lifesitenews--2020-01-29--Judge lets Vimeo kill ex-gay pastor’s account for videos about leaving homosexuality

NEW YORK CITY , January 28 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — A federal court dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Christian pastor against video hosting platform Vimeo for violating his freedom of speech when it deleted his account because he hosted videos to help people overcome unwanted same-sex attraction .
Pastor James Domen is the founder of Church United , a non-profit religious organization dedicated to changing “ the moral culture of our communities in California , ” and an advocate for people seeking to overcome unwanted same-sex attraction .
He is also the married father of three children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vimeo , he discussed A.B .
2943 — a bill being considered in the California legislature , which proposes to ban so-called conversion therapy in the state .
Vimeo sent a message to Domen in November 2018 claiming that several of his videos violated company policy .
The video hosting website claimed : “ Vimeo does not allow videos that promote Sexual Orientation Change Efforts ( SOCE ) .
” The website gave Domen 24 hours to remove the offending content or face sanctions .
When Domen did not remove the videos , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that harass , incite hatred , or include discriminatory or defamatory speech.
” In June 2019 , Domen filed a lawsuit , claiming that Vimeo had violated his freedom of speech by removing his account .
However , a magistrate in a New York federal court dismissed the complaint on January 14 .
According to Domen ’ s complaint , “ Vimeo did not provide Plaintiffs with an explanation for the distinction between Church United ’ s videos relating to sexual orientation , testimonials , events relating to sexual orientation , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and sexual orientation.
” Moreover , the complaint asserted that “ the violation of Vimeo guidelines was merely a pretext to justify restricting and censoring Church United and James Domen ’ s videos.
” Of the 89 videos Domen had uploaded to Vimeo , about five of them dealt with changing sexual orientation .
Domen had posted on Vimeo ’ s for-pay premium version .
YouTube , the world ’ s dominant video platform , does permit videos that include so-called gay conversion content .
According to the complaint filed with the court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as inappropriate featured Domen explaining his life story and his turn from a homosexual lifestyle , conversion to Christianity , and subsequent years as a father and married man and Christian pastor .
A second flagged video promoted the Freedom March Los Angeles , which is an event that brings together individuals who identify as former homosexuals , as does Domen .
Yet another video featured an interview with Luis Ruiz , a survivor of the 2018 terrorist attack on the gay Pulse Nightclub in Florida .
Ruiz is now a Christian and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deletion of Domen ’ s videos for violating Vimeo ’ s terms of service , Domen ’ s attorney , Robert Tyler , argued , “ That ’ s like telling Rosa Parks to find another bus.
” Parks was a famed civil rights advocate who faced jail in Alabama after she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger in 1955 in accordance with the state ’ s racist laws .
Tyler argued that there are numerous videos on Vimeo dealing with sexual orientation and that Domen ’ s videos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a former homosexual .
In his filing in the California court where the lawsuit originated , Domen ’ s attorney asserted : Vimeo argued in court that Domen wanted to force the company to “ publish , host , and stream videos containing ideological messages with which Vimeo disagrees.
” Vimeo is based in New York City and claims to host video content by more than 90 million members in 150 countries .
Tyler said in an interview with LifeSiteNews that Vimeo offers videos by others that recount the shift of some people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one .
Also , Vimeo hosts videos featuring nudity but ostensibly bans pornography , according to its policy on “ Acceptable Use.
” Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron of the Southern District Court of New York dismissed the case on January 14 on the basis of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act ( CDA ) of 1996 , claiming that Domen ’ s “ allegations can not plausibly establish a lack of good faith on the part of Vimeo since the purpose of Section 230 was to insulate interactive computer services from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not other content [ . ]
...
There simply are no substantive allegations to support the notion that Vimeo somehow was targeting Domen because he is a ‘ former homosexual , ’ as Plaintiffs posit.
” During his deliberations , Judge Aaron wondered whether the deletion of content was actually considered by Congress when it drafted the CDA , which gives immunity from liability to platforms such as Vimeo .
An attorney for Vimeo affirmed that the company actively makes editorial decisions , thus making it an “ active publisher ” rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Domen ’ s attorneys .
The Vimeo attorney argued that constitutional free speech provisions and Section 230 of the CDA protected the company ’ s rights to restrict the content users may upload to the platform .
Vimeo ’ s attorney argued earlier that a reinterpretation of the CDA as not providing immunity from liabilities arising from deletion and exclusion would counter more than 20 years of precedents .
In a written statement to LifeSiteNews , Tyler declared : “ The court ’ s interpretation of the Communications Decency Act is too broad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platform to discriminate for unconscionable reasons.
” If the New York federal court ’ s opinion is sustained , he fears that ethnic minorities and members of legally protected classes will not be able to sue social media platforms despite evidence that an account cancellation came about because of the individual ’ s membership in the protected class .
Tyler does not believe that this was Congress ’ s intent .
.
In the interview with LifeSiteNews , Tyler said he will appeal the decision within the next few months , and did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far as the Supreme Court .
During the interview , Tyler recalled that advocates of same-sex “ marriage ” have contended in the past that sexual identity can change over a lifetime and is a reason why such unions should be permitted .
Tyler told LifeSiteNews that , in arguments before a federal court about California ’ s Proposition 8 , which had enshrined the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman , expert advocates for gay “ marriage ” said sexual orientation can change in two directions and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or homosexual , but others change along a “ spectrum ” of preferences .
“ Their experts said that in the same-sex marriage trial , but for some reason at this point in time , ” Tyler said , “ the last thing they want is to allow anyone to speak up about the ability for some to make a choice whether or not their desires change 100 % .
They want to eliminate choice altogether.
” Laws in U.S. and Europe target ex-gay people In 2018 , Utah joined 18 other states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have also banned the practice .
In Europe , currently , the U.K. , Malta , and some jurisdictions in Spain have banned the practice for children and adults .
Doug Mainwaring of LifeSiteNews reported on a rally held in October by Domen and other former homosexuals , who called on the U.S. Congress not to endorse the so-called “ Equality Act ” and “ Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act ” that would prevent others from seeking to escape LGBT lives .
Domen told LifeSiteNews at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ targeted by city , state and the federal governments here in the United States.
” Around the United States and Europe , laws are not only being proposed , but being enforced against those offering help to persons struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria — which are often the result of childhood trauma such as sexual or emotional abuse , depression , and family dysfunction .
