her essay addresses the trans lobby with tough love .
She sets out how various feelings and social pressure can easily lead to children deciding that “ transitioning ” to the other sex is an attractive option , pointing out that a disproportionate number of these are now autistic girls .
As another writer expressed it , many girls find the idea of “ pressing the pause button on puberty ” attractive , which is part of what the trans lobby seems to offer .
I have written here before about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many schools which makes this very easy to understand .
As Rowling points out , herding them all onto a conveyor belt of hormone treatment and surgery is not necessarily what they need , and this policy is leaving a trail of devastated lives in its wake : people who want to “ destransition , ” but too late to save their chance of having children of their own .
This kind of argument is invariably met by the claim that to suggest a moment for reflection and exploration of the possibilities for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will lead to them committing suicide .
Rowling responds : I believe that the gender debate can only ultimately be resolved by reference to a coherent metaphysical account of sex and gender : what “ male ” and “ female ” really mean .
Rowling does not attempt this .
However , the debate is now couched in such extreme terms , that even a mild dose of common sense has electrifying implications .
Trans activists will not easily forgive Rowling for writing this : I want trans women to be safe .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not want to make natal girls and women less safe .
When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he ’ s a woman – and , as I ’ ve said , gender confirmation certificates may now be granted without any need for surgery or hormones – then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside .
That is the simple truth .
The deliberate conflation of psychologically traumatized trans individuals , towards whom we should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abusive men , for example rapists who “ identify ” as women in order to rape the inmates and staff of women ’ s prisons , is a key point in trans ideology .
Why not condemn the rapists and invite us all to limit our sympathy to the others ?
Because to do so would require them to come up with some kind of objective test or criterion of gender , and that would undermine the whole project .
We owe a debt to Rowling for starting to tug on a loose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trans ideology unravel .

June 11, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – I’m not a great fan of J.K. Rowling. The Harry Potter series ends with a strange apologia for the culture of death. Watching her 2016 film, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, ended any lingering doubts. A triumph of computer-generated special effects, the plot is an attack on religion, at both obvious and subtle levels: something for another post perhaps. I came away thinking that with this film, and of course her notorious post-mortem outing of her fictional character Dumbledore as a homosexual in 2007, fame and fortune had seized her for their own. She had decided to maximize her sales by serving the progressive fashions of the day. From now on, we can expect the kind of material Hollywood will instinctively love.
It is all the more surprising, then, to see her emerge as a champion of the rights of women, in defiance of the trans lobby. She has generated a few Twitter storms already and has now written an essay setting out her position in some detail. She has been ritually denounced by actors who played leading roles in her films, and, as she must realize, she is risking a lot of future revenue, as well as death threats, by leaving the winding but brightly-lit path of wokery. However she is already extremely wealthy, and has an immense fan base, so her vulnerability to the lynch mob is unusually low for a celebrity. This is of considerable significance, because people who defy the Jacobins of our age usually disappear from public view, if they refuse to back down. Rowling is not going anywhere.
Her essay addresses the trans lobby with tough love. She sets out how various feelings and social pressure can easily lead to children deciding that “transitioning” to the other sex is an attractive option, pointing out that a disproportionate number of these are now autistic girls. As another writer expressed it, many girls find the idea of “pressing the pause button on puberty” attractive, which is part of what the trans lobby seems to offer. I have written here before about the intense and abusive sexual culture in many schools which makes this very easy to understand. As Rowling points out, herding them all onto a conveyor belt of hormone treatment and surgery is not necessarily what they need, and this policy is leaving a trail of devastated lives in its wake: people who want to “destransition,” but too late to save their chance of having children of their own.
This kind of argument is invariably met by the claim that to suggest a moment for reflection and exploration of the possibilities for young people seeking to “transition” will lead to them committing suicide. Rowling responds:
In an article explaining why he resigned from the Tavistock (an NHS gender clinic in England) psychiatrist Marcus Evans stated that claims that children will kill themselves if not permitted to transition do not “align substantially with any robust data or studies in this area. Nor do they align with the cases I have encountered over decades as a psychotherapist.”
I believe that the gender debate can only ultimately be resolved by reference to a coherent metaphysical account of sex and gender: what “male” and “female” really mean. Rowling does not attempt this. However, the debate is now couched in such extreme terms, that even a mild dose of common sense has electrifying implications. Trans activists will not easily forgive Rowling for writing this:
I want trans women to be safe. At the same time, I do not want to make natal girls and women less safe. When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman – and, as I’ve said, gender confirmation certificates may now be granted without any need for surgery or hormones – then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside. That is the simple truth.
The deliberate conflation of psychologically traumatized trans individuals, towards whom we should feel nothing but sympathy, and opportunistic abusive men, for example rapists who “identify” as women in order to rape the inmates and staff of women’s prisons, is a key point in trans ideology. Why not condemn the rapists and invite us all to limit our sympathy to the others? Because to do so would require them to come up with some kind of objective test or criterion of gender, and that would undermine the whole project.
We owe a debt to Rowling for starting to tug on a loose thread which has the power to make trans ideology unravel.
Follow Joseph Dr Joseph Shaw has a Doctorate in Philosophy from Oxford University, where he also gained a first degree in Politics and Philosophy and a graduate Diploma in Theology. He has published on Ethics and Philosophy of Religion and is the editor of The Case for Liturgical Restoration: Una Voce Position Papers on the Extraordinary Form (Angelico Press). He is the Chairman of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales and Secretary of Una Voce International. He teaches Philosophy in Oxford University and lives nearby with his wife and nine children.
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lifesitenews--2020-06-11--Which COVID-19 vaccines will be derived from aborted children’s cell lines?

June 11 , 2020 ( Population Research Institute ) — The race is on to find a vaccine for COVID-19 .
The good news is that many of the world ’ s largest vaccine companies are developing promising vaccine candidates using ethically-derived cells .
The bad news is that many of the leading vaccine candidates for the 2019 novel coronavirus ( SARS-CoV2 ) are being developed using fetal cell lines that were originally derived from the tissues of aborted babies in the 1970s and 80s .
With more than 6.2 million reported cases so far and more than 375,000 deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2019 novel coronavirus continues to mount .
And so does the urgency to find a cure .
From big pharma to small biotech companies and universities , researchers have been pushing out dozens of vaccine candidates and have fast-tracked promising vaccine candidates to clinical trials in record time .
Pharmaceutical companies are sprinting to have a vaccine ready by the end of the year or by early 2021 .
According to a tracker from the World Health Organization , there are now more than 120 vaccine candidates in development .
Of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to clinical trials to test the vaccine candidate ’ s safety and efficacy .
Several more candidates are expected to begin clinical trials before the end of the year .
Several COVID-19 vaccine frontrunners , including those being developed by Moderna , Oxford University/AstraZeneca , CanSino Biologics/Beijing Institute of Biotechnology , and Inovio Pharmaceuticals , are using a human fetal kidney cell line called HEK-293 to develop their trial vaccines .
