lifesitenews--2020-03-03--Prayers start for Cdl Pell 9 days before high court hears final appeal

CANBERRA , Australia , March 3 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — The High Court of Australia will hear the last appeal of Cardinal George Pell against his conviction on sex abuse charges on March 11 .
Ahead of his last opportunity to convince the judges of the High Court of his innocence , which he has maintained throughout the trial , Catholics around the world are starting today to pray novenas for the former archbishop of Sydney .
Edward Pentin , Rome correspondent for the National Catholic Register , posted a novena “ for the spiritual and temporal needs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consists of a prayer to Our Lady , one to St. John Fisher , and another one to St. Thomas More .
Deacon Nick Donnelly , a former EWTN journalist , posted a different novena “ for the release ” of the cardinal .
This prayer contains many short invocations to various saints , including St. Mary MacKillop , patroness of Australia , and St. John Paul II , who made Pell a cardinal in 2003 .
Cardinal Pell was found guilty of two counts of child sex assault by a jury on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his conviction , the jury had deliberated for only four days .
“ A second planned trial was dropped in February 2019 due to a lack of evidence and because one of Pell ’ s principal accusers had died .
In March 2019 , Justice Peter Kidd sentenced Pell to six years in prison , with no chance of parole for three years and eight months , ” LifeSiteNews reported .
After his conviction , Pell had applied for a hearing with the Court of Appeal in Melbourne , which eventually took place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported that Pell ’ s defense team had made a positive impression on the three judges .
However , on August 20 , the Court of Appeal upheld the conviction .
It was a split decision , as Justice Mark Weinberg said he could not in good conscience refrain from dissenting , ” the LifeSiteNews article continued .
Weinberg explained he was “ quite unconvinced ” by the evidence of the only person claiming to be a victim .
He argued that it was not compelling enough to put aside all other factors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ account was unreliable .
According to the complainant , Pell subjected him to sexual abuse on two occasions when he was a choirboy at St. Patrick ’ s Cathedral in Melbourne .
At the time , in the late 1990s , the alleged victim would have been 12 and 13 years old .
Pell had first abused both him and another choirboy in the sacristy of the cathedral immediately following Sunday Mass , the alleged victim claimed .
He said that on a separate occasion , Pell had groped him in the midst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second choirboy died of a heroin overdose in 2014 .
He told his mother that he had never been abused .
His father later argued that the choirboy ’ s addiction to heroin “ was linked to post-traumatic stress disorder caused years earlier when Pell sexually abused the boy as a 13-year-old , ” according to SBS News .
A report published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted Justice Weinberg as saying “ the complainant ‘ seemed almost to clutch at straws ’ when he was questioned to minimize inconsistencies in the evidence.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ whole of the evidence led at trial , and having deliberated long and hard over this matter , ” Weinberg declared , “ I find myself in the position of having a genuine doubt ” about Pell ’ s guilt .
“ My doubt is a doubt which the jury ought also to have had , ” he added .
Various observers have criticized the Australian justice system for this trial .
Phil Lawler , the editor of Catholic World News , called the verdict “ a shock and a black mark against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the willingness of the Australian government to support a fair judgment .
“ In Australia today , the government — specifically the justice system — is now also heavily invested in the conviction of Cardinal Pell .
To admit an error would be to admit an unreasonable verdict , brought about by an unreasonable prosecution , and now buttressed by an unreasonable appeals-court decision , ” Lawler commented .
“ To say that Cardinal Pell is not guilty is to imply that the judicial system is guilty in its treatment of his case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court have the courage to reach that verdict ?
” George Weigel , author of a monumental biography of Pope John Paul II , pointed out “ there has never been any ‘ evidence ’ that Cardinal Pell did what he was alleged to have done.
” Instead , there was “ only the word of the complainant , and there was absolutely no corroboration of his charges — which , in the months since the cardinal ’ s trials , have been shown to be alarmingly similar to a fake set of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story published years ago in Rolling Stone.
” As prefect of the Vatican ’ s Secretariat for the Economy , the Australian cardinal “ was openly loathed by many of the other curial leaders , ” Ed Condon wrote in an analysis piece published by the Catholic News Agency .
“ The Australian cardinal ’ s efforts to deliver financial transparency and accountability to the curia in the first years of the Francis pontificate met with internal curial resistance — in one famous incident , the Secretariat of State maneuvered without Pell ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ audit , ” Condon continued .
“ Since his return to Australia , Pell ’ s reforms have largely been reversed by those who would take the closest interest in his case in Rome.
” Some observers , including Robert Royal of The Catholic Thing , have speculated that there might be a connection between people in the Vatican trying to protect certain secrets and Cardinal Pell ’ s trial in Australia .

The High Court of Australia will hear the last appeal of Cardinal George Pell against his conviction on sex abuse charges on March 11.
CANBERRA, Australia, March 3, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The High Court of Australia will hear the last appeal of Cardinal George Pell against his conviction on sex abuse charges on March 11.
Ahead of his last opportunity to convince the judges of the High Court of his innocence, which he has maintained throughout the trial, Catholics around the world are starting today to pray novenas for the former archbishop of Sydney.
Edward Pentin, Rome correspondent for the National Catholic Register, posted a novena “for the spiritual and temporal needs” of Cardinal Pell. The novena consists of a prayer to Our Lady, one to St. John Fisher, and another one to St. Thomas More.
Deacon Nick Donnelly, a former EWTN journalist, posted a different novena “for the release” of the cardinal. This prayer contains many short invocations to various saints, including St. Mary MacKillop, patroness of Australia, and St. John Paul II, who made Pell a cardinal in 2003.
Cardinal Pell was found guilty of two counts of child sex assault by a jury on December 11, 2018. Prior to his conviction, the jury had deliberated for only four days.
“A second planned trial was dropped in February 2019 due to a lack of evidence and because one of Pell’s principal accusers had died. In March 2019, Justice Peter Kidd sentenced Pell to six years in prison, with no chance of parole for three years and eight months,” LifeSiteNews reported.
After his conviction, Pell had applied for a hearing with the Court of Appeal in Melbourne, which eventually took place in June 2019.
“It was reported that Pell’s defense team had made a positive impression on the three judges. However, on August 20, the Court of Appeal upheld the conviction. It was a split decision, as Justice Mark Weinberg said he could not in good conscience refrain from dissenting,” the LifeSiteNews article continued.
Weinberg explained he was “quite unconvinced” by the evidence of the only person claiming to be a victim. He argued that it was not compelling enough to put aside all other factors suggesting that the alleged victim’s account was unreliable.
According to the complainant, Pell subjected him to sexual abuse on two occasions when he was a choirboy at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne. At the time, in the late 1990s, the alleged victim would have been 12 and 13 years old.
Pell had first abused both him and another choirboy in the sacristy of the cathedral immediately following Sunday Mass, the alleged victim claimed. He said that on a separate occasion, Pell had groped him in the midst of a crowd of choirboys.
The second choirboy died of a heroin overdose in 2014. He told his mother that he had never been abused. His father later argued that the choirboy’s addiction to heroin “was linked to post-traumatic stress disorder caused years earlier when Pell sexually abused the boy as a 13-year-old,” according to SBS News.
A report published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted Justice Weinberg as saying “the complainant ‘seemed almost to clutch at straws’ when he was questioned to minimize inconsistencies in the evidence.”
“Having had regard to the whole of the evidence led at trial, and having deliberated long and hard over this matter,” Weinberg declared, “I find myself in the position of having a genuine doubt” about Pell’s guilt.
“My doubt is a doubt which the jury ought also to have had,” he added.
Various observers have criticized the Australian justice system for this trial.
Phil Lawler, the editor of Catholic World News, called the verdict “a shock and a black mark against the Australian justice system.”
He questioned the willingness of the Australian government to support a fair judgment.
“In Australia today, the government — specifically the justice system — is now also heavily invested in the conviction of Cardinal Pell. To admit an error would be to admit an unreasonable verdict, brought about by an unreasonable prosecution, and now buttressed by an unreasonable appeals-court decision,” Lawler commented.
“To say that Cardinal Pell is not guilty is to imply that the judicial system is guilty in its treatment of his case. Will the country’s top court have the courage to reach that verdict?”
George Weigel, author of a monumental biography of Pope John Paul II, pointed out “there has never been any ‘evidence’ that Cardinal Pell did what he was alleged to have done.”
Instead, there was “only the word of the complainant, and there was absolutely no corroboration of his charges — which, in the months since the cardinal’s trials, have been shown to be alarmingly similar to a fake set of charges leveled against a priest in a story published years ago in Rolling Stone.”
As prefect of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy, the Australian cardinal “was openly loathed by many of the other curial leaders,” Ed Condon wrote in an analysis piece published by the Catholic News Agency.
“The Australian cardinal’s efforts to deliver financial transparency and accountability to the curia in the first years of the Francis pontificate met with internal curial resistance — in one famous incident, the Secretariat of State maneuvered without Pell’s knowledge to cancel an announced independent audit,” Condon continued.
“Since his return to Australia, Pell’s reforms have largely been reversed by those who would take the closest interest in his case in Rome.”
Some observers, including Robert Royal of The Catholic Thing, have speculated that there might be a connection between people in the Vatican trying to protect certain secrets and Cardinal Pell’s trial in Australia.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-03--US bishops’ international aid agency caught indoctrinating children to ‘always’ use condoms

