lifesitenews--2020-10-09--Cardinal Burke: Parents have a moral obligation to oppose school curriculum contrary to moral law

Editor ’ s note : The following talk was given as part of an online conference title “ Fathers ’ Call to Bishops : Help us to defend our children ’ s purity.
” The virtual event was organized by Voice of the Family and made available via LifeSiteNews on October 9 , 2020 .
October 9 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – It pleases me very much to assist Voice of the Family in its noble work of promoting the sound doctrine and discipline of the Church regarding marriage and its incomparable fruit : the family .
In particular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critical issue of education which is the essential mission of the family and a fundamental expression of our culture .
It can not escape the attention of any thoughtful person that education today is under a ferocious attack .
In both education and law , as fundamental expressions of our culture , we witness the abandonment of the understanding of human nature and of conscience by which God calls us to respect the truth of nature and to live in accord with that truth in pure and selfless love .
Saint Paul , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ referring to the alienation of man from God and , therefore , from the world , declared : It is Christ alone Who opens the understanding and animates the heart to embrace the truth and to live it in love .
Educators , therefore , cooperating with parents , lead children to know Christ and to follow Him in all things , and thus lead them to the peace which is the desire of every human heart .
Education , both in the home and in the school , opens the eyes of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God ’ s love for us in the sending of His only-begotten Son in our human flesh and in the sending of His Holy Spirit into our souls , the great fruit of the Redemptive Incarnation .
Parents who in the past have depended upon schools to assist them in raising their children to be true citizens of heaven and earth , good members of the Church and good members of civil society , find some schools to be places of indoctrination in atheistic materialism with its concurrent relativism .
Such schools , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ education received in the home regarding the most fundamental truths : the truth regarding the inviolable dignity of innocent human life , the integrity of human sexuality and of marriage , and the irreplaceability of the relationship of man with God or of holy religion .
What is more , when parents rightly try to safeguard their children from such a nihilistic ideology , these schools attempt to force the indoctrination upon their children in a totalitarian manner .
Sadly , some Catholic schools , for a variety of reasons , mimic the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the anti-life , anti-family , and anti-religion ideology which marks education , in general .
The latter situation is particularly pernicious , for parents send their children to a Catholic school , trusting that it will be truly Catholic , when , in fact , it is nothing of the sort .
The operation of such schools under the name of Catholic is a profound injustice to families .
At the root of the deplorable cultural situation in which we find ourselves is the loss of a sense of nature and of conscience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in respect of the foundations of law , in his address to the German Parliament , the Bundestag , during his Pastoral Visit to Germany in September of 2011 .
Taking leave from the story of the young King Solomon on his accession to the throne , he recalled to political leaders the teaching of the Holy Scriptures regarding the work of politics .
God asked King Solomon what request he wished to make as he began to rule God ’ s holy people .
The Holy Father commented : The story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ XVI observed , teaches what must be the end of political activity and , therefore , of government .
He declared : “ Politics must be a striving for justice , and hence it has to establish the fundamental preconditions for peace… .
To serve right and to fight against the dominion of wrong is and remains the fundamental task of the politician.
” ( 3 ) Pope Benedict XVI then asked how we know the good and right which the political order and specifically the law are to safeguard and promote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ the support of the majority can serve as a sufficient criterion , ” ( 4 ) he observed that such a principle is not sufficient “ for the fundamental issues of law , in which the dignity of man and of humanity is at stake.
” ( 5 ) Regarding the very foundations of the life of society , positive civil law must respect “ nature and reason as the true sources of law.
” ( 6 ) In other words , one must have recourse to the natural moral law which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I think of my own homeland , the United States of America , in which the Supreme Court of the nation has presumed to define the beginning of human life , the partnership of marriage , and human sexuality itself according to materialistic and relativistic , sentimental considerations , in defiance of the law written by God on the human heart .
( 7 ) What Pope Benedict XVI observed regarding the foundations of law in nature and conscience points to the fundamental work of education , namely , the work of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” which strives to know the law of God and to respect it by development in the life of the virtues .
True education aims to bring the human person “ to full human and Christian maturity.
” ( 8 ) Suffice it to say that parents must be vigilant that the education given to their children be coherent with the Christian education and upbringing in the home .
Even as the family is essential to the transformation of culture , so also is education because of its intrinsic connection with the growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thoroughly galvanized anti-life , anti-family , and anti-religion agenda of our time advances , in large part , because of a lack of attention and information among the general public .
The pervasive mass media , the powerful promoter of the agenda , confuse and corrupt minds and hearts , and dull consciences to the law written by God in nature and upon every human heart .
In his Encyclical Letter on the Gospel of Life , Evangelium Vitae , Pope John Paul II declared : What Pope John Paul II affirmed about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of innocent human life surely applies as well and as strongly to the mobilization of consciences regarding the integrity of marriage and family life , and regarding the irreplaceable relationship with God , which is holy religion .
Pope John Paul II did not fail to note that such efforts must begin with “ the renewal of a culture of life within Christian communities themselves.
” ( 10 ) The Church herself must address the situation of so many of her members who , even though they may be active in Church activities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Christian faith from its ethical requirements regarding life , and thus fall into moral subjectivism and certain objectionable ways of acting.
” ( 11 ) This separation of faith from practical life is particularly devastating when it influences education .
The child , who is taught to have a “ listening heart , ” who is naturally attuned to his conscience , to God ’ s law written upon his heart , is corrupted by those in whom he is led to put his trust .
One only thinks of the corruption wrought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexuality .
Parents can not be attentive enough to the possibility of such corruption entering into what should be the education of their children .
Catholic education of children and youth is a complete education , that is , the development of reason through the competent imparting of knowledge and skills within the context of the faith through the study of God and of His plan for us and our world , as He has revealed Himself and His plan to us .
Pope Pius XI , in his Encyclical Letter Divini Illius @ @ @ @ @ @ @ education with these words : The proper and immediate end of Christian education is to cooperate with divine grace in forming the true and perfect Christian , that is , to form Christ Himself in those regenerated by baptism , according to the emphatic expression of the Apostle : “ My little children , of whom I am in labor again , until Christ be formed in you.
” For the true Christian must live a supernatural life in Christ : “ Christ who is your life , ” and display it in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
” For precisely this reason , Christian education takes in the whole aggregate of human life , physical and spiritual , intellectual and moral , individual , domestic and social , not with a view of reducing it in any way , but in order to elevate , regulate and perfect it , in accord with the example and teaching of Christ .
Hence the true Christian , product of Christian education , is the supernatural man who thinks , judges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with right reason illumined by the supernatural light of the example and teaching of Christ ; in other words , to use the current term , the true and finished man of character .
For , it is not every kind of consistency and firmness of conduct based on subjective principles that makes true character , but only constancy in following the eternal principles of justice , as it is admitted even by the pagan poet when he praises as one and the same “ the man who is just and firm of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there can not be full justice except in giving to God what is due to God , as the true Christian does .
( 12 ) It is only such a complete education which can guide our children and young people on the way of the happiness for which God has created each of us .
With the help of a sound education at home and in school , children know happiness both during the days of their earthly pilgrimage and eternally at the goal of their pilgrimage which is Heaven .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ can transform our culture .
The family is the first place of education , a truth which defines essentially the mission of the school .
The school serves the family and , therefore , works intimately with the family in bringing children to ever greater maturity , to the fullness of life in Christ .
Regarding Christian marriage and the family , and the mission of education , Pope Saint John Paul , in his 1981 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Family , Familiaris Consortio , declared that “ the Christian family , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called to announce the Gospel to the human person during growth and to bring him or her , through a progressive education and catechesis , to full human and Christian maturity.
” ( 13 ) Christian education in the family and in the school introduces children and young people , in an ever more profound way , into the Tradition , into the great gift of our life in Christ in the Church handed down to us faithfully , in an unbroken line , through the Apostles and their successors .
Education , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that is , for the good of the individual and society , must be especially attentive to arm itself against the errors of secularism and relativism , lest it fail to communicate to the succeeding generations the truth , beauty and goodness of our life and of our world , as they are expressed in the unchanging teaching of the faith , in its highest expression through prayer , devotion and divine worship , and in the holiness of life of those who profess the faith and worship God “ in spirit and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Declaration on Christian Education , Gravissimum Educationis , of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council , made clear that the primary responsibility for the education of children belongs to parents who rely upon sound schools to assist them in providing any part of the total education of their children , which they are not able to impart in the home .
The essential good of marriage which is the gift of children includes both the procreation and the education of the child .