HEK-293 was originally derived from kidney tissue taken from a baby girl who was aborted in the Netherlands in 1972 and later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lab in 1973 .
Additionally , Janssen , the pharmaceutical division of consumer product giant Johnson & Johnson , is using the human fetal cell line PER.C6 to develop its vaccine .
The PER.C6 fetal cell line was derived from retinal tissue taken from an 18-week-old baby boy who was aborted in the Netherlands in 1985 and later converted into a fetal cell line in 1995 .
The U.S. government has made grants totaling nearly $ 2 billion in support of the development of COVID-19 vaccines using fetal cell lines .
Most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority ( BARDA ) , a division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS ) .
BARDA has awarded a $ 1.2 billion grant for AstraZeneca to fund research for the trial vaccine it is jointly developing with Oxford University .
BARDA has also made grants for up to $ 483 million for Moderna ’ s vaccine and $ 456 million for Janssen Research and Development , LLC of Johnson & Johnson .
Inovio has also received an unspecified grant for developing its vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Agency ( DARPA ) at the Department of Defense .
On June 1st , BARDA issued a $ 628 million task order under a preexisting government contract with Emergent BioSolutions Inc. to accelerate development and manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccines and drug treatments .
Emergent BioSolutions is currently working with Janssen of Johnson & Johnson to manufacture their trial vaccines .
BARDA ’ s funding for Emergent , however , was not awarded specifically for scaling up production of J & J ’ s vaccine candidate .
Worse still , the U.S. Centers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) has been producing samples of the SARS-CoV2 virus for biotech and pharmaceutical companies to use for vaccine research using fetal HEK-293T cells ( a decedent cell line of HEK-293 ) .
Moderna is also receiving substantial research assistance for its COVID-19 vaccine from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ( NIAID ) which helped develop the vaccine and conduct clinical trials .
NIAID is a division of the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) led by Dr. Anthony Fauci .
While many COVID-19 vaccines are being developed with fetal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccine candidates , such as those being developed by Novavax , Sanofi Pasteur , GlaxoSmithKline ( GSK ) , and Sinovac , are using ethically derived cell lines .
Of particular note , rival pharmaceutical giants Sanofi Pasteur and GSK have teamed up in an unprecedented partnership to jointly develop a vaccine for SARS-CoV2 .
Sanofi Pasteur will be bringing to the table an ethically produced antigen for the vaccine and GSK will be contributing an adjuvant — an immune response booster that improves the effectiveness of a vaccine .
U.K.-based GSK and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # 1 and # 3 largest vaccine producers respectively by total revenue in 2017 according to FiercePharma .
A vaccine being developed by Maryland-based Novavax is using an ethically derived invertebrate cell line Sf9 to produce protein nanoparticle antigens that make its vaccine work .
In animal studies , Novavax ’ s candidate demonstrated that the vaccine produces antibodies to the SARS-CoV2 spike protein and produces neutralizing antibodies capable of isolating and destroying the SARS-CoV2 virus .
Novavax ’ s vaccine has already been approved for a fast-tracked phase I/II stage clinical trial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s safety profile and immunogenicity ( the ability to induce an effective immune response in the body ) are expected by July .
Sinovac , a China-based biotech company , is also working on an ethically derived vaccine candidate called PiCoVacc .
PiCoVacc uses a purified inactivated SARS-CoV2 as an antigen .
Sinovac ’ s antigen is ethically grown in Vero ( monkey kidney ) cells .
Sinovac ’ s vaccine is currently undergoing expedited phase I/II clinical trials .
Pharmaceutical giant Merck also recently jumped into the COVID-19 vaccine race with an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be pursuing 3 vaccine candidates .
Merck was the first company to develop a proven vaccine for Ebola .
Merck ’ s Ebola vaccine was granted regulatory approval by the FDA last December .
As of the writing of this article , it is still too early to tell whether Merck ’ s COVID-19 vaccines will use fetal cell lines or ethically derived cells .
But one of Merck ’ s vaccine candidates for COVID-19 being developed in partnership with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative ( IAVI ) will be utilizing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its Ebola vaccine ( V290 ) .
The company ’ s Ebola vaccine is manufactured using a cell line ethically derived from the kidney cells of an African green monkey .
Another vaccine candidate being developed by Merck through Themis , a biotech company recently acquired by Merck , is seeking to use the live measles vaccine as a viral vector .
Merck ’ s measles vaccine is produced using chicken egg [ Note : Merck ’ s MMR vaccine ( measles-mumps-rubella ) is manufactured using human fetal cell line WI-38 which was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aborted baby ] .
Cell lines are often used in vaccine production to grow viral proteins that make the vaccine work .
Vaccines produce immunity by training immune cells to fight off infection by exposing them to weakened or dead viruses or an isolated protein from the virus ( or a synthetic look-alike ) .
Providing immune cells the chance to fight off weakened viruses or viral fragments prepares the body to identify and neutralize the virus if encountered in the future .
Weakened viruses , inactivated viruses , and viral proteins used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called antigens .
Antigens are any protein or molecule that triggers an immune response in the body , causing immune cells to produce antibodies .
Antibodies are proteins the body ’ s immune cells produce to bind with and tag viruses and harmful bacteria with markers that help the immune system identify and destroy pathogens .
Traditionally , vaccines are manufactured by growing antigens in animal , plant , or fungi cells or tissues such as embryonated chicken eggs , yeast , or monkey kidney cells .
After the antigens have been grown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harvested , purified , and then added to a solution that is later injected or ingested as a vaccine .
Sometimes , however , vaccine manufacturers will use human fetal cells instead of animal cells to grow the antigens for their vaccines .
Several COVID-19 vaccines under development , such as those being developed by Oxford University , CanSino Biologics , and Johnson & Johnson , are utilizing a technology known as “ non-replicating viral vector ” vaccines .
Unlike traditional vaccines which involve injecting antigens into the body that were previously grown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ viral vector vaccines grow the antigens in a person ’ s own cells .
In viral vector vaccines , a segment of DNA from the SARS-CoV2 virus is spliced into the genome of a benign carrier virus .
The viral vector is also genetically modified to prevent the virus from replicating .
When injected into the body , the viral vectors carry coronavirus DNA to the body ’ s cells that provide the cells with instructions on how to make antigens .
In order to make these vaccines , vaccine manufacturers must grow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ viral vectors to induce immunity .
Viral vector vaccines being developed by Oxford University , CanSino Biologics , and Johnson & Johnson are currently using fetal cell lines from aborted babies to grow their viral vectors .
A number of COVID-19 vaccine candidates under development are utilizing completely new vaccine platforms that require no cells at all .
Several biotech and pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop vaccines that contain no viral proteins at all but only messenger RNA ( mRNA ) or DNA plasmids that provide the body ’ s cells with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Although no mRNA or DNA plasmid vaccine has yet received regulatory approval for normal use , the technology is promising .