BALTIMORE , Maryland , March 3 , 2020 ( Lepanto Institute ) — Following a year-long investigation into Catholic Relief Services ( CRS ) programs and documents , the Lepanto Institute has published the first of a series of reports showing that CRS was both directly and indirectly involved in the promotion of contraception and condoms teens and children as young as 10 .
CRS is the official overseas relief and development agency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops .
In the first report , the Lepanto Institute provided links and screen-captured images of CRS documents that encourage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have intercourse , while indicating that condoms are effective in preventing the transmission of HIV and pregnancy .
“ Catholic Relief Services has long-maintained that it never promotes condom use in its programs , but these documents prove otherwise , ” said Michael Hichborn , President of the Lepanto Institute .
“ Sadly , this isn ’ t even the worst of what we discovered in our year-long investigation.
” One document produced and copyrighted by CRS in 2017 says ( in French ) , “ Condom use should be correct and consistent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a non-regular partner.
” Another CRS-produced document from 2017 ( also in French ) says , “ You can do a number of things to stay as healthy as possible ... [ such as ] use a condom during sex to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases , including HIV , and pregnancies ” and then later adds , “ For adolescents who need access to HIV prevention methods , such as condoms , it is important for them to know where to access them.
” “ In March of 2019 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documents to CRS officials and were promised answers , ” said Hichborn .
“ Not only were we never provided answers , but several of the documents disappeared from the CRS.org website , while other condom-promoting documents appeared later in the year.
” A CRS-produced document that was published in December of 2019 indicates to a counselor that a core idea being taught to adolescents in a CRS-run program is , “ Delaying sex , limiting the number of sexual partners , and always using a condom are good practices.
” This first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here .
“ We ’ ll be revealing a lot more in subsequent reports , but this is one of the primary reasons we ’ re asking bishops of the United States to withdraw their support for CRS until there is an independent , third-party investigation of CRS , and CRS is forbidden from receiving federal money , ” said Hichborn .
The petition asking bishops to withdraw their support from CRS can be found at the link here .
Published with permission from the Lepanto Institute .

A year-long investigation by the Lepanto Institute revealed that Catholic Relief Services instructs teens and children as young as 10 to 'always' use condoms.
PETITION: Urge US bishops to stop Catholic Relief Services' condom promotion” Sign the petition here.
BALTIMORE, Maryland, March 3, 2020 (Lepanto Institute) — Following a year-long investigation into Catholic Relief Services (CRS) programs and documents, the Lepanto Institute has published the first of a series of reports showing that CRS was both directly and indirectly involved in the promotion of contraception and condoms to teens and children as young as 10. CRS is the official overseas relief and development agency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In the first report, the Lepanto Institute provided links and screen-captured images of CRS documents that encourage young people to use condoms whenever they have intercourse, while indicating that condoms are effective in preventing the transmission of HIV and pregnancy.
“Catholic Relief Services has long-maintained that it never promotes condom use in its programs, but these documents prove otherwise,” said Michael Hichborn, President of the Lepanto Institute. “Sadly, this isn’t even the worst of what we discovered in our year-long investigation.”
One document produced and copyrighted by CRS in 2017 says (in French), “Condom use should be correct and consistent for any occasional sexual intercourse or with a non-regular partner.” Another CRS-produced document from 2017 (also in French) says, “You can do a number of things to stay as healthy as possible … [such as] use a condom during sex to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, and pregnancies” and then later adds, “For adolescents who need access to HIV prevention methods, such as condoms, it is important for them to know where to access them.”
“In March of 2019, we provided our initial findings regarding these documents to CRS officials and were promised answers,” said Hichborn. “Not only were we never provided answers, but several of the documents disappeared from the CRS.org website, while other condom-promoting documents appeared later in the year.”
A CRS-produced document that was published in December of 2019 indicates to a counselor that a core idea being taught to adolescents in a CRS-run program is, “Delaying sex, limiting the number of sexual partners, and always using a condom are good practices.”
This first report can be viewed at the link here.
“We’ll be revealing a lot more in subsequent reports, but this is one of the primary reasons we’re asking bishops of the United States to withdraw their support for CRS until there is an independent, third-party investigation of CRS, and CRS is forbidden from receiving federal money,” said Hichborn.
The petition asking bishops to withdraw their support from CRS can be found at the link here.
Published with permission from the Lepanto Institute.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-04--Drag queens dancing suggestively for kids while adults cheer is simply child abuse

March 3 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – It ’ s tragic and perverse enough that drag queens reading to toddlers is now a national and international craze .
But a new video takes things even further , as a scantily-clad drag queen dances suggestively in front of a little girl seated in a chair .
Even worse , the adults in the room seem delighted with this act of public child abuse .
Yet it is this identical scenario that helped motivate me to take a stand back in 2004 .
Prior to 2004 , gay activism was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Not in preaching .
Or teaching .
Or writing .
Check out every one of my books written prior to that year , and you will find a few references to homosexual activism scattered between them .
Add all those references together , and I doubt it would even amount to a full page .
Or listen to the thousands of messages I preached prior to that year , dating all the way back to 1973 .
LGB activism ( there was very little “ T ” activism back then ) was hardly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speaking in England in the spring of that year , some of my ministry colleagues were invited to share the gospel in the midst of a gay pride event in Charlotte , North Carolina .
( Our ministry relocated there in the late summer of 2003 . )
They were shocked by what they encountered .
It was as if the world was turned upside down .
Lesbian cops held hands as they walked through the park , which was located right in the heart of the city .
And if you were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bible , you were asked to leave .
We ’ re not talking about being asked to leave for intimidating the pride participants .
We ’ re not talking about several people surrounding an individual and harassing that person .
We ’ re not even talking about allegations of rudeness .
Simply sharing the gospel was forbidden .
Or carrying a Bible .
Or wearing a gospel-based t-shirt .
But there was something even more disturbing .
There was a gay porn exhibit that anyone could view .
Including children .
Our team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while they were there .
The images were terribly disturbing .
And where were the parents ?
Did they care ?
And then there was the drag queen .
He was dressed in a tutu , and he was dancing before a small crowd of onlookers .
( I can assure you he was not doing ballet . )
And as he shimmied and shook , a small child walked up to him – again , in the presence of a good number of adults – and put a dollar in his panties @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raised our voice in protest in the months ( and years ) that followed , there seemed to be no outcry from the local gay community .
It ’ s one thing for them to want to be out and proud .
To walk down the streets , with men holding hands with men and women holding hands with women .
To proclaim that their relationships are just as valid as heterosexual relationships .
To call for “ equality and tolerance.
” While I profoundly differ with them on all of these fronts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unite together in a gay pride event like this .
But pornographic displays in view of children ?
And a drag queen in a tutu dancing for little children ?
And an innocent little child putting money in the drag queen ’ s panties ?
When I discussed this with local gay activists ( whom I sought to befriend for honest dialogue and understanding ) , I was basically told this : “ Those children were not there on their own .
They were there under the oversight of their parent or parents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those parents.
” And when I wrote to Starbucks in 2005 , sending them pictures of the 2004 gay pride event and urging them to drop their sponsorship , this is how they responded : “ Starbucks is deeply committed to our Mission Statement and Guiding Principles .
One of our six principles is “ embracing diversity as an essential component to the way we do business.
” This includes the gay and lesbian community .
Supporting local events like the Gay Pride Festival in Charlotte , NC , gives us the opportunity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set.
” As I noted in A Queer Thing Happened to America , “ So , embracing diversity includes embracing perversity – really , how else could you describe a drag queen , wearing a tutu , gyrating his pelvis in the presence of little kids who were putting money in his panties , or having a Hot Nudist Camp booth with open pornography in full view of young children ?
Sadly , this sort of perversity – and worse – has often been front and center in gay pride events worldwide , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it any wonder that the American Library Association now supports drag queens reading to toddlers ?
Or that this phenomenon is spreading worldwide ?
( I was in Brisbane , Australia this past weekend .
In January , some conservative students disrupted one of these drag queen events in Brisbane , and the media painted them as the culprits .
“ Protesters from University of Queensland Liberal National Club .
.
.
yell at performers , leaving children in tears.
” ) And what of the aggressive , open , systematic and systemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ systems for well over 20 years now ?
( For disturbing documentation through 2011 , see the Queer Thing book . )
And what of the words of Jesus concerning the little ones ?
He said , “ If anyone causes one of these little ones — those who believe in me — to stumble , it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea ” ( Matthew 18:6 ) .
I plead with you , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stand up and speak and act .
It does not mean hating those who identify as LGBT .
God forbid .
It does mean saying , “ You will not indoctrinate or abuse our kids !
”