I quote from Gravissimum Educationis : Certainly , society , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a particular way , also have a responsibility for the education of children and young people , but that responsibility must always be exercised with respect for the primary responsibility of parents .
Parents , for their part , should be fully engaged in whatever service of education is provided by society and the Church .
Children and young people should not be confused or led into error by an education outside of the home which conflicts with the education given in the home .
Today , parents must be especially vigilant , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a secular agenda inimical to the Christian life .
One thinks , for example , of the compulsory so-called “ gender education ” in some schools , which is a direct attack on human sexuality and on marriage and , therefore , on the family .
For the sake of our young people , we all must give particular attention to the fundamental expression of our culture which is education .
Good parents and good citizens must be attentive to the curriculum which schools are following and to the life in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our children are being formed in the human and Christian virtues and are not being deformed by indoctrination in the confusion and error concerning the most fundamental truths of human life , of the family , and of religion , which will lead to their slavery to sin and , therefore , profound unhappiness , and to the destruction of culture .
At the heart of a solid curriculum is both respect for the dignity of the human person and for the tradition of beauty , truth and goodness in the arts and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a notion of tolerance of ways of thinking and acting contrary to the moral law seems to be the interpretative key for many Christians .
According to this approach , one can no longer distinguish between the beautiful and the ugly , the true and the false , and the good and the evil .
The approach is not securely grounded in the moral tradition , yet it tends to dominate our approach to the extent that we end up claiming to be Christian while tolerating ways of thinking and acting which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealed to us in nature and in the Sacred Scriptures .
The approach , at times , becomes so relativistic and subjective that we do not even observe the fundamental logical principle of non-contradiction , that is , that a thing can not both be and not be in the same respect at the same time .
In other words , certain actions can not at the same time be both true to the moral law and not true to it .
In fact , charity alone must be the interpretative key of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ context of charity , tolerance means unconditional love of the person who is involved in evil but firm abhorrence of the evil into which the person has fallen .
All education should be directed to forming the students in the charity by which the mind and heart respond to the beautiful , the true , and the good , as God has created us to do .
Education which takes place first in the home and is enriched and supplemented by schools and , above all , by truly Catholic schools is directed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and good members of the Church .
Ultimately it is directed to the happiness of the individual which is found in right relationships and has its fulfilment in eternal life .
It presupposes the objective nature of things to which the human heart is directed , if it is trained to be a “ listening heart , ” ( 16 ) that is , to follow a correctly formed conscience .
It seeks an ever deeper knowledge and love of the true , the good , and the beautiful .
It forms the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or her lifetime .
May God inspire and strengthen parents and all of us in the work of forming “ listening hearts ” in our children and young people for their salvation and for the transformation of our culture .
Under the maternal care of the Virgin Mother of God , may we seek and find in the Heart of Jesus the wisdom and strength to safeguard and promote the constant teaching and practice of the Church regarding human life , regarding human sexuality , marriage and the family , and regarding holy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attention .
May God bless you .
2 “ Was wird sich der junge Herrscher in diesem Augenblick erbitten ?
Erfolg – Reichtum – langes Leben – Vernictung der Feinde ?
Nicht um diese Dinge bittet er .
Er bittet : „ Verleih deinem Knecht ein hörendes Herz , damit er dein Volk zu regieren und das Gute vom Bösen zu unterscheiden versteht “ ( 1 Kön 3,9 ) .
” Benedictus PP .
XVI , Allocutio “ Iter apostolicum in Germaniam : ad Berolinensem foederatum coetum oratorum , ” 22 Septembris 2011 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , p. 663 .
[ Hereafter , Bundestag ] .
English translation : L ’ Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English , 28 September 2011 , p. 6 .
[ Hereafter , BundestagEng ] .
7 Cf .
Roe v. Wade : : 410 U.S. 113 ( 1973 ) ; Obergefell v. Hodges : : 576 U.S. 644 ( 2015 ) ; and Bostock v. Clayton County : : 590 U.S. ___ ( 2020 ) .
8 “ … ad plenam maturitatem humanam et christianam ... .
” Ioannes Paulus PP .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ De Familiae Christianae muneribus in mundo huius temporis , ” 22 Novembris 1981 , Acta Apostolicae Sedis 74 ( 1982 ) , 823 , n. 2 .
[ Hereafter , FC ] .
English translation : Pope John Paul II , Apostolic Exhortation Familaris Consortio , “ Regarding the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World , ” 22 November 1981 ( Vatican City State : Vatican Polyglot Press , 1981 ) , p. 4 , no .
2 .
[ Hereafter , FCEng ] .
9 “ Quam primum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ communis nisus , qui excitare valeant validum sane opus ad vitam tuendam : omnibus nobis simul coniunctis nova exstuenda est vitae cultura : nova , quae scilicet possit hodiernas de vita hominis ineditas quaestiones suscipere atque solvere ; nova , utpote quae acriore et alacriore ratione omnium christianorum conscientiam permoveat ; nova demum , quae accommodata sit ad gravem animosamque culturalem suscitandam comparationem cum omnibus .
Huius culturalis conversionis necessitas coniungitur cum aetatis nostrae historica rerum condicione , at praesertim inhaeret in ipso evangelizandi munere quod proprium est Ecclesiae .
Evangelium enim eo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ et « humanitatem novam efficiat » ; est velut fermentum quo pasta tota fermentatur ( cfr Mt 13 , 33 ) , atque , qua tale , perfundere debet omnes culturas easque intus pervadere , ut integram declarent de homine deque eius vita veritatem.
” Ioannes Paulus PP .
II , Litterae encyclicae Evangelium vitae , “ De vitae humanae inviolabili bono ” , 25 Martii 1995 , Acta Apostolicae Sedis 87 ( 1995 ) , 509 , n. 95 .
[ Hereafter , EV ] English translation : Pope John Paul II @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On the Value and Inviolability of Human Life , ” 25 March 1995 ( Vatican City : Libreria Editrice Vaticana , 1995 ) , pp .
168-169 , no .
95 .
[ Hereafter , EVEng ] .
12 “ Eo proprie ac proxime intendit christiana educatio , ut , divina cum gratia conspirando , germanum atque perfectum christianum efficiat hominem : ut Christum scilicet ipsum exprimat atque effingat in illis qui sint Baptismate renati , ad illud Apostoli vividum : « Filioli mei , quos iterum parturio , donec formetur Christus in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ christianus vivere debet in Christo : « Christus , vita vestra » , eandemque in omnibus rebus gerendis manifestare « ut et vita Iesu manifestetur in carne nostra mortali » .
Quae cum ita sint , summam ipsam humanorum actuum , quod attinet ad efficentiam sensuum et spiritus , ad intellectum et ad mores , ad singulos et ad societatem domesticam atque civilem , christiana educatio totam complectitur , non autem ut vel minime exenuet , verum ut secundum Iesu Christi exempla et doctrinam extollat , regat , perficiat .
Itaque verus christianus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ est ac supernaturalis homo , qui sentit , iudicat , constanter sibique congruenter operatur , ad rectam rationem , exemplis doctrinaque Iesu Christi supernaturaliter collustratam : scilicet , homo germana animi firmitate insignis .
Neque enim quisquis sibi consentit et sui propriique tenax propositi agit , is solido ingenio est , sed unus ille qui aeternas iustitiae rationes sequitur , ut agnovit ethnicus ipse poëta , « iustum » una simul « et tenacem propositi virum » extollens ; quae , ceterum , iustitiae rationes integre servari nequeunt , nisi Deo tribuatur – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Deo debetur.
” Pius PP .
XI , Litterae Encyclicae Divini Illius Magistri , “ De Christiana iuventutis educatione , ” 31 Decembris 1929 , Acta Apostolicae Sedis 22 ( 1930 ) , 83 .
English translation : Five Great Encyclicals , ed .
Gerald G. Treacy ( New York : The Paulist Press , 1939 ) , pp .
64-65 .
13 “ … christiana enim familia est prima communitas , cuius est Evangelium personae humanae crescent annuntiare eamque progrediente educatione et catechesi ad plenam maturitatem humanam et christianam perducere.
” FC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ translation : FCEng , p. 4 , no .
2 .
15 “ Parentes , cum vitam filiis contulerint , prolem educandi gravissima obligatione tenentur et ideo primi et praecipui eorum educatores agnoscendi sunt .
Quod munus educationis tanti ponderis est ut , ubi desit , aegre suppleri possit .
Parentum enim est talem familiae ambitum amore , pietate erga Deum et homines animatum creare qui integrae filiorum educationi personali et sociali faveat .