Experimental mRNA vaccines in recent years have shown promising results in clinical trials and in animal studies .
mRNA vaccines could have distinct advantages over traditional vaccines because they can be developed much faster , cheaper , with a higher potency , and they can even be created without samples of the pathogen .
The genome sequence is all that is needed to create these vaccines , slashing the amount of time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Additionally , mRNA- and DNA-based vaccines have the benefit that no fetal cells ( or any cells for that matter ) are needed to produce them .
Moderna is developing a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate ( mRNA-1273 ) in collaboration with NIAID .
Meanwhile , Inovio Pharmaceuticals is developing a DNA plasmid vaccine for SARS-CoV2 ( INO-4800 ) .
Despite the fact that no fetal cell lines are needed to produce DNA plasmid vaccines , Inovio has chosen to test the immunogenicity and efficacy of its vaccine candidate using human fetal kidney cells @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could otherwise have been a promising vaccine candidate .
As for Moderna ’ s vaccine , NIAID claims to have helped Moderna develop mRNA-1273 .
In February , NIAID scientists working in collaboration with researchers at the University of Texas at Austin ( UT ) successfully identified and isolated the SARS-CoV2 spike ( S ) protein and its receptor binding domain using previous research it had on similar coronaviruses such as those which cause severe acute respiratory syndrome ( SARS ) and Middle East respiratory syndrome ( MERS ) .
However , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kidney cells ( HEK-293 ) to culture the SARS-CoV2 virus before isolating the S protein .
The results from this study were later published in the peer-reviewed journal Science .
In a news release on February 19th , NIAID claimed that the study “ supports NIAID ’ s approach to a gene-based vaccine for COVID-19.
” In the same new release , NIAID also mentioned that it was working with Moderna to produce a mRNA vaccine , presumably using the findings from its study using HEK-293 cells to help identify the genetic sequence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Issues with Using Fetal Cell Lines to Develop Vaccines The use of fetal cell lines for vaccine production has long stirred significant controversy among ethicists and people of faith , particularly among Catholics and Protestants that have deep religious and moral objections against the use of cell lines that were originally derived from aborted babies .
The Catholic Church has long vocally opposed the development of vaccines using unethically derived fetal cell lines .
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith ’ s 2008 Instruction Dignitas Personae states that the use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gives rise to various ethical problems with regard to cooperation in evil and with regard to scandal ” and that “ everyone has the duty to make known their disagreement and to ask that their healthcare system make other types of vaccines available.
” Although it is not widely known or clearly disclosed by pharmaceutical companies , fetal cell lines have been used for decades in the development and manufacture of many widely used vaccinations including measles/mumps/rubella ( MMR ) , rubella , varicella ( chickenpox ) , polio , hepatitis A , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccines , such as MMR , chickenpox , and hepatitis A , no ethically produced alternatives exist in the U.S. Why Are Fetal Cells Ever Used to Manufacture Vaccines ?
Although alternative ethically derived cell lines exist for vaccine development , pharmaceutical companies often prefer to use fetal cell lines because the characteristics of fetal cell lines are well known and because they do not contain significant contaminating viruses or bacteria that are often found in cells derived from animals .
For example , the polio vaccine in the mid-20th century was once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the kidneys of monkeys .
However , it was later discovered that the vaccines were often contaminated with a common monkey virus known as Simian Virus 40 ( SV40 ) .
Although SV40 is harmless to humans , the incident alarmed vaccine manufacturers .
Since then , vaccine developers have relied more heavily on cell lines rather than cell cultures taken from live animals .
To provide a more contemporary example , the FDA is currently investigating whether there is any potential from harm in using primate cells for vaccines and biologics .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ widespread among non-human primates and it is known that these viruses are sometimes able to cause infection in humans .
Although no one is ever known to have become sick as a result of SFV , the FDA is investigating whether there could be long-term effects due to this .
With cell lines , it is possible for researchers to know the characteristics and inherent flaws in the cells they are working with .
Cell lines have been rigorously inspected by scientists across the industry for contaminating virus DNA or genetic mutations , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may have unknown contaminants that may potentially be harmful to humans .
But why use fetal cell lines instead of animal cell lines or embryonated chicken eggs which have an excellent track record and have been used for decades to manufacture vaccines ?
Many vaccines , including vaccines for the seasonal flu , are grown in embryonated chicken eggs .
However , there is a potential for supply issues when using chicken eggs to manufacture vaccines .
If , for instance , there were a widespread outbreak affecting chickens that causes the supply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could impact the ability for manufacturers to make vaccines quickly .
The supply issue could especially present problems in the event of a pandemic such as the current COVID-19 pandemic where the ability to produce hundreds of millions of vaccines quickly is paramount .
More significantly however , some viruses , such as chickenpox for instance , do not grow well in animal cells .
In such cases , there are few other options available other than using human cell lines for vaccine production .
Researchers also often prefer to use human cells @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or vaccines because they more closely resemble how a drug will work in humans .
But if human cells are better for manufacturing certain vaccines , why are fetal cell lines derived from aborted babies used instead of ethically derived adult cells ?
Fetal cells are often preferred to adult cells because there are a limited number of splittings ( passages ) cells can undergo before they age and eventually die off .
Fetal cell lines can be put through more passages than adult cells would and they are less prone to cell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a culture no longer divide and start dying off ) .
Fetal cells are also less likely to be contaminated with human viruses or with genetic mutations or alterations that naturally occur as cells age .
Certain fetal cell lines such as PER.C6 are uniquely designed for manufacturing non-replicating viral vector vaccines .
The viral vectors are genetically modified to prevent replication in the human body by deleting a portion of the viral vector ’ s genome .
PER.C6 cells are designed to fill in this deleted genome gap .
In this way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for their vaccines in the lab but such viruses are incapable of producing an ongoing infection in the body .
However , there is no need to derive cell lines from aborted babies .
Human cell lines for vaccines could easily be produced in an ethical manner if they are derived from adult cells .
Cell lines could be derived from tissue discarded during surgery or from organs donated after death .
If fetal cells are needed , there are thousands of stillbirths and neonatal deaths in the U.S. every year .
There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be derived from tissue donated from prematurely born infants that , despite the best medical technology , aren ’ t able to survive and die of natural causes while in a hospital setting .
In these scenarios , developing a cell line would be no different from an ethical perspective than donating organs .
In such context , however , it is imperative that any tissues obtained from naturally deceased neonates be strictly done in an ethical manner that respects the fundamental right to life of the child and the deceased child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tissue from the deceased could present a whole new set of ethical problems , particularly if the primary right to life of the donor is not sufficiently respected .
There is also the possibility that cell lines could be developed using cells ethically derived from human umbilical cord , cord blood , or placental tissue—tissues and organs that hospitals routinely discard as medical waste .
And ethical alternatives for human cell lines specially designed for producing viral vector vaccines may soon be available to vaccine manufacturers .