‘I plead with you, for the sake of the children, to stand up and speak and act.’
March 3, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – It’s tragic and perverse enough that drag queens reading to toddlers is now a national and international craze. But a new video takes things even further, as a scantily-clad drag queen dances suggestively in front of a little girl seated in a chair. Even worse, the adults in the room seem delighted with this act of public child abuse. Yet it is this identical scenario that helped motivate me to take a stand back in 2004.
Prior to 2004, gay activism was not a major focus of my ministry. Not in preaching. Or teaching. Or writing.
Check out every one of my books written prior to that year, and you will find a few references to homosexual activism scattered between them. Add all those references together, and I doubt it would even amount to a full page.
Or listen to the thousands of messages I preached prior to that year, dating all the way back to 1973. LGB activism (there was very little “T” activism back then) was hardly on my radar.
But things changed in 2004.
While I was speaking in England in the spring of that year, some of my ministry colleagues were invited to share the gospel in the midst of a gay pride event in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Our ministry relocated there in the late summer of 2003.)
They were shocked by what they encountered. It was as if the world was turned upside down.
Lesbian cops held hands as they walked through the park, which was located right in the heart of the city. And if you were wearing a Jesus shirt or carrying a Bible, you were asked to leave.
We’re not talking about being asked to leave for intimidating the pride participants. We’re not talking about several people surrounding an individual and harassing that person. We’re not even talking about allegations of rudeness.
Simply sharing the gospel was forbidden. Or carrying a Bible. Or wearing a gospel-based t-shirt.
But there was something even more disturbing.
There was a gay porn exhibit that anyone could view. Including children.
Our team snapped pictures to document all of this while they were there. The images were terribly disturbing. And where were the parents? Did they care?
And then there was the drag queen.
He was dressed in a tutu, and he was dancing before a small crowd of onlookers. (I can assure you he was not doing ballet.)
And as he shimmied and shook, a small child walked up to him – again, in the presence of a good number of adults – and put a dollar in his panties.
What insanity.
More troubling still, when we raised our voice in protest in the months (and years) that followed, there seemed to be no outcry from the local gay community.
It’s one thing for them to want to be out and proud.
To walk down the streets, with men holding hands with men and women holding hands with women.
To proclaim that their relationships are just as valid as heterosexual relationships.
To call for “equality and tolerance.”
While I profoundly differ with them on all of these fronts, I fully understand why they would unite together in a gay pride event like this.
But pornographic displays in view of children? And a drag queen in a tutu dancing for little children? And an innocent little child putting money in the drag queen’s panties?
When I discussed this with local gay activists (whom I sought to befriend for honest dialogue and understanding), I was basically told this: “Those children were not there on their own. They were there under the oversight of their parent or parents. And we trust the judgment of those parents.”
And when I wrote to Starbucks in 2005, sending them pictures of the 2004 gay pride event and urging them to drop their sponsorship, this is how they responded: “Starbucks is deeply committed to our Mission Statement and Guiding Principles. One of our six principles is “embracing diversity as an essential component to the way we do business.” This includes the gay and lesbian community. Supporting local events like the Gay Pride Festival in Charlotte, NC, gives us the opportunity to live by the values we have set.”
Garbage!
As I noted in A Queer Thing Happened to America, “So, embracing diversity includes embracing perversity – really, how else could you describe a drag queen, wearing a tutu, gyrating his pelvis in the presence of little kids who were putting money in his panties, or having a Hot Nudist Camp booth with open pornography in full view of young children? Sadly, this sort of perversity – and worse – has often been front and center in gay pride events worldwide, especially at the larger events.”
Is it any wonder that the American Library Association now supports drag queens reading to toddlers? Or that this phenomenon is spreading worldwide? (I was in Brisbane, Australia this past weekend. In January, some conservative students disrupted one of these drag queen events in Brisbane, and the media painted them as the culprits. “Protesters from University of Queensland Liberal National Club . . . yell at performers, leaving children in tears.”)
And what of the aggressive, open, systematic and systemic indoctrinating of our children in our school systems for well over 20 years now? (For disturbing documentation through 2011, see the Queer Thing book.)
And what of the words of Jesus concerning the little ones?
He said, “If anyone causes one of these little ones — those who believe in me — to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18:6).
I plead with you, for the sake of the children, to stand up and speak and act.
It does not mean hating those who identify as LGBT. God forbid.
It does mean saying, “You will not indoctrinate or abuse our kids!”
Follow Michael Dr. Brown is the author of more than 35 books, including Our Hands Are Stained with Blood: The Tragic Story of the “Church” and the Jewish People, which has been translated into more than twelve languages, the highly acclaimed five-volume series, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, a commentary on Jeremiah (part of the revised edition of the Expositor’s Bible Commentary), and several books on revival and the Jesus revolution. His most recent book is Evangelicals at the Crossroads: Will We Pass the Trump Test?
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lifesitenews--2020-03-04--New head of German bishops’ conference on warpath to ‘change’ Catholic sexual teaching

March 3 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Today , Bishop Georg Bätzing of the Diocese of Limburg was elected the new president of the German bishops ’ conference .
In his first interview after his election , he touched upon the question of the Church ’ s teaching on sexual intercourse before marriage and on homosexuality .
Asked whether he sees some leeway concerning these two topics , he says : “ there is leeway and there are openings in the doctrine.
” “ Something has to change ” also “ with regard to how we deal with homosexuals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he adds .
“ As we have presented it at the synodal assembly , ” he further explains , “ we see already changes in John Paul II ’ s Theology of the Body .
The encyclical Amoris Laetitia then opened the door once more far and wide.
” It is now important , the bishop adds , that “ we can formulate this teaching in its substance in such a manner ” that it becomes “ a knowledge of orientation ” and that it is not being perceived as “ this fatal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to how we deal with homosexuals and their way of life , ” Bätzing concludes , “ something needs to change.
” As LifeSite ’ s Martin Bürger reported , Bätzing is the head of the discussion forum on sexuality of the German “ synodal path , ” whose preparatory document proposes to do away with the Church ’ s teaching on such important moral matters as contraception , homosexuality , cohabitation , “ self-sex , ” and gender theory .
On December 1 , 2019 , the German bishops started , together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of German Catholics , a synodal process that aims at questioning the Church ’ s doctrine not only on sexual morality , but also on priestly celibacy and its acknowledgment of the impossibility of female ordinations .
Bätzing was elected after Cardinal Reinhard Marx announced in February of this year that he will not be available for a second term as the head of the German bishops .
Bätzing himself holds a whole row of controversial — and heterodox — positions .
• As one of the first German bishops , he encouraged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is working out concrete proposals for a liturgical blessing for homosexual and divorced and “ remarried ” couples .
• He defended Father Ansgar Wucherpfennig , the rector of the Jesuit Sankt Georgen Post-Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology in Frankfurt , whom the Vatican rebuked for having blessed homosexual couples and for questioning the Church ’ s stance on female ordinations .
Wucherpfennig has been appointed by Bätzing to work on a liturgical blessing for homosexuals .
• As the presiding bishop of an ecumenical working group of Protestant and Catholic theologians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for intercommunion , claiming that there is now “ agreement ” with regard to the “ theological meaning of the Eucharist/Last Supper ” and that , “ on that foundation , the diversity of liturgical traditions is being valued.
” This paper was publicly criticized by Cardinal Kurt Koch , who said the document is based on an “ assumption ” he can not share — “ namely : that the Catholic Eucharistic celebration and the Protestant Last Supper are identical.
” Bätzing called this paper “ an important step ” toward unity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ openness toward questioning the Church ’ s irreformable position on female ordination .
At the end of 2019 , he stated in a homily that he wishes for “ changes ” with regard to women in ministries of the Church , adding that “ as bishop , I have to take it seriously that the exclusion of women from the ordained offices is being perceived as fundamentally unjust and inappropriate.
” • Last , but not least , the Limburg bishop also proposes to abandon obligatory priestly celibacy , making it optional .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with this election , the German bishops decided to continue their “ path of destruction , ” in the warning words of the Regensburg bishop Rudolf Voderholzer .
As Marco Gallina , a journalist who writes for the German Catholic newspaper Die Tagespost , comments today on twitter on the election of Bishop Bätzing as the head of the German bishops : “ The DBK [ German bishops ’ conference ] has made it clear today that it does not wish to be anymore Roman Catholic.
” “ This is not even directly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued .
“ In opposition to his predecessor Marx , who was presented by the German media as ‘ Rambo with cardinal ’ s hat , ’ is Bätzing , a careful and affable person .
But he has positioned himself in the past in favor of a ‘ voluntary ’ celibacy , of a ‘ common last supper ’ with Protestants — and of the synodal path .
He stands for the continuation of this project ; he is less blustering , perhaps , but not less resolute .
The German Bishops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Roman Catholic into a German Catholic Church is to be continued . ''
Mathias von Gersdorff , in comments to LifeSite , sees in Bätzing a member of the “ reformist Catholic wing , ” adding that “ therefore , his election is not a breach with the tenure of Cardinal Reinhard Marx.
” This German journalist sees , however , that the new president avoids “ militant and provocative ” conduct and that he does not have “ neither much authority or prominence.
” For von Gersdorff , it seems that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ moderator , ” which he sees , in light of such earlier dominant figures as Cardinal Marx and Cardinal Karl Lehmann — who posed more as a “ regional pope ” — as a “ positive sign.
” But von Gersdorff also cautions us : “ It will be seen whether Cardinal Marx maintains his control from the background.
” Bätzing worked under Bishop Reinhard Marx , not yet an archbishop then , in Trier as the head of the priestly seminary .
The two men know each other well , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new president .
In today ’ s press conference , he explained that he had to deal with much pressure and conflict during his six-year term and that there will now come “ new tasks ” in his “ diocese and in Rome.
” There is still much speculation as to why Cardinal Marx actually stepped back from his leadership in Germany .
One of them is that he might soon be called to Rome — for example , into the office of Cardinal Marc Ouellet at the Congregation for Bishops or to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this speculation turns out to be true , it will be understandable why the German bishops chose a moderate bishop as their leader , since they still will have a high-profiled speaker for their intentions directly in Rome .
This would be needed , inasmuch as , as one well placed German source told LifeSite , Bätzing is a “ weak figure , ” with “ little strength to impose himself , ” as well as with no special connections whatsoever in Rome .
He does not even speak Italian .
In any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as one source in Germany told LifeSite , indicates that “ the majority of the German bishops wish for an adaptation of the Church to the zeitgeist and a Protestantization of the Catholic Church .
”