Familia proinde est prima schola virtutum socialium quibus indigent omnes societates .
Maxime vero in christiana familia , matrimonii @ @ @ @ @ @ @ iam a prima aetate secundum fidem in baptismo receptam Deum percipere et colere atque proximum diligere doceantur oportet ; ... ” Sacrosanctum Concilium Oecumenicum Vaticanum II , Declarato Gravissimum educationis , “ De Educatione Christiana , ” 28 Octobris 1965 , Acta Apostolicae Sedis 58 ( 1966 ) , 731 , n. 3 .
English translation : Vatican Council II : The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents , ed .
Austin Flannery , new rev .
ed .
( Northport , NY : Costello Publishing Company , 1992 ) , pp .
728-729 @ @ @ @ @

The cardinal reflected in his talk about the rights of parents as primary educators of their children and the obligation of parents to oppose a curriculum contrary to the moral law
Editor’s note: The following talk was given as part of an online conference title “Fathers’ Call to Bishops: Help us to defend our children’s purity.” The virtual event was organized by Voice of the Family and made available via LifeSiteNews on October 9, 2020.
October 9, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – It pleases me very much to assist Voice of the Family in its noble work of promoting the sound doctrine and discipline of the Church regarding marriage and its incomparable fruit: the family. In particular, I am pleased to address the critical issue of education which is the essential mission of the family and a fundamental expression of our culture.
It cannot escape the attention of any thoughtful person that education today is under a ferocious attack. In both education and law, as fundamental expressions of our culture, we witness the abandonment of the understanding of human nature and of conscience by which God calls us to respect the truth of nature and to live in accord with that truth in pure and selfless love.
Saint Paul, in his Letter to the Ephesians, referring to the alienation of man from God and, therefore, from the world, declared:
But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing the hostility to an end. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (1)
It is Christ alone Who opens the understanding and animates the heart to embrace the truth and to live it in love. Educators, therefore, cooperating with parents, lead children to know Christ and to follow Him in all things, and thus lead them to the peace which is the desire of every human heart. Education, both in the home and in the school, opens the eyes of the child to contemplate the mystery of God’s love for us in the sending of His only-begotten Son in our human flesh and in the sending of His Holy Spirit into our souls, the great fruit of the Redemptive Incarnation.
Parents who in the past have depended upon schools to assist them in raising their children to be true citizens of heaven and earth, good members of the Church and good members of civil society, find some schools to be places of indoctrination in atheistic materialism with its concurrent relativism. Such schools, in fact, attempt to destroy the education received in the home regarding the most fundamental truths: the truth regarding the inviolable dignity of innocent human life, the integrity of human sexuality and of marriage, and the irreplaceability of the relationship of man with God or of holy religion. What is more, when parents rightly try to safeguard their children from such a nihilistic ideology, these schools attempt to force the indoctrination upon their children in a totalitarian manner.
Sadly, some Catholic schools, for a variety of reasons, mimic the situation in non-Catholic schools by insisting upon the anti-life, anti-family, and anti-religion ideology which marks education, in general. The latter situation is particularly pernicious, for parents send their children to a Catholic school, trusting that it will be truly Catholic, when, in fact, it is nothing of the sort. The operation of such schools under the name of Catholic is a profound injustice to families.
At the root of the deplorable cultural situation in which we find ourselves is the loss of a sense of nature and of conscience. Pope Benedict XVI addressed this loss, in respect of the foundations of law, in his address to the German Parliament, the Bundestag, during his Pastoral Visit to Germany in September of 2011. Taking leave from the story of the young King Solomon on his accession to the throne, he recalled to political leaders the teaching of the Holy Scriptures regarding the work of politics. God asked King Solomon what request he wished to make as he began to rule God’s holy people. The Holy Father commented:
What will the young ruler ask for at this important moment? Success – wealth – long life – destruction of his enemies? He chooses none of these things. Instead, he asks for a listening heart so that he may govern God’s people, and discern between good and evil (cf. 1 Kg 3:9). (2)
The story of King Solomon, as Pope Benedict XVI observed, teaches what must be the end of political activity and, therefore, of government. He declared: “Politics must be a striving for justice, and hence it has to establish the fundamental preconditions for peace…. To serve right and to fight against the dominion of wrong is and remains the fundamental task of the politician.” (3)
Pope Benedict XVI then asked how we know the good and right which the political order and specifically the law are to safeguard and promote. While he acknowledged that in many matters “the support of the majority can serve as a sufficient criterion,” (4) he observed that such a principle is not sufficient “for the fundamental issues of law, in which the dignity of man and of humanity is at stake.” (5) Regarding the very foundations of the life of society, positive civil law must respect “nature and reason as the true sources of law.” (6) In other words, one must have recourse to the natural moral law which God has inscribed upon every human heart. I think of my own homeland, the United States of America, in which the Supreme Court of the nation has presumed to define the beginning of human life, the partnership of marriage, and human sexuality itself according to materialistic and relativistic, sentimental considerations, in defiance of the law written by God on the human heart. (7)
What Pope Benedict XVI observed regarding the foundations of law in nature and conscience points to the fundamental work of education, namely, the work of fostering in students “a listening heart” which strives to know the law of God and to respect it by development in the life of the virtues. True education aims to bring the human person “to full human and Christian maturity.” (8) Suffice it to say that parents must be vigilant that the education given to their children be coherent with the Christian education and upbringing in the home. Even as the family is essential to the transformation of culture, so also is education because of its intrinsic connection with the growth and development of the child.
The thoroughly galvanized anti-life, anti-family, and anti-religion agenda of our time advances, in large part, because of a lack of attention and information among the general public. The pervasive mass media, the powerful promoter of the agenda, confuse and corrupt minds and hearts, and dull consciences to the law written by God in nature and upon every human heart. In his Encyclical Letter on the Gospel of Life, Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II declared:
What is urgently called for is a general mobilization of consciences and a united ethical effort to activate a great campaign in support of life. All together, we must build a new culture of life: new, because it will be able to confront and solve today’s unprecedented problems affecting human life; new, because it will be adopted with deeper and more dynamic conviction by all Christians; new, because it will be capable of bringing about a serious and courageous cultural dialogue among all parties. While the urgent need for such a cultural transformation is linked to the present historical situation, it is also rooted in the Church’s mission of evangelization. The purpose of the Gospel, in fact, is “to transform humanity from within and to make it new.” Like the yeast which leavens the whole measure of dough (cf. Mt 13:33), the Gospel is meant to permeate all cultures and give them life from within, so that they may express the full truth about the human person and about human life. (9)
What Pope John Paul II affirmed about the mobilization of consciences regarding the inviolability of innocent human life surely applies as well and as strongly to the mobilization of consciences regarding the integrity of marriage and family life, and regarding the irreplaceable relationship with God, which is holy religion.
Pope John Paul II did not fail to note that such efforts must begin with “the renewal of a culture of life within Christian communities themselves.” (10) The Church herself must address the situation of so many of her members who, even though they may be active in Church activities, “end up by separating their Christian faith from its ethical requirements regarding life, and thus fall into moral subjectivism and certain objectionable ways of acting.” (11) This separation of faith from practical life is particularly devastating when it influences education. The child, who is taught to have a “listening heart,” who is naturally attuned to his conscience, to God’s law written upon his heart, is corrupted by those in whom he is led to put his trust. One only thinks of the corruption wrought by a pervasively false education in human sexuality. Parents cannot be attentive enough to the possibility of such corruption entering into what should be the education of their children.
Catholic education of children and youth is a complete education, that is, the development of reason through the competent imparting of knowledge and skills within the context of the faith through the study of God and of His plan for us and our world, as He has revealed Himself and His plan to us. Pope Pius XI, in his Encyclical Letter Divini Illius Magistri, described a Catholic or Christian education with these words:
The proper and immediate end of Christian education is to cooperate with divine grace in forming the true and perfect Christian, that is, to form Christ Himself in those regenerated by baptism, according to the emphatic expression of the Apostle: “My little children, of whom I am in labor again, until Christ be formed in you.” For the true Christian must live a supernatural life in Christ: “Christ who is your life,” and display it in all his actions: “That the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our mortal flesh.” For precisely this reason, Christian education takes in the whole aggregate of human life, physical and spiritual, intellectual and moral, individual, domestic and social, not with a view of reducing it in any way, but in order to elevate, regulate and perfect it, in accord with the example and teaching of Christ. Hence the true Christian, product of Christian education, is the supernatural man who thinks, judges and acts constantly and consistently in accordance with right reason illumined by the supernatural light of the example and teaching of Christ; in other words, to use the current term, the true and finished man of character. For, it is not every kind of consistency and firmness of conduct based on subjective principles that makes true character, but only constancy in following the eternal principles of justice, as it is admitted even by the pagan poet when he praises as one and the same “the man who is just and firm of purpose.” And on the other hand, there cannot be full justice except in giving to God what is due to God, as the true Christian does. (12)
It is only such a complete education which can guide our children and young people on the way of the happiness for which God has created each of us. With the help of a sound education at home and in school, children know happiness both during the days of their earthly pilgrimage and eternally at the goal of their pilgrimage which is Heaven. It is only such an education which can transform our culture.