Spanish life coach Elena Lorenzo , for example , is appealing for help while facing thousands of euros in fines because she offered counseling to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In April 2019 , Spanish authorities levied a fine of more than $ 20,000 on her for allegedly promoting `` homosexuality healing therapies , '' which are outlawed by the metropolitan government of Madrid .
Lorenzo told LifeSiteNews she has merely accompanied and helped people who have approached her of their own free will with the express desire of leaving same-sex attraction behind .
Claiming she is the subject of political persecution , Lorenzo said the fine she faces is “ a very serious warning to those of us who think differently.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ regime of “ fear and silence ” in Spain that may target Christian ministers seeking to counsel their congregations .
Lorenzo is not the only person facing official sanctions for giving aid to persons struggling with same-sex attraction in Europe .
Bishop Juan Antonio Reig Pla of Alcala de Henares , a suburb of Madrid , is facing a government investigation after a journalist , who posed as a person sincerely seeking to abandon homosexuality , in turn published a report that LGBT advocates seized upon as evidence of so-called conversion therapy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ he is prepared for “ martyrdom ” to defend the Church ’ s mission to aid sinners and denounce sin .
In the U.K. , psychologist Mike Davidson , a former homosexual , lost his professional license because of his work to counsel persons seeking to abandon the homosexual lifestyle .
His advocacy group was ordered to pay the equivalent of $ 155,000 in legal costs following a lawsuit against London ’ s transport authority .
Core Issues , a nonprofit Christian charity , sued the government after then–London mayor Boris Johnson ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the group ’ s message countering the LGBT agenda be banned .

Pastor James Domen claims that Vimeo has violated his right to free speech and plans to appeal the court's decision against him.
NEW YORK CITY, January 28, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A federal court dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Christian pastor against video hosting platform Vimeo for violating his freedom of speech when it deleted his account because he hosted videos to help people overcome unwanted same-sex attraction.
Pastor James Domen is the founder of Church United, a non-profit religious organization dedicated to changing “the moral culture of our communities in California,” and an advocate for people seeking to overcome unwanted same-sex attraction. He is also the married father of three children.
In several videos Domen posted on Vimeo, he discussed A.B. 2943 — a bill being considered in the California legislature, which proposes to ban so-called conversion therapy in the state.
Vimeo sent a message to Domen in November 2018 claiming that several of his videos violated company policy.
The video hosting website claimed: “Vimeo does not allow videos that promote Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE).” The website gave Domen 24 hours to remove the offending content or face sanctions. When Domen did not remove the videos, Vimeo shuttered his account for “videos that harass, incite hatred, or include discriminatory or defamatory speech.”
In June 2019, Domen filed a lawsuit, claiming that Vimeo had violated his freedom of speech by removing his account. However, a magistrate in a New York federal court dismissed the complaint on January 14.
According to Domen’s complaint, “Vimeo did not provide Plaintiffs with an explanation for the distinction between Church United’s videos relating to sexual orientation, testimonials, events relating to sexual orientation, and the thousands of similar videos related to LGBTQ and sexual orientation.”
Moreover, the complaint asserted that “the violation of Vimeo guidelines was merely a pretext to justify restricting and censoring Church United and James Domen’s videos.” Of the 89 videos Domen had uploaded to Vimeo, about five of them dealt with changing sexual orientation. Domen had posted on Vimeo’s for-pay premium version. YouTube, the world’s dominant video platform, does permit videos that include so-called gay conversion content.
According to the complaint filed with the court, the first video flagged by Vimeo as inappropriate featured Domen explaining his life story and his turn from a homosexual lifestyle, conversion to Christianity, and subsequent years as a father and married man and Christian pastor. A second flagged video promoted the Freedom March Los Angeles, which is an event that brings together individuals who identify as former homosexuals, as does Domen. Yet another video featured an interview with Luis Ruiz, a survivor of the 2018 terrorist attack on the gay Pulse Nightclub in Florida. Ruiz is now a Christian and former homosexual.
In response to the deletion of Domen’s videos for violating Vimeo’s terms of service, Domen’s attorney, Robert Tyler, argued, “That’s like telling Rosa Parks to find another bus.” Parks was a famed civil rights advocate who faced jail in Alabama after she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger in 1955 in accordance with the state’s racist laws. Tyler argued that there are numerous videos on Vimeo dealing with sexual orientation and that Domen’s videos were banned solely because he identifies as a former homosexual.
In his filing in the California court where the lawsuit originated, Domen’s attorney asserted:
Plaintiffs are further informed, believe, and thereupon allege that Vimeo deleted Church United’s account because of Vimeo’s subjective belief that one may not change their sexual orientation. Specifically, Vimeo’s acts were premised on their discriminatory belief that James Domen preferred identification as a former homosexual is harmful, fraudulent, and culturally inacceptable. Plaintiffs are informed, believe, and thereupon allege that Vimeo has restricted Church United’s videos discussing sexual orientation while refusing to censor similar content discussing sexual orientation.
Vimeo argued in court that Domen wanted to force the company to “publish, host, and stream videos containing ideological messages with which Vimeo disagrees.”
Vimeo is based in New York City and claims to host video content by more than 90 million members in 150 countries. Tyler said in an interview with LifeSiteNews that Vimeo offers videos by others that recount the shift of some people from a heterosexual life to a homosexual one. Also, Vimeo hosts videos featuring nudity but ostensibly bans pornography, according to its policy on “Acceptable Use.”
Magistrate Judge Stewart D. Aaron of the Southern District Court of New York dismissed the case on January 14 on the basis of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) of 1996, claiming that Domen’s “allegations cannot plausibly establish a lack of good faith on the part of Vimeo since the purpose of Section 230 was to insulate interactive computer services from liability for removing some content, but not other content[.] … There simply are no substantive allegations to support the notion that Vimeo somehow was targeting Domen because he is a ‘former homosexual,’ as Plaintiffs posit.”
During his deliberations, Judge Aaron wondered whether the deletion of content was actually considered by Congress when it drafted the CDA, which gives immunity from liability to platforms such as Vimeo. An attorney for Vimeo affirmed that the company actively makes editorial decisions, thus making it an “active publisher” rather than a “passive conduit” described by Domen’s attorneys. The Vimeo attorney argued that constitutional free speech provisions and Section 230 of the CDA protected the company’s rights to restrict the content users may upload to the platform. Vimeo’s attorney argued earlier that a reinterpretation of the CDA as not providing immunity from liabilities arising from deletion and exclusion would counter more than 20 years of precedents.