‘The German bishops' conference has made it clear today that it does not wish to be anymore Roman Catholic.’
PETITION: Join faithful German Catholics in resisting bishops’ plan to ‘Protestantize’ Church Sign the petition here.
March 3, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Today, Bishop Georg Bätzing of the Diocese of Limburg was elected the new president of the German bishops’ conference. In his first interview after his election, he touched upon the question of the Church’s teaching on sexual intercourse before marriage and on homosexuality. Asked whether he sees some leeway concerning these two topics, he says: “there is leeway and there are openings in the doctrine.” “Something has to change” also “with regard to how we deal with homosexuals and their way of life,” he adds.
“As we have presented it at the synodal assembly,” he further explains, “we see already changes in John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. The encyclical Amoris Laetitia then opened the door once more far and wide.”
It is now important, the bishop adds, that “we can formulate this teaching in its substance in such a manner” that it becomes “a knowledge of orientation” and that it is not being perceived as “this fatal morality of interdictions.”
“And as to how we deal with homosexuals and their way of life,” Bätzing concludes, “something needs to change.”
As LifeSite’s Martin Bürger reported, Bätzing is the head of the discussion forum on sexuality of the German “synodal path,” whose preparatory document proposes to do away with the Church’s teaching on such important moral matters as contraception, homosexuality, cohabitation, “self-sex,” and gender theory. On December 1, 2019, the German bishops started, together with the lay organization the Central Committee of German Catholics, a synodal process that aims at questioning the Church’s doctrine not only on sexual morality, but also on priestly celibacy and its acknowledgment of the impossibility of female ordinations.
Bätzing was elected after Cardinal Reinhard Marx announced in February of this year that he will not be available for a second term as the head of the German bishops. Bätzing himself holds a whole row of controversial — and heterodox — positions.
As one of the first German bishops, he encouraged a working group in his diocese that is working out concrete proposals for a liturgical blessing for homosexual and divorced and “remarried” couples.
He defended Father Ansgar Wucherpfennig, the rector of the Jesuit Sankt Georgen Post-Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology in Frankfurt, whom the Vatican rebuked for having blessed homosexual couples and for questioning the Church’s stance on female ordinations. Wucherpfennig has been appointed by Bätzing to work on a liturgical blessing for homosexuals.
As the presiding bishop of an ecumenical working group of Protestant and Catholic theologians, he supported its statement that calls for intercommunion, claiming that there is now “agreement” with regard to the “theological meaning of the Eucharist/Last Supper” and that, “on that foundation, the diversity of liturgical traditions is being valued.” This paper was publicly criticized by Cardinal Kurt Koch, who said the document is based on an “assumption” he cannot share — “namely: that the Catholic Eucharistic celebration and the Protestant Last Supper are identical.” Bätzing called this paper “an important step” toward unity among Christians.
Bätzing also shows openness toward questioning the Church’s irreformable position on female ordination. At the end of 2019, he stated in a homily that he wishes for “changes” with regard to women in ministries of the Church, adding that “as bishop, I have to take it seriously that the exclusion of women from the ordained offices is being perceived as fundamentally unjust and inappropriate.”
Last, but not least, the Limburg bishop also proposes to abandon obligatory priestly celibacy, making it optional.
These few aspects make it clear that with this election, the German bishops decided to continue their “path of destruction,” in the warning words of the Regensburg bishop Rudolf Voderholzer.
German journalist Peter Winnemöller, in a statement sent to LifeSite, says he expects that “the Synodal Path will be continued without change,” even though the new head of the German bishops is “much more reticent than Cardinal Marx.”
He continues, saying: “It is to be seen whether he is capable of really filling this new position as the president himself and of setting a new tone or whether he will prove himself in the end as a figure which is being steered by his predecessor in the background. Bätzing, according to his own words, is not at all connected with the Roman Curia and does not speak Italian. Here, he will be in need of support of others, what certainly will not be an advantage for the German Bishops' Conference.” He concludes by saying that Cardinal Marx already has publicly, at the first press conference, “offered his help. That alone speaks already for itself.”
As Marco Gallina, a journalist who writes for the German Catholic newspaper Die Tagespost, comments today on twitter on the election of Bishop Bätzing as the head of the German bishops: “The DBK [German bishops’ conference] has made it clear today that it does not wish to be anymore Roman Catholic.”
“This is not even directly related to Georg Bätzing,” Gallina continued in additional comments to LifeSiteNews. “In opposition to his predecessor Marx, who was presented by the German media as ‘Rambo with cardinal’s hat,’ is Bätzing, a careful and affable person. But he has positioned himself in the past in favor of a ‘voluntary’ celibacy, of a ‘common last supper’ with Protestants — and of the synodal path. He stands for the continuation of this project; he is less blustering, perhaps, but not less resolute. The German Bishops’ Conference signalizes: the transformation from a Roman Catholic into a German Catholic Church is to be continued.”
Mathias von Gersdorff, in comments to LifeSite, sees in Bätzing a member of the “reformist Catholic wing,” adding that “therefore, his election is not a breach with the tenure of Cardinal Reinhard Marx.” This German journalist sees, however, that the new president avoids “militant and provocative” conduct and that he does not have “neither much authority or prominence.” For von Gersdorff, it seems that the German bishops elected more of a “moderator,” which he sees, in light of such earlier dominant figures as Cardinal Marx and Cardinal Karl Lehmann — who posed more as a “regional pope” — as a “positive sign.”
But von Gersdorff also cautions us: “It will be seen whether Cardinal Marx maintains his control from the background.”
Bätzing worked under Bishop Reinhard Marx, not yet an archbishop then, in Trier as the head of the priestly seminary. The two men know each other well, and Marx showed himself visibly happy about the new president. In today’s press conference, he explained that he had to deal with much pressure and conflict during his six-year term and that there will now come “new tasks” in his “diocese and in Rome.”
There is still much speculation as to why Cardinal Marx actually stepped back from his leadership in Germany. One of them is that he might soon be called to Rome — for example, into the office of Cardinal Marc Ouellet at the Congregation for Bishops or to the Secretariat for the Economy. If this speculation turns out to be true, it will be understandable why the German bishops chose a moderate bishop as their leader, since they still will have a high-profiled speaker for their intentions directly in Rome. This would be needed, inasmuch as, as one well placed German source told LifeSite, Bätzing is a “weak figure,” with “little strength to impose himself,” as well as with no special connections whatsoever in Rome. He does not even speak Italian.
In any event, the election of Bätzing, as one source in Germany told LifeSite, indicates that “the majority of the German bishops wish for an adaptation of the Church to the zeitgeist and a Protestantization of the Catholic Church.”
Feb. 4, 2020 update: This report now includes a comment from German journalist Peter Winnemöller.
Follow Maike Dr. Maike Hickson was born and raised in Germany. She holds a PhD from the University of Hannover, Germany, after having written in Switzerland her doctoral dissertation on the history of Swiss intellectuals before and during World War II. She now lives in the U.S. and is married to Dr. Robert Hickson, and they have been blessed with two beautiful children. She is a happy housewife who likes to write articles when time permits. Dr. Hickson published in 2014 a Festschrift, a collection of some thirty essays written by thoughtful authors in honor of her husband upon his 70th birthday, which is entitled A Catholic Witness in Our Time. Hickson has closely followed the papacy of Pope Francis and the developments in the Catholic Church in Germany, and she has been writing articles on religion and politics for U.S. and European publications and websites such as LifeSiteNews, OnePeterFive, The Wanderer, Rorate Caeli, Catholicism.org, Catholic Family News, Christian Order, Notizie Pro-Vita, Corrispondenza Romana, Katholisches.info, Der Dreizehnte, Zeit-Fragen, and Westfalen-Blatt.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-03--Violent transgender evades jail time when judge can’t decide on male or female prison

EAST SUSSEX , England , March 3 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – A biological male in the United Kingdom pleaded guilty to assault after an attempted robbery last month , but he will not spend time in prison because a judge couldn ’ t determine whether to send the “ transgender woman ” to a male or female facility .
Leila Le Fey , ( also known as Layla Le Fey , Adam Hodgson , and Marcus Smith ) pleaded guilty after threatening a man with a claw hammer in the course of attempting to steal wine from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It was only the latest of more than 50 offenses on his record , including multiple cases involving shoplifting and weapons .
Calling La Fey ’ s actions “ inexcusable , ” Judge Stephen Mooney initially gave him a six-month sentence , but suspended it after his lawyers argued that La Fey ’ s lack of a Gender Recognition Certificate , which are only issued to people who have spent at least two years living as the opposite sex , would send him to a men ’ s facility .
It is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We live in a society which acknowledges and embraces diversity and allows and encourages people to live the life they want to , ” Mooney said .
“ Sometimes society does not make the necessary or appropriate adjustments in all ways it can to reflect the adjustments of society as a whole.
” “ Having reflected again upon the impact an immediate custodial sentence would have , the difficulties there are and the intractable problems the prison service would face , I have reconsidered whether imprisonment must be immediate , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this information , I have come to the conclusion that in your particular case it allows me to hope for some form of rehabilitation.
” Instead of jail time , La Fey will be required to complete 30 rehabilitation sessions , presumably related to a substance abuse problem to which his attorney ’ s partly attributed his latest crime .
“ I am sick and tired of men using self-identification in order to abuse and prey on women and girls and to be given a ‘ get out of jail free ’ card @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK Spectator .
“ A record number of male offenders in prison now identify as female .
The Daily Telegraph reported that there are more than 100 such prisoners , double the figure from two years ago .
Fair Play for Women estimates that half of all transgender prisoners are sex offenders or dangerous category A inmates.
” There has been growing concern across North America and Europe over placing men who claim to be women in female prison populations , spurred by cases like that of Stephen Wood , who assaulted four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ women ’ s facility as “ Karen White.
” Canada and Scotland have also seen cases of male prisoners claiming “ transgender ” status in order to secure lighter treatment during their incarceration .