The John Paul II Medical Research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( CET ) is currently in the process of developing an ethically-derived adult human cell line specially designed for growing viral vectors for vaccines that could replace ethically-fraught cell lines like HEK-293 and PER.C6 .
But even so , it is not necessary for viral vector vaccines to be manufactured using fetal cell lines .
Merck ’ s Ebola vaccine , for instance , is a viral vector vaccine that is grown in monkey kidney cells .
Immortalized adult human cell lines that were ethically derived from the cancer cells of cancer patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decades .
Immortalized human cancerous cell lines have some of the benefits of fetal cell lines in that they are high passage cells ( in fact cancerous cell lines divide infinitely ) .
However , the genetic mutations in these cell lines often change too much and there is concern that these cells could be contaminated with oncogenic viruses ( i.e .
viruses that induce the formation of cancerous tumors ) .
There is fear that DNA from oncogenic viruses could find their way into vaccines if these cell lines are used for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lines such HEK-293 and PER.C6 are also tumorigenic .
There is concern that these cell lines too could be infected with oncogenic viruses or oncogenic DNA .
Although rigorous purification processes are used when manufacturing vaccines , purification is an arduous process and it is practically impossible to filter out all contaminants .
The FDA is currently researching tests and methods to better determine whether certain cell lines are safe enough for vaccine production .
For the current ongoing COVID-19 pandemic , there is no reason for vaccines to be developed using unethically-derived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world ’ s largest vaccine companies , including Sanofi , GSK , Merck , and Novavax , have demonstrated that it is possible to develop promising vaccine candidates using ethically-derived cells such as Vero , Sf9 , and perhaps even embryonated chicken egg .
Ethical alternatives exist .
If pharmaceutical companies are not willing to use ethical alternatives , then they must be required to .

There are now more than 120 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development. Navigating the ethics of using them will be a challenge.
June 11, 2020 (Population Research Institute) — The race is on to find a vaccine for COVID-19. The good news is that many of the world’s largest vaccine companies are developing promising vaccine candidates using ethically-derived cells. The bad news is that many of the leading vaccine candidates for the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) are being developed using fetal cell lines that were originally derived from the tissues of aborted babies in the 1970s and 80s.
With more than 6.2 million reported cases so far and more than 375,000 deaths worldwide, the burden of disease from the 2019 novel coronavirus continues to mount. And so does the urgency to find a cure. From big pharma to small biotech companies and universities, researchers have been pushing out dozens of vaccine candidates and have fast-tracked promising vaccine candidates to clinical trials in record time. Pharmaceutical companies are sprinting to have a vaccine ready by the end of the year or by early 2021.
According to a tracker from the World Health Organization, there are now more than 120 vaccine candidates in development. Of these, 10 vaccine candidates have already advanced to clinical trials to test the vaccine candidate’s safety and efficacy. Several more candidates are expected to begin clinical trials before the end of the year.
Fetal Stem Cells Being Used
Several COVID-19 vaccine frontrunners, including those being developed by Moderna, Oxford University/AstraZeneca, CanSino Biologics/Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, are using a human fetal kidney cell line called HEK-293 to develop their trial vaccines. HEK-293 was originally derived from kidney tissue taken from a baby girl who was aborted in the Netherlands in 1972 and later developed into a cell line in a lab in 1973.
Additionally, Janssen, the pharmaceutical division of consumer product giant Johnson & Johnson, is using the human fetal cell line PER.C6 to develop its vaccine. The PER.C6 fetal cell line was derived from retinal tissue taken from an 18-week-old baby boy who was aborted in the Netherlands in 1985 and later converted into a fetal cell line in 1995.
The U.S. government has made grants totaling nearly $2 billion in support of the development of COVID-19 vaccines using fetal cell lines. Most of this funding has been awarded through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
BARDA has awarded a $1.2 billion grant for AstraZeneca to fund research for the trial vaccine it is jointly developing with Oxford University. BARDA has also made grants for up to $483 million for Moderna’s vaccine and $456 million for Janssen Research and Development, LLC of Johnson & Johnson. Inovio has also received an unspecified grant for developing its vaccine candidate from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) at the Department of Defense.
On June 1st, BARDA issued a $628 million task order under a preexisting government contract with Emergent BioSolutions Inc. to accelerate development and manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccines and drug treatments. Emergent BioSolutions is currently working with Janssen of Johnson & Johnson to manufacture their trial vaccines. BARDA’s funding for Emergent, however, was not awarded specifically for scaling up production of J&J’s vaccine candidate.
Worse still, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been producing samples of the SARS-CoV2 virus for biotech and pharmaceutical companies to use for vaccine research using fetal HEK-293T cells (a decedent cell line of HEK-293).
Moderna is also receiving substantial research assistance for its COVID-19 vaccine from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) which helped develop the vaccine and conduct clinical trials. NIAID is a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) led by Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Ethically Produced COVID-19 Vaccines in the Pipeline
While many COVID-19 vaccines are being developed with fetal cell lines, a number of promising vaccine candidates, such as those being developed by Novavax, Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and Sinovac, are using ethically derived cell lines.
Of particular note, rival pharmaceutical giants Sanofi Pasteur and GSK have teamed up in an unprecedented partnership to jointly develop a vaccine for SARS-CoV2. Sanofi Pasteur will be bringing to the table an ethically produced antigen for the vaccine and GSK will be contributing an adjuvant — an immune response booster that improves the effectiveness of a vaccine.
U.K.-based GSK and France-based Sanofi are the world’s #1 and #3 largest vaccine producers respectively by total revenue in 2017 according to FiercePharma.
A vaccine being developed by Maryland-based Novavax is using an ethically derived invertebrate cell line Sf9 to produce protein nanoparticle antigens that make its vaccine work.
In animal studies, Novavax’s candidate demonstrated that the vaccine produces antibodies to the SARS-CoV2 spike protein and produces neutralizing antibodies capable of isolating and destroying the SARS-CoV2 virus. Novavax’s vaccine has already been approved for a fast-tracked phase I/II stage clinical trial. Results for the vaccine candidate’s safety profile and immunogenicity (the ability to induce an effective immune response in the body) are expected by July.
Sinovac, a China-based biotech company, is also working on an ethically derived vaccine candidate called PiCoVacc. PiCoVacc uses a purified inactivated SARS-CoV2 as an antigen. Sinovac’s antigen is ethically grown in Vero (monkey kidney) cells. Sinovac’s vaccine is currently undergoing expedited phase I/II clinical trials.
Pharmaceutical giant Merck also recently jumped into the COVID-19 vaccine race with an announcement on May 26th that the company will be pursuing 3 vaccine candidates. Merck was the first company to develop a proven vaccine for Ebola. Merck’s Ebola vaccine was granted regulatory approval by the FDA last December.
As of the writing of this article, it is still too early to tell whether Merck’s COVID-19 vaccines will use fetal cell lines or ethically derived cells.