In a written statement to LifeSiteNews, Tyler declared: “The court’s interpretation of the Communications Decency Act is too broad because it effectively allows a social media platform to discriminate for unconscionable reasons.” If the New York federal court’s opinion is sustained, he fears that ethnic minorities and members of legally protected classes will not be able to sue social media platforms despite evidence that an account cancellation came about because of the individual’s membership in the protected class. Tyler does not believe that this was Congress’s intent. .
In the interview with LifeSiteNews, Tyler said he will appeal the decision within the next few months, and did not dismiss the possibility of going as far as the Supreme Court.
During the interview, Tyler recalled that advocates of same-sex “marriage” have contended in the past that sexual identity can change over a lifetime and is a reason why such unions should be permitted. Tyler told LifeSiteNews that, in arguments before a federal court about California’s Proposition 8, which had enshrined the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman, expert advocates for gay “marriage” said sexual orientation can change in two directions and that some individuals may always remain either heterosexual or homosexual, but others change along a “spectrum” of preferences. “Their experts said that in the same-sex marriage trial, but for some reason at this point in time,” Tyler said, “the last thing they want is to allow anyone to speak up about the ability for some to make a choice whether or not their desires change 100%. They want to eliminate choice altogether.”
Laws in U.S. and Europe target ex-gay people
In 2018, Utah joined 18 other states in banning the therapy for children, while the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have also banned the practice. In Europe, currently, the U.K., Malta, and some jurisdictions in Spain have banned the practice for children and adults.
Doug Mainwaring of LifeSiteNews reported on a rally held in October by Domen and other former homosexuals, who called on the U.S. Congress not to endorse the so-called “Equality Act” and “Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act” that would prevent others from seeking to escape LGBT lives. Domen told LifeSiteNews at the time, “We are being targeted by city, state and the federal governments here in the United States.”
Around the United States and Europe, laws are not only being proposed, but being enforced against those offering help to persons struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria — which are often the result of childhood trauma such as sexual or emotional abuse, depression, and family dysfunction.
Spanish life coach Elena Lorenzo, for example, is appealing for help while facing thousands of euros in fines because she offered counseling to people seeking to conquer unwanted same-sex attraction. In April 2019, Spanish authorities levied a fine of more than $20,000 on her for allegedly promoting “homosexuality healing therapies,” which are outlawed by the metropolitan government of Madrid. Lorenzo told LifeSiteNews she has merely accompanied and helped people who have approached her of their own free will with the express desire of leaving same-sex attraction behind. Claiming she is the subject of political persecution, Lorenzo said the fine she faces is “a very serious warning to those of us who think differently.” She fears that it heralds a regime of “fear and silence” in Spain that may target Christian ministers seeking to counsel their congregations.
Lorenzo is not the only person facing official sanctions for giving aid to persons struggling with same-sex attraction in Europe. Bishop Juan Antonio Reig Pla of Alcala de Henares, a suburb of Madrid, is facing a government investigation after a journalist, who posed as a person sincerely seeking to abandon homosexuality, in turn published a report that LGBT advocates seized upon as evidence of so-called conversion therapy. Bishop Reig Pla has since insisted that he is prepared for “martyrdom” to defend the Church’s mission to aid sinners and denounce sin.
In the U.K., psychologist Mike Davidson, a former homosexual, lost his professional license because of his work to counsel persons seeking to abandon the homosexual lifestyle. His advocacy group was ordered to pay the equivalent of $155,000 in legal costs following a lawsuit against London’s transport authority. Core Issues, a nonprofit Christian charity, sued the government after then–London mayor Boris Johnson (the current prime minister) ordered that the group’s message countering the LGBT agenda be banned.
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lifesitenews--2020-01-29--Bishop Barron’s call for hierarchy to police Catholic media is a recipe for disaster

January 28 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — In 2018 , during what became known as “ the Summer of Shame , ” the world was rocked by an unprecedented scandal — a scandal that avalanched down from the highest reaches of authority in the Catholic Church .
And now , less than two years later , one of America ’ s most prominent bishops is calling for the hierarchy to begin policing Catholic laypeople ’ s social media platforms .
Here are Bishop Robert Barron ’ s own words , published in the National Catholic Register last week : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should consider exercising their authority in the digital sphere “ just as John Paul II , in Ex Corde Ecclesiae , called for the bishops to exercise greater supervision of universities operating under the aegis of the Church.
” “ There are , to be blunt , a disconcerting number of such people on social media who are trading in hateful , divisive speech , often deeply at odds with the theology of the Church and who are , sadly , having a powerful impact on the people of God , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the shepherds of the Church , those entrusted with supervising the teaching office , can and should point out when people on social media are harming the Body of Christ.
” Bishop Barron suggested that it may be time for bishops “ to introduce something like a mandatum for those who claim to teach the Catholic faith online , whereby a bishop affirms that the person is teaching within the full communion of the Church.
” You read that right .
Barron wants the Church to institute a formal mandatum process to label @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That way , Catholics can know whom to trust .
Barron ’ s pathetic suggestion would be just plain comical if not for the dead-serious facts surrounding it .
It ’ s as though Barron wants us to forget the horrors that our leaders inflicted on our most vulnerable brothers and sisters in recent years — terrible crimes against the Body of Christ , and against our own children .
It was mere months ago that we learned our leaders had pulled a deliberate and cynical con job after the Catholic sex @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delivered two decades ’ worth more of our children up to homosexual abuse .
They had allowed the very worst actors among themselves , such as the rapist Cardinal Theodore McCarrick , to grab greater and greater positions of power over vulnerable boys and young men — to say nothing of the profound influence such clergymen had over who could and could not become a bishop or cardinal during those disastrous years .
As if that weren ’ t enough , many of our leaders are apparently too shameless to have learned the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In fact , judging from Barron ’ s bizarre proposal , the heart of the scandal — the callous arrogance of bishops — has not gone away at all .
And whom exactly does Barron want the bishops to shame and discredit through his proposed mandatum ?
He didn ’ t have the courage to name any names .