Despite the biological male's 'inexcusable' actions, he essentially received a get out of jail free card because of the 'problems' he would face in prison.
EAST SUSSEX, England, March 3, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A biological male in the United Kingdom pleaded guilty to assault after an attempted robbery last month, but he will not spend time in prison because a judge couldn’t determine whether to send the “transgender woman” to a male or female facility.
Leila Le Fey, (also known as Layla Le Fey, Adam Hodgson, and Marcus Smith) pleaded guilty after threatening a man with a claw hammer in the course of attempting to steal wine from a Budgens store, the Daily Mail reported. It was only the latest of more than 50 offenses on his record, including multiple cases involving shoplifting and weapons.
Calling La Fey’s actions “inexcusable,” Judge Stephen Mooney initially gave him a six-month sentence, but suspended it after his lawyers argued that La Fey’s lack of a Gender Recognition Certificate, which are only issued to people who have spent at least two years living as the opposite sex, would send him to a men’s facility. It is unknown whether La Fey has surgically transitioned.
“We live in a society which acknowledges and embraces diversity and allows and encourages people to live the life they want to,” Mooney said. “Sometimes society does not make the necessary or appropriate adjustments in all ways it can to reflect the adjustments of society as a whole.”
“Having reflected again upon the impact an immediate custodial sentence would have, the difficulties there are and the intractable problems the prison service would face, I have reconsidered whether imprisonment must be immediate,” he concluded. “In light of this information, I have come to the conclusion that in your particular case it allows me to hope for some form of rehabilitation.”
Instead of jail time, La Fey will be required to complete 30 rehabilitation sessions, presumably related to a substance abuse problem to which his attorney’s partly attributed his latest crime.
“I am sick and tired of men using self-identification in order to abuse and prey on women and girls and to be given a ‘get out of jail free’ card,” Julie Bindel wrote at the UK Spectator. “A record number of male offenders in prison now identify as female. The Daily Telegraph reported that there are more than 100 such prisoners, double the figure from two years ago. Fair Play for Women estimates that half of all transgender prisoners are sex offenders or dangerous category A inmates.”
There has been growing concern across North America and Europe over placing men who claim to be women in female prison populations, spurred by cases like that of Stephen Wood, who assaulted four female inmates after being housed in a women’s facility as “Karen White.” Canada and Scotland have also seen cases of male prisoners claiming “transgender” status in order to secure lighter treatment during their incarceration.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-04--Public high school closes gender-neutral bathroom after student sexual assault

RHINELANDER , Wisconsin , March 4 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – A Wisconsin high school closed its gender-neutral student bathroom after an 18-year-old male allegedly sexually assaulted another student .
The 18-year-old , Austin Sauer , was arrested for child enticement , fourth-degree sexual assault , and exposing genitals to a child in the designated gender-neutral bathroom of Rhinelander High School , according to the Oneida County Sheriff ’ s Office .
Sauer , who has not yet been charged , was released on a $ 1,500 bond and is due to appear in court in April , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to accommodate transgender or “ gender expansive ” students , late last year the school refitted a boys restroom , converting it into a gender-neutral facility .
The move was seen as an easy , cost-effective way to deal with the issue .
However , the gender-neutral space invites mixed-gender use , creating new opportunities for sexual assault not available in single-sex restrooms .
In 2017 , The Heritage Foundation issued an exhaustive report examining the problematic nature of gender identity policies in public schools .
The report , authored by Ryan T. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important question : “ Is a biological male who displays his private parts to a woman while coming out of a women ’ s restroom stall a flasher or transgendered ?
What about the biological male whose eyes wander while in a women ’ s locker room ?
“ Allowing a man , based only on his claim to be ( a ) transgendered woman , to have unlimited access to women ’ s rest rooms , locker rooms , changing rooms , showers , etc .
will make it easier for ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more women and children , ” according to Kenneth V. Lanning , who is quoted in the report .
Lanning is a former FBI supervisory special agent assigned to the Behavioral Science Unit and the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime at the FBI Academy .
“ Such access would create an additional risk for potential victims in a previously protected setting and a new defense for a wide variety of sexual victimization , ” said Lanning .
“ Public restrooms are crime attractors , and have long been well-known as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a planned and deliberate way , ” said Tim Hutchison , retired sheriff of Knox County , Tennessee .
“ Access policies to restrooms based on ‘ gender identity ’ create real and significant public safety and privacy risks , especially in women ’ s and children ’ s restrooms/dressing rooms , ” added the retired sheriff .
Although The Heritage Foundation report was published nearly three years ago , the authors were able to compile a list of 130 examples of men charged with using bathroom , locker room , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and sexual assault .
Here are a few examples of women and girls victimized by men entering women ’ s spaces documented in the report : • In Minnesota , a biologically male high school student who identifies as female was allowed access to the girls ’ locker rooms , where the student danced “ in a sexually explicit manner — ‘ twerking , ’ ‘ grinding , ’ and like he was on a ‘ stripper pole , ’ ” flashed his underwear while dancing , asked about a girl ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ trade body parts .
• In Toronto , a man posed as a transgender woman ( “ Jessica ” ) to sexually assault and criminally harass four women — including a deaf woman and a survivor of domestic violence — at two women ’ s shelters .
Previously , he had preyed on other women and girls whose ages ranged from five to 53 .
• In Virginia , a man presented as a woman in a long wig and pink shirt to enter a women ’ s restroom at a mall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , her mother , and another woman .
• In Toronto , two separate occurrences of voyeurism took place on campus after the University of Toronto implemented a policy of gender-neutral bathrooms .
In both cases , male students were found using cell phone cameras to film women showering .
These incidents prompted the University of Toronto to revise its new policy .
• In Milwaukie , Oregon , a man was arrested for dressing as a woman to enter the women ’ s locker room at an aquatic park .
He had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purchasing child pornography , and unlawful contact with a child .
• In Olympia , Washington , a man wearing a wig and a bra was arrested for entering the women ’ s bathroom at Everett Community College .
He admitted under police questioning that “ he was the suspect in an earlier voyeurism incident.
” • In July 2016 , a biological man who identifies as a woman and was wearing a wig and dress was charged with secretly recording an 18-year-old girl changing into swimwear in a Target fitting room in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be found in the online report published by The Heritage Foundation .
In another report also published in 2017 that examined “ bathroom incidents , ” The Family Research Council said , “ It is important to note that the concern is not that transgendered individuals are more likely to be sexual predators , but rather that sexual predators could exploit such laws by posing as transgendered in order to gain access to women and girls.
” When schools implement gender neutral bathrooms and dressing room policies , they entice opportunistic criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be moved to engage in such activity .

An 18-year-old male was charged with fourth-degree sexual assault and exposing himself to a child.
RHINELANDER, Wisconsin, March 4, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A Wisconsin high school closed its gender-neutral student bathroom after an 18-year-old male allegedly sexually assaulted another student.
The 18-year-old, Austin Sauer, was arrested for child enticement, fourth-degree sexual assault, and exposing genitals to a child in the designated gender-neutral bathroom of Rhinelander High School, according to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office.
Sauer, who has not yet been charged, was released on a $1,500 bond and is due to appear in court in April, according to multiple media outlets.
In order to accommodate transgender or “gender expansive” students, late last year the school refitted a boys restroom, converting it into a gender-neutral facility. The move was seen as an easy, cost-effective way to deal with the issue.
However, the gender-neutral space invites mixed-gender use, creating new opportunities for sexual assault not available in single-sex restrooms.
In 2017, The Heritage Foundation issued an exhaustive report examining the problematic nature of gender identity policies in public schools.
The report, authored by Ryan T. Anderson and Melody Wood, asked an important question: “Is a biological male who displays his private parts to a woman while coming out of a women’s restroom stall a flasher or transgendered? What about the biological male whose eyes wander while in a women’s locker room?
“Allowing a man, based only on his claim to be (a) transgendered woman, to have unlimited access to women’s rest rooms, locker rooms, changing rooms, showers, etc. will make it easier for … sex offense behavior … to happen to more women and children,” according to Kenneth V. Lanning, who is quoted in the report. Lanning is a former FBI supervisory special agent assigned to the Behavioral Science Unit and the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime at the FBI Academy.
“Such access would create an additional risk for potential victims in a previously protected setting and a new defense for a wide variety of sexual victimization,” said Lanning.
“Public restrooms are crime attractors, and have long been well-known as areas in which offenders seek out victims in a planned and deliberate way,” said Tim Hutchison, retired sheriff of Knox County, Tennessee.
“Access policies to restrooms based on ‘gender identity’ create real and significant public safety and privacy risks, especially in women’s and children’s restrooms/dressing rooms,” added the retired sheriff.
Although The Heritage Foundation report was published nearly three years ago, the authors were able to compile a list of 130 examples of men charged with using bathroom, locker room, and shower access to target women for voyeurism and sexual assault.
Here are a few examples of women and girls victimized by men entering women’s spaces documented in the report:
More than 120 additional examples can be found in the online report published by The Heritage Foundation.
In another report also published in 2017 that examined “bathroom incidents,” The Family Research Council said, “It is important to note that the concern is not that transgendered individuals are more likely to be sexual predators, but rather that sexual predators could exploit such laws by posing as transgendered in order to gain access to women and girls.”
When schools implement gender neutral bathrooms and dressing room policies, they entice opportunistic criminal behavior by students who might otherwise not be moved to engage in such activity.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-04--Supreme Court justices, lawyers debate Louisiana abortion safety regs in potentially landmark case