The family is the first place of education, a truth which defines essentially the mission of the school. The school serves the family and, therefore, works intimately with the family in bringing children to ever greater maturity, to the fullness of life in Christ. Regarding Christian marriage and the family, and the mission of education, Pope Saint John Paul, in his 1981 Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Family, Familiaris Consortio, declared that “the Christian family, in fact, is the first community called to announce the Gospel to the human person during growth and to bring him or her, through a progressive education and catechesis, to full human and Christian maturity.” (13) Christian education in the family and in the school introduces children and young people, in an ever more profound way, into the Tradition, into the great gift of our life in Christ in the Church handed down to us faithfully, in an unbroken line, through the Apostles and their successors.
Education, if it is to be sound, that is, for the good of the individual and society, must be especially attentive to arm itself against the errors of secularism and relativism, lest it fail to communicate to the succeeding generations the truth, beauty and goodness of our life and of our world, as they are expressed in the unchanging teaching of the faith, in its highest expression through prayer, devotion and divine worship, and in the holiness of life of those who profess the faith and worship God “in spirit and in truth.” (14)
The Declaration on Christian Education, Gravissimum Educationis, of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, made clear that the primary responsibility for the education of children belongs to parents who rely upon sound schools to assist them in providing any part of the total education of their children, which they are not able to impart in the home. The essential good of marriage which is the gift of children includes both the procreation and the education of the child. I quote from Gravissimum Educationis:
As it is the parents who have given life to their children, on them lies the gravest obligation of educating their family. They must therefore be recognized as being primarily and principally responsible for their education. The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute. It is therefore the duty of parents to create a family atmosphere inspired by love and devotion to God and their fellow-men which will promote an integrated, personal and social education of their children. The family is therefore the principal school of the social virtues which are necessary to every society. It is therefore above all in the Christian family, inspired by the grace and the responsibility of the sacrament of matrimony, that children should be taught to know and worship God and to love their neighbor, in accordance with the faith which they have received in earliest infancy in the sacrament of Baptism. (15)
Certainly, society, in general, and the Church, in a particular way, also have a responsibility for the education of children and young people, but that responsibility must always be exercised with respect for the primary responsibility of parents.
Parents, for their part, should be fully engaged in whatever service of education is provided by society and the Church. Children and young people should not be confused or led into error by an education outside of the home which conflicts with the education given in the home. Today, parents must be especially vigilant, for some schools have become the tools of a secular agenda inimical to the Christian life. One thinks, for example, of the compulsory so-called “gender education” in some schools, which is a direct attack on human sexuality and on marriage and, therefore, on the family.
For the sake of our young people, we all must give particular attention to the fundamental expression of our culture which is education. Good parents and good citizens must be attentive to the curriculum which schools are following and to the life in the schools, in order to assure that our children are being formed in the human and Christian virtues and are not being deformed by indoctrination in the confusion and error concerning the most fundamental truths of human life, of the family, and of religion, which will lead to their slavery to sin and, therefore, profound unhappiness, and to the destruction of culture.
At the heart of a solid curriculum is both respect for the dignity of the human person and for the tradition of beauty, truth and goodness in the arts and the sciences. So often, today, a notion of tolerance of ways of thinking and acting contrary to the moral law seems to be the interpretative key for many Christians. According to this approach, one can no longer distinguish between the beautiful and the ugly, the true and the false, and the good and the evil. The approach is not securely grounded in the moral tradition, yet it tends to dominate our approach to the extent that we end up claiming to be Christian while tolerating ways of thinking and acting which are diametrically opposed to the moral law revealed to us in nature and in the Sacred Scriptures. The approach, at times, becomes so relativistic and subjective that we do not even observe the fundamental logical principle of non-contradiction, that is, that a thing cannot both be and not be in the same respect at the same time. In other words, certain actions cannot at the same time be both true to the moral law and not true to it.
In fact, charity alone must be the interpretative key of our thoughts and actions. In the context of charity, tolerance means unconditional love of the person who is involved in evil but firm abhorrence of the evil into which the person has fallen. All education should be directed to forming the students in the charity by which the mind and heart respond to the beautiful, the true, and the good, as God has created us to do.
Education which takes place first in the home and is enriched and supplemented by schools and, above all, by truly Catholic schools is directed fundamentally to the formation of good citizens and good members of the Church. Ultimately it is directed to the happiness of the individual which is found in right relationships and has its fulfilment in eternal life. It presupposes the objective nature of things to which the human heart is directed, if it is trained to be a “listening heart,” (16) that is, to follow a correctly formed conscience. It seeks an ever deeper knowledge and love of the true, the good, and the beautiful. It forms the individual to this fundamental pursuit throughout his or her lifetime.
May God inspire and strengthen parents and all of us in the work of forming “listening hearts” in our children and young people for their salvation and for the transformation of our culture. Under the maternal care of the Virgin Mother of God, may we seek and find in the Heart of Jesus the wisdom and strength to safeguard and promote the constant teaching and practice of the Church regarding human life, regarding human sexuality, marriage and the family, and regarding holy religion.
Thank you for your kind attention. May God bless you.
______
1 Eph. 2, 13-22.
2 “Was wird sich der junge Herrscher in diesem Augenblick erbitten? Erfolg – Reichtum – langes Leben – Vernictung der Feinde? Nicht um diese Dinge bittet er. Er bittet: „Verleih deinem Knecht ein hörendes Herz, damit er dein Volk zu regieren und das Gute vom Bösen zu unterscheiden versteht“ (1 Kön 3,9).” Benedictus PP. XVI, Allocutio “Iter apostolicum in Germaniam: ad Berolinensem foederatum coetum oratorum,” 22 Septembris 2011, Acta Apostolicae Sedis 103 (2011), p. 663. [Hereafter, Bundestag]. English translation: L’Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English, 28 September 2011, p. 6. [Hereafter, BundestagEng].
3 “Politik muss Mühen um Gerechtigkeit sein und so die Grundvoraussetzung für Frieden schaffen.… Dem Recht zu dienen und der Herrschaft des Unrechts zu wehren ist und bleibt die grundlegend Aufgabe des Politikers.” Bundestag, p. 664. English translation: BundestagEng, p. 6.
4 “…kann die Mehrheit ein genügendes Kriterium sein.” Bundestag, p. 664. English translation: BundestagEng, p. 6.
5 “…in den Grundfragen des Rechts, in denen es um die Würde des Menschen und der Menschheit geht.” Bundestag, p. 664. English translation: BundestagEng, p. 6.
6 “…Natur und Vernunft als die wahren Rechtsquellen.” Bundestag, p. 665. English translation: BundestagEng, p. 6.
7 Cf. Roe v. Wade :: 410 U.S. 113 (1973); Obergefell v. Hodges :: 576 U.S. 644 (2015); and Bostock v. Clayton County :: 590 U.S. ___ (2020).
8 “… ad plenam maturitatem humanam et christianam ….” Ioannes Paulus PP. II, Adhortatio Apostolica Familiaris Consortio, “De Familiae Christianae muneribus in mundo huius temporis,” 22 Novembris 1981, Acta Apostolicae Sedis 74 (1982), 823, n. 2. [Hereafter, FC]. English translation: Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Familaris Consortio, “Regarding the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World,” 22 November 1981 (Vatican City State: Vatican Polyglot Press, 1981), p. 4, no. 2. [Hereafter, FCEng].