But here are a few Catholic voices the bishops could start with : • Father James Martin : A Jesuit Vatican adviser and promoter of secularist LGBT ideology dressed up in a thin veneer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faithful Catholic laypeople “ alt-right ” and sics the anti-Catholic far-Left on Catholic social media accounts that question him .
• Austen Ivereigh : This official papal biographer is prolific on Twitter , where he hurls condemnations and insults at Catholic whistleblowers who uncover corruption in the Church .
• Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo : This highly placed cleric has publicly claimed that the Chinese Communist Party , which forcibly aborts children and currently holds millions of religious minorities in concentration camps , is “ best implementing the social doctrine of the Church.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort to justify and maintain a deal with China that gave the atheist regime more power over the Chinese Catholics it persecutes — a deal negotiated by none other than the disgraced Cardinal McCarrick .
• Father Thomas Rosica : This Vatican Press Office veteran and serial plagiarist has worked to undermine the pro-life movement .
Incidentally , Rosica once drew up a list of “ approved ” Catholic media sources himself and presented it for the consideration of the U.S. bishops .
Apparently the idea stuck with Barron !
These are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ censured .
Rather , these are the voices of the status quo — representative of the class of men whom Barron would like to empower more .
While the blame lies squarely with establishment hierarchs , the ripple effects of their mismanagement have done untold damage to the work and witness of Catholic lay apostolates as it is : Catholic pro-life organizations like my own were left to defend America ’ s unborn children under the shadow of faith leaders who refused to defend our children even after birth .
Barron claims to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ divisive ” voices online .
But if there ’ s anything I ’ ve learned from a lifetime of work in the pro-life movement , it ’ s that it ’ s Barron ’ s style of “ unity ” that does the most damage .
In fact , his plan to maintain unity in the Church reads to me like a thinly disguised plan to do the opposite in every meaningful sense .
As I wrote elsewhere , some “ imagine that we would be more successful if the pro-life movement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one centrally managed plan ” : … A fragile system is one that only works under a narrow set of conditions , which random and unpredictable events can easily shatter .
Any centrally planned economy or monolithic political movement is fragile [ . ]
... [ F ] ragility ’ s real opposite is antifragility , the power to actually benefit , learn from , and grow even stronger as a result of setbacks and reversals .
...
Working differently , even separately , is not the same as working at cross-purposes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ gratitude , and in mutual respect — but the false idea that we need unity in strategy , tactics and institutions leads to most of the ill-will and infighting in pro-life circles [ . ]
...
The pro-life initiatives that have had the greatest impact in recent years were not the fruit of committee meetings at long-standing , well-funded pro-life organizations , but entrepreneurial initiatives that seemed to come out of nowhere .
If Barron set out to deliberately undermine and even destroy Catholic witness in America , he couldn ’ t do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as what he has proposed .

Barron’s pathetic suggestion would be just plain comical if not for the dead-serious facts surrounding it.
January 28, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — In 2018, during what became known as “the Summer of Shame,” the world was rocked by an unprecedented scandal — a scandal that avalanched down from the highest reaches of authority in the Catholic Church.
And now, less than two years later, one of America’s most prominent bishops is calling for the hierarchy to begin policing Catholic laypeople’s social media platforms.
Here are Bishop Robert Barron’s own words, published in the National Catholic Register last week:
Bishop Barron said he believes the bishops should consider exercising their authority in the digital sphere “just as John Paul II, in Ex Corde Ecclesiae, called for the bishops to exercise greater supervision of universities operating under the aegis of the Church.” “There are, to be blunt, a disconcerting number of such people on social media who are trading in hateful, divisive speech, often deeply at odds with the theology of the Church and who are, sadly, having a powerful impact on the people of God,” he said. “I do think that the shepherds of the Church, those entrusted with supervising the teaching office, can and should point out when people on social media are harming the Body of Christ.” Bishop Barron suggested that it may be time for bishops “to introduce something like a mandatum for those who claim to teach the Catholic faith online, whereby a bishop affirms that the person is teaching within the full communion of the Church.”
Barron Insults Our Children
You read that right. Barron wants the Church to institute a formal mandatum process to label which Catholic social media users are bishop-approved. That way, Catholics can know whom to trust.
Barron’s pathetic suggestion would be just plain comical if not for the dead-serious facts surrounding it. It’s as though Barron wants us to forget the horrors that our leaders inflicted on our most vulnerable brothers and sisters in recent years — terrible crimes against the Body of Christ, and against our own children.
It was mere months ago that we learned our leaders had pulled a deliberate and cynical con job after the Catholic sex abuse scandal of the early 2000s and delivered two decades’ worth more of our children up to homosexual abuse.
They had allowed the very worst actors among themselves, such as the rapist Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, to grab greater and greater positions of power over vulnerable boys and young men — to say nothing of the profound influence such clergymen had over who could and could not become a bishop or cardinal during those disastrous years.
As if that weren’t enough, many of our leaders are apparently too shameless to have learned the lessons of the Summer of Shame. In fact, judging from Barron’s bizarre proposal, the heart of the scandal — the callous arrogance of bishops — has not gone away at all.
The Powerful Men Barron Carefully Leaves Unscathed
And whom exactly does Barron want the bishops to shame and discredit through his proposed mandatum? He didn’t have the courage to name any names. But here are a few Catholic voices the bishops could start with:
Father James Martin: A Jesuit Vatican adviser and promoter of secularist LGBT ideology dressed up in a thin veneer of Catholic-ese, Fr. Martin labels faithful Catholic laypeople “alt-right” and sics the anti-Catholic far-Left on Catholic social media accounts that question him.
Austen Ivereigh: This official papal biographer is prolific on Twitter, where he hurls condemnations and insults at Catholic whistleblowers who uncover corruption in the Church.
Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo: This highly placed cleric has publicly claimed that the Chinese Communist Party, which forcibly aborts children and currently holds millions of religious minorities in concentration camps, is “best implementing the social doctrine of the Church.” Sorondo made this claim in an effort to justify and maintain a deal with China that gave the atheist regime more power over the Chinese Catholics it persecutes — a deal negotiated by none other than the disgraced Cardinal McCarrick.
Father Thomas Rosica: This Vatican Press Office veteran and serial plagiarist has worked to undermine the pro-life movement. Incidentally, Rosica once drew up a list of “approved” Catholic media sources himself and presented it for the consideration of the U.S. bishops. Apparently the idea stuck with Barron!
These are not the voices Barron would like to see censured. Rather, these are the voices of the status quo — representative of the class of men whom Barron would like to empower more.