WASHINGTON , D.C. , March 4 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court began Wednesday over a Louisiana law imposing medical standards on abortion facilities , a case that could have drastic ramifications for the states ’ ability to restrict or regulate abortion .
June Medical Services LLC v. Russo concerns Louisiana ’ s requirement that abortion centers make arrangements for admitting women to nearby hospitals in cases of life-threatening complications .
The abortion industry ’ s attorneys argue the law is no different from the Texas law the Supreme Court struck down in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health v. Hellerstedt .
Pro-lifers argue that not only was Hellerstedt wrongly decided but that Louisiana ’ s situation is different from that of Texas anyway , including that most Louisiana hospitals don ’ t have the Texas requirement that doctors must see a minimum number of patients per year to qualify for admitting privileges .
“ This case is about respect for the court ’ s precedent , ” said abortion industry attorney Julie Rikelman , SCOTUSblog reports .
She argued that the Louisiana law was “ expressly modeled on ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has changed ” since that ruling “ that would justify such a legal about-face.
” Deputy U.S .
Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall , who was defending the law , sparred with Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan .
He rejected Ginsburg ’ s contention that the requirement that admitting hospitals be within 30 miles served no medical purpose , noting that all such standards must factor in geography .
He also told Kagan that the plaintiffs “ ought to have put their applications where their mouths are , ” but instead sued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to obtain admitting privileges .
Today ’ s oral arguments also revealed that “ Doe # 3 , ” an abortionist , was able to gain admitting privileges at a Catholic hospital in Shreveport .
Referring to one doctor , known only as “ Doe # 2 , ” [ Justice ] Alito suggested that it would be against the doctor ’ s own interests to make a “ super effort ” to get admitting privileges , “ because he ’ d be defeating his own claim.
” Doe # 2 has previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shreveport , Alito noted , but he didn ’ t apply for privileges again because it was a Catholic hospital ( and he presumably believed that he wouldn ’ t obtain them ) , but another doctor , known as “ Doe # 3 , ” did obtain admitting privileges at that hospital .
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh inquired as to practical aspects of the case , namely whether it hinged on factual inquiries that could vary state-by-state , or if whether the law can truly be understood has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abortionists can still obtain admitting privileges under it .
Those lines of questioning could hint at those judges ultimately voting to uphold the law , albeit in a limited way that does not affect the broader legal questions of abortion .
The case is likely to at the very least impact the Hellerstedt precedent , which has been used to invalidate a broad range of modest abortion regulations as “ undue burdens ” on women .
It remains to be seen whether the court takes the opportunity to make a broader determination on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or Planned Parenthood v. Casey , which force all 50 states to permit most abortions .
In January , more than 200 members of Congress signed a brief urging the court to use the case as an occasion to reconsider Roe .
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins , who was in the courtroom during oral arguments , said he felt “ optimistic ” that “ the Court will affirm the right of states to provide oversight and regulation of abortion clinics , treating them like every other outpatient surgery center.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to clarify that abortionists can not truly represent the interests of women when contesting health and safety requirements designed to protect those same people , ” he said .
“ For too long , abortionists have flouted the law and derided health standards for women seeking abortion , ” Perkins continued .
“ As a Louisiana legislator , I authored some of the first abortion clinic regulations in the country to stop abortion clinics from operating in filthy , disgusting conditions .
These facilities are still performing abortion on women in unsanitary conditions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their malpractice .
They must be stopped.
” Roe is largely defended not on its legal merits ( numerous pro-abortion legal minds , including Ginsburg herself , have acknowledged the ruling ’ s flaws ) , but on its status as precedent , with the contemporary interpretation of the stare decisis doctrine holding that Roe ’ s lengthy history staying on the books grants it added weight .
Justice Clarence Thomas has forcefully rejected such arguments ; it remains to be seen how Roberts or President Trump ’ s two SCOTUS appointees , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roe ’ s precedent versus its substance .

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 4, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court began Wednesday over a Louisiana law imposing medical standards on abortion facilities, a case that could have drastic ramifications for the states’ ability to restrict or regulate abortion.
June Medical Services LLC v. Russo concerns Louisiana’s requirement that abortion centers make arrangements for admitting women to nearby hospitals in cases of life-threatening complications. The abortion industry’s attorneys argue the law is no different from the Texas law the Supreme Court struck down in 2016’s Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt. Pro-lifers argue that not only was Hellerstedt wrongly decided but that Louisiana’s situation is different from that of Texas anyway, including that most Louisiana hospitals don’t have the Texas requirement that doctors must see a minimum number of patients per year to qualify for admitting privileges.
“This case is about respect for the court’s precedent,” said abortion industry attorney Julie Rikelman, SCOTUSblog reports. She argued that the Louisiana law was “expressly modeled on” the judicially-invalidated Texas law, and “nothing has changed” since that ruling “that would justify such a legal about-face.”
Deputy U.S. Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall, who was defending the law, sparred with Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan. He rejected Ginsburg’s contention that the requirement that admitting hospitals be within 30 miles served no medical purpose, noting that all such standards must factor in geography. He also told Kagan that the plaintiffs “ought to have put their applications where their mouths are,” but instead sued to invalidate the law before even trying to obtain admitting privileges.
Today’s oral arguments also revealed that “Doe #3,” an abortionist, was able to gain admitting privileges at a Catholic hospital in Shreveport.
SCOTUSblog reported:
Referring to one doctor, known only as “Doe #2,” [Justice] Alito suggested that it would be against the doctor’s own interests to make a “super effort” to get admitting privileges, “because he’d be defeating his own claim.” Doe #2 has previously had admitting privileges at a hospital in Shreveport, Alito noted, but he didn’t apply for privileges again because it was a Catholic hospital (and he presumably believed that he wouldn’t obtain them), but another doctor, known as “Doe #3,” did obtain admitting privileges at that hospital.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh inquired as to practical aspects of the case, namely whether it hinged on factual inquiries that could vary state-by-state, or if whether the law can truly be understood has carrying an “undue burden” if abortionists can still obtain admitting privileges under it. Those lines of questioning could hint at those judges ultimately voting to uphold the law, albeit in a limited way that does not affect the broader legal questions of abortion.
The case is likely to at the very least impact the Hellerstedt precedent, which has been used to invalidate a broad range of modest abortion regulations as “undue burdens” on women. It remains to be seen whether the court takes the opportunity to make a broader determination on the underlying legitimacy of Roe v. Wade or Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which force all 50 states to permit most abortions. In January, more than 200 members of Congress signed a brief urging the court to use the case as an occasion to reconsider Roe.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, who was in the courtroom during oral arguments, said he felt “optimistic” that “the Court will affirm the right of states to provide oversight and regulation of abortion clinics, treating them like every other outpatient surgery center.”
“The Court should also take the opportunity to clarify that abortionists cannot truly represent the interests of women when contesting health and safety requirements designed to protect those same people,” he said.
“For too long, abortionists have flouted the law and derided health standards for women seeking abortion,” Perkins continued. “As a Louisiana legislator, I authored some of the first abortion clinic regulations in the country to stop abortion clinics from operating in filthy, disgusting conditions. These facilities are still performing abortion on women in unsanitary conditions and then falsifying records to cover up their malpractice. They must be stopped.”
Roe is largely defended not on its legal merits (numerous pro-abortion legal minds, including Ginsburg herself, have acknowledged the ruling’s flaws), but on its status as precedent, with the contemporary interpretation of the stare decisis doctrine holding that Roe’s lengthy history staying on the books grants it added weight. Justice Clarence Thomas has forcefully rejected such arguments; it remains to be seen how Roberts or President Trump’s two SCOTUS appointees, Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, will weigh Roe’s precedent versus its substance.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-04--City’s new ‘noise ordinance’ could lead to fines, jail time for protesting abortio

City’s new ‘noise ordinance’ could lead to fines, jail time for protesting abortion centers

SPOKANE , Washington , March 4 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Pro-life activists in Spokane , Washington could be cited for noise complaints for their demonstrations outside of abortion facilities , according to a new ordinance just passed by the City Council .
The ordinance bans any “ disturbances ” that could be construed as interfering “ with the safe and effective delivery of health services within the building , ” the Spokesman-Review reports .
Violators would first receive a warning to cease the “ disturbance , ” and if they don ’ t comply they would face a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jail , with the punishments for repeat offenses increasing in severity .
Additionally , the ordinance grants individuals allegedly impacted by such “ disturbances , ” such as abortionists , a “ private right of action ” to sue pro-life activists in court .
“ All we ’ re asking is that you keep the noise down to a reasonable level , ” Councilwoman Karen Stratton said in support of the ordinance , which passed 6-1 .
Councilman Michael Cathcart , the sole dissenting vote , expressed concern that the measure would penalize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in cases when “ it ’ s too hard to interpret who ’ s causing the noise.
” In response to such concerns , the Washington Attorney General ’ s office wrote a letter to city law enforcement officials cautioning the city to be “ viewpoint neutral ” in enforcing the ordinance .
At the same time , it concluded that protesters ’ behavior or noise level need merely be “ unreasonable to an ordinary person seeking health services , ” which pro-lifers fear leaves sufficient wiggle room endanger any speech an abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in response to ongoing protests of an area Planned Parenthood facility organized by the pro-life group the Church at Planned Parenthood , which regularly draws sizeable protests and counter-protests .
Planned Parenthood staffers and customers complain that the protests can be heard from inside the building , causing bother and distraction as they abort babies .
“ This ordinance directly targets pro-lifers in Spokane , ” Students for Life Washington regional coordinator Karlie Lodjic responded .
“ We know that this is about one thing ; making it harder for people to hear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inside abortion facilities every day .
As Millennials and Gen Z continue to be more pro-life than generations before them , [ pro-abortion ] politicians are looking to weaponize the law against pro-lifers .
This is a clear and direct assault on the First Amendment .
”