9 “Quam primum inducantur necesse est generalis conscientiarum motus moralisque communis nisus, qui excitare valeant validum sane opus ad vitam tuendam: omnibus nobis simul coniunctis nova exstuenda est vitae cultura: nova, quae scilicet possit hodiernas de vita hominis ineditas quaestiones suscipere atque solvere; nova, utpote quae acriore et alacriore ratione omnium christianorum conscientiam permoveat; nova demum, quae accommodata sit ad gravem animosamque culturalem suscitandam comparationem cum omnibus. Huius culturalis conversionis necessitas coniungitur cum aetatis nostrae historica rerum condicione, at praesertim inhaeret in ipso evangelizandi munere quod proprium est Ecclesiae. Evangelium enim eo spectat «ut perficiat interiorem mutationem» et «humanitatem novam efficiat»; est velut fermentum quo pasta tota fermentatur (cfr Mt 13, 33), atque, qua tale, perfundere debet omnes culturas easque intus pervadere, ut integram declarent de homine deque eius vita veritatem.” Ioannes Paulus PP. II, Litterae encyclicae Evangelium vitae, “De vitae humanae inviolabili bono”, 25 Martii 1995, Acta Apostolicae Sedis 87 (1995), 509, n. 95. [Hereafter, EV] English translation: Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae, “On the Value and Inviolability of Human Life,” 25 March 1995 (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1995), pp. 168-169, no. 95. [Hereafter, EVEng].
10 “… vitae cultura renovanda intra ipsas christianas communitates.” EV, 509, n. 95. English translation: EVEng, p. 169, no. 95.
11 “… seiunctionem quandam inferunt inter christianam fidem eiusque moralia circa vitam postulata, progredientes hac ratione ad moralem quendam subiectivismum adque vivendi mores qui probari non possunt.” EV, 509-510, n. 95. English translation: EVEng, p. 169, no. 95.
12 “Eo proprie ac proxime intendit christiana educatio, ut, divina cum gratia conspirando, germanum atque perfectum christianum efficiat hominem: ut Christum scilicet ipsum exprimat atque effingat in illis qui sint Baptismate renati, ad illud Apostoli vividum: «Filioli mei, quos iterum parturio, donec formetur Christus in vobis». Vitam enim supernaturalem germanus christianus vivere debet in Christo: «Christus, vita vestra», eandemque in omnibus rebus gerendis manifestare «ut et vita Iesu manifestetur in carne nostra mortali».
Quae cum ita sint, summam ipsam humanorum actuum, quod attinet ad efficentiam sensuum et spiritus, ad intellectum et ad mores, ad singulos et ad societatem domesticam atque civilem, christiana educatio totam complectitur, non autem ut vel minime exenuet, verum ut secundum Iesu Christi exempla et doctrinam extollat, regat, perficiat.
Itaque verus christianus, christiana educatione conformatus, alius non est ac supernaturalis homo, qui sentit, iudicat, constanter sibique congruenter operatur, ad rectam rationem, exemplis doctrinaque Iesu Christi supernaturaliter collustratam: scilicet, homo germana animi firmitate insignis. Neque enim quisquis sibi consentit et sui propriique tenax propositi agit, is solido ingenio est, sed unus ille qui aeternas iustitiae rationes sequitur, ut agnovit ethnicus ipse poëta, «iustum» una simul «et tenacem propositi virum» extollens; quae, ceterum, iustitiae rationes integre servari nequeunt, nisi Deo tribuatur – ut fit a vero christiano – quidquid Deo debetur.” Pius PP. XI, Litterae Encyclicae Divini Illius Magistri, “De Christiana iuventutis educatione,” 31 Decembris 1929, Acta Apostolicae Sedis 22 (1930), 83. English translation: Five Great Encyclicals, ed. Gerald G. Treacy (New York: The Paulist Press, 1939), pp. 64-65.
13 “… christiana enim familia est prima communitas, cuius est Evangelium personae humanae crescent annuntiare eamque progrediente educatione et catechesi ad plenam maturitatem humanam et christianam perducere.” FC, 823, n. 2. English translation: FCEng, p. 4, no. 2.
14 Jn 4, 24.
15 “Parentes, cum vitam filiis contulerint, prolem educandi gravissima obligatione tenentur et ideo primi et praecipui eorum educatores agnoscendi sunt. Quod munus educationis tanti ponderis est ut, ubi desit, aegre suppleri possit. Parentum enim est talem familiae ambitum amore, pietate erga Deum et homines animatum creare qui integrae filiorum educationi personali et sociali faveat. Familia proinde est prima schola virtutum socialium quibus indigent omnes societates. Maxime vero in christiana familia, matrimonii sacramenti gratia et officio ditata, filii iam a prima aetate secundum fidem in baptismo receptam Deum percipere et colere atque proximum diligere doceantur oportet; …” Sacrosanctum Concilium Oecumenicum Vaticanum II, Declarato Gravissimum educationis, “De Educatione Christiana,” 28 Octobris 1965, Acta Apostolicae Sedis 58 (1966), 731, n. 3. English translation: Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, ed. Austin Flannery, new rev. ed. (Northport, NY: Costello Publishing Company, 1992), pp. 728-729, no. 3.
16 1 Kgs 3, 9.
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lifesitenews--2020-10-09--Funeral home forces sons to stop comforting grieving mom due to COVID rules

MILTON KEYNES , England , October 9 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) ― Members of a state-funded crematorium in the United Kingdom forced two brothers to move away from their grieving mother to maintain social distancing , as they tried to comfort her during a funeral service for her husband .
Video of the incident has since gone viral .
The footage shows first Craig Bicknell , and then his brother Paul , moving their chairs beside their mourning mother at the socially distanced service in Milton Keynes on October 2 .
A member of the state-funded Crownhill Crematorium interrupted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to move back to their places .
“ Sorry , you have to move the chairs back , I ’ m afraid , ” said the crematorium employee .
“ You can ’ t move the chairs .
You were told.
” Craig Bicknell told Piers Morgan on “ Good Morning Britain ” that having to decide between begging the man to let him comfort his mother and just obeying his orders so that the service could go on gave him “ a really empty feeling.
” “ It was the hardest day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to come out with that aggression and telling us to stop , all we wanted to do is comfort our mum at the hardest time , ” Paul added .
The brothers had lost their 78-year-old father , Alan Wright , to a heart attack in September .
The current COVID-19 social distancing rules in England allow single adults to form a social grouping , or “ bubble ” , with another household .
They also allow up to six people to join groups indoors and out .
But as it was , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mother in weeks .
“ Prior to the funeral , we haven ’ t left her side , ” Craig said .
“ She needed us more than ever.
” Craig pointed out that the Milton Keynes Council ( municipal government ) , which is responsible for the crematorium , had imposed rules stricter than the government ’ s .
“ With the government ’ s guidelines , it ’ s clear we can have six in a bubble .
We can go into a restaurant , a pub and travel in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ I just don ’ t understand why the council [ has ] got different rules to what the government [ has ] put in place . ''
A young man who saw the video was one of many who took to social media to vent their anger at the cruelty of COVID-19 lockdown rules .
“ A son moves his chair next to his mother to comfort her at the funeral of her late husband , a member of staff says they ’ ve ‘ been told ’ and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highlight the cruel lack of humanity and decency in the way in which we ’ re forced to live our lives today , ” wrote Englishman Darren Grimes on Twitter .
“ My youngest auntie passed away during lockdown .
I went home for the funeral .
During the service mam sat with my nana and refused to move away , ” Grimes continued .
“ I think she absolutely did the right thing in not allowing some petty bureaucrat to force my grandmother to break her heart in isolation.
” Milton Keynes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the grieving family and issued the following statement : We are sorry to have upset this family .
We don ’ t usually step in if a guest needs to be comforted by another family member and in this instance should have taken a more considered approach .
We ask funeral directors to let us know whether any chairs should be grouped in advance , and from now on this includes guests who are in the same household or bubbles , as well as people who need extra support .
We hope this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Currently in the United Kingdom , only up to 30 mourners are allowed to attend a funeral , and this number could be lessened , depending on the venue .
At least 2 metres ( 6 feet ) should “ be maintained between individuals.
” Mourners must wear face coverings .
After almost 25 million coronavirus tests processed in the past six months , the U.K. has recorded just over 575,000 positive results .
Fewer than 43,000 deaths have been associated with the virus , so far .

MILTON KEYNES, England, October 9, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) ― Members of a state-funded crematorium in the United Kingdom forced two brothers to move away from their grieving mother to maintain social distancing, as they tried to comfort her during a funeral service for her husband.
Video of the incident has since gone viral.
The footage shows first Craig Bicknell, and then his brother Paul, moving their chairs beside their mourning mother at the socially distanced service in Milton Keynes on October 2. A member of the state-funded Crownhill Crematorium interrupted the ceremony, shouting at the brothers to move back to their places.
“Sorry, you have to move the chairs back, I’m afraid,” said the crematorium employee. “You can’t move the chairs. You were told.”
Craig Bicknell told Piers Morgan on “Good Morning Britain” that having to decide between begging the man to let him comfort his mother and just obeying his orders so that the service could go on gave him “a really empty feeling.”