While the blame lies squarely with establishment hierarchs, the ripple effects of their mismanagement have done untold damage to the work and witness of Catholic lay apostolates as it is: Catholic pro-life organizations like my own were left to defend America’s unborn children under the shadow of faith leaders who refused to defend our children even after birth.
Barron claims to be defending the Body of Christ against “divisive” voices online. But if there’s anything I’ve learned from a lifetime of work in the pro-life movement, it’s that it’s Barron’s style of “unity” that does the most damage.
In fact, his plan to maintain unity in the Church reads to me like a thinly disguised plan to do the opposite in every meaningful sense.
As I wrote elsewhere, some “imagine that we would be more successful if the pro-life movement were only more cohesive, obedient to one centrally managed plan”:
… A fragile system is one that only works under a narrow set of conditions, which random and unpredictable events can easily shatter. Any centrally planned economy or monolithic political movement is fragile[.] … [F]ragility’s real opposite is antifragility, the power to actually benefit, learn from, and grow even stronger as a result of setbacks and reversals. … Working differently, even separately, is not the same as working at cross-purposes. We need unity in charity, in gratitude, and in mutual respect — but the false idea that we need unity in strategy, tactics and institutions leads to most of the ill-will and infighting in pro-life circles[.] … The pro-life initiatives that have had the greatest impact in recent years were not the fruit of committee meetings at long-standing, well-funded pro-life organizations, but entrepreneurial initiatives that seemed to come out of nowhere.
If Barron set out to deliberately undermine and even destroy Catholic witness in America, he couldn’t do much better then with such a plan as what he has proposed.
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lifesitenews--2020-01-29--Australian politician calls conservative protesters ‘ratbags,’ refuses to apologize

BRISBANE , Austraila , January 28 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – An Australian politician who repeatedly described young people protesting against a drag queen story time event in Brisbane as “ ratbags ” failed to apologize for his post despite the 21-year-old leader of the group committing suicide within 24 hours of the event and the subsequent online backlash .
Wilson Gavin , who led the protest , was found dead less than 24 hours later after a video of the protest went viral online .
MP Trevor Evans posted on Facebook shortly after a video of the protest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Today in Brisbane some ratbags held a protest about Drag Queen Story Time events that are held in Brisbane libraries .
Some disinformation is getting around , so here ’ s the facts : The ratbags are not members of the LNP but they claimed to be .
The only LNP connection is that it is an LNP administration in Brisbane City Hall which has been running the Drag Queen Story Time events !
Last year the LNP resolved to take legal action to stop these ratbags from claiming to be affiliated with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When I was elected in 2016 , it was the first time Queensland had an openly gay MP .
At the recent election , I was joined by another -- Angie Bell MP , the LNP member for Moncrieff .
I ’ m sure I speak for Angie too when I say that I strongly support the LNP administration in Brisbane City Council for holding these events celebrating Brisbane ’ s diverse community .
The ratbags who protested the event wouldn ’ t know liberal values if they fell over them .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ most striking example of the online abuse that the protesters received based on his position and repeated use of the term “ ratbags . ''
LifeSite contacted Evans to ask if he will apologize for his post but had received no reply .
In the two weeks since the events , the post has attracted more than 5,000 comments , with almost 800 people either “ liking ” or “ loving ” the post .
Evans has neither removed , updated or issued an apology for the post .
Among one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the two drag queens who led the story time event for children in Brisbane Square Library .
He said he was “ truly grateful ” to Evans for his post .
The online abuse received by the protesters has been highlighted by the mainstream Australian media .
One Australian politician quit Twitter in protest at the abuse targeted at the young pro-family activists .
Among the messages aimed at the young protesters in what has been described as a “ storm of online abuse ” was one post on Twitter that read @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is something about Young Liberals that makes me feel ‘ stabby ’ .
The ugly entitled homophobia & misogyny are def a part of it , but it ’ s those blue button-down shirts & red puffy cheeks that really grind my gears.
” Another tweet read , “ I ’ ve never seen a set of more openly hittable faces .
How do I get to meet Wilson Gavin ?
He needs some proper schooling.
” LifeSite contacted the Queensland Police and was informed there is no investigation taking place into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other protesters , or into any abusive messages that Wilson may have received .
Bernard Gaynor , a Catholic and conservative social commentator based in Brisbane , has used Twitter to question the failure of Queensland Police to investigate the online abuse Wilson received before his death .
He wrote : “ Wilson Gavin 's death followed a torrent of abusive trolling .
Are the @ QldPolice investigating any offence relating to use of a carriage service to menace , harass or offend .
There have been no statements .
This is concerning.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ been same-sex attracted and chaste , making his unpopular stand against same-sex “ marriage ” and transgenderism all the more admirable because of the backlash he endured .
In 2017 , while giving an interview as part of the “ Vote No ” campaign in the leadup to Australia ’ s referendum on whether or not to redefine marriage , Wilson commented on the abuse he received as a conservative activist , saying , “ As a conservative , you are just subjected to an unending barrage of vitriol and hatred and of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an Australian conservative Christian social commentator who interviewed Wilson in 2017 , has pointed out that sadly , even after Wilson ’ s death , some people on social media continued to attack him .
One Twitter user wrote , “ It is a shame for him rather than embrace the LGBTQI community , to better understand himself , he chose to go to war on it .
His last act , one of hate , will be what he will be remembered for.
” Another Twitter user wrote : “ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homophobia can be so tiresome .
Poor Wilson Gavin .
He lost his battle today against all that self hatred & self loathing.
” In response to a Sky News Australia report on Wilson ’ s death , once Facebook user commented : “ It ’ s pretty rare for a conservative to feel shame .
I hope he reconnected with his soul.
” Another Facebook user wrote : “ It ’ s fantastic news that he finally worked out who he really hates and took serious action by killing himself.
” On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one user wrote “ clearly died of shame ” after the news of his death emerged .
Wilson ’ s funeral took place on Monday .
His friends describe him as “ a hero , a leader and the greatest of friends.
” Pro-family campaigners in Brisbane are continuing to protest the drag queen story time events in public libraries and are collecting signatures through an online petition .

One of the 'ratbags' was a 21-year-old who committed suicide within a day after protesting a library's drag queen story time.