Spokane, Washington's ordinance also grants abortionists allegedly impacted by such 'disturbances' a 'private right of action' to sue pro-life activists in court.
SPOKANE, Washington, March 4, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Pro-life activists in Spokane, Washington could be cited for noise complaints for their demonstrations outside of abortion facilities, according to a new ordinance just passed by the City Council.
The ordinance bans any “disturbances” that could be construed as interfering “with the safe and effective delivery of health services within the building,” the Spokesman-Review reports. Violators would first receive a warning to cease the “disturbance,” and if they don’t comply they would face a $500 fine and a day in jail, with the punishments for repeat offenses increasing in severity.
Additionally, the ordinance grants individuals allegedly impacted by such “disturbances,” such as abortionists, a “private right of action” to sue pro-life activists in court.
“All we’re asking is that you keep the noise down to a reasonable level,” Councilwoman Karen Stratton said in support of the ordinance, which passed 6-1.
Councilman Michael Cathcart, the sole dissenting vote, expressed concern that the measure would penalize people for subjective judgment calls, especially in cases when “it’s too hard to interpret who’s causing the noise.”
In response to such concerns, the Washington Attorney General’s office wrote a letter to city law enforcement officials cautioning the city to be “viewpoint neutral” in enforcing the ordinance. At the same time, it concluded that protesters’ behavior or noise level need merely be “unreasonable to an ordinary person seeking health services,” which pro-lifers fear leaves sufficient wiggle room endanger any speech an abortion seeker dislikes.
The ordinance was brought in response to ongoing protests of an area Planned Parenthood facility organized by the pro-life group the Church at Planned Parenthood, which regularly draws sizeable protests and counter-protests. Planned Parenthood staffers and customers complain that the protests can be heard from inside the building, causing bother and distraction as they abort babies.
“This ordinance directly targets pro-lifers in Spokane,” Students for Life Washington regional coordinator Karlie Lodjic responded. “We know that this is about one thing; making it harder for people to hear the truth about abortion and what happens inside abortion facilities every day. As Millennials and Gen Z continue to be more pro-life than generations before them, [pro-abortion] politicians are looking to weaponize the law against pro-lifers. This is a clear and direct assault on the First Amendment.”
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lifesitenews--2020-03-04--UPDATE: Hallmark apologizes to ‘Unplanned’ actress after award nomination was cut from show

Feb. 4 , 2020 , 6:20 PM EST update : This report now includes new information about Movieguide announcing a re-airing of the show and Hallmark ’ s apology .
HOLLYWOOD , March 4 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — Hallmark has reportedly asked a Christian-based movie review organization to reissue its award show that was broadcast on the channel to include the nominations of pro-life movie “ Unplanned.
” The move comes after Unplanned ’ s lead actress Ashley Bratcher set off a social media storm Sunday in which she blasted Hallmark on Facebook and Twitter for “ scrubbing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ February 24 broadcast of the annual Movieguide Award show .
But Dr. Ted Baehr , founder and publisher of Movieguide , told LifeSiteNews on Monday that it was his company — not Hallmark — that edited the three-and-a-half-hour gala award ceremony down to the 42-minute show and made the call to edit out Unplanned in the nominee announcements while mentioning other films that were nominated .
The show was simply broadcast on Hallmark .
“ We made some decisions .
We may have made some wrong decisions , but we ’ ve made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ telephone interview from California .
Movieguide states on its website that it “ reviews movies from a Christian perspective for families and works in Hollywood to redeem the media.
” Its annual awards gala , dubbed the “ Christian Oscars , ” recognizes Christian and family films .
Baehr added on Monday that he “ fought to get ” Unplanned nominated , but that staff at Movieguide , as well as other judges , were opposed to it .
“ I hate abortion , I hate it , that ’ s why I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ don ’ t nominate it , it ’ s not that good a movie , ’ ” he said , adding that some people in his organization “ hated the movie.
” “ The people who did not like it were pregnant women who are pro-life and fight for life , but did not like the violence and the jump cuts and the bifurcated plot .
They are women who have fought against abortion for years .
One cries when she reads anything about abortion because she loves children , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Movieguide ’ s videographer Jeremy Carroll was responsible for the 42-minute version that Hallmark originally broadcast , and that he trusted his editor .
“ I ’ m not going to go to my editor…and tell him he shouldn ’ t have cut it , ” Baehr said .
“ I ’ m sure he cut it for good reasons , and I ’ m sure he ’ d make the right decisions and I trust my editors.
” Baehr , however , told LifeSiteNews in a follow-up email Tuesday that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nominations in the streaming version.
” He did not say when this version will be released .
In the wake of the controversy , it appears that Hallmark has pulled the broadcast of the show from its streaming app .
He also said he had called Bratcher that morning and apologized .
Baehr sent the following statement to LifeSiteNews late Wednesday afternoon on behalf of Hallmark regarding the re-airing of the show : “ We have scheduled the MOVIEGUIDE® Awards to re-air on Hallmark Drama on Monday , March 9th at 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the TV Everywhere app .
All telecasts will include mentions of the film , `` Unplanned '' and its lead actress , Ashley Bratcher .
We at Crown Media extend our sincere apologies to Ashley.
” Bratcher confirmed in a telephone interview Wednesday with LifeSiteNews that she spoke with Baehr on Tuesday , and accepted his apology .
“ I think the world of Movieguide and what they ’ re doing , I mean , their ministry is very impactful .
I respect Ted for calling me and having a private conversation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I respect him as a person , any apology he ’ s made to me I ’ ve accepted , ” added Bratcher .
“ I respect the whole organization , so I hope that whatever has happened is just corrected , and the right thing is done.
” Unplanned , written and directed by Chuck Kozelman and Carey Solomon , dramatizes the conversion of Abby Johnson from director of a Planned Parenthood abortion facility to a full-time pro-life advocate .
The movie was nominated for a Movieguide award in the category @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and for the Faith and Freedom Award .
Bratcher was nominated for the Grace Prize for most inspiring performance in a movie for her portrayal of Johnson .
The film depicts Johnson realizing what happens to the unborn child during an abortion when she assists in an ultrasound-guided “ procedure ” as well as undergoes a traumatic medical abortion during which she endures severe pains and excessive hemorrhaging .
The controversy , which reportedly has resulted in fans deluging Hallmark and Movieguide with protests , began when Bratcher tweeted Sunday that all references @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been “ scrubbed ” from the broadcast .
Indeed , in the lead-up to announcing the winner in the three categories , Unplanned is the only one in Movieguide ’ s list of nominees , announced here , that is not mentioned .
Bratcher told LifeSiteNews she watched the show on three different streaming services “ to confirm that I was not crazy , and everywhere that it ’ s televised , we are completely erased , ” she said .
“ There is absolutely no justification for announcing every other nominee and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ It was like we were never nominated .
It ’ s so deceitful .
”

Hallmark has asked Movieguide to re-edit the award show after it cut 'Unplanned' from nominations
HOLLYWOOD, March 4, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Hallmark has reportedly asked a Christian-based movie review organization to reissue its award show that was broadcast on the channel to include the nominations of pro-life movie “Unplanned.”
The move comes after Unplanned’s lead actress Ashley Bratcher set off a social media storm Sunday in which she blasted Hallmark on Facebook and Twitter for “scrubbing” all references to Unplanned in its February 24 broadcast of the annual Movieguide Award show.
But Dr. Ted Baehr, founder and publisher of Movieguide, told LifeSiteNews on Monday that it was his company — not Hallmark — that edited the three-and-a-half-hour gala award ceremony down to the 42-minute show and made the call to edit out Unplanned in the nominee announcements while mentioning other films that were nominated. The show was simply broadcast on Hallmark.
“We made some decisions. We may have made some wrong decisions, but we’ve made decisions,” Baehr said in a telephone interview from California.
Movieguide states on its website that it “reviews movies from a Christian perspective for families and works in Hollywood to redeem the media.” Its annual awards gala, dubbed the “Christian Oscars,” recognizes Christian and family films.
Baehr added on Monday that he “fought to get” Unplanned nominated, but that staff at Movieguide, as well as other judges, were opposed to it.
“I hate abortion, I hate it, that’s why I nominated the movie, and people said ‘don’t nominate it, it’s not that good a movie,’” he said, adding that some people in his organization “hated the movie.”
“The people who did not like it were pregnant women who are pro-life and fight for life, but did not like the violence and the jump cuts and the bifurcated plot. They are women who have fought against abortion for years. One cries when she reads anything about abortion because she loves children,” he said.
Baehr said in that interview that Movieguide’s videographer Jeremy Carroll was responsible for the 42-minute version that Hallmark originally broadcast, and that he trusted his editor.
“I’m not going to go to my editor…and tell him he shouldn’t have cut it,” Baehr said. “I’m sure he cut it for good reasons, and I’m sure he’d make the right decisions and I trust my editors.”
Baehr, however, told LifeSiteNews in a follow-up email Tuesday that “Hallmark asked us to re-edit to include the nominations in the streaming version.” He did not say when this version will be released. In the wake of the controversy, it appears that Hallmark has pulled the broadcast of the show from its streaming app.
He also said he had called Bratcher that morning and apologized.
Baehr sent the following statement to LifeSiteNews late Wednesday afternoon on behalf of Hallmark regarding the re-airing of the show: “We have scheduled the MOVIEGUIDE® Awards to re-air on Hallmark Drama on Monday, March 9th at 10 PM. It will also be available on the TV Everywhere app. All telecasts will include mentions of the film, ‘Unplanned’ and its lead actress, Ashley Bratcher. We at Crown Media [Hallmark] extend our sincere apologies to Ashley.”
Bratcher confirmed in a telephone interview Wednesday with LifeSiteNews that she spoke with Baehr on Tuesday, and accepted his apology.
“I think the world of Movieguide and what they’re doing, I mean, their ministry is very impactful. I respect Ted for calling me and having a private conversation with me,” she said.
“I respect him as a person, any apology he’s made to me I’ve accepted,” added Bratcher. “I respect the whole organization, so I hope that whatever has happened is just corrected, and the right thing is done.”
To make matters even more complicated, Movieguide President and COO Robby Baehr told LifeSiteNews Wednesday afternoon that Movieguide’s videographer Jeremy Carroll was simply following directives from Hallmark.
“I’m sorry if there was confusion but he actually just edited it but all final creative was Hallmark’s. He would never have had any power to do anything with out their direction,” he said.
“The Broadcast was cut and edited by us under direction by Hallmark Channel and their representatives. All final creative approval was done by Hallmark and not Movieguide or it’s editor Jeremy Carroll.”
Unplanned, written and directed by Chuck Kozelman and Carey Solomon, dramatizes the conversion of Abby Johnson from director of a Planned Parenthood abortion facility to a full-time pro-life advocate.
The movie was nominated for a Movieguide award in the category of best film for mature audiences, and for the Faith and Freedom Award. Bratcher was nominated for the Grace Prize for most inspiring performance in a movie for her portrayal of Johnson.
The film depicts Johnson realizing what happens to the unborn child during an abortion when she assists in an ultrasound-guided “procedure” as well as undergoes a traumatic medical abortion during which she endures severe pains and excessive hemorrhaging.
The controversy, which reportedly has resulted in fans deluging Hallmark and Movieguide with protests, began when Bratcher tweeted Sunday that all references to Unplanned’s three nominations had been “scrubbed” from the broadcast.
Outraged. Movieguide awards recently aired on @hallmarkdrama & @UnplannedMovie & I were nominated. We were the ONLY nominees who were not recognized. Hallmark has ERASED us from the show and refused to acknowledge us as nominees. This is completely UNACCEPTABLE.@hallmarkchannel pic.twitter.com/n6KZiXnp1k — Ashley Bratcher (@_AshleyBratcher) March 2, 2020
“It's one thing to cut the speech, it happens all the time, but the show completely erased us in the nominee announcements. Every other nominee was announced. There's no excuse, even if they say it's time. It takes a millisecond to show our nominee clip.”https://t.co/kj5sTprQ8g — Ashley Bratcher (@_AshleyBratcher) March 2, 2020
Indeed, in the lead-up to announcing the winner in the three categories, Unplanned is the only one in Movieguide’s list of nominees, announced here, that is not mentioned.
Bratcher told LifeSiteNews she watched the show on three different streaming services “to confirm that I was not crazy, and everywhere that it’s televised, we are completely erased,” she said.
“There is absolutely no justification for announcing every other nominee and not including us,” Bratcher said. “It was like we were never nominated. It’s so deceitful.”
March 4, 2020, 10:35 PM EST update: This report now includes a comment from Movieguide President and COO Robby Baehr.
March 4, 2020, 6:20 PM EST update: This report now includes new information about Movieguide announcing a re-airing of the show and Hallmark’s apology.
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lifesitenews--2020-03-04--Elites’ response to coronavirus shows just how post-Christian our culture has really become

PRAYER PLEDGE : VP Pence is right .
We need prayer to fight coronavirus , not political antics !
Sign the petition here .
March 4 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – When the Spanish Flu pandemic struck in 1918 , many churches responded by appointing special days of prayer , calling upon their congregants to beg God for assistance in the face of a spreading disease that was felling millions .
In some instances , people called on national leaders to urge citizens to their knees ( the prime minister of Australia received one letter asking for an entire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stay the ravages of the Pneumonic-Influenza Plague ” ) .
It was understood , if not accepted , that God was in control of all things , and thus that begging Him for a reprieve was essential .
A century later , and the response of our elites to the potential of a new pandemic is highlighting just how post-Christian our culture has really become .
A February 26 photograph of Vice President Mike Pence praying at the White House with the coronavirus task force went viral earlier this week , with many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his team would seek God ’ s guidance in dealing with the potential pandemic .
“ I have yet to attend a scientific meeting that begins with a Christian prayer , ” sneered Dr. Angela Rasmussen , a virologist at Columbia University , on Twitter .
Much of the reaction to the photo on social media was in the same vein .
Thomas Chatterton Williams , a writer for New York Magazine and Harper ’ s Magazine tweeted out the photo with the caption : “ Mike Pence and his coronavirus team praying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ screwed.
” His tweet received 4,300 retweets .
Rasmussen and Williams seemed unaware of the fact that most of the great titans of science were profoundly religious and praying men themselves—or , as writer Jonathan Merrit noted , that 79 % of Americans reportedly prayed in the last three months .
And then there was the reaction of the comedians , who seem to find the apocalyptic nature of a possible pandemic to be a source of humor .
I will admit that I felt a slight shiver run up my spine when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identifies as Catholic , decided to take the opportunity to mock Christians by walking across the stage clanging a large bell and shouting : “ Plague !
Plague !
A righteous cleansing to punish man for his lust and vanity !
Oh , swing your scythe oh angry God !
Repent !
Repent !
Repent !
” This routine was greeted with roars of laughter .
It may seem overly somber to point to a late-night routine as something scary , but think about it for a moment : Colbert was mocking the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” could be a judgement from God , and the idea that we should repent of our sins in the face of such a terror was the punchline .
This sort of thing can only be considered even remotely funny if you do in fact believe that there is no God , that we have not become wicked nations , and viruses—or “ plagues ” as Colbert put it— can not be considered judgements or calls to repentance .
But if you do believe those things , Colbert ’ s jokes seem awfully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There are some of us who feel genuinely grateful that there are still those in authority who do not treat repentance like a joke or a punchline , but instead bow their knees and beg God for the wisdom that we desperately need .
It is not the prayers of those who are working to confront this virus that make me afraid—but the mocking of those who think prayer has no place and that God ’ s judgements are a laughing matter .
Mike Pence has the right idea , and we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ 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 , he and author Mary Eberstadt discuss the decline in religious belief in western civilization .
Did the secularization of society lead to the death of the family , or did the death of the family lead to the secularization of society ?
You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below :

It is not the prayers of those who are working to confront this virus that make me afraid—but the mocking of those who think prayer has no place.
PRAYER PLEDGE: VP Pence is right. We need prayer to fight coronavirus, not political antics! Sign the petition here.
March 4, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – When the Spanish Flu pandemic struck in 1918, many churches responded by appointing special days of prayer, calling upon their congregants to beg God for assistance in the face of a spreading disease that was felling millions. In some instances, people called on national leaders to urge citizens to their knees (the prime minister of Australia received one letter asking for an entire week of “Humiliation and Prayer to stay the ravages of the Pneumonic-Influenza Plague”). It was understood, if not accepted, that God was in control of all things, and thus that begging Him for a reprieve was essential.
A century later, and the response of our elites to the potential of a new pandemic is highlighting just how post-Christian our culture has really become. A February 26 photograph of Vice President Mike Pence praying at the White House with the coronavirus task force went viral earlier this week, with many bitterly mocking the fact that Pence and his team would seek God’s guidance in dealing with the potential pandemic. “I have yet to attend a scientific meeting that begins with a Christian prayer,” sneered Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at Columbia University, on Twitter.
Much of the reaction to the photo on social media was in the same vein. Thomas Chatterton Williams, a writer for New York Magazine and Harper’s Magazine tweeted out the photo with the caption: “Mike Pence and his coronavirus team praying for a solution. We are so screwed.” His tweet received 4,300 retweets. Rasmussen and Williams seemed unaware of the fact that most of the great titans of science were profoundly religious and praying men themselves—or, as writer Jonathan Merrit noted, that 79% of Americans reportedly prayed in the last three months.
And then there was the reaction of the comedians, who seem to find the apocalyptic nature of a possible pandemic to be a source of humor. I will admit that I felt a slight shiver run up my spine when late night host Stephen Colbert, who identifies as Catholic, decided to take the opportunity to mock Christians by walking across the stage clanging a large bell and shouting: “Plague! Plague! A righteous cleansing to punish man for his lust and vanity! Oh, swing your scythe oh angry God! Repent! Repent! Repent!” This routine was greeted with roars of laughter.
It may seem overly somber to point to a late-night routine as something scary, but think about it for a moment: Colbert was mocking the concept that a virus or “plague” could be a judgement from God, and the idea that we should repent of our sins in the face of such a terror was the punchline. This sort of thing can only be considered even remotely funny if you do in fact believe that there is no God, that we have not become wicked nations, and viruses—or “plagues” as Colbert put it—cannot be considered judgements or calls to repentance. But if you do believe those things, Colbert’s jokes seem awfully like taunting—and the heavens are not empty.
There are some of us who feel genuinely grateful that there are still those in authority who do not treat repentance like a joke or a punchline, but instead bow their knees and beg God for the wisdom that we desperately need. It is not the prayers of those who are working to confront this virus that make me afraid—but the mocking of those who think prayer has no place and that God’s judgements are a laughing matter. Mike Pence has the right idea, and we should all follow his lead.
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, he and author Mary Eberstadt discuss the decline in religious belief in western civilization. Did the secularization of society lead to the death of the family, or did the death of the family lead to the secularization of society?
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.
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