“It was the hardest day of our lives anyway and for someone to come out with that aggression and telling us to stop, all we wanted to do is comfort our mum at the hardest time,” Paul added.
The brothers had lost their 78-year-old father, Alan Wright, to a heart attack in September.
The current COVID-19 social distancing rules in England allow single adults to form a social grouping, or “bubble”, with another household. They also allow up to six people to join groups indoors and out. But as it was, neither brother had been apart from their mother in weeks.
“Prior to the funeral, we haven’t left her side,” Craig said.
— Article continues below Petition — PETITION: No to mandatory vaccination for the coronavirus Show Petition Text 1082415 have signed the petition. Let's get to 1100000 ! Thank you for signing this petition! Add your signature: Show Petition Text Country... State... Sign this Petition People of goodwill can disagree about the safety, efficacy and religious implications of a new vaccine for the coronavirus. But, everyone should agree on this point: No government can force anyone who has reached legal adulthood to be vaccinated for the coronavirus. Equally, no government can vaccinate minors for the coronavirus against the will of their parents or guardians. Please SIGN this urgent petition which urges policymakers at every level of government to reject calls for mandatory coronavirus vaccination. Fear of a disease - which we know very little about, relative to other similar diseases - must not lead to knee-jerk reactions regarding public health, nor can it justify supporting the hidden agenda of governmental as well as non-governmental bodies that have apparent conflicts of interest in plans to restrict personal freedoms. The so-called "public health experts" have gotten it wrong many times during the current crisis. We should not, therefore, allow their opinions to rush decision-makers into policies regarding vaccination. And, while some people, like Bill Gates, may have a lot of money, his opinion and that of his NGO (the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) - namely, that life will not return to normal till people are widely vaccinated - should not be permitted to influence policy decisions on a coronavirus vaccination program. Finally, we must also not allow the rush by pharmaceutical companies to produce a new coronavirus vaccine to, itself, become an imperative for vaccination. Unwitting citizens must not be used as guinea pigs for New World Order ideologues, or Big Pharma, in pursuit of a vaccine (and, profits) which may not even protect against future mutated strains of the coronavirus. And it goes without saying that the production of vaccines using aborted babies for cell replication is a total non-starter, as the technique is gravely immoral. However, if after sufficient study of the issue, a person who has reached the age of majority wishes to be vaccinated with a morally produced vaccine, along with his children, that is his business. But we cannot and will not permit the government to make that decision for us. Thank you for SIGNING and SHARING this petition, urging policymakers at all levels of government to reject mandatory coronavirus vaccination. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Bill Gates: Life won’t go back to ‘normal’ until population 'widely vaccinated' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/bill-gates-life-wont-go-back-to-normal-until-population-widely-vaccinated COVID-19 scare leads to more digital surveillance, talk of mandatory vaccine 'tattoos' for kids' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/covid-19-scare-leads-to-more-digital-surveillance-talk-of-mandatory-vaccine-tattoos-for-kids Trudeau says no return to ‘normal’ without vaccine: 'Could take 12 to 18 months' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/trudeau-says-no-return-to-normal-without-vaccine-could-take-12-to-18-months Trudeau mulls making coronavirus vaccine mandatory for Canadians - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/trudeau-mulls-making-coronavirus-vaccine-mandatory-for-canadians US bishop vows to ‘refuse’ COVID-19 vaccine if made from ‘aborted fetal tissue' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/us-bishop-vows-to-refuse-covid-19-vaccine-if-made-from-aborted-fetal-tissue ** While LifeSite opposes immorally-produced vaccines using aborted fetal cell lines, we do not have a position on any particular coronavirus vaccines produced without such moral problems. We realize many have general concerns about vaccines, but also recognize that millions of lives have been saved due to vaccines. *** Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com Hide Petition Text Sign this Petition
“She needed us more than ever.”
Craig pointed out that the Milton Keynes Council (municipal government), which is responsible for the crematorium, had imposed rules stricter than the government’s.
“With the government’s guidelines, it’s clear we can have six in a bubble. We can go into a restaurant, a pub and travel in the [funeral] limousine together,” he said.
“I just don’t understand why the council [has] got different rules to what the government [has] put in place.”
A young man who saw the video was one of many who took to social media to vent their anger at the cruelty of COVID-19 lockdown rules.
“A son moves his chair next to his mother to comfort her at the funeral of her late husband, a member of staff says they’ve ‘been told’ and asked to separate. It really does highlight the cruel lack of humanity and decency in the way in which we’re forced to live our lives today,” wrote Englishman Darren Grimes on Twitter.
“My youngest auntie passed away during lockdown. I went home for the funeral. During the service mam sat with my nana and refused to move away,” Grimes continued. “I think she absolutely did the right thing in not allowing some petty bureaucrat to force my grandmother to break her heart in isolation.”
Milton Keynes Council, meanwhile, has apologized to the grieving family and issued the following statement:
We are sorry to have upset this family. We don’t usually step in if a guest needs to be comforted by another family member and in this instance should have taken a more considered approach. We ask funeral directors to let us know whether any chairs should be grouped in advance, and from now on this includes guests who are in the same household or bubbles, as well as people who need extra support. We hope this provides additional comfort at a difficult time.
Currently in the United Kingdom, only up to 30 mourners are allowed to attend a funeral, and this number could be lessened, depending on the venue. At least 2 metres (6 feet) should “be maintained between individuals.” Mourners must wear face coverings.
After almost 25 million coronavirus tests processed in the past six months, the U.K. has recorded just over 575,000 positive results. Fewer than 43,000 deaths have been associated with the virus, so far.
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lifesitenews--2020-10-09--Join our daily worldwide rosary HERE

Join our daily worldwide rosary HERE

October 9 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – In response to the crisis unfolding in our world and in the Church , LifeSite is offering Catholics throughout the world a chance to be united daily in prayer , in the Our Lady of Fatima Rosary Crusade .
Catholics from all over the world—from Israel , Uganda , Italy , France , Germany , Ireland , Pakistan , Singapore , the Philippines , India , Indonesia , Australia , New Zealand , Thailand , the United Kingdom , the U.S. , Canada , Brazil , and other countries—are gathering daily to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Anthony Pillari , J.C.L.
, an American priest currently studying in Italy .
Our goal is , by means of this daily rosary and by embracing and living out the message given by the Virgin Mary at Fatima , the triumph of Our Lady ’ s Immaculate Heart .
To help obtain that goal , Bishop Athanasius Schneider graciously composed the following prayer for this worldwide rosary crusade : O Immaculate Heart of Mary , you are the holy Mother of God and our tender Mother .
Look upon the distress in which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are living because of the spread of materialism and the persecution of the Church .
In Fatima you warned against these errors , as you spoke about the errors of Russia .
You are the Mediatrix of all graces .
Implore your Divine Son to grant this special grace for the Pope : that he might consecrate Russia to your Immaculate Heart , so that Russia will be converted , a period of peace will be granted to the world , and your Immaculate Heart will triumph , through an authentic renewal of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purity of the Catholic Faith , of the sacredness of Divine worship and of the holiness of the Christian life .
O Queen of the holy Rosary and our sweet Mother , turn your merciful eyes to us and graciously hear this our trusting prayer .
Amen .
+ Athanasius Schneider , Auxiliary Bishop of the archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana To learn more about the urgency of responding to Our Lady ’ s message at Fatima , and about what you can do , please read Cardinal Burke ’ s 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ https : //voiceofthefamily.com/full-text-cardinal-burkes-historic-call-for-consecration-of-russia/ ) .
As St. Padre Pio once said , “ The rosary is the weapon for these times.
” Through prayer , God can shape history , change the world , and bring about a great time of renewal and peace for the Church and for the world , through the triumph of Our Lady ’ s Immaculate Heart .
Join us today !
If you would like to follow along with the prayers said during this rosary , you can access them via this PDF .
This document also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the daily rosary on LifeSite led by Fr .
Pillari .

(LifeSiteNews) — In response to the crisis unfolding in our world and in the Church, LifeSite is happy to promote Regina Angelorum Press’s Daily Rosary, which is offering Catholics throughout the world the chance to be united daily in prayer, in the Our Lady of Fatima Rosary Crusade.
Catholics from all over the world — from Israel, Uganda, Italy, France, Germany, Ireland, Pakistan, Singapore, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the U.S., Canada, Brazil, and other countries — are gathering daily to pray the Rosary, led by Father Pillari, JCL, MCL, STL, an American priest currently studying in Italy.
The Daily Rosary is being offered each day at 12noon EST through Regina Angelorum Press’ YouTube Channel to which you can subscribe HERE.
The goal is, by means of this Daily Rosary and by embracing and living out the message given by the Virgin Mary at Fatima, the triumph of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart.
To help obtain that goal, Bishop Athanasius Schneider graciously composed the following prayer for this worldwide Rosary crusade:
O Immaculate Heart of Mary, you are the holy Mother of God and our tender Mother. Look upon the distress in which the Church and the whole of humanity are living because of the spread of materialism and the persecution of the Church. In Fatima you warned against these errors, as you spoke about the errors of Russia. You are the Mediatrix of all graces. Implore your Divine Son to grant this special grace for the Pope: that he might consecrate Russia to your Immaculate Heart, so that Russia will be converted, a period of peace will be granted to the world, and your Immaculate Heart will triumph, through an authentic renewal of the Church in the splendor of the purity of the Catholic Faith, of the sacredness of Divine worship and of the holiness of the Christian life. O Queen of the holy Rosary and our sweet Mother, turn your merciful eyes to us and graciously hear this our trusting prayer. Amen. + Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of the archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana
To learn more about the urgency of responding to Our Lady’s message at Fatima, and about what you can do, please read Cardinal Burke’s 2017 address at the Rome Life Forum.
As St. Padre Pio once said, “The Rosary is the weapon for these times.” Through prayer, God can shape history, change the world, and bring about a great time of renewal and peace for the Church and for the world, through the triumph of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart. Join us today!
If you would like to follow along with the prayers said during this Rosary, you can access them HERE. The document also includes a brief F.A.Q. pertaining to the daily Rosary.
You can send your prayer requests to https://reginangelorumpress.com/prayer-intentions/
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lifesitenews--2020-10-09--We must put our troubles in God’s hands to find peace

Formerly Heart to Heart with Mother Miriam , Mother Miriam Live brings you inspiration and solutions for life ’ s @ @ @ @ @ Miriam is a Catholic nun on a mission to bring hope to a world that @ @ @ @ @ let her share that hope and joy with you !
To tune into Mother Miriam @ @ @ @ @ Facebook page here every Monday to Friday at 10am .

To help keep this and other programs on the air, please donate here.
Watch this episode of Mother Miriam's Live originally aired on 8.28.2020 and re-aired on 10.9.2020. In today’s episode, Mother Miriam answers listeners' emails and calls. Many of the callers and listeners ask for guidance and peace for their troubles, especially opening the hearts of those around them.
You can tune in daily at 10 am EST/7 am PST on our Facebook Page.
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lifesitenews--2020-10-09--Pope Francis prays that women be handed more leadership roles in the Church

VATICAN CITY , October 9 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) ― Pope Francis ’ October prayer intention is for more roles of responsibility for lay people , especially women , in the institutions of the Catholic Church .
His prayer comes at a time when some Church leaders , especially in the German Church , are advocating for the ordination of females to the diaconate and even the priesthood , a position incompatible with perennial Church teaching .
Moreover , the Pope himself has been sending mixed signals on the matter .
In a video he recorded in Spanish , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the clerical state for the Church .
The video , titled “ October : women in leadership roles in the church ” , was released by Vatican News .
“ No one has been baptized a priest or a bishop , ” Pope Francis said .
“ We have all been baptized as lay people .
Lay people are protagonists of the Church , ” he continued .
Pope Francis wants to see more roles for women within the Church , and more emphasize on their presence in the church because “ women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
“ We must promote the integration of women , especially where important decisions are made , ” the pontiff continued .
“ We pray that by the virtue of baptism , the laity , especially women , may participate more in areas of responsibility in the Church , without falling into forms of clericalism that diminish the lay charism.
” The video features a number of women smiling over the headline “ More roles for women in leadership positions in the Church ” or working in Vatican institutions .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the director of the Vatican Museum , Barbara Jatta .
None of the women depicted appear to be women in religious life , e.g .
religious sisters or nuns ; a more contemporary definition of “ laity ” excludes men and women in religious life from the category .
According to the Holy See ’ s own Vatican News , the video was made “ in collaboration with the Dicastery for Laity , Family and Life.
” “ It highlights the role of the laity , whom Pope Francis considers true protagonists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vatican News noted also that the pontiff has “ made many gestures to give momentum to this desire to give women greater weight in the Church.
” The online news source then quoted a passage from Pope Francis ’ Evangelii gaudium : “ Demands that the legitimate rights of women be respected , based on the firm conviction that men and women are equal in dignity , present the Church with profound and challenging questions which can not be lightly evaded ” ( 104 ) .
Pope Francis ’ concern for the advancement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by German Cardinal Reinhard Marx , who suggested in 2018 that this phenomenon would help fight sexual abuse committed by “ closed clerical [ male ] circles ” in the Church.
” Marx suggested also that young women are alienated by the idea that all power in the Church lies in the hands of men .
“ The impression that the Church – when it is about power – is finally a Church of men has to be overcome in the Universal Church and also here in the Vatican .
Otherwise , young @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creative options , ” he said during the Youth Synod .
The issue of women ’ s leadership positions in the Church was also raised during the 2019 Synod on the Amazon .
Delegates wanted some kind of special recognition for women ’ s leadership roles in the far-flung mission territories in the region .
Some delegates , like the Austrian-born Bishop Emeritus Erwin Kräutler of Xingu , Brazil were in favour of women ’ s priestly ordination , and saw a women ’ s diaconate as a step towards it .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not go as far as explicitly advocating women ’ s ordination .
Instead it stated that it “ is urgent for the Amazon Church to promote and confer ministries for men and women in an equitable manner.
” Quoting Pope Francis ' 2013 exhortation Evangelii Gaudium , the synod document called for the Church “ to create still broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the Church.
” Quoting again from Pope Francis , the final document declared , “ Let us not reduce the commitment of women in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the ecclesial community.
” Francis has followed his words with actions : this August he appointed six women to the Holy See ’ s Council for the Economy .
According to its statutes , the Council must have 8 bishops and 7 laypeople .
Six of them are now women : Ruth Kelly , Leslie Ferrar , Charlotte Kreuter-Kirchhof , Marija Kolak , Maria Concepción Osácar Garaicoechea and Eva Castillo Sanz .
In addition , women currently play significant roles as the deputy director of the Vatican ’ s Sala Stampa ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Secretariat of State .

PETITION UPDATE (3/15/21) -
Reports suggest that the U.S. Catholic Bishops' Conference (USCCB) is preparing a vote on what to do about pro-abortion Joe Biden (and, presumably, other abortion-promoting politicians) who continues to present himself (themselves) for Holy Communion.
Public excommunication would be a suitable response for Biden's obstinate, public and grave sin of scandalously promoting abortion.
Please continue to SIGN and SHARE this important petition.
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PETITION UPDATE (2/4/20)
Since Joe Biden was sworn-in on the 20th of January, he has wasted no time in signing Executive Orders to destroy the protections which former President Trump offered to the unborn and to the innocence and modesty of children of the United States.
In one executive order, Biden rescinded the Mexico City Policy prohibiting the federal government from spending taxpayer monies on abortion and the promotion of abortion.
And, in another executive order, Biden seeks to force girls' athletic programs, restrooms, and locker rooms to accept gender-confused males.
Since the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was shamefully silent throughout the presidential campaign on the pre-eminent issues of abortion and gender ideology, and what Biden vowed he would do as president, it is cold comfort that their pro-life office is now speaking up about this Administration's wilful disregard for human life and for God's design of human nature (i.e., two biological sexes).
Stated plainly, Joe Biden is as bad as he said he would be, and the bishop, acting in unison (as the USCCB) have an obligation to the Lord (first) and to the faithful (second) to refuse Holy Communion to this grave public sinner.
With all due respect to these bishops, they diminish the Holy Eucharist and their high office, as well as cause grave scandal to the faithful, by dialoguing with a man who is promoting mass murder of the unborn against the constant teaching of the Church.
A man who continues to use the church as a backdrop for statements about how "Catholic/religious" he is, but, at the same time, is now doing everything in his power to protect the murder of the innocent, needs to publicly repent before dialogue can begin.
The bishops should not dialogue with or congratulate someone who has publicly betrayed the Church's teaching and who is leading others astray.
It's an embarrassment and a scandal for the bishops to continue to allow him to receive Holy Communion.
Please SIGN and SHARE this petition today!
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PETITION UPDATE (12/10/20)
Prior to the election on November 3, the U.S. bishops did not address Joe Biden’s anti-Catholic position regarding faith and morals as a unified body.
The USCCB, the organization to which every U.S. bishop belongs and which is staffed and led by bishops, remained disgracefully silent in the run-up to the election.
What were the bishops afraid of, losing their charitable tax status with the IRS, or being deprived of fat checks from the HHS (immigration programs) and USAID (foreign aid programs)?
Or, were they just too cowardly to clearly declare Christ's law to be above man's law and risk the ire of a Joe Biden as president?
Either way, the bishops’ lack of clarity in this regard is a terrible scandal in itself and probably greatly contributed to the possible election of a pro-abortion, anti-Catholic Catholic to the presidency.
Given the fact that exit polling shows Catholics split their vote 50-50 for Trump and Biden, even a slight deviation in the heavily-Catholic swing-states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania could have produced different results.
The bishops could have spoken out against Biden’s pro-abortion stance collectively, but, again, they were overwhelmingly and shamefully silent.
Because of this, they will be at least partly responsible for the policies advanced by a Biden administration, in the event that Biden is sworn into office.
However, the bishops can, even now, mitigate the damage done by their inaction by taking the following steps: 1) Speak with one voice, as the USCCB, and plainly condemn Biden's pro-abortion stance; 2) Publicly advise Biden not to present himself for Holy Communion because of his scandalous position on abortion and homosexual "marriage;" and, 3) Tell Biden to publicly repent of publicly promoting the wilfull murder of the preborn, sins against nature, and diminishing the natural family.
Thankfully, some individual bishops have spoken out forcefully on Biden's scandalous behavior, and his standing in the Church.
On November 9, Archbishop Strickland of Tyler, Texas tweeted: “A dark cloud has descended on this nation when the USCCB and Planned Parenthood speak in unison in support of a Biden-Harris administration that supports the slaughter of innocents by abortion for all 9 months of pregnancy.”
Additionally, Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver, Colorado and Archbishop Charles Chaput have both declared publicly that Joe Biden “should not receive Holy Communion."
But, to add insult to injury, Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington, D.C. has said that he will give Holy Communion to Biden because “it’s a matter of the responsibility that I have as the archbishop to be engaged and to be in dialogue with him, even in those areas where we obviously have some differences.”
And, Bishop W. Francis Malooly of Wilmington, Delaware and Bishop McElroy of San Diego also congratulated Biden in statements, but they have not indicated whether or not they would administer Holy Communion to him.
With all due respect to these bishops, they diminish the Holy Eucharist and their high office, as well as cause grave scandal to the faithful, by dialoguing with a man who is promoting mass murder of the unborn against the constant teaching of the Church.
A man who uses the church as a backdrop to make sickening political advertisements about how "Catholic/religious" he is, but, at the same time, says that he will do everything in his power to protect the murder of the innocent, needs to publicly repent before dialogue can begin.
The bishops should not dialogue with or congratulate someone who has publicly betrayed the Church's teaching and who is leading others astray.
It's an embarrassment and a scandal for the bishops to continue to allow him to receive Holy Communion.
Please SIGN and SHARE this petition today!
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/us-bishops-concerned-about-pro-abortion-biden-previously-hailed-him-as-second-catholic-president
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/abp-aquila-backs-call-for-pro-abortion-catholic-joe-biden-to-be-denied-holy-communion?utm_source=top_news&utm_campaign=standard
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/former-philly-archbishop-biden-not-in-full-communion-with-the-catholic-church
https://www.thesoutherncross.org/news/bishop-mcelroy-offers-prayers-and-congratulations-to-president-elect-biden/
https://www.ncronline.org/news/politics/us-catholics-weigh-mixed-reaction-biden-win
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PETITION UPDATE (9/29/20)
Cardinal Raymond Burke has stated that Democratic candidate Joe Biden should not receive Holy Communion because of his support for abortion.
In an interview for Thomas McKenna's Catholic Action for Faith and Family podcast, Cardinal Burke states the following (starting around 5:00):
First of all, I would tell him [Biden] not to approach to receive Holy Communion, out of charity toward him, because that would be a sacrilege and endanger the salvation of his own soul.
But, also, he should not approach to receive Holy Communion because he gives scandal to everyone, because if someone says, 'I'm a devout Catholic," and, at the same time is promoting abortion, it gives the impression to others that it's acceptable for a Catholic to be in favor of abortion.
Of course, it's absolutely not acceptable, and never has been, and never will be.
We give thanks for Cardinal Burke's frankness and clarity. And, we call on every U.S. Catholic bishop to follow Cardinal Burke's lead and call out Joe Biden for his bloody-minded hypocrisy on the issue of abortion.
To reiterate: You cannot be a Catholic and support abortion.
Thank you for continuing to sign this urgent petition.
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PETITION UPDATE (8/17/20)
The Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, keeps claiming to be Catholic but has said he will do everything in his power to support abortion.
And, with his pick of California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate, Biden has just cemented abortion into the Democrats' 2020 presidential ticket.
Indeed, Harris is vehemently pro-abortion.
During her time as attorney general of California, Harris played a key role in defending Planned Parenthood over its sale of aborted baby parts (which violated multiple federal laws, according to undercover video of abortion industry personnel).
And, last year, Harris unveiled a plan to essentially force pro-life states to seek permission from the federal government before pro-life laws can take effect.
Additionally, Harris has dangerous views on religious liberty and freedom of speech.
Harris displayed anti-Catholic bigotry in the confirmation hearings of Judge Brian Buescher. Harris cited his membership in the “all-male society” the Knights of Columbus and its stances against abortion and same-sex “marriage” as grounds for rejecting Buescher for a federal district court in Nebraska.
And, David Daleiden, head of the pro-life investigative group Center for Medical Progress, wrote that from his firsthand experience, he considers Harris the “greatest threat to First Amendment civil rights our country has ever seen.”
Joe Biden has seriously erred by taking on Kamala Harris as his running mate, further distancing himself from the truths of the Catholic Faith, especially that every life is sacred from conception till natural death.
Please CLICK HERE to read an article which details one U.S. bishop's warning about the Biden-Harris ticket.
And, please continue to SIGN and SHARE this petition.
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Of course, these two things are incompatible: you cannot be Catholic and pro-abortion.
And, a "Catholic" politician's responsibility in this regard is absolute: On pain of serious sin, he or she can never promote abortion because abortion is the wilful murder of innocent preborn human beings, and also because doing so causes grave scandal to the Church and the faithful.
Please SIGN this urgent petition asking the bishops of the United States to refuse to give Holy Communion to Joe Biden until he publicly repents from his scandalous promotion of abortion.
Biden recently promised to “codify Roe v. Wade” as president, adding, "my Justice Department will do everything in its power to stop the rash of state laws that so blatantly violate a woman’s protected, constitutional right to choose."
And, since starting his latest run for the presidency, Biden also flip-flopped against the Hyde Amendment, saying that he would allow federal funds to be spent on abortion - a position he claimed to be against for more than 40 years.
In short, Joe Biden will do everything in his power to enable and defend the wilful murder of innocent preborn human beings.
So, this should not be a hard decision for our U.S. bishops. In fact, in another circumstance, it was already done by an Illinois bishop.
Indeed, Bishop Paprocki, of Springfield, Illinois, invoked Canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law to withdraw Holy Communion from two Illinois state politicians who had worked to enact radical new abortion legislation in 2019.
Canon 915 states: "Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion."
Of course, no-one, least of all the bishops, wants anyone to be deprived of Holy Communion.
A politician who publicly and obstinately advocates for the murder of innocent preborn babies puts himself out-of-communion with the Church and her teaching.
Pro-abortion politicians should not think that they can advocate for the murder of the unborn and receive the Body of Christ at the same time. This would be to defile the Eucharist while giving scandal to the faithful.
Depriving politicians of Holy Communion is not just meant to prevent scandal; it is also designed to bring a grave public sinner to repentance. In this way, such an action is meant to be for the good of their souls, too.
Thank you for SIGNING this urgent petition which calls on the U.S. Catholic bishops to refuse to admit Joe Biden to Holy Communion until he publicly repents from his scandalous promotion of abortion.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Joe Biden: I support abortion ‘under any circumstance’ - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/joe-biden-i-support-abortion-under-any-circumstance
Catholic priest denies Joe Biden Holy Communion for pro-abortion stance - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/catholic-priest-denies-joe-biden-holy-communion-for-pro-abortion-stance
Cardinal McCarrick and the Concealing of Rome’s Position on Denying Communion - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/cardinal-mccarrick-and-the-concealing-of-romes-position-on-denying-communio
**Photo Credit: Joshua Roberts / Getty Images