But one of Merck’s vaccine candidates for COVID-19 being developed in partnership with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) will be utilizing the same platform Merck used in successfully developing its Ebola vaccine (V290). The company’s Ebola vaccine is manufactured using a cell line ethically derived from the kidney cells of an African green monkey.
Another vaccine candidate being developed by Merck through Themis, a biotech company recently acquired by Merck, is seeking to use the live measles vaccine as a viral vector. Merck’s measles vaccine is produced using chicken egg [Note: Merck’s MMR vaccine (measles-mumps-rubella) is manufactured using human fetal cell line WI-38 which was derived from the lung cells of an aborted baby].
How Do Vaccines Work?
Cell lines are often used in vaccine production to grow viral proteins that make the vaccine work.
Vaccines produce immunity by training immune cells to fight off infection by exposing them to weakened or dead viruses or an isolated protein from the virus (or a synthetic look-alike). Providing immune cells the chance to fight off weakened viruses or viral fragments prepares the body to identify and neutralize the virus if encountered in the future.
Weakened viruses, inactivated viruses, and viral proteins used in a vaccine to produce immunity are called antigens. Antigens are any protein or molecule that triggers an immune response in the body, causing immune cells to produce antibodies. Antibodies are proteins the body’s immune cells produce to bind with and tag viruses and harmful bacteria with markers that help the immune system identify and destroy pathogens.
Traditionally, vaccines are manufactured by growing antigens in animal, plant, or fungi cells or tissues such as embryonated chicken eggs, yeast, or monkey kidney cells. After the antigens have been grown in these cells, the antigens are harvested, purified, and then added to a solution that is later injected or ingested as a vaccine.
Sometimes, however, vaccine manufacturers will use human fetal cells instead of animal cells to grow the antigens for their vaccines.
Several COVID-19 vaccines under development, such as those being developed by Oxford University, CanSino Biologics, and Johnson & Johnson, are utilizing a technology known as “non-replicating viral vector” vaccines.
Unlike traditional vaccines which involve injecting antigens into the body that were previously grown in chicken eggs or Petri dishes, viral vector vaccines grow the antigens in a person’s own cells.
In viral vector vaccines, a segment of DNA from the SARS-CoV2 virus is spliced into the genome of a benign carrier virus. The viral vector is also genetically modified to prevent the virus from replicating. When injected into the body, the viral vectors carry coronavirus DNA to the body’s cells that provide the cells with instructions on how to make antigens.
In order to make these vaccines, vaccine manufacturers must grow a sufficient number of these genetically modified viral vectors to induce immunity. Viral vector vaccines being developed by Oxford University, CanSino Biologics, and Johnson & Johnson are currently using fetal cell lines from aborted babies to grow their viral vectors.
A number of COVID-19 vaccine candidates under development are utilizing completely new vaccine platforms that require no cells at all. Several biotech and pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop vaccines that contain no viral proteins at all but only messenger RNA (mRNA) or DNA plasmids that provide the body’s cells with instructions on how to produce antigens.
Although no mRNA or DNA plasmid vaccine has yet received regulatory approval for normal use, the technology is promising. Experimental mRNA vaccines in recent years have shown promising results in clinical trials and in animal studies. mRNA vaccines could have distinct advantages over traditional vaccines because they can be developed much faster, cheaper, with a higher potency, and they can even be created without samples of the pathogen. The genome sequence is all that is needed to create these vaccines, slashing the amount of time it takes to produce a vaccine.
Additionally, mRNA- and DNA-based vaccines have the benefit that no fetal cells (or any cells for that matter) are needed to produce them.
Moderna is developing a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate (mRNA-1273) in collaboration with NIAID. Meanwhile, Inovio Pharmaceuticals is developing a DNA plasmid vaccine for SARS-CoV2 (INO-4800).
Despite the fact that no fetal cell lines are needed to produce DNA plasmid vaccines, Inovio has chosen to test the immunogenicity and efficacy of its vaccine candidate using human fetal kidney cells (HEK-293T), sadly tainting what could otherwise have been a promising vaccine candidate.
As for Moderna’s vaccine, NIAID claims to have helped Moderna develop mRNA-1273.
In February, NIAID scientists working in collaboration with researchers at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) successfully identified and isolated the SARS-CoV2 spike (S) protein and its receptor binding domain using previous research it had on similar coronaviruses such as those which cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). However, the scientists in this study used human fetal kidney cells (HEK-293) to culture the SARS-CoV2 virus before isolating the S protein. The results from this study were later published in the peer-reviewed journal Science.
In a news release on February 19th, NIAID claimed that the study “supports NIAID’s approach to a gene-based vaccine for COVID-19.” In the same new release, NIAID also mentioned that it was working with Moderna to produce a mRNA vaccine, presumably using the findings from its study using HEK-293 cells to help identify the genetic sequence for mRNA vaccine.
Moral and Ethical Issues with Using Fetal Cell Lines to Develop Vaccines
The use of fetal cell lines for vaccine production has long stirred significant controversy among ethicists and people of faith, particularly among Catholics and Protestants that have deep religious and moral objections against the use of cell lines that were originally derived from aborted babies.
The Catholic Church has long vocally opposed the development of vaccines using unethically derived fetal cell lines. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s 2008 Instruction Dignitas Personae states that the use of fetal cell lines for developing vaccines “gives rise to various ethical problems with regard to cooperation in evil and with regard to scandal” and that “everyone has the duty to make known their disagreement and to ask that their healthcare system make other types of vaccines available.”
Although it is not widely known or clearly disclosed by pharmaceutical companies, fetal cell lines have been used for decades in the development and manufacture of many widely used vaccinations including measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), rubella, varicella (chickenpox), polio, hepatitis A, rabies, and shingles. For some vaccines, such as MMR, chickenpox, and hepatitis A, no ethically produced alternatives exist in the U.S.
Why Are Fetal Cells Ever Used to Manufacture Vaccines?
Although alternative ethically derived cell lines exist for vaccine development, pharmaceutical companies often prefer to use fetal cell lines because the characteristics of fetal cell lines are well known and because they do not contain significant contaminating viruses or bacteria that are often found in cells derived from animals.
For example, the polio vaccine in the mid-20th century was once manufactured using primary cell cultures harvested from the kidneys of monkeys. However, it was later discovered that the vaccines were often contaminated with a common monkey virus known as Simian Virus 40 (SV40). Although SV40 is harmless to humans, the incident alarmed vaccine manufacturers. Since then, vaccine developers have relied more heavily on cell lines rather than cell cultures taken from live animals.
To provide a more contemporary example, the FDA is currently investigating whether there is any potential from harm in using primate cells for vaccines and biologics. Simian foamy viruses (SFV) are widespread among non-human primates and it is known that these viruses are sometimes able to cause infection in humans. Although no one is ever known to have become sick as a result of SFV, the FDA is investigating whether there could be long-term effects due to this.
With cell lines, it is possible for researchers to know the characteristics and inherent flaws in the cells they are working with. Cell lines have been rigorously inspected by scientists across the industry for contaminating virus DNA or genetic mutations, whereas tissues taken directly from live animals may have unknown contaminants that may potentially be harmful to humans.
But why use fetal cell lines instead of animal cell lines or embryonated chicken eggs which have an excellent track record and have been used for decades to manufacture vaccines? Many vaccines, including vaccines for the seasonal flu, are grown in embryonated chicken eggs.
However, there is a potential for supply issues when using chicken eggs to manufacture vaccines. If, for instance, there were a widespread outbreak affecting chickens that causes the supply of eggs to suddenly drop, it could impact the ability for manufacturers to make vaccines quickly. The supply issue could especially present problems in the event of a pandemic such as the current COVID-19 pandemic where the ability to produce hundreds of millions of vaccines quickly is paramount.
More significantly however, some viruses, such as chickenpox for instance, do not grow well in animal cells. In such cases, there are few other options available other than using human cell lines for vaccine production.
Researchers also often prefer to use human cells for experiments testing the effect of drugs or vaccines because they more closely resemble how a drug will work in humans.
But if human cells are better for manufacturing certain vaccines, why are fetal cell lines derived from aborted babies used instead of ethically derived adult cells?
Fetal cells are often preferred to adult cells because there are a limited number of splittings (passages) cells can undergo before they age and eventually die off. Fetal cell lines can be put through more passages than adult cells would and they are less prone to cell aging and senescence (when cells in a culture no longer divide and start dying off). Fetal cells are also less likely to be contaminated with human viruses or with genetic mutations or alterations that naturally occur as cells age.
Certain fetal cell lines such as PER.C6 are uniquely designed for manufacturing non-replicating viral vector vaccines. The viral vectors are genetically modified to prevent replication in the human body by deleting a portion of the viral vector’s genome. PER.C6 cells are designed to fill in this deleted genome gap. In this way, vaccine manufacturers can replicate viral vectors for their vaccines in the lab but such viruses are incapable of producing an ongoing infection in the body.
However, there is no need to derive cell lines from aborted babies. Human cell lines for vaccines could easily be produced in an ethical manner if they are derived from adult cells. Cell lines could be derived from tissue discarded during surgery or from organs donated after death. If fetal cells are needed, there are thousands of stillbirths and neonatal deaths in the U.S. every year. There is no reason why cell cultures cannot be derived from tissue donated from prematurely born infants that, despite the best medical technology, aren’t able to survive and die of natural causes while in a hospital setting. In these scenarios, developing a cell line would be no different from an ethical perspective than donating organs. In such context, however, it is imperative that any tissues obtained from naturally deceased neonates be strictly done in an ethical manner that respects the fundamental right to life of the child and the deceased child's bodily integrity. The procurement of tissue from the deceased could present a whole new set of ethical problems, particularly if the primary right to life of the donor is not sufficiently respected.
There is also the possibility that cell lines could be developed using cells ethically derived from human umbilical cord, cord blood, or placental tissue—tissues and organs that hospitals routinely discard as medical waste.
And ethical alternatives for human cell lines specially designed for producing viral vector vaccines may soon be available to vaccine manufacturers.
The John Paul II Medical Research Institute in collaboration with Cellular Engineering Technologies (CET) is currently in the process of developing an ethically-derived adult human cell line specially designed for growing viral vectors for vaccines that could replace ethically-fraught cell lines like HEK-293 and PER.C6.
But even so, it is not necessary for viral vector vaccines to be manufactured using fetal cell lines. Merck’s Ebola vaccine, for instance, is a viral vector vaccine that is grown in monkey kidney cells.
Immortalized adult human cell lines that were ethically derived from the cancer cells of cancer patients have also been available to researchers for decades. Immortalized human cancerous cell lines have some of the benefits of fetal cell lines in that they are high passage cells (in fact cancerous cell lines divide infinitely). However, the genetic mutations in these cell lines often change too much and there is concern that these cells could be contaminated with oncogenic viruses (i.e. viruses that induce the formation of cancerous tumors). There is fear that DNA from oncogenic viruses could find their way into vaccines if these cell lines are used for manufacturing vaccines.
However, fetal cell lines such HEK-293 and PER.C6 are also tumorigenic. There is concern that these cell lines too could be infected with oncogenic viruses or oncogenic DNA.
Although rigorous purification processes are used when manufacturing vaccines, purification is an arduous process and it is practically impossible to filter out all contaminants. The FDA is currently researching tests and methods to better determine whether certain cell lines are safe enough for vaccine production.
For the current ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is no reason for vaccines to be developed using unethically-derived fetal cell lines. Many of the world’s largest vaccine companies, including Sanofi, GSK, Merck, and Novavax, have demonstrated that it is possible to develop promising vaccine candidates using ethically-derived cells such as Vero, Sf9, and perhaps even embryonated chicken egg. Ethical alternatives exist.
If pharmaceutical companies are not willing to use ethical alternatives, then they must be required to.
Published with permission from Population Research Institute.
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lifesitenews--2020-06-11--Corpus Christi, the Church’s great feast of the Eucharist, inspires adoration of Our Lord

June 11 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Today is traditionally the great feast of Corpus Christi , when we remember Our Lord ’ s institution of the Most Blessed Sacrament and when , according to Holy Mother Church , we are to bear aloft the monstrance in public procession to receive the homage of Christian souls .
Thanks primarily to the spread of this feast throughout the Christian world , the practice of Eucharistic Adoration received a tremendous boost , reaching its apogee in the Tridentine or Counter-Reformation period .
In the twentieth century , Adoration withered under the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anew wherever the Faith has begun to be believed and lived again .
For centuries , Catholics were encouraged to make pious visits to the tabernacle in any church .
We should recover this custom .
If you pass a church during a walk or an errand , step inside for a moment to pray to Our Lord .
If stopping is not possible , make the Sign of the Cross as you pass by , and say a short prayer , like “ Jesus , King of Love , I put my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mectilde de Bar ( 1614–1698 ) , a spiritual writer of 17th-century France whose writings are now more readily available thanks to an anthology recently published by Angelico Press , The Mystery of Incomprehensible Love , tells us : We must never lose sight of our holy tabernacles : it is there that we find our strength and our virtue .
If human infirmity and affairs allowed , we should pass our whole life at the feet of our divine Master ; at least let us go there as often as possible , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rob us of precious time claimed for what we owe the love of a God .
( p. 22 ) In the magnificent book In Sinu Jesu : When Heart Speaks to Heart — The Journal of a Priest at Prayer , Our Lord emphasizes the importance of these visits and expresses His displeasure at churches that are kept locked : The Most Holy Eucharist is not only My Sacrifice offered to the Father , although in a bloodless manner ; it is not only the sustenance of souls , nourishing them with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is also the Sacrament of My divine friendship , the pledge of My burning desire to remain close to all who seek Me , to all who need Me , to all who would spend time in My company .
This is why it so grieves Me that churches are locked and that I am left for days on end alone in the tabernacle .
I would draw souls to My open Heart , I would have them experience what it is to abide in the radiance of My Eucharistic Face , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ souls drawn to Me in the Sacrament of My love , but you priests , shepherds of souls , have forgotten that keeping open your churches is integral to your sacred ministry .
I would pasture souls in My Eucharistic presence , but you , by continuing to close My churches to souls , frustrate and contradict the desires of My Eucharistic Heart .
There is sorrow in heaven over this .
It is not difficult to keep My churches open and to provide for the spiritual needs of those who would readily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The obstacles are not those of which you think ; the obstacle is a lack of faith , a loss of belief in My real presence .
My priests will be held responsible for the coldness and isolation that has come to surround Me in the Sacrament of My love .
How I desire to see My churches open !
Open the doors of My consecrated houses and trust Me to fill them with adorers in spirit and in truth !
( p. 54 ) Later in the book , Our Lady @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ my Son ] betrayed ?
His priests , my own sons , betray Him when they fail to make Him known , when by not teaching the mystery of His real presence they leave souls in the darkness of ignorance , without fire or light .
They betray my Son when , by their example , they discourage reverence , and adoration , and a loving attention to His presence .
They betray Him when they offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass unworthily , and when they hand Him over to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Him their hearts and seeking His mercy and His pardon for their sins .
They betray Him when they leave Him alone in locked churches and when they make it difficult or impossible for souls to approach His tabernacles and rest in the radiance of His Eucharistic Face .
They betray Him when they allow His churches to become places of noise and worldly chatter , and when they do nothing to recall souls to the living mystery of His love , that is , His presence in the tabernacle .
( p. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our Lord ’ s and Our Lady ’ s “ marching orders ” would be for the clergy and the faithful today as regards the use of churches and the veneration of the awesome mystery of Christ , truly present in the Blessed Sacrament .
Thanks be to God , some churches did remain open even during the COVID-19 lockdowns , and the faithful went to them to pray .
Dutiful priests exposed the Host for adoration .
Some were able to say Mass and hear confessions .
When the history of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be the heroes whose quiet exploits are told .
In other places , the public life of the Church was all but extinguished , in a manner eerily reminiscent of prophecies of the end times , when souls will search in vain for priests or sacraments , and the dark prince of this world will gloat as if he has extirpated religion from the face of the Earth .
“ When the Son of Man returns , will He find faith on earth ?
” He will find faith at least among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mystery of Corpus Christi and who adore the Lord in the Host , in the tabernacles of His churches — and , if all else fails , in the tabernacles of their hearts where He has made Himself a home .

It seems quite clear what Our Lord’s and Our Lady’s 'marching orders' would be as regards the use of churches and the veneration of the awesome mystery of Christ, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.
June 11, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Today is traditionally the great feast of Corpus Christi, when we remember Our Lord’s institution of the Most Blessed Sacrament and when, according to Holy Mother Church, we are to bear aloft the monstrance in public procession to receive the homage of Christian souls. Thanks primarily to the spread of this feast throughout the Christian world, the practice of Eucharistic Adoration received a tremendous boost, reaching its apogee in the Tridentine or Counter-Reformation period. In the twentieth century, Adoration withered under the chilling influence of Modernism; it flourishes anew wherever the Faith has begun to be believed and lived again.
For centuries, Catholics were encouraged to make pious visits to the tabernacle in any church. We should recover this custom. If you pass a church during a walk or an errand, step inside for a moment to pray to Our Lord. If stopping is not possible, make the Sign of the Cross as you pass by, and say a short prayer, like “Jesus, King of Love, I put my trust in Thy loving mercy.”
Mother Mectilde de Bar (1614–1698), a spiritual writer of 17th-century France whose writings are now more readily available thanks to an anthology recently published by Angelico Press, The Mystery of Incomprehensible Love, tells us:
We must never lose sight of our holy tabernacles: it is there that we find our strength and our virtue. If human infirmity and affairs allowed, we should pass our whole life at the feet of our divine Master; at least let us go there as often as possible, and quit so many futile occupations that rob us of precious time claimed for what we owe the love of a God. (p. 22)
In the magnificent book In Sinu Jesu: When Heart Speaks to Heart — The Journal of a Priest at Prayer, Our Lord emphasizes the importance of these visits and expresses His displeasure at churches that are kept locked:
The Most Holy Eucharist is not only My Sacrifice offered to the Father, although in a bloodless manner; it is not only the sustenance of souls, nourishing them with My very Body and Blood; it is also the Sacrament of My divine friendship, the pledge of My burning desire to remain close to all who seek Me, to all who need Me, to all who would spend time in My company. This is why it so grieves Me that churches are locked and that I am left for days on end alone in the tabernacle. I would draw souls to My open Heart, I would have them experience what it is to abide in the radiance of My Eucharistic Face, I would give Myself in intimate friendship to souls drawn to Me in the Sacrament of My love, but you priests, shepherds of souls, have forgotten that keeping open your churches is integral to your sacred ministry. I would pasture souls in My Eucharistic presence, but you, by continuing to close My churches to souls, frustrate and contradict the desires of My Eucharistic Heart. There is sorrow in heaven over this. It is not difficult to keep My churches open and to provide for the spiritual needs of those who would readily enter them in search of My friendship. The obstacles are not those of which you think; the obstacle is a lack of faith, a loss of belief in My real presence. My priests will be held responsible for the coldness and isolation that has come to surround Me in the Sacrament of My love. How I desire to see My churches open! Open the doors of My consecrated houses and trust Me to fill them with adorers in spirit and in truth! (p. 54)
Later in the book, Our Lady speaks these words:
How is He [my Son] betrayed? His priests, my own sons, betray Him when they fail to make Him known, when by not teaching the mystery of His real presence they leave souls in the darkness of ignorance, without fire or light. They betray my Son when, by their example, they discourage reverence, and adoration, and a loving attention to His presence. They betray Him when they offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass unworthily, and when they hand Him over to sinners who have no intention of giving Him their hearts and seeking His mercy and His pardon for their sins. They betray Him when they leave Him alone in locked churches and when they make it difficult or impossible for souls to approach His tabernacles and rest in the radiance of His Eucharistic Face. They betray Him when they allow His churches to become places of noise and worldly chatter, and when they do nothing to recall souls to the living mystery of His love, that is, His presence in the tabernacle. (p. 184)
It seems quite clear what Our Lord’s and Our Lady’s “marching orders” would be for the clergy and the faithful today as regards the use of churches and the veneration of the awesome mystery of Christ, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.
Thanks be to God, some churches did remain open even during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and the faithful went to them to pray. Dutiful priests exposed the Host for adoration. Some were able to say Mass and hear confessions. When the history of this strange time is written, these men will be the heroes whose quiet exploits are told.
In other places, the public life of the Church was all but extinguished, in a manner eerily reminiscent of prophecies of the end times, when souls will search in vain for priests or sacraments, and the dark prince of this world will gloat as if he has extirpated religion from the face of the Earth. “When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on earth?”
He will find faith at least among those Catholics who have held tightly to the mystery of Corpus Christi and who adore the Lord in the Host, in the tabernacles of His churches — and, if all else fails, in the tabernacles of their hearts where He has made Himself a home.
Peter Kwasniewski, Thomistic theologian, liturgical scholar, and choral composer, is a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College in California (B.A. Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy). He taught at the International Theological Institute in Austria and the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Austria Program, then helped establish Wyoming Catholic College in 2006. There he taught theology, philosophy, music, and art history and directed the choirs until leaving in 2018 to devote himself full-time to writing and lecturing. Today he contributes regularly to many websites and publications, including New Liturgical Movement, OnePeterFive, LifeSiteNews, Rorate Caeli, The Remnant, and Catholic Family News, and has published thirteen books, including four on traditional Catholicism: Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis (Angelico, 2014, also available in Czech, Polish, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Belarusian), Noble Beauty, Transcendent Holiness (Angelico, 2017), Tradition and Sanity (Angelico, 2018), and Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright: The Genius and Timeliness of the Traditional Latin Mass (Angelico, 2020). His work has been translated into at least eighteen languages. Kwasniewski is a scholar of The Aquinas Institute in Green Bay, which is publishing the Opera Omnia of the Angelic Doctor, a Fellow of the Albertus Magnus Center for Scholastic Studies, and a Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center. He has published over a thousand articles on Thomistic thought, sacramental and liturgical theology, the history and aesthetics of music, and the social doctrine of the Church. For news, information, article links, sacred music, and the home of Os Justi Press, visit his personal website, www.peterkwasniewski.com.
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lifesitenews--2020-06-12--Over 200K pre-born babies killed in England, Wales in 2019, an all-time high

June 11 , 2020 ( Society for the Protection of Unborn Children ) — The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children has described abortion figures for 2019 , released today by the Department for Health and Social Care , as “ a national tragedy ” .
209,519 unborn children were aborted in England and Wales in 2019 ; the highest number since the Abortion Act came into force in April 1968 .
Antonia Tully , SPUC Director of Campaigns , said : “ We are looking at a national tragedy here .
This appalling figure shows us that abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Propaganda telling women that abortion is ‘ simple and safe ’ coupled with easier access to abortion pills is driving up abortion numbers .
“ But behind the figures are real women who have taken an irreversible step and who are likely to be suffering physically or emotionally .
“ The lockdown measure to allow DIY home abortions is compounding the myth that abortion is a normal and easy thing to do .
It isn ’ t .
“ Women deserve the truth about the harm that abortion can do to them .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Care and Helpline ) can help heal the wounds of abortion in both women and men .
Nothing can bring back a dead baby.
” Behind each statistic is a dead baby The statistics bring home the horror of abortion , as the statistics for 2019 reveal : • 98 % of unborn children were killed under Ground C , “ That the pregnancy has NOT exceeded its 24th week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk , greater than if the pregnancy were terminated , of injury to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman ” .
99.9 % of these were reported as being performed because of an unspecified risk to the woman ’ s mental health .
• 52,235 unborn children were killed at home through DIY home abortion .
This equates to 36 % of all early medical abortions in 2019 .
• 275 of the abortions carried out under Ground E took place after 24 weeks .
• 66 % of Ground E abortions were performed at 15 weeks and over .
• 126 abortions selective terminations were carried out .
Selective terminations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if there is more than one .
This is an increase from 111 in 2018 .
• 40 % of women undergoing abortions had one or more previous abortions .
The proportion has increased steadily from 34 % in 2009 .
• 1,014 women from Northern Ireland travelled to the United Kingdom to undergo and abortion .
• The number of women travelling from the Republic of Ireland to England and Wales for abortions declined from 2,879 in 2018 to 375 in 2019 .
According to the new statistics , women living in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wales were more likely to have abortions than women living in the least deprived areas .
According to the most recent census from England and Wales , the black community in Britain was reported as 3.4 % of the population .
Shockingly , the 2019 abortion statistics reveal how 8 % of women presenting for abortions in England and Wales recorded their ethnicity as black .
If you , or anyone you know has been affected by abortion , please contact the Abortion Recovery Care and Helpline ( ARCH ) for free , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8501 or [ email protected ] Published with permission from the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children .

The overwhelming majority of the abortions were justified on the grounds of an unspecified risk to the mother's mental health.
June 11, 2020 (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) — The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children has described abortion figures for 2019, released today by the Department for Health and Social Care, as “a national tragedy”. 209,519 unborn children were aborted in England and Wales in 2019; the highest number since the Abortion Act came into force in April 1968.
Antonia Tully, SPUC Director of Campaigns, said: “We are looking at a national tragedy here. This appalling figure shows us that abortion is becoming more and more normalised. Propaganda telling women that abortion is ‘simple and safe’ coupled with easier access to abortion pills is driving up abortion numbers.
“But behind the figures are real women who have taken an irreversible step and who are likely to be suffering physically or emotionally.
“The lockdown measure to allow DIY home abortions is compounding the myth that abortion is a normal and easy thing to do. It isn’t.
“Women deserve the truth about the harm that abortion can do to them. Agencies such as ARCH (Abortion Recovery Care and Helpline) can help heal the wounds of abortion in both women and men. Nothing can bring back a dead baby.”
Behind each statistic is a dead baby
The statistics bring home the horror of abortion, as the statistics for 2019 reveal:
73% of abortions were medically induced.
98% of unborn children were killed under Ground C, “That the pregnancy has NOT exceeded its 24th week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman”. 99.9% of these were reported as being performed because of an unspecified risk to the woman’s mental health.
52,235 unborn children were killed at home through DIY home abortion. This equates to 36% of all early medical abortions in 2019.
3,183 unborn children were killed under Ground E – suspected disability.
275 of the abortions carried out under Ground E took place after 24 weeks.
66% of Ground E abortions were performed at 15 weeks and over.
126 abortions selective terminations were carried out. Selective terminations involve killing unborn children in the womb if there is more than one. This is an increase from 111 in 2018.
40% of women undergoing abortions had one or more previous abortions. The proportion has increased steadily from 34% in 2009.
1,014 women from Northern Ireland travelled to the United Kingdom to undergo and abortion.
The number of women travelling from the Republic of Ireland to England and Wales for abortions declined from 2,879 in 2018 to 375 in 2019.
Targeting vulnerable communities
According to the new statistics, women living in the most deprived areas in England and Wales were more likely to have abortions than women living in the least deprived areas.
According to the most recent census from England and Wales, the black community in Britain was reported as 3.4% of the population. Shockingly, the 2019 abortion statistics reveal how 8% of women presenting for abortions in England and Wales recorded their ethnicity as black.
If you, or anyone you know has been affected by abortion, please contact the Abortion Recovery Care and Helpline (ARCH) for free, non-judgemental, confidential support: 0345 603 8501 or [email protected]
Published with permission from the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children.
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