BRISBANE, Austraila, January 28, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – An Australian politician who repeatedly described young people protesting against a drag queen story time event in Brisbane as “ratbags” failed to apologize for his post despite the 21-year-old leader of the group committing suicide within 24 hours of the event and the subsequent online backlash.
Wilson Gavin, who led the protest, was found dead less than 24 hours later after a video of the protest went viral online.
MP Trevor Evans posted on Facebook shortly after a video of the protest went viral online. He wrote:
Today in Brisbane some ratbags held a protest about Drag Queen Story Time events that are held in Brisbane libraries. Some disinformation is getting around, so here’s the facts: The ratbags are not members of the LNP but they claimed to be. The only LNP connection is that it is an LNP administration in Brisbane City Hall which has been running the Drag Queen Story Time events! Last year the LNP resolved to take legal action to stop these ratbags from claiming to be affiliated with the LNP after some other silly stunts. When I was elected in 2016, it was the first time Queensland had an openly gay MP. At the recent election, I was joined by another — Angie Bell MP, the LNP member for Moncrieff. I’m sure I speak for Angie too when I say that I strongly support the LNP administration in Brisbane City Council for holding these events celebrating Brisbane’s diverse community. The ratbags who protested the event wouldn’t know liberal values if they fell over them.
The post by Evans was perhaps the most striking example of the online abuse that the protesters received based on his position and repeated use of the term “ratbags.”
LifeSite contacted Evans to ask if he will apologize for his post but had received no reply.
In the two weeks since the events, the post has attracted more than 5,000 comments, with almost 800 people either “liking” or “loving” the post. Evans has neither removed, updated or issued an apology for the post.
Among one of the first commenters on the post was one of the two drag queens who led the story time event for children in Brisbane Square Library. He said he was “truly grateful” to Evans for his post.
The online abuse received by the protesters has been highlighted by the mainstream Australian media. One Australian politician quit Twitter in protest at the abuse targeted at the young pro-family activists.
George Christensen says he's quitting Twitter, saying it's “broken” pic.twitter.com/XjU3LQWLb9 — Josh Butler (@JoshButler) January 13, 2020
Among the messages aimed at the young protesters in what has been described as a “storm of online abuse” was one post on Twitter that read: “I generally abhor violence but there is something about Young Liberals that makes me feel ‘stabby’. The ugly entitled homophobia & misogyny are def a part of it, but it’s those blue button-down shirts & red puffy cheeks that really grind my gears.” Another tweet read, “I’ve never seen a set of more openly hittable faces. How do I get to meet Wilson Gavin? He needs some proper schooling.”
LifeSite contacted the Queensland Police and was informed there is no investigation taking place into the online abuse of Wilson and the other protesters, or into any abusive messages that Wilson may have received.
Bernard Gaynor, a Catholic and conservative social commentator based in Brisbane, has used Twitter to question the failure of Queensland Police to investigate the online abuse Wilson received before his death. He wrote: “Wilson Gavin's death followed a torrent of abusive trolling. Are the @QldPolice investigating any offence relating to use of a carriage service to menace, harass or offend. There have been no statements. This is concerning.”
Wilson Gavin's death followed a torrent of abusive trolling. Are the @QldPolice investigating any offence relating to use of a carriage service to menace, harass or offend. There have been no statements. This is concerning.@couriermail @SteveAustinABC @australian — Bernard Gaynor (@BernardGaynor) January 20, 2020
Wilson himself is reported to have been same-sex attracted and chaste, making his unpopular stand against same-sex “marriage” and transgenderism all the more admirable because of the backlash he endured. In 2017, while giving an interview as part of the “Vote No” campaign in the leadup to Australia’s referendum on whether or not to redefine marriage, Wilson commented on the abuse he received as a conservative activist, saying, “As a conservative, you are just subjected to an unending barrage of vitriol and hatred and of the nastiest comments imaginable.”
Dave Pellowe, an Australian conservative Christian social commentator who interviewed Wilson in 2017, has pointed out that sadly, even after Wilson’s death, some people on social media continued to attack him.
One Twitter user wrote, “It is a shame for him rather than embrace the LGBTQI community, to better understand himself, he chose to go to war on it. His last act, one of hate, will be what he will be remembered for.”
Another Twitter user wrote: “The mental gymnastics required everyday to overcome internalised homophobia can be so tiresome. Poor Wilson Gavin. He lost his battle today against all that self hatred & self loathing.”
In response to a Sky News Australia report on Wilson’s death, once Facebook user commented: “It’s pretty rare for a conservative to feel shame. I hope he reconnected with his soul.”
Another Facebook user wrote: “It’s fantastic news that he finally worked out who he really hates and took serious action by killing himself.”
On WIlson’s own Facebook page, one user wrote “clearly died of shame” after the news of his death emerged.
Wilson’s funeral took place on Monday. His friends describe him as “a hero, a leader and the greatest of friends.”
Pro-family campaigners in Brisbane are continuing to protest the drag queen story time events in public libraries and are collecting signatures through an online petition.
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lifesitenews--2020-01-28--Viral video compares ‘March for Life’ to ‘Women’s March,’ finds stunningly opposite worldviews

WASHINGTON , D.C. , January 28 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) ― A viral video comparing Friday ’ s March for Life to the pro-abortion Women ’ s March stresses their completely different worldviews .
In the video , with more than 74,000 views at publication time , a spokesman for TFP ( Tradition , Family , and Property ) Student Action notes that the two marches held in Washington , D.C. this month “ reveals a clash of two Americas.
” “ With vulgar , obscene , and even blasphemous displays , the Women ’ s March yells for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tribal anarchy , ” he continues .
The narrator observes that the Women ’ s March is “ shrinking in numbers ” while the March for Life is “ bubbling with vitality , purpose , and hope.
” One crucial difference between the groups is their grasp of what “ the preeminent issue of our time ” is .
March for Life participants interviewed are unanimous in that it is abortion and respect for human life .
Women ’ s March participants say “ rights , ” “ freedom for all , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change , ” and “ lack of representation.
” Another difference lies in whom each group takes as a model of womanly heroism .
Asked to name the greatest women in history , participants in the Women ’ s March mention ailing Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi , failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton , and even a non-woman , drag queen Marsha P. Johnson .
Participants in the March for Life overwhelmingly name the Blessed Virgin Mary as the greatest woman in history .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s March attacked the Virgin Mary , ” the narrator reveals , showing an irate woman shouting remarks about “ Mary ” at a pro-lifer with a bullhorn .
She appears to be screaming “ Mary was raped ” at least some of the time .
A question about patriarchy led to enthusiastic responses from participants in the Women ’ s March but reluctance from two women in the March for Life to see it as a problem or even a reality .
“ I don ’ t believe that there is this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all men across the world to oppress women , ” says a young lady .
“ I certainly don ’ t feel oppressed in my daily life.
” A question about President Donald Trump and his commitment to life also led to markedly different answers .
Pro-life marchers stated that Trump is the “ most pro-life president in history ” whereas the Women ’ s March participants interviewed for the TFP Student Action film either denied it or said that “ since we ’ ve seen him we ’ ve actually moved back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30 years.
” Startlingly , many of the Women ’ s March participants interviewed did not think there should be any restrictions on abortion and at least two denied that there was any such thing as “ post-birth abortion.
” In contrast , a young pro-lifer was left aghast when she learned that the governor of Virginia , Ralph Northam , has proposed that the survival of aborted babies born alive be left to their parents ’ wishes .
“ Ultimately , the struggle is between those who love God and follow His @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the father of lies and the culture of death , ” the narrator concludes .

'Vulgar, obscene, and even blasphemous displays' stand in stark contrast to respectful defenders of human life.
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 28, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) ― A viral video comparing Friday’s March for Life to the pro-abortion Women’s March stresses their completely different worldviews.
In the video, with more than 74,000 views at publication time, a spokesman for TFP (Tradition, Family, and Property) Student Action notes that the two marches held in Washington, D.C. this month “reveals a clash of two Americas.”
“With vulgar, obscene, and even blasphemous displays, the Women’s March yells for unrestricted abortion, climate alarmism, and tribal anarchy,” he continues.
The narrator observes that the Women’s March is “shrinking in numbers” while the March for Life is “bubbling with vitality, purpose, and hope.”
One crucial difference between the groups is their grasp of what “the preeminent issue of our time” is. March for Life participants interviewed are unanimous in that it is abortion and respect for human life. Women’s March participants say “rights,” “freedom for all,” “gun control,” “climate change,” and “lack of representation.”
Another difference lies in whom each group takes as a model of womanly heroism. Asked to name the greatest women in history, participants in the Women’s March mention ailing Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and even a non-woman, drag queen Marsha P. Johnson. Participants in the March for Life overwhelmingly name the Blessed Virgin Mary as the greatest woman in history.
“Yet this individual at the Women’s March attacked the Virgin Mary,” the narrator reveals, showing an irate woman shouting remarks about “Mary” at a pro-lifer with a bullhorn. She appears to be screaming “Mary was raped” at least some of the time.
A question about patriarchy led to enthusiastic responses from participants in the Women’s March but reluctance from two women in the March for Life to see it as a problem or even a reality.
“I don’t believe that there is this invisible patriarchy that has been organized by all men across the world to oppress women,” says a young lady.
“I certainly don’t feel oppressed in my daily life.”
A question about President Donald Trump and his commitment to life also led to markedly different answers. Pro-life marchers stated that Trump is the “most pro-life president in history” whereas the Women’s March participants interviewed for the TFP Student Action film either denied it or said that “since we’ve seen him we’ve actually moved back in women’s rights by probably 30 years.”
Startlingly, many of the Women’s March participants interviewed did not think there should be any restrictions on abortion and at least two denied that there was any such thing as “post-birth abortion.” In contrast, a young pro-lifer was left aghast when she learned that the governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, has proposed that the survival of aborted babies born alive be left to their parents’ wishes.
“Ultimately, the struggle is between those who love God and follow His holy law, and those who love the father of lies and the culture of death,” the narrator concludes.
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lifesitenews--2020-01-28--Oklahoma gov returns the favor with travel ban on pro-abortion California

OKLAHOMA CITY , January 28 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – The City of San Francisco and the State of California have gained notoriety over the past few years for banning city employees from paid work trips to states with conservative values , and now the Oklahoma Republican Gov .
Kevin Stitt has decided to return the favor .
Stitt issued an executive order last week banning state-funded travel to California , citing the Golden State ’ s intolerance of pro-life neighbors , KFOR reported .
“ California and its elected officials over the past few years have banned travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort to politically threaten and intimidate Oklahomans for their personal values , ” Stitt declared in a statement .
“ Enough is enough .
If California ’ s elected officials don ’ t want public employees traveling to Oklahoma , I am eager to return the gesture on behalf of Oklahoma ’ s pro-life stance .
I am proud to be Governor of a state that fights for the most vulnerable among us , the unborn.
” In 2017 , California Democrat Attorney General Xavier Becerra unilaterally prohibited state-sanctioned trips to Alabama , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over their laws respecting the conscience rights of religious adoption agencies and student groups .
A year later , it added Oklahoma to that list , and as of last year the number of blacklisted “ anti-LGBT ” states was up to 10 .
The City of San Francisco , meanwhile , bars employees from work trips to 22 states in protest of their “ restrictive ” abortion laws ( with their definition of “ restrictive ” broad enough to include left-wing Massachusetts ) .
Oklahoma lawmakers have advanced numerous pro-life , pro-family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ban on dismemberment abortions , a requirement that women be informed about reversing abortion pills , and protection for religious adoption agencies ’ right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father .

'If California's elected officials don't want public employees traveling to Oklahoma, I am eager to return the gesture on behalf of Oklahoma's pro-life stance.'
OKLAHOMA CITY, January 28, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The City of San Francisco and the State of California have gained notoriety over the past few years for banning city employees from paid work trips to states with conservative values, and now the Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt has decided to return the favor.
Stitt issued an executive order last week banning state-funded travel to California, citing the Golden State’s intolerance of pro-life neighbors, KFOR reported.
“California and its elected officials over the past few years have banned travel to the State of Oklahoma in an effort to politically threaten and intimidate Oklahomans for their personal values,” Stitt declared in a statement. “Enough is enough. If California’s elected officials don’t want public employees traveling to Oklahoma, I am eager to return the gesture on behalf of Oklahoma’s pro-life stance. I am proud to be Governor of a state that fights for the most vulnerable among us, the unborn.”
In 2017, California Democrat Attorney General Xavier Becerra unilaterally prohibited state-sanctioned trips to Alabama, Kentucky, South Dakota, and Texas over their laws respecting the conscience rights of religious adoption agencies and student groups. A year later, it added Oklahoma to that list, and as of last year the number of blacklisted “anti-LGBT” states was up to 10.
The City of San Francisco, meanwhile, bars employees from work trips to 22 states in protest of their “restrictive” abortion laws (with their definition of “restrictive” broad enough to include left-wing Massachusetts).
Oklahoma lawmakers have advanced numerous pro-life, pro-family policies in recent years, including a ban on dismemberment abortions, a requirement that women be informed about reversing abortion pills, and protection for religious adoption agencies’ right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father.
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lifesitenews--2020-01-29--Court absolves French doctor who withheld Vincent Lambert’s food, water until he died

REIMS , France , January 29 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – A court has absolved a physician of any wrongdoing in the deliberate death of disabled Frenchman Vincent Lambert , who died after being denied food and water .
In Reims , a French court absolved a doctor on Tuesday in the death of Lambert , 42 , after ceasing to provide basic nutrition and hydration for his patient , who had long convalesced after a serious brain injury .
Dr. Vincent Sanchez had been sued by Lambert ’ s parents for `` failure to assist a person in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2019 , nine days after being denied food and water .
A tetraplegic , Lambert died at Reims University Hospital as a result of heart failure after his kidneys malfunctioned due to being denied the basic necessities of life .
`` It is very likely that we will appeal this decision , '' said Jean Paillot , one of the lawyers for parents Viviane and Pierre Lambert , after the hearing .
The court ruled that Dr. Sanchez had followed all of the required legal norms in denying care to the patient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sued Dr. Sanchez , saying they were not seeking revenge but charging that he had crossed a “ red line ” to bring about their son ’ s death by denying food and water .
They claimed that he had violated his medical oath .
Dr. Sanchez is the chief physician at the Reims hospital .
Vincent Lambert was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in 2008 , causing extensive brain damage .
According to media reports , he was in a persistent vegetative state .
His parents argued that , despite his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been allowed to live and receive treatment .
His wife , however , argued that Vincent would not have wanted to continue living in his condition , even though he left no living will .
She called for a halt to treatment , as well as nutrition and hydration .
In May 2019 , the European Centre for Law and Justice ( ECLJ ) urged the French government to provide relief for Lambert , arguing that he was “ neither at the end of his life nor suffering from a serious , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement went on to say that he was “ in a state of altered consciousness after a traumatic brain injury .
He is not dying and can still live for many years.
” His parents , friends and medical specialists testified , according to the ECLJ , that Lambert was able to breathe unassisted and needed no cardiac assistance .
It noted that his emotions were evident on his face , and that a video showed him weeping in the company of his mother .
The Reims court ruled that the cessation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ integrity as the patient because of the severity of his brain injury and his limited responsiveness for the last decade .
The court also claimed that his parents had `` no other reason than to oppose the Leonetti-Claeys law '' regarding the manner of his death .
The Leonetti/Claeys End of Life law went into effect in 2016 and gave certain rights to patients regarding ending their life .
It granted a right to let to die and to terminate medical care .
However , it did not legalize assisted suicide or active @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life through `` deep and continuous sedation until death , '' while those who are judged to be suffering from a serious and incurable disease can deny themselves artificial hydration and nutrition .
In cases where the terminally ill patient has lost the capacity to express his will , the law requires physicians to provide continuous deep sedation when denying life sustaining therapy .
The continuous sedation utilized by physicians consists of large doses of strong sedatives , such as midazolam , that are administered intravenously until the patient dies .
The law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' by which a competent adult can write down his wishes about continued therapy .
Lambert did not have an advance directive .
LifeSiteNews correspondent Jeanne Smits wrote extensively about Lambert ’ s case , which went all the way to the highest court in France last year and the European Court of Human Rights .
France ignored a request from the UN Committee for the Rights of Disabled Persons for additional time to examine his case .
Lambert ’ s family had fought in courts for six years to save his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in hospital , Lambert had limited visits from his parents and siblings , who were kept under strict surveillance .
Smits reported that Vincent was denied deep sedation during his final ordeal , despite the directives of the Leonetti/Claeys End-of-Life law .
In the days while he suffered hunger and thirst , Lambert cried and moaned , and also showed signs of respiratory distress .
Paillot and attorney Jérôme Triomphe declared that Lambert had been killed “ for reasons of State and by a doctor who has forsaken his Hippocratic oath.
” Calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawyers said Lambert ’ s death was a “ heinous wrongdoing ” and a “ State crime ” that had shaken the very foundations of law and civilization .

It was ruled that the physician followed the legal norms in denying the patient food and water, but an appeal of the decision is expected.
REIMS, France, January 29, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A court has absolved a physician of any wrongdoing in the deliberate death of disabled Frenchman Vincent Lambert, who died after being denied food and water.
In Reims, a French court absolved a doctor on Tuesday in the death of Lambert, 42, after ceasing to provide basic nutrition and hydration for his patient, who had long convalesced after a serious brain injury. Dr. Vincent Sanchez had been sued by Lambert’s parents for “failure to assist a person in danger.”
Lambert died July 11, 2019, nine days after being denied food and water. A tetraplegic, Lambert died at Reims University Hospital as a result of heart failure after his kidneys malfunctioned due to being denied the basic necessities of life.
“It is very likely that we will appeal this decision,” said Jean Paillot, one of the lawyers for parents Viviane and Pierre Lambert, after the hearing. The court ruled that Dr. Sanchez had followed all of the required legal norms in denying care to the patient.
In early 2019, the Lamberts sued Dr. Sanchez, saying they were not seeking revenge but charging that he had crossed a “red line” to bring about their son’s death by denying food and water. They claimed that he had violated his medical oath. Dr. Sanchez is the chief physician at the Reims hospital.
Vincent Lambert was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in 2008, causing extensive brain damage. According to media reports, he was in a persistent vegetative state. His parents argued that, despite his injuries and his condition, he should have been allowed to live and receive treatment. His wife, however, argued that Vincent would not have wanted to continue living in his condition, even though he left no living will. She called for a halt to treatment, as well as nutrition and hydration.
In May 2019, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) urged the French government to provide relief for Lambert, arguing that he was “neither at the end of his life nor suffering from a serious, incurable or a degenerative illness.” The statement went on to say that he was “in a state of altered consciousness after a traