lifesitenews--2020-08-20--How draconian COVID-19 lockdown measures undermine the abortion lobby’s ‘my body, my choice’ mantra

URGENT PETITION : Tell the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade !
Sign the petition here .
August 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Abortion supporters have many arguments they utilize to defend feticide , ranging from difficult and traumatic circumstances to disproven and unscientific babble about the child in the womb being a “ clump of cells ” rather than a human being ( something no credible scientist in the field believes ) .
But the primary argument used to defend the destruction of pre-born human beings in the womb is that of personal autonomy : The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the mother , at least until viability , and thus it should be the mother ’ s decision as to whether the child lives or dies .
I ’ ve noted before in this space that I actually believe that the argument for bodily autonomy based on the dependence of the pre-born child on his or her mother makes the pro-life case rather than the pro-abortion one .
After all , our society generally recognizes that the weakness , vulnerability , and youth of a human being heightens our responsibility rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frameworks that exist for the sole purpose of protecting those members of the human family classified as “ dependents , ” and we collectively recognize that this dependence demands specific sacrifice and protection from the rest of us .
In short , the strong have a unique obligation to the weak .
The governmental response to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world has provided the pro-life movement with another unique opportunity to highlight this fact .
Regardless of your political opinion on the lockdowns , mandatory masks , and business shutdowns , these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the fundamental arguments put forward by the abortion “ rights ” movement : That our society should be ready to make tremendous sacrifices on behalf of the weaker and more vulnerable in order to ensure that they remain healthy and stay alive .
To reiterate : I am not saying that the lockdowns , or mask laws , or shutdowns are genuinely effective measures .
The shameful death rates among nursing home residents and the discovery of the appalling conditions of many long-term care facilities are an indication that our societies are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preached with great ardor .
But the point stands : Our leaders , and progressive people generally , are currently urging—and in many cases , requiring—great sacrifice from the population with the justification that these measures are necessary and these sacrifices merited in order to save vulnerable people .
Suddenly , “ my body , my choice ” is being characterized as a selfish argument only utilized by people who care nothing for the vulnerable in society .
Suddenly “ bodily autonomy ” is a cheap excuse to live as you please while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your freedom while you neglect your responsibilities to those around you .
Suddenly , no price is too high to save the lives of those who can not save themselves .
Financial considerations , restrictions on bodily autonomy , personal liberty—all must be sacrificed to protect the weak .
At least , those are the lines we ’ re being given .
I know that consistency is far too much to ask , but I still think that pro-life activists should take advantage of this shift in rhetoric to point out that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing for decades .
We believe that a human being ’ s right to life trumps the right to bodily autonomy , trumps financial considerations , and places a solemn responsibility on all of us .
Children in the womb are one of us and must be treated as one of us .
They are owed not only the right to life , but also the right to our defence .
And yes , “ my body , my choice ” is not only an unscientific and rather stupid slogan , it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a horrific and violent action .
Now more than ever , as our society suddenly dispenses with arguments they have used to defend the killing of pre-born children for half a century , we should challenge our culture to live up to the principles they are currently appealing to .
Jonathon ’ s new podcast , The Van Maren Show , is dedicated to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement .
In his latest episode , Jonathon interviews Eric Metaxas , a conservative author , speaker , and radio host @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burning Bibles .
The two go on to discuss the riots , cultural Marxism , and how America is “ on the brink now of losing everything.
” You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below :

Regardless of your political opinion on the lockdowns, mandatory masks, and business shutdowns, these actions highlight a principle utterly at odds with the fundamental arguments put forward by the abortion 'rights' movement: That our society should be ready to make tremendous sacrifices on behalf of the weaker and more vulnerable in order to ensure that they remain healthy and stay alive.
URGENT PETITION: Tell the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade! Sign the petition here.
August 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Abortion supporters have many arguments they utilize to defend feticide, ranging from difficult and traumatic circumstances to disproven and unscientific babble about the child in the womb being a “clump of cells” rather than a human being (something no credible scientist in the field believes). But the primary argument used to defend the destruction of pre-born human beings in the womb is that of personal autonomy: The child is totally dependent on the body of the mother, at least until viability, and thus it should be the mother’s decision as to whether the child lives or dies.
I’ve noted before in this space that I actually believe that the argument for bodily autonomy based on the dependence of the pre-born child on his or her mother makes the pro-life case rather than the pro-abortion one. After all, our society generally recognizes that the weakness, vulnerability, and youth of a human being heightens our responsibility rather than lessens it. There are entire legal frameworks that exist for the sole purpose of protecting those members of the human family classified as “dependents,” and we collectively recognize that this dependence demands specific sacrifice and protection from the rest of us. In short, the strong have a unique obligation to the weak.
The governmental response to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world has provided the pro-life movement with another unique opportunity to highlight this fact. Regardless of your political opinion on the lockdowns, mandatory masks, and business shutdowns, these actions highlight a principle utterly at odds with the fundamental arguments put forward by the abortion “rights” movement: That our society should be ready to make tremendous sacrifices on behalf of the weaker and more vulnerable in order to ensure that they remain healthy and stay alive.
To reiterate: I am not saying that the lockdowns, or mask laws, or shutdowns are genuinely effective measures. The shameful death rates among nursing home residents and the discovery of the appalling conditions of many long-term care facilities are an indication that our societies are failing miserably at the principles currently being preached with great ardor. But the point stands: Our leaders, and progressive people generally, are currently urging—and in many cases, requiring—great sacrifice from the population with the justification that these measures are necessary and these sacrifices merited in order to save vulnerable people.
Suddenly, “my body, my choice” is being characterized as a selfish argument only utilized by people who care nothing for the vulnerable in society. Suddenly “bodily autonomy” is a cheap excuse to live as you please while others suffer so that you can exercise your freedom while you neglect your responsibilities to those around you. Suddenly, no price is too high to save the lives of those who cannot save themselves. Financial considerations, restrictions on bodily autonomy, personal liberty—all must be sacrificed to protect the weak. At least, those are the lines we’re being given.
I know that consistency is far too much to ask, but I still think that pro-life activists should take advantage of this shift in rhetoric to point out that we’ve been saying this sort of thing for decades. We believe that a human being’s right to life trumps the right to bodily autonomy, trumps financial considerations, and places a solemn responsibility on all of us. Children in the womb are one of us and must be treated as one of us. They are owed not only the right to life, but also the right to our defence. And yes, “my body, my choice” is not only an unscientific and rather stupid slogan, it is also an ugly and selfish defense of a horrific and violent action.
Now more than ever, as our society suddenly dispenses with arguments they have used to defend the killing of pre-born children for half a century, we should challenge our culture to live up to the principles they are currently appealing to.
Jonathon’s new podcast, The Van Maren Show, is dedicated to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement. In his latest episode, Jonathon interviews Eric Metaxas, a conservative author, speaker, and radio host, about rioters’ new habit of burning Bibles. The two go on to discuss the riots, cultural Marxism, and how America is “on the brink now of losing everything.” You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below:
Follow Jonathon Jonathon Van Maren is a public speaker, writer, and pro-life activist. His commentary has been translated into more than eight languages and published widely online as well as print newspapers such as the Jewish Independent, the National Post, the Hamilton Spectator and others. He has received an award for combating anti-Semitism in print from the Jewish organization B’nai Brith. His commentary has been featured on CTV Primetime, Global News, EWTN, and the CBC as well as dozens of radio stations and news outlets in Canada and the United States. He speaks on a wide variety of cultural topics across North America at universities, high schools, churches, and other functions. Some of these topics include abortion, pornography, the Sexual Revolution, and euthanasia. Jonathon holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in history from Simon Fraser University, and is the communications director for the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. Jonathon’s first book, The Culture War, was released in 2016.
Share


lifesitenews--2020-08-21--Hugely popular kids’ computer game has secret ‘red light district,’ simulated sex

August 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — The hugely popular Roblox online gaming platform for kids allows children to participate via their Lego-like avatars in digital sex parties , appear naked , simulate sex acts , use racial slurs , and send sexually explicit messages , according to a lengthy exposé by Fast Company .
Roblox , which is easy for kids to access on smartphones , tablets , and computers , is extremely popular , boasting over 150 million monthly active users , most of whom are under 18 .
The company also claims that half of all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platform .
Children ages 5 to 9 spend more time playing Roblox than doing anything else online , according to a 2017 study by Comscore .
Roblox allows its young users to create themselves as online virtual characters , design their own games , and play those devised by others .
The vast majority of the Roblox world is safe kids ’ stuff , permitting children to engage in make-believe .
Its most popular games involve simulating grown-up activities , such as caring for pets and babies —Adopt Me !
— getting jobs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and driving cars — Driving Simulator — which together have been visited tens of billions of times .
“ We want kids to have an opportunity for free play , ” David Baszucki , Roblox ’ s co-creator and CEO , explained to Fast Company .
“ Roblox allows them to get together , make their own rules , go together wherever they might want ... and create together , build together , and in many cases , learn together.
” But some Roblox games , known as “ condo games , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways to bypass Roblox ’ s child safety filters , creating a seamy sexual underworld into which kids can stumble .
Moreover , children could fall prey to online predators once they enter the “ dark side ” of Roblox , where kids pretend to be adults and adults can pose as children .
“ Roblox has made a world where kids can build whatever they want and with condo games , ” observed Fast Company editor at large Burt Helm , and “ what they want is to be much more grown-up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ try.
” Helm compared “ condo games ” to a house party “ where the parents are out of town.
” “ But the most shocking thing is that you see characters that are naked , and you see that kids have coded ways for these characters to have sex , ” said Helm .
Helm said he has found some users trying to get kids to engage in separate , private conversations with them using an app outside Roblox , such as Discord .
“ And you do n't know if someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a child or with very bad intentions , ” said Helm .
“ Kids test boundaries , and teenage desires don ’ t fit neatly into terms of service .
On Roblox , these digitally savvy adolescents are growing up fast — and putting their avatars and themselves in dangerous positions , ” he added .
Helm described one recent “ condo ” game — “ Haha~~ ; ) ” — that sprung up on Roblox one morning before being removed : New players started this Roblox game with a choice : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or “ other.
” Selecting one of the first two options immediately stripped your clothes and transported you poolside ; clicking “ other ” placed you , clothed , in the room with sex toys .
Avatars could choose among more than 25 different body positions and movements — most of them simulating sex acts .
( Males could also , incongruously , choose “ pushups.
” ) Beer and boom boxes were available too .
The Haha house would eventually be visited by players more than 600 times in its few hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was relatively quiet .
Inside , the only soul stirring was a solitary male figure in the home ’ s open-concept kitchen , recumbent on the breakfast bar .
Judging by the motions proximate to his pelvis polygons , he was pleasuring himself .
Elsewhere in the house , a player requested a private game server with another — so they could enter an identical , empty copy of the party house and carry on their interactions alone .
“ For somebody who wants to [ prey on children ] , these types @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them , ” Elizabeth Jeglic , a psychology professor who researches sexual violence at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City , explained in the Fast Company report .
Deranda Bordelon , a Louisiana mom , told CBS News that she was playing Roblox ’ s “ Adopt Me !
” with her 8-year-old daughter when another player grabbed Bordelon ’ s character and took it to bed to simulate a sex act .
“ She snatched me back up , and now she 's doin ’ stuff to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video recording of the incident .
“ All of a sudden she brought me to this other room and took her clothes off and was asking me to take my clothes off and just all kind of , you know , adult stuff that should n't be for kids , ” said Bordelon .

August 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The hugely popular Roblox online gaming platform for kids allows children to participate via their Lego-like avatars in digital sex parties, appear naked, simulate sex acts, use racial slurs, and send sexually explicit messages, according to a lengthy exposé by Fast Company.
Roblox, which is easy for kids to access on smartphones, tablets, and computers, is extremely popular, boasting over 150 million monthly active users, most of whom are under 18.
The company also claims that half of all U.S. kids under 16 are on the platform. Children ages 5 to 9 spend more time playing Roblox than doing anything else online, according to a 2017 study by Comscore.
Roblox allows its young users to create themselves as online virtual characters, design their own games, and play those devised by others. The vast majority of the Roblox world is safe kids’ stuff, permitting children to engage in make-believe. Its most popular games involve simulating grown-up activities, such as caring for pets and babies —Adopt Me! — getting jobs — Working at a Pizza Place — and driving cars — Driving Simulator — which together have been visited tens of billions of times.
“We want kids to have an opportunity for free play,” David Baszucki, Roblox’s co-creator and CEO, explained to Fast Company. “Roblox allows them to get together, make their own rules, go together wherever they might want … and create together, build together, and in many cases, learn together.”
But some Roblox games, known as “condo games,” were created by those who have found ways to bypass Roblox’s child safety filters, creating a seamy sexual underworld into which kids can stumble.
Moreover, children could fall prey to online predators once they enter the “dark side” of Roblox, where kids pretend to be adults and adults can pose as children.
“Roblox has made a world where kids can build whatever they want and with condo games,” observed Fast Company editor at large Burt Helm, and “what they want is to be much more grown-up than I think anyone imagines they would try.”
Helm compared “condo games” to a house party “where the parents are out of town.”
“But the most shocking thing is that you see characters that are naked, and you see that kids have coded ways for these characters to have sex,” said Helm.
Helm said he has found some users trying to get kids to engage in separate, private conversations with them using an app outside Roblox, such as Discord.
“And you don't know if someone is actually an adult pretending to be a child or with very bad intentions,” said Helm.
“Kids test boundaries, and teenage desires don’t fit neatly into terms of service. On Roblox, these digitally savvy adolescents are growing up fast — and putting their avatars and themselves in dangerous positions,” he added.
Helm described one recent “condo” game — “Haha~~;)” — that sprung up on Roblox one morning before being removed:
New players started this Roblox game with a choice: “Boy,” “Girl,” or “other.” Selecting one of the first two options immediately stripped your clothes and transported you poolside; clicking “other” placed you, clothed, in the room with sex toys. Avatars could choose among more than 25 different body positions and movements — most of them simulating sex acts. (Males could also, incongruously, choose “pushups.”) Beer and boom boxes were available too. The Haha house would eventually be visited by players more than 600 times in its few hours of existence, but for now it was relatively quiet. Inside, the only soul stirring was a solitary male figure in the home’s open-concept kitchen, recumbent on the breakfast bar. Judging by the motions proximate to his pelvis polygons, he was pleasuring himself. Elsewhere in the house, a player requested a private game server with another — so they could enter an identical, empty copy of the party house and carry on their interactions alone.
“For somebody who wants to [prey on children], these types of environments make it very easy for them,” Elizabeth Jeglic, a psychology professor who researches sexual violence at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, explained in the Fast Company report.
Deranda Bordelon, a Louisiana mom, told CBS News that she was playing Roblox’s “Adopt Me!” with her 8-year-old daughter when another player grabbed Bordelon’s character and took it to bed to simulate a sex act.
“She snatched me back up, and now she's doin’ stuff to me,” Bordelon said in a video recording of the incident.
“All of a sudden she brought me to this other room and took her clothes off and was asking me to take my clothes off and just all kind of, you know, adult stuff that shouldn't be for kids,” said Bordelon.
Share


lifesitenews--2020-08-21--Canadian pro-life group registers 26K to vote in Conservative Party leadership race

TORONTO , August 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Due to the “ herculean efforts ” of their supporters , social conservatives have gained a pivotal role in electing the Conservative Party ’ s new leader and in the party itself , says Campaign Life Coalition .
Canada ’ s national pro-life and pro-family political lobbying group , Campaign Life , signed up more than 26,000 party members in time to qualify to vote in the leadership race , says Jack Fonseca , Campaign Life ’ s director of political operations .
“ This more than doubles the 11,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ race in support of Brad Trost and Pierre Lemieux , and represents 10 percent of eligible voters , just from our supporters alone , ” he told LifeSiteNews .
Moreover , Campaign Life “ put everything on the line ” financially and asked their supporters to donate to all pro-life leadership contenders because it saw that “ red Tory progressives were planning to eliminate pro-life and pro-family values from the Conservative Party once and for all , ” Fonseca said .
“ We knew that we had to ensure so-con candidates were able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ competitive regardless of the outcome , otherwise we would have no voice whatsoever during the race , which would allow the establishment to push pro-life and pro-family people out of the party forever.
” Political insiders are now predicting that the social conservative vote will be crucial in determining the next leader if presumed frontrunner and former Nova Scotia M.P .
Peter MacKay doesn ’ t win on the first ballot , according to an analysis in The Hill Times .
The contest closes this Friday at 5pm , and the party will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballot Sunday , August 23 , at 6pm E.T .
Campaign Life is advising pro-life Tories to vote for rookie Ontario M.P .
Derek Sloan and Toronto lawyer Leslyn Lewis and eschew MacKay and Ontario M.P .
Erin O ’ Toole in the four-way race .
With contestants focussed on getting out the vote , the party received over 150,000 ballots by August 19 , communications director Cory Hann told members in a fundraising email .
“ This crushes the 103,342 votes cast for Trudeau in the 2013 Liberal Leadership — the highest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Hann said .
“ Over 150,000 ballots accepted even beats our old record of 141,694 total votes in 2017 , ” he said , adding that more ballots are expected to come in before the August 21 deadline .
Campaign Life started recruiting new members in October “ when the writing was on the wall that Andrew Scheer would be forced to resign , ” Fonseca told LifeSiteNews .
The pro-life organization knew that social conservatives would throw their hats into the ring .
However , of the four that did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Richard Décarie from running in March and disqualified Ontario lawyer Jim Karaholios in May .
Moreover , the party “ put up crazy , unprecedented barriers to entry in the race , including a never-before seen $ 300,000 buy-in per candidate , plus 3,000 signatures from at least 30 ridings across at least seven provinces , ” Fonseca said .
This “ massive financial barrier to entry ” favored “ liberal progressives ” over social conservatives who generally have large families and are “ not wealthy , ” he told LifeSiteNews .
Because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the mat for the four pro-life candidates , aggressively and repeatedly asking our entire supporter database to donate to their leadership campaigns to help them meet the $ 300,000 buy-in before the very short party deadline , ” Fonseca said .
“ By our estimates , we drove $ 100,000 in donations to each of the Lewis , Sloan , and Karahalios campaigns — Décarie was ousted early , so he didn ’ t get a chance to make it as far , although we directed donations to his campaign , too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so “ could devastate our own donations , ” which admittedly “ did take a hit , ” he said .
“ But we prayed and trusted in God to take care of us .
And He did.
” Fonseca also credits Campaign Life with providing on its own “ between 40 to 85 percent ” of the required candidate nomination signatures for the Sloan , Lewis , Décarie , and Karahalios campaigns .
“ Without CLC ’ s heroic efforts , I don ’ t believe Sloan or Lewis would be on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely be watching a face-off between MacKay and O ’ Toole , in which pro-life and pro-family values would be totally rejected , and the media would be trumpeting the end of social conservatism in Canada , ” he said .
Campaign Life believes that both Lewis and Sloan have “ a path to victory , ” Fonseca said .
“ Regardless of the outcome , their presence in this race has helped us to actually advance so-con influence in the party , instead of the retreat that the party establishment had planned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ None of this would have been possible without CLC ’ s incredibly dedicated and loyal supporters and donors who came to our aid when we asked .
Their trust in our pro-life leadership is humbling , ” added Fonseca .
The new leader will head up Canada ’ s Official Opposition just as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is seeking to prorogue Parliament until September 23 , at which time a confidence vote will be held to approve the Liberals ’ new agenda , which could bring down their scandal-plagued minority government .
Proroguing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finance committee ’ s probe into the Trudeau government ’ s relationship with WE Charity , which cabinet voted to award a now canceled no-bid contract to manage a $ 912-million national youth volunteer grant program .
His longtime finance minister , Bill Morneau , who with Trudeau is under a conflict-of-interest investigation by the ethics commissioner over his personal ties to WE Charity , resigned Monday night from the cabinet and his seat in the House of Commons .
Trudeau has appointed Toronto M.P .
and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thomas Reuters , Freeland stated in 2017 as global affairs minister that “ the right to safe and accessible abortions ” is “ at the core ” of the Trudeau government ’ s foreign policy .

Campaign Life Coalition lauded the 'herculean efforts' of its supporters, gaining social conservatives a pivotal role in electing the Conservative Party’s new leader.
TORONTO, August 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Due to the “herculean efforts” of their supporters, social conservatives have gained a pivotal role in electing the Conservative Party’s new leader and in the party itself, says Campaign Life Coalition.
Canada’s national pro-life and pro-family political lobbying group, Campaign Life, signed up more than 26,000 party members in time to qualify to vote in the leadership race, says Jack Fonseca, Campaign Life’s director of political operations.
“This more than doubles the 11,000 memberships we recruited during the 2017 leadership race in support of Brad Trost and Pierre Lemieux, and represents 10 percent of eligible voters, just from our supporters alone,” he told LifeSiteNews.
Moreover, Campaign Life “put everything on the line” financially and asked their supporters to donate to all pro-life leadership contenders because it saw that “red Tory progressives were planning to eliminate pro-life and pro-family values from the Conservative Party once and for all,” Fonseca said.
“We knew that we had to ensure so-con candidates were able to get on the ballot and be competitive regardless of the outcome, otherwise we would have no voice whatsoever during the race, which would allow the establishment to push pro-life and pro-family people out of the party forever.”
Political insiders are now predicting that the social conservative vote will be crucial in determining the next leader if presumed frontrunner and former Nova Scotia M.P. Peter MacKay doesn’t win on the first ballot, according to an analysis in The Hill Times.
The contest closes this Friday at 5pm, and the party will announce the results of the mail-in ranked ballot Sunday, August 23, at 6pm E.T.
Campaign Life is advising pro-life Tories to vote for rookie Ontario M.P. Derek Sloan and Toronto lawyer Leslyn Lewis and eschew MacKay and Ontario M.P. Erin O’Toole in the four-way race.
With contestants focussed on getting out the vote, the party received over 150,000 ballots by August 19, communications director Cory Hann told members in a fundraising email.
“This crushes the 103,342 votes cast for Trudeau in the 2013 Liberal Leadership — the highest turnout in a non-CPC Leadership to date,” Hann said.
“Over 150,000 ballots accepted even beats our old record of 141,694 total votes in 2017,” he said, adding that more ballots are expected to come in before the August 21 deadline.
Campaign Life started recruiting new members in October “when the writing was on the wall that Andrew Scheer would be forced to resign,” Fonseca told LifeSiteNews.
The pro-life organization knew that social conservatives would throw their hats into the ring.
However, of the four that did so, Tory party brass barred Quebecer Richard Décarie from running in March and disqualified Ontario lawyer Jim Karaholios in May.
Moreover, the party “put up crazy, unprecedented barriers to entry in the race, including a never-before seen $300,000 buy-in per candidate, plus 3,000 signatures from at least 30 ridings across at least seven provinces,” Fonseca said.
This “massive financial barrier to entry” favored “liberal progressives” over social conservatives who generally have large families and are “not wealthy,” he told LifeSiteNews.
Because of this, Campaign Life “went to the mat for the four pro-life candidates, aggressively and repeatedly asking our entire supporter database to donate to their leadership campaigns to help them meet the $300,000 buy-in before the very short party deadline,” Fonseca said.
“By our estimates, we drove $100,000 in donations to each of the Lewis, Sloan, and Karahalios campaigns — Décarie was ousted early, so he didn’t get a chance to make it as far, although we directed donations to his campaign, too,” even while knowing that doing so “could devastate our own donations,” which admittedly “did take a hit,” he said.
“But we prayed and trusted in God to take care of us. And He did.”
Fonseca also credits Campaign Life with providing on its own “between 40 to 85 percent” of the required candidate nomination signatures for the Sloan, Lewis, Décarie, and Karahalios campaigns.
“Without CLC’s heroic efforts, I don’t believe Sloan or Lewis would be on the ballot today, and Conservatives would likely be watching a face-off between MacKay and O’Toole, in which pro-life and pro-family values would be totally rejected, and the media would be trumpeting the end of social conservatism in Canada,” he said.
Campaign Life believes that both Lewis and Sloan have “a path to victory,” Fonseca said.
“Regardless of the outcome, their presence in this race has helped us to actually advance so-con influence in the party, instead of the retreat that the party establishment had planned,” he told LifeSiteNews.
“None of this would have been possible without CLC’s incredibly dedicated and loyal supporters and donors who came to our aid when we asked. Their trust in our pro-life leadership is humbling,” added Fonseca.
The new leader will head up Canada’s Official Opposition just as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is seeking to prorogue Parliament until September 23, at which time a confidence vote will be held to approve the Liberals’ new agenda, which could bring down their scandal-plagued minority government.
Proroguing Parliament will end the House of Commons finance committee’s probe into the Trudeau government’s relationship with WE Charity, which cabinet voted to award a now canceled no-bid contract to manage a $912-million national youth volunteer grant program.
His longtime finance minister, Bill Morneau, who with Trudeau is under a conflict-of-interest investigation by the ethics commissioner over his personal ties to WE Charity, resigned Monday night from the cabinet and his seat in the House of Commons.
Trudeau has appointed Toronto M.P. and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland as finance minister. A former editor with Thomas Reuters, Freeland stated in 2017 as global affairs minister that “the right to safe and accessible abortions” is “at the core” of the Trudeau government’s foreign policy.
Share


lifesitenews--2020-08-21--Dem convention features ‘transgender non-binary gender-transcendent mermaid Queen-King’

August 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — A “ Black-Vietnamese , transgender non-binary/gender-transcendent mermaid Queen-King currently living out their ever-evolving truths in Winston-Salem ” spoke at the Democratic National Convention ( DNC ) during the day on Tuesday .
Fox News ’ s Tucker Carlson introduced J Mai to the American public , most of whom don ’ t have access to the daytime proceedings at the DNC .
“ You should know that J Mai ’ s preferred pronouns are ‘ they , them , ’ ” said Carlson .
“ According to ‘ their ’ biography at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a ‘ Black-Vietnamese , transgender non-binary/gender-transcendent mermaid Queen-King currently living out their ever-evolving truths in Winston-Salem.
’ ” “ Got it ?
” asked Carlson , who played a video of the black-Vietnamese transgender non-binary/gender-transcendent mermaid Queen-King ’ s DNC presentation : Why can ’ t folks imagine a world without the cops ?
Why can ’ t folks imagine a world without prisons ?
Why can ’ t people expand their imaginations to include community care , to include an abolitionist future ?
I ’ m talking about like for real-for real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ version of abolition .
We ’ re talking about abolishing the police , we ’ re talking about abolishing ICE , we ’ re talking about abolishing prisons .
“ You ’ re starting to get some sense of why they ’ re not putting this stuff on TV , ” chortled Carlson .
“ Democrats and their faithful lackeys the media have been telling you for weeks that none of this is real , you ’ re imagining it .
Democrats don ’ t really want to take the cops away and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are voting to take billions from police departments across the country , but that ’ s not really defunding ; it ’ s redistributing , ” Carlson explained .
“ But now J Mai shows up and lets an entire animal shelter of cats out of the DNC ’ s bag and lets you know that , yes , all your fears are true .
We ’ re doing exactly what you think we ’ re doing.
” “ The gender-transcendent mermaid Queen-Kings are here , and it ’ s a whole new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Get psyched !
” J Mai ’ s Wake Forest biography — apparently now hidden from public viewing but reported by American Greatness — describes Mai as “ a recently licensed minister in the Progressive National Baptist Church .
J received their Bachelors in Sociology and Women , Gender , Sexuality Studies at Wake Forest University and is currently working towards a Masters in Divinity at Wake Forest University School of Divinity .
”

'The gender-transcendent mermaid Queen-Kings are here,' declared Fox News host Tucker Carlson, 'and it’s a whole new deal.'
August 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A “Black-Vietnamese, transgender non-binary/gender-transcendent mermaid Queen-King currently living out their ever-evolving truths in Winston-Salem” spoke at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) during the day on Tuesday.
Fox News’s Tucker Carlson introduced J Mai to the American public, most of whom don’t have access to the daytime proceedings at the DNC.
“You should know that J Mai’s preferred pronouns are ‘they, them,’” said Carlson. “According to ‘their’ biography at Wake Forest University, J Mai is a ‘Black-Vietnamese, transgender non-binary/gender-transcendent mermaid Queen-King currently living out their ever-evolving truths in Winston-Salem.’”
“Got it?” asked Carlson, who played a video of the black-Vietnamese transgender non-binary/gender-transcendent mermaid Queen-King’s DNC presentation:
Why can’t folks imagine a world without the cops? Why can’t folks imagine a world without prisons? Why can’t people expand their imaginations to include community care, to include an abolitionist future? I’m talking about like for real-for real abolition, not just the watered-down DNC version of abolition. We’re talking about abolishing the police, we’re talking about abolishing ICE, we’re talking about abolishing prisons.
“You’re starting to get some sense of why they’re not putting this stuff on TV,” chortled Carlson.
“Democrats and their faithful lackeys the media have been telling you for weeks that none of this is real, you’re imagining it. Democrats don’t really want to take the cops away and leave you defenseless. Yes, they are voting to take billions from police departments across the country, but that’s not really defunding; it’s redistributing,” Carlson explained.
“Not a big deal. Calm down!” added Carlson sarcastically.
“But now J Mai shows up and lets an entire animal shelter of cats out of the DNC’s bag and lets you know that, yes, all your fears are true. We’re doing exactly what you think we’re doing.”
“The gender-transcendent mermaid Queen-Kings are here, and it’s a whole new deal,” snarked Carlson. “Get psyched!”
J Mai’s Wake Forest biography — apparently now hidden from public viewing but reported by American Greatness — describes Mai as “a recently licensed minister in the Progressive National Baptist Church. J received their Bachelors in Sociology and Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies at Wake Forest University and is currently working towards a Masters in Divinity at Wake Forest University School of Divinity.”
Share


lifesitenews--2020-08-20--Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon arrested, charged with fraud

URGENT PETITION : Tell the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade !
Sign the petition here .
NEW YORK , August 20 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon has just been arrested and charged with fraud .
Today the U.S. president ’ s former chief strategist was charged by prosecutors in New York for fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering .
Bannon was taken into police custody .
The charges , which have also been laid against three other men , concern a crowdfunding campaign called “ We Build the Wall.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaigners misled donors when they assured them that organizer Brian Kolfage would not be taking money from the campaign as a salary .
Bannon allegedly had stated that We Build the Wall was “ a volunteer organization.
” The campaign raised over $ 25 million .
The grand jury charges that Bannon , Brian Kolfage , Andrew Badolato , and Timothy Shea “ collectively received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donor funds from We Build the Wall , which they each used in a manner inconsistent with the organization ’ s public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 350,000 from the fund for his personal use whereas Bannon allegedly received over $ 1 million from We Build the Wall through a non-profit organization .
The grand jury claims that Bannon then “ secretly paid Kolfage ” and used hundreds of thousands of dollars for his own “ personal expenses.
” It says that Kolfage , Bannon , Badolato , and Shea worked out a plan to hide the money transfers through a non-profit controlled by Bannon and a shell company controlled by Shea , among other venues .
Originally named @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Kolfage launched the crowdfunding campaign in 2017 .
It purported to be collecting funds to donate to the U.S. government to build a wall on the American-Mexico border .
According to the indictment , the webpage told readers that “ 100 % of your donations ” would go towards this cause and that if it failed the organizers would “ refund every single penny.
” The campaign raised about $ 17 million in its first week .
However , after criticism of Kolfage ’ s background and the government as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ website hosting the campaign suspended it in late 2018 .
Kolfage was told to name a legitimate non-profit organization to which the funds could be transferred or the site would refund the money .
At this point , the indictment alleges , Steve Bannon and Andrew Badolato were recruited to the leadership of the campaign .
It goes on to say that Kolfage , Bannon , and Badolato set up a new Section 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organization called We Build the Wall , Inc. and proposed that the money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the modified aim of the organization was to fund a private company to build the border wall and that it promised the crowdfunding website that Kolfage would not take a salary .
According to the indictment , in January 2019 We Build the Wall told donors that the money would be going to a private company , not the government , and that they would have to “ opt in ” for their donation to go through .
It promised donors that “ 100 % ” of their money would go towards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not receive “ a penny.
” Apparently these promises were repeated often , and Kolfage even asked supporters to patronize his coffee business as it was the only means by which he could support his family .
The grand jury claims that that there were text messages between Bannon and Badolato agreeing that the promise that Kolfage “ will not be paid a dime ” was an effective fundraising tool .
There were also explicit promises none of the leadership or board would receive money from the campaign .
But whereas some money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ border wall , the indictment states that “ hundreds of thousands of dollars were siphoned out of We Build the Wall ” for the personal use of Kolfage , Bannon , Badolato , and Shea .
The charges reference several text messages and emails sent from one defendant to another about the alleged scheme .
The indictment states that as a result of committing fraud , all money and personal possessions obtained through the We Build the Wall campaign should be forfeit to the United States .
This includes the contents of 11 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Land Rover .
Stephen Bannon was a founder of Breitbart News but became internationally famous when he was chosen in 2016 by Donald Trump , then the president-elect , as his chief strategist and senior counsellor .
He was already a controversial figure even among conservatives ; some accused him of using Breitbart to support Trump ’ s nomination as the Republican presidential candidate at the expense of Senator Ted Cruz .
Liberals , most notably the abortion business Planned Parenthood and its allies , vociferously expressed their loathing for Bannon .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president and in January 2017 was given a seat on Trump ’ s National Security Council .
He left some months later to return to his work at Breitbart .
After January 2018 , a marked coolness sprung up between Trump and Bannon because of remarks attributed to Bannon in journalist Michael Wolff ’ s Fire and Fury : Inside the Trump White House .
Bannon left Breitbart but remained in the political game , supporting populist movements around the world .
He also took up a new role in journalism as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of a media enterprise owned by dissident Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui .
Bannon , a Catholic , is a fierce critic of Pope Francis ’ China policy .
LifeSiteNews interviewed Bannon in June 2019 about the ongoing crisis in the Church .
“ Speaking with reporters during a visit with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi , Trump said he was n't aware of Bannon 's dealings and that he had n't been in contact with him for a long time , ” Politico reported .
“ It ’ s a very sad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't like that project .
I thought it was a project being done for showboating reasons , ” Trump commented .
“ I didn ’ t want a wall that was going to be an inferior wall.
” “ It was something I very much felt was inappropriate to be doing.
” This is a developing story that has been updated .
LifeSiteNews will continue to provide updates as they become available .

The indictment alleges Bannon and three others misled donors to their 'We Build the Wall' campaign, which raised $25 million.
URGENT PETITION: Tell the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade! Sign the petition here.
NEW YORK, August 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon has just been arrested and charged with fraud.
Today the U.S. president’s former chief strategist was charged by prosecutors in New York for fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Bannon was taken into police custody.
The charges, which have also been laid against three other men, concern a crowdfunding campaign called “We Build the Wall.” The indictment alleges that Bannon and his fellow campaigners misled donors when they assured them that organizer Brian Kolfage would not be taking money from the campaign as a salary. Bannon allegedly had stated that We Build the Wall was “a volunteer organization.”
The campaign raised over $25 million.
The grand jury charges that Bannon, Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato, and Timothy Shea “collectively received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donor funds from We Build the Wall, which they each used in a manner inconsistent with the organization’s public representations.”
Kolfage allegedly took more than $350,000 from the fund for his personal use whereas Bannon allegedly received over $1 million from We Build the Wall through a non-profit organization. The grand jury claims that Bannon then “secretly paid Kolfage” and used hundreds of thousands of dollars for his own “personal expenses.” It says that Kolfage, Bannon, Badolato, and Shea worked out a plan to hide the money transfers through a non-profit controlled by Bannon and a shell company controlled by Shea, among other venues.
Originally named “We the People Build the Wall,” Kolfage launched the crowdfunding campaign in 2017. It purported to be collecting funds to donate to the U.S. government to build a wall on the American-Mexico border. According to the indictment, the webpage told readers that “100% of your donations” would go towards this cause and that if it failed the organizers would “refund every single penny.”
The campaign raised about $17 million in its first week. However, after criticism of Kolfage’s background and the government as the beneficiary of the funds, the crowdfunding website hosting the campaign suspended it in late 2018. Kolfage was told to name a legitimate non-profit organization to which the funds could be transferred or the site would refund the money. At this point, the indictment alleges, Steve Bannon and Andrew Badolato were recruited to the leadership of the campaign.
It goes on to say that Kolfage, Bannon, and Badolato set up a new Section 501(c)(4) organization called We Build the Wall, Inc. and proposed that the money be transferred into it. It alleges that the modified aim of the organization was to fund a private company to build the border wall and that it promised the crowdfunding website that Kolfage would not take a salary.
According to the indictment, in January 2019 We Build the Wall told donors that the money would be going to a private company, not the government, and that they would have to “opt in” for their donation to go through. It promised donors that “100%” of their money would go towards building the wall and that Kolfage would not receive “a penny.” Apparently these promises were repeated often, and Kolfage even asked supporters to patronize his coffee business as it was the only means by which he could support his family.
The grand jury claims that that there were text messages between Bannon and Badolato agreeing that the promise that Kolfage “will not be paid a dime” was an effective fundraising tool. There were also explicit promises none of the leadership or board would receive money from the campaign.
But whereas some money was spent on the construction of the border wall, the indictment states that “hundreds of thousands of dollars were siphoned out of We Build the Wall” for the personal use of Kolfage, Bannon, Badolato, and Shea.
The charges reference several text messages and emails sent from one defendant to another about the alleged scheme.
The indictment states that as a result of committing fraud, all money and personal possessions obtained through the We Build the Wall campaign should be forfeit to the United States. This includes the contents of 11 bank accounts, a boat, and a Land Rover.
Stephen Bannon was a founder of Breitbart News but became internationally famous when he was chosen in 2016 by Donald Trump, then the president-elect, as his chief strategist and senior counsellor. He was already a controversial figure even among conservatives; some accused him of using Breitbart to support Trump’s nomination as the Republican presidential candidate at the expense of Senator Ted Cruz. Liberals, most notably the abortion business Planned Parenthood and its allies, vociferously expressed their loathing for Bannon.
But Bannon had the full confidence of the president and in January 2017 was given a seat on Trump’s National Security Council. He left some months later to return to his work at Breitbart. After January 2018, a marked coolness sprung up between Trump and Bannon because of remarks attributed to Bannon in journalist Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.
Bannon left Breitbart but remained in the political game, supporting populist movements around the world. He also took up a new role in journalism as the host of The War Room, part of a media enterprise owned by dissident Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui. Bannon, a Catholic, is a fierce critic of Pope Francis’ China policy.
LifeSiteNews interviewed Bannon in June 2019 about the ongoing crisis in the Church.
Trump distanced himself from Bannon today.
“Speaking with reporters during a visit with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Trump said he wasn't aware of Bannon's dealings and that he hadn't been in contact with him for a long time,” Politico reported.
“It’s a very sad thing by Mr. Bannon… I didn't like that project. I thought it was a project being done for showboating reasons,” Trump commented. “I didn’t want a wall that was going to be an inferior wall.”
“It was something I very much felt was inappropriate to be doing.”
This is a developing story that has been updated. LifeSiteNews will continue to provide updates as they become available.
Share


lifesitenews--2020-08-22--Unrepentant scandal-ridden W.Va. bishop offers offensive non-apology

August 21 , 2020 ( CatholicCulture.org ) — This morning I had planned to write about the disgraceful excuse for an “ apology ” proffered by a former bishop .
But I see that Christopher Altieri , writing in the Catholic Herald has beaten me to the punch : Bishop Bransfield , you will recall , was allowed to resign upon reaching the normal age limit , despite mounting evidence that he had used diocesan funds on personal expenses at a spectacular level and — as if that weren ’ t enough — established a pattern of sexual harassment of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bishop Brennan , his successor in the West Virginia diocese , had denounced Bransfield ’ s behavior and suggested appropriate disciplinary action .
After months of delay the Vatican finally approved the disciplinary action — but , Altieri rightly observes , not before watering down Bishop Brennan ’ s suggestions .
Bishop Bransfield ’ s “ apology ” is of the sort that could have been delivered with a one-finger gesture .
( You know the genre : “ I ’ m sorry if you ’ re so hypersensitive you were offended by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ required to pay back a portion of what he took from the diocesan coffers , Bransfield pouts : “ I have now done so even though I believed that such reimbursements to me were proper.
” As for charges of sexual harassment — which a Vatican investigation found convincing — the disgraced bishop concedes only that “ if anything that I said or did caused others to feel that way , then I am profoundly sorry.
” Can you detect any hint of remorse in Bishop Bransfield ’ s letter ?
I can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bishop ( who , for some reason , has been allowed to retain the title of “ bishop emeritus , ” while stripped of the privileges that ordinarily attach to that title ) has reimbursed the diocese , to the tune of $ 441,000 .
But as Altieri notes , that sum is roughly one-half of the figure that Bishop Brennan had proposed as a suitable compensation ; it does not include the lavish personal expenses he racked up at diocesan expense .
And think about this : If you were presented with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you pay it — without mortgaging your home ?
I couldn ’ t .
But then I haven ’ t spent a decade living off the ample proceeds of a widow ’ s bequest to the Catholic Church .
Chris Altieri concludes his angry column by announcing that the next time he hears about how seriously Pope Francis and the Vatican take reports of episcopal misconduct , “ I ’ m going to put my fist through a wall.
” To spare the wall , and perhaps to prod the Vatican toward a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be taken , let me call attention to the ritual for the “ Degradation of a Bishop , ” promulgated in the 18th century by Pope Benedict XIV .
As our old friend Diogenes remarked on this site some 18 years ago : When he promulgated this ritual in 1762 , Pope Benedict obviously felt that it was necessary .
He envisioned the possibility that a bishop could disgrace himself so thoroughly , and abuse his office so blatantly , that the Holy See would have no choice but to remove him .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to resign quietly “ for reasons of health ; ” he would not be transferred to a titular see in the Sahara ; he would not be “ promoted ” to a meaningless desk job at the Vatican .
He would be stripped of his office and — the word is so beautifully expressive — “ degraded.
” Diogenes reproduced the rite in its details , and I encourage readers to read the colorful language and expressive rubrics .
There is , in this ritual , a keen awareness that a bishop who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live in disgrace .
There is no such awareness in Bransfield ’ s phony apology .

August 21, 2020 (CatholicCulture.org) — This morning I had planned to write about the disgraceful excuse for an “apology” proffered by a former bishop. But I see that Christopher Altieri, writing in the Catholic Herald has beaten me to the punch:
Let’s be clear about two things: Bishop Michael J. Bransfield — improbably emeritus of the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston — did not apologize; nor did he get the “justice with a gesture of mercy” that his successor, Bishop Mark E. Brennan, suggested he might have got.
Bishop Bransfield, you will recall, was allowed to resign upon reaching the normal age limit, despite mounting evidence that he had used diocesan funds on personal expenses at a spectacular level and — as if that weren’t enough — established a pattern of sexual harassment of priests and seminarians under his authority. Bishop Brennan, his successor in the West Virginia diocese, had denounced Bransfield’s behavior and suggested appropriate disciplinary action. After months of delay the Vatican finally approved the disciplinary action — but, Altieri rightly observes, not before watering down Bishop Brennan’s suggestions.
(Did I mention that Bransfield is a protégé of the disgraced former cardinal, Theodore McCarrick? And did I mention that we are still waiting for the Vatican’s promised report on how McCarrick rose to power and influence? Is it unreasonable to speculate that the same people and powers that supported McCarrick’s rise through the hierarchy are still at work, softening the penalty on Bransfield?)
Bishop Bransfield’s “apology” is of the sort that could have been delivered with a one-finger gesture. (You know the genre: “I’m sorry if you’re so hypersensitive you were offended by what I said.”) Having been required to pay back a portion of what he took from the diocesan coffers, Bransfield pouts: “I have now done so even though I believed that such reimbursements to me were proper.” As for charges of sexual harassment — which a Vatican investigation found convincing — the disgraced bishop concedes only that “if anything that I said or did caused others to feel that way, then I am profoundly sorry.” Can you detect any hint of remorse in Bishop Bransfield’s letter? I can’t.
Yes, the former bishop (who, for some reason, has been allowed to retain the title of “bishop emeritus,” while stripped of the privileges that ordinarily attach to that title) has reimbursed the diocese, to the tune of $441,000. But as Altieri notes, that sum is roughly one-half of the figure that Bishop Brennan had proposed as a suitable compensation; it does not include the lavish personal expenses he racked up at diocesan expense.
And think about this: If you were presented with a bill for $441,000, could you pay it — without mortgaging your home? I couldn’t. But then I haven’t spent a decade living off the ample proceeds of a widow’s bequest to the Catholic Church.
Chris Altieri concludes his angry column by announcing that the next time he hears about how seriously Pope Francis and the Vatican take reports of episcopal misconduct, “I’m going to put my fist through a wall.”
To spare the wall, and perhaps to prod the Vatican toward a recognition of how seriously episcopal malfeasance should be taken, let me call attention to the ritual for the “Degradation of a Bishop,” promulgated in the 18th century by Pope Benedict XIV. As our old friend Diogenes remarked on this site some 18 years ago:
When he promulgated this ritual in 1862 [sic, it was 1752], Pope Benedict obviously felt that it was necessary. He envisioned the possibility that a bishop could disgrace himself so thoroughly, and abuse his office so blatantly, that the Holy See would have no choice but to remove him. Such a bishop would not be allowed to resign quietly “for reasons of health;” he would not be transferred to a titular see in the Sahara; he would not be “promoted” to a meaningless desk job at the Vatican. He would be stripped of his office and — the word is so beautifully expressive — “degraded.”
Diogenes reproduced the rite in its details, and I encourage readers to read the colorful language and expressive rubrics. There is, in this ritual, a keen awareness that a bishop who betrays the faith and the faithful should live in disgrace. There is no such awareness in Bransfield’s phony apology.
Published with permission from CatholicCulture.org.
Aug. 27, 2020 correction: The correct date has now been inserted for the “Degradation of a Bishop” ritual.
Share


lifesitenews--2020-08-22--There are many weak, cowardly ordained men and then there are ones like this whom we MUST listen to

August 21 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) ― The coronavirus pandemic has separated men and women like nothing I have ever experienced in my lifetime .
Within the clergy , this has been especially pronounced .
It has been incredible to watch how very few real men there are in our time among the Catholic clergy and I presume the same pattern has been occurring in non-Catholic Christian denominations .
I could never have imagined how many total cowards there are among the clergy until this pandemic began .
But then , there are also a small number of especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take their ordained role very seriously and who are associated with the Complicit Clergy website .
Go there to listen to homilies of such a high caliber that I suggest most of you have never heard in your life .
They are God ’ s gift to us out of the pandemic .
You will be inspired , emboldened and encouraged that God has not abandoned His people and has left us with these wonderful prophets to guide us through our dark times .
These are the real deal – shepherds who follow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no matter what the consequences , no matter how much they are ridiculed and chastised by others who really don ’ t know who Jesus Christ is and what he really asks of us and especially asks of his priests .
One of the priests associated with Complicit Clergy is Fr .
James Altman , who is pastor of St. James the Less Catholic Church in La Crosse , Wisconsin .
I am not going to say a lot about him other than you MUST try to listen to as many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wife Bonnie and I have never heard a priest preach like this man does and those homilies are especially suitable for the frightening and tumultuous times that we live in today .
I include the video of just one of his homilies in this article .
There are many more at Complicit Clergy and on the St. James the Less website .
This video is titled “ Persecution for speaking the truth.
” It is about the absolute necessity of courage and joyfully enduring persecution for telling the truth .
He tells us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just that and his efforts to emulate them .
If you demand short , sweet sermons , then don ’ t bother listening to this Catholic prophet .
You won ’ t like him .
He keeps you occupied for more time than most clergy because he sees his role as a much-needed preacher of hard truths as is especially needed today .
He is a teacher , a true follower of Christ and he gives EVERYTHING that he has to his flock so that they might one day enter Heaven because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his daily preaching .
Each day ’ s homily is long and full of teaching about the faith and about things going on in the world today .
They are very relevant to what we are all going through right now .
Fr .
Altman is very well informed about the faith and the world .
He is a true guide .
He is not afraid of what his peers and what bishops might think of him .
He only cares about what Christ thinks about what he has done with the time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fr .
Altman is a late vocation priest .
He sounds a lot younger than he looks and is .
He was a lawyer in charge of a large firm , as far as I can gather .
He had many people under him whom he directed and whom he was responsible for .
He is a man who knows what the world is all about and knows what is important and what is not important at this time when our faith is under greater danger than it has been for a long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point and bluntly tells it like it is , but he also always preaches with genuine love for all those listening to him .
He is humble , he is bold , because he knows Christ wants him to be bold .
That is how to get people to take his message seriously .
We are in deep , deep trouble right now , but the power of God ’ s grace overcomes all .
Ladies and gentleman , I give you Fr .
James Altman -- a true , faithful , heroic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jesus Christ – a man very much in the world , but not of the world .

August 21, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) ― The coronavirus pandemic has separated men and women like nothing I have ever experienced in my lifetime. Within the clergy, this has been especially pronounced. It has been incredible to watch how very few real men there now are in our time among the Catholic clergy.
It is like a bright light has suddenly been shone on and into them and most have gone scurrying away out of fear of this and that and left their congregations without their shepherds and without the precious sacraments. Many closed up the churches even before government demanded them to do so. Very few have fought these unjust deprivations of our natural right and need to worship Our Creator.
I presume the same pattern has been occurring in most non-Catholic Christian denominations. I could never have imagined how many total cowards there are among the clergy until this pandemic began. However, it has been very encouraging for us at LifeSite to report the heroic defiance by several Evangelical congregations in California.
But then, there are also a small number of especially heroic, prophetic, giant Catholic priests who take their ordained role very seriously, some of whom are featured in the Complicit Clergy YouTube channel. Go there to listen to homilies of such a high caliber that I suggest most of you have never heard in your life. They are God’s gift to us out of this pandemic.
Their masses and homilies would never have been filmed but for the occurrence of the pandemic with millions of Catholics forced to worship remotely via their computers. If it were not for this I would never have heard of these priests.
You will be inspired, emboldened and encouraged that God has not abandoned His people and has left us with these wonderful prophets to guide us through our dark times. These are the real deal – shepherds who follow Christ no matter how hard the road, no matter what the consequences, no matter how much they are ridiculed and chastised by others who don’t really know who Jesus Christ is and what He really asks of us and especially asks of his priests.
One of the priests featured in Complicit Clergy is Fr. James Altman, who is pastor of St. James the Less Catholic Church in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I am not going to say a lot about him other than you MUST try to listen to as many of his homilies as you can. My wife Bonnie and I have never heard a priest preach like this man does and those homilies are especially suitable for the frightening and tumultuous times that we live in today.
I include the video of just two of his homilies in this article. There are many more at Complicit Clergy and on the St. James the Less website. This video is titled, “Persecution for speaking the truth.” It is about the absolute necessity of courage and joyfully enduring persecution for telling the truth. He tells us about many saints who did and experienced just that and his efforts to emulate them.
If you demand short, sweet sermons, then don’t bother listening to this Catholic prophet. You won’t like him. He keeps you occupied for more time than most clergy because he sees his role as a much-needed preacher of hard truths as is especially needed today.
He is a teacher, a true follower of Christ and he gives EVERYTHING that he has to his flock so that they might one day enter Heaven because of the great work that he puts into his daily preaching. Each day’s homily is long and full of teaching about the faith and about things going on in the world today. They are very relevant to what we are all going through right now.
Fr. Altman is a late vocation priest. He sounds a lot younger than he looks and is. He was a lawyer in charge of a large firm, as far as I can gather. He had many people under him whom he directed and whom he was responsible for.
He is humble, he is bold, because he knows Christ wants him to be bold. That is how to get people to take his message seriously. We are in deep, deep trouble right now, but the power of God’s grace overcomes all.
Here is another powerful Altman homily. Listen to him.
Another priest we often listen to is Fr. Richard Heilman of Roman Catholic Man. His homilies are very different from those of Fr. Altman. They are much shorter, but they are also wonderfully inspiring. He too relates his homilies to what is going on in the world today in order to guide his listeners through the fear and disorientation. Fr. Heilman is another fearless teacher and a Catholic warrior for souls.
And lastly, there is also Fr. Altier, another great preacher.
Follow Steve Steve is the co-founder and managing director of LifeSiteNews.com.
Share


lifesitenews--2020-08-22--Children are ‘status symbol’ for homosexual men: Israeli film director

DROP Disney+ : New teen film 'Out ' features openly homosexual main character !
Sign the petition here .
August 21 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – An Israeli film director has pointed out that children have become a “ status symbol ” for homosexual men , calling attention to the additional stress on same-sex couples to indulge in the often costly enterprise of obtaining genetically-linked kids through surrogacy , out of reach for most .
“ Children have in a way become a status symbol among many gay men , ” director Yuval Hadadi , whose most recent film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the breakdown of an affluent gay couple ’ s relationship after one partner decides to become a father .
“ They signify a certain level of time , money , and ambition , ” observed Hadadi , resources that have often been available only to wealthy , A-list gays and lesbians .
Studies by sociologist Mark Regnerus have found that children raised by homosexuals have significantly more social and mental-health problems than children raised by a mom and a dad .
A growing brood of children have been “ born through surrogacy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Ricky Martin and Ryan Murphy to Elton John , Tom Ford , and Cooper ’ s bubbly B.F.F.
, Andy Cohen , ” noted journalist David Kaufman , himself a father who is homosexual , writing at Airmail.com .
“ Conceived at the intersection of hope , love , money , and technology , these kids represent , perhaps , the ultimate symbol of L.G.B.T.Q.
” “ While fans may rejoice on behalf of these high-profile fathers , more mortal gay men are not necessarily benefiting from the same-sex surrogacy boom , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at a time when social media and hook-up apps have set almost supernatural standards of gay-male desirability , becoming a father now presents yet another ‘ accomplishment ’ some gay men feel they must achieve .
No longer is it enough to simply be successful in your career and also be in possession of a six-pack.
” “ Celebrity surrogacy — and its deceptive air of effortlessness — is beginning to emerge as yet another gay stressor , ” concluded Kaufman .
“ There ’ s no question the pressure and expectation for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here , ” Hadadi said .
“ The real question is whether gay men who don ’ t want to have kids will one day be seen as less worthy by the community — will one day be forced into a new kind of closet.
” Creating children is one of the most natural things in the world , except for gays and lesbians , who choose to enter into relationships that make it impossible for them to procreate .
Rich , white gay males have endless options for accessorizing their lives with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acquire .
Their stories are plastered all over the tabloids .
These men have chosen to purchase children because they are unwilling to create children in the natural way , and are unwilling to commit to a woman for a lifetime in order to form a family to nurture children .
Females are valuable only for supplying eggs and womb-rentals .
Their role as mothers have been rendered inconsequential .
Women are nothing more than “ Breeders.
” The only way for a homosexual to have a biological connection with a child is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures accompanying the purchase of genetic material and surrogacy services .
Rivka Edelman , a college professor raised by two lesbian mothers , noted in a 2014 English Manif commentary that children of gays are “ denied one parent so that men could prove that two men can play at baby-making ” and they often require two women to do it .
“ Well , that dog doesn ’ t hunt .
I grew up in a gay household and I know the arguments better than I know the pledge of allegiance , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
All of it – the missives , the threats .
Don ’ t prove my point to people about loving the gay community .
They will turn and tear their own to shreds in a heartbeat .
Because the fragile narrative has to be protected at all costs .
Family is a photo op .
And children are props .
”

Studies show that children raised by homosexuals have significantly more social and mental-health problems than children raised by a mom and a dad.
DROP Disney+: New teen film 'Out' features openly homosexual main character! Sign the petition here.
August 21, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – An Israeli film director has pointed out that children have become a “status symbol” for homosexual men, calling attention to the additional stress on same-sex couples to indulge in the often costly enterprise of obtaining genetically-linked kids through surrogacy, out of reach for most.
“Children have in a way become a status symbol among many gay men,” director Yuval Hadadi, whose most recent film, “15 Years,” examines the breakdown of an affluent gay couple’s relationship after one partner decides to become a father.
“They signify a certain level of time, money, and ambition,” observed Hadadi, resources that have often been available only to wealthy, A-list gays and lesbians.
Studies by sociologist Mark Regnerus have found that children raised by homosexuals have significantly more social and mental-health problems than children raised by a mom and a dad.
Pressure to obtain children creating stress on gays
A growing brood of children have been “born through surrogacy to prominent gay men across the globe — from Ricky Martin and Ryan Murphy to Elton John, Tom Ford, and Cooper’s bubbly B.F.F., Andy Cohen,” noted journalist David Kaufman, himself a father who is homosexual, writing at Airmail.com. “Conceived at the intersection of hope, love, money, and technology, these kids represent, perhaps, the ultimate symbol of L.G.B.T.Q.”
“While fans may rejoice on behalf of these high-profile fathers, more mortal gay men are not necessarily benefiting from the same-sex surrogacy boom,” observed Kaufman. “Indeed, at a time when social media and hook-up apps have set almost supernatural standards of gay-male desirability, becoming a father now presents yet another ‘accomplishment’ some gay men feel they must achieve. No longer is it enough to simply be successful in your career and also be in possession of a six-pack.”
“Celebrity surrogacy — and its deceptive air of effortlessness — is beginning to emerge as yet another gay stressor,” concluded Kaufman.
“There’s no question the pressure and expectation for gay men to have children is definitely here,” Hadadi said. “The real question is whether gay men who don’t want to have kids will one day be seen as less worthy by the community — will one day be forced into a new kind of closet.”
‘Family is a photo op, children are props’
Creating children is one of the most natural things in the world, except for gays and lesbians, who choose to enter into relationships that make it impossible for them to procreate.
Rich, white gay males have endless options for accessorizing their lives with human beings they have the means to acquire. Their stories are plastered all over the tabloids.
These men have chosen to purchase children because they are unwilling to create children in the natural way, and are unwilling to commit to a woman for a lifetime in order to form a family to nurture children.
Females are valuable only for supplying eggs and womb-rentals. Their role as mothers have been rendered inconsequential. Women are nothing more than “Breeders.”
The only way for a homosexual to have a biological connection with a child is to engineer the child using extreme medical measures accompanying the purchase of genetic material and surrogacy services.
Rivka Edelman, a college professor raised by two lesbian mothers, noted in a 2014 English Manif commentary that children of gays are “denied one parent so that men could prove that two men can play at baby-making” and they often require two women to do it.
“Well, that dog doesn’t hunt. I grew up in a gay household and I know the arguments better than I know the pledge of allegiance,” declared Edelman. “So save it. All of it – the missives, the threats. Don’t prove my point to people about loving the gay community. They will turn and tear their own to shreds in a heartbeat. Because the fragile narrative has to be protected at all costs. Family is a photo op. And children are props.”
Follow Doug Doug Mainwaring is a journalist for LifeSiteNews, an author, and a marriage, family and children's rights activist. He has testified before the United States Congress and state legislative bodies, originated and co-authored amicus briefs for the United States Supreme Court, and has been a guest on numerous TV and radio programs. Doug and his family live in the Washington, DC suburbs.
Share


lifesitenews--2020-08-22--Australia to deploy drones to photograph unmasked faces, drivers too far from home

PETITION : No to radical mandatory mask mandates !
Sign the petition here .
MELBOURNE , Australia , August 21 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) ― Following communist China ’ s lead , Australian police are turning to drones to enforce coronavirus lockdown regulations and control the population .
7News Melbourne reported Monday that the Victoria state police are preparing to use drones to catch people who show their faces in public uncovered by masks , to capture the license plates of drivers who travel more than 5 kilometres ( 3.1 miles ) , and to make sure that children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ empty .
These drones can fly to a height of 7 kilometres ( 4.3 miles ) and take a clear photograph of a license plate from 500m ( .3 miles ) away .
Australian media has also reported that Victoria police had asked the Australian armed forces for military drones but were refused .
The deputy police commissioner for the state of Victoria defended the use of drones to spy on public spaces like beaches .
“ We were getting reports … in that warmer weather period of lots of people congregating on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Rick Nugent .
“ A drone provides that capability to actually provide that without deploying all these police to all of the areas.
” Victoria is not the first place where police have used drones to ensure compliance with state coronavirus measures .
A chilling video posted to Twitter in January by the Chinese government-controlled Global Times showed an elderly lady in Inner Mongolia staring up in astonishment at a drone outfitted with a loudspeaker .
A voice speaking through the contraption shouted at her to go home and to wash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the United Kingdom , a police drone video was published in March to shame hikers in England ’ s Peak District .
Also in March , the Financial Times reported that a California police department was also using drones to enforce the lockdown .
Some privacy-minded citizens are fighting back against lockdown enforcement by drones .
The Peak District drone footage infuriated many in the UK and led to accusations of “ nanny policing.
” Big Brother Watch ’ s Silkie Carlo complained that drones were an “ extreme , militaristic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve seen too many examples of police using them aggressively in place of measured public health communications , ” she said .
“ Police using drones to surveil and bark orders at members of the public is usually excessive and counterproductive .
Parliament should introduce stronger safeguards to circumscribe their use.
” In May , a French High Court sided with civil rights activists “ La Quadrature du Net ” and the Human Rights League against Paris police when it ruled that the use of drones to enforce coronavirus lockdown rules was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made it illegal for French police to use low-flying drones equipped with cameras to identify people .
China expert Steven Mosher told LifeSiteNews that although anyone can turn off personal devices that collect information , no one has that power over drones .
“ Drone surveillance from the sky can not be turned off , ” he noted .
“ It strips away another level of privacy that people have enjoyed since time immemorial .
The pandemic is being used to justify violations of privacy that people would never tolerate in normal times.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ argued that people are less likely to become infected with coronavirus outdoors .
Currently in Britain , people are allowed to stay outdoors as long as they like , and both government and health authorities are focusing now on fighting obesity as a method of combating COVID-19 related illness .

Victoria state police are preparing to use drones to catch people who break coronavirus lockdown regulations.
PETITION: No to radical mandatory mask mandates! Sign the petition here.
MELBOURNE, Australia, August 21, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) ― Following communist China’s lead, Australian police are turning to drones to enforce coronavirus lockdown regulations and control the population.
7News Melbourne reported Monday that the Victoria state police are preparing to use drones to catch people who show their faces in public uncovered by masks, to capture the license plates of drivers who travel more than 5 kilometres (3.1 miles), and to make sure that children’s skateboarding parks and playgrounds are empty.
These drones can fly to a height of 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) and take a clear photograph of a license plate from 500m (.3 miles) away.
Australian media has also reported that Victoria police had asked the Australian armed forces for military drones but were refused.
The deputy police commissioner for the state of Victoria defended the use of drones to spy on public spaces like beaches.
“We were getting reports … in that warmer weather period of lots of people congregating on the beaches in these populated areas,” said Rick Nugent. “A drone provides that capability to actually provide that without deploying all these police to all of the areas.”
Victoria is not the first place where police have used drones to ensure compliance with state coronavirus measures. A chilling video posted to Twitter in January by the Chinese government-controlled Global Times showed an elderly lady in Inner Mongolia staring up in astonishment at a drone outfitted with a loudspeaker. A voice speaking through the contraption shouted at her to go home and to wash her hands, recording her reactions throughout. In the United Kingdom, a police drone video was published in March to shame hikers in England’s Peak District. Also in March, the Financial Times reported that a California police department was also using drones to enforce the lockdown.
Some privacy-minded citizens are fighting back against lockdown enforcement by drones. The Peak District drone footage infuriated many in the UK and led to accusations of “nanny policing.” Big Brother Watch’s Silkie Carlo complained that drones were an “extreme, militaristic” form of surveillance.
“We’ve seen too many examples of police using them aggressively in place of measured public health communications,” she said.
“Police using drones to surveil and bark orders at members of the public is usually excessive and counterproductive. Parliament should introduce stronger safeguards to circumscribe their use.”
In May, a French High Court sided with civil rights activists “La Quadrature du Net” and the Human Rights League against Paris police when it ruled that the use of drones to enforce coronavirus lockdown rules was a violation of privacy. The ruling made it illegal for French police to use low-flying drones equipped with cameras to identify people.
China expert Steven Mosher told LifeSiteNews that although anyone can turn off personal devices that collect information, no one has that power over drones.
“Drone surveillance from the sky cannot be turned off,” he noted. “It strips away another level of privacy that people have enjoyed since time immemorial. The pandemic is being used to justify violations of privacy that people would never tolerate in normal times.”
In recent months, scientists have argued that people are less likely to become infected with coronavirus outdoors. Currently in Britain, people are allowed to stay outdoors as long as they like, and both government and health authorities are focusing now on fighting obesity as a method of combating COVID-19 related illness.
Share


lifesitenews--2020-08-21--German archbishop: John Paul II’s teaching can’t ‘stifle’ debate on female priests

HAMBURG , Germany , August 21 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — The head of the German archdiocese of Hamburg , Archbishop Stefan Heße ( pronounced “ Hess-uh ” ) , has called for open-ended discussions on female priests .
“ You have to be allowed to think and discuss the issues , ” he said on Wednesday .
Heße was appointed archbishop of Hamburg by Pope Francis in 2015 .
“ The discussion is still there , it is alive , and it can not be stifled by a paper , ” Heße argued , referring to Pope John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ordinatio Sacerdotalis .
The Polish pope , who was canonized by Pope Francis in 2014 , wrote a powerful document explaining why only men can become priests , referring to several previous statements by popes that explained the issue in more detail .
“ Wherefore , in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance , a matter which pertains to the Church ’ s divine constitution itself , in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren ( cf .
Lk .
22:32 ) I declare that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church 's faithful , ” John Paul concluded .
Heße , however , said , “ The historical perspective is one thing — but it ’ s not everything.
” Based on reports of his remarks , Heße did not acknowledge that what he referred to as “ historical perspective ” is properly called “ sacred tradition , ” and as such is part of revelation .
The Second Vatican Council explained that “ there exists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tradition and Sacred Scripture .
For both of them , flowing from the same divine wellspring , in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end.
” “ For Sacred Scripture is the word of God inasmuch as it is consigned to writing under the inspiration of the divine Spirit , while sacred tradition takes the word of God entrusted by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit to the Apostles , and hands it on to their successors in its full purity , so that led by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they may in proclaiming it preserve this word of God faithfully , explain it , and make it more widely known , ” the Council fathers wrote in Dei Verbum .
“ Consequently it is not from Sacred Scripture alone that the Church draws her certainty about everything which has been revealed .
Therefore both sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of loyalty and reverence.
” PETITION : Join faithful German Catholics in resisting bishops ’ plan to ‘ Protestantize ’ Church !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ pointed out that modern theologians are asking whether in the incarnation of Christ the decisive thing was the Second Person of the Trinity becoming a man or becoming a person .
The original report by KNA ( the official Catholic news agency , owned by the bishops ) , without directly quoting the archbishop , indeed spoke of “ Personwerden ” ( “ becoming a person ” ) .
As faithful Catholics know , Christ did not become a human person ; he assumed human nature , consisting of body and soul .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jesus Christ — only the Second Person of the Trinity .
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church , “ [ t ] he Nestorian heresy regarded Christ as a human person joined to the divine person of God ’ s Son.
” In any case , even if the report by KNA wanted to make a distinction between Christ becoming a man and Christ becoming a human being , changing the Church ’ s teaching on the priesthood would require saying the Church was wrong for 2,000 years and misunderstood what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his hope that the “ synodal path ” of the Church in Germany would arrive at results on the question of the role of women in the Church that can then be presented in the Vatican .
“ But I also have the realistic notion that this will not answer or solve the questions , ” he admitted .
Just days ago , a German law professor appointed by Pope Francis to the high-level group overseeing the Vatican ’ s finances signaled her openness to having female priests .
“ In my view @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this area , ” Charlotte Kreuter-Kirchhof , a member of the Vatican ’ s Council for the Economy , who was appointed to the position earlier this month , said in an interview last week with the German bishops ’ news website katholisch.de .
“ But there are controversial debates going on in the Church at the moment.
” In a 2017 radio interview , Kreuter-Kirchhof had already refused to place herself firmly in opposition to female deacons and priests .
“ The question of consecration for women is a big area , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we know the area , and we know that it exists , and we turn to the other or adjacent big topic , namely the big area that there are leadership positions in the Catholic Church for which no ordination is needed , ” she said .
Cardinal Reinhard Marx , a member of Pope Francis ’ s small group of cardinal advisers , said in July that arguments used against female ordination decades ago are getting weaker over time .
The archbishop of Munich and Freising , as well as former president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claimed that the question of female ordination still needs to be discussed , even though Pope John Paul II definitively said that only men can be validly ordained .

Archbishop Stefan Hesse said Catholics ‘have to be allowed to think and discuss the issues.’
HAMBURG, Germany, August 21, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The head of the German archdiocese of Hamburg, Archbishop Stefan Heße (pronounced “Hess-uh”), has called for open-ended discussions on female priests.
“You have to be allowed to think and discuss the issues,” he said on Wednesday. Heße was appointed archbishop of Hamburg by Pope Francis in 2015.
“The discussion is still there, it is alive, and it cannot be stifled by a paper,” Heße argued, referring to Pope John Paul II’s 1994 Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis.
The Polish pope, who was canonized by Pope Francis in 2014, wrote a powerful document explaining why only men can become priests, referring to several previous statements by popes that explained the issue in more detail.
“Wherefore, in order that all doubt may be removed regarding a matter of great importance, a matter which pertains to the Church’s divine constitution itself, in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk. 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful,” John Paul concluded.
Heße, however, said, “The historical perspective is one thing — but it’s not everything.”
Based on reports of his remarks, Heße did not acknowledge that what he referred to as “historical perspective” is properly called “sacred tradition,” and as such is part of revelation.
The Second Vatican Council explained that “there exists a close connection and communication between sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end.”
“For Sacred Scripture is the word of God inasmuch as it is consigned to writing under the inspiration of the divine Spirit, while sacred tradition takes the word of God entrusted by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, and hands it on to their successors in its full purity, so that led by the light of the Spirit of truth, they may in proclaiming it preserve this word of God faithfully, explain it, and make it more widely known,” the Council fathers wrote in Dei Verbum.
“Consequently it is not from Sacred Scripture alone that the Church draws her certainty about everything which has been revealed. Therefore both sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of loyalty and reverence.”
PETITION: Join faithful German Catholics in resisting bishops’ plan to ‘Protestantize’ Church! Sign the petition here.
Archbishop Heße pointed out that modern theologians are asking whether in the incarnation of Christ the decisive thing was the Second Person of the Trinity becoming a man or becoming a person.
The original report by KNA (the official Catholic news agency, owned by the bishops), without directly quoting the archbishop, indeed spoke of “Personwerden” (“becoming a person”). As faithful Catholics know, Christ did not become a human person; he assumed human nature, consisting of body and soul. There was no duality of persons in Jesus Christ — only the Second Person of the Trinity.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “[t]he Nestorian heresy regarded Christ as a human person joined to the divine person of God’s Son.”
In any case, even if the report by KNA wanted to make a distinction between Christ becoming a man and Christ becoming a human being, changing the Church’s teaching on the priesthood would require saying the Church was wrong for 2,000 years and misunderstood what Christ wanted to teach.
Heße expressed his hope that the “synodal path” of the Church in Germany would arrive at results on the question of the role of women in the Church that can then be presented in the Vatican. “But I also have the realistic notion that this will not answer or solve the questions,” he admitted.
Just days ago, a German law professor appointed by Pope Francis to the high-level group overseeing the Vatican’s finances signaled her openness to having female priests.
“In my view, a great deal is possible in this area,” Charlotte Kreuter-Kirchhof, a member of the Vatican’s Council for the Economy, who was appointed to the position earlier this month, said in an interview last week with the German bishops’ news website katholisch.de. “But there are controversial debates going on in the Church at the moment.”
In a 2017 radio interview, Kreuter-Kirchhof had already refused to place herself firmly in opposition to female deacons and priests.
“The question of consecration for women is a big area, and we have said: Well, we know the area, and we know that it exists, and we turn to the other or adjacent big topic, namely the big area that there are leadership positions in the Catholic Church for which no ordination is needed,” she said.
Cardinal Reinhard Marx, a member of Pope Francis’s small group of cardinal advisers, said in July that arguments used against female ordination decades ago are getting weaker over time. The archbishop of Munich and Freising, as well as former president of the German Bishops’ Conference, claimed that the question of female ordination still needs to be discussed, even though Pope John Paul II definitively said that only men can be validly ordained.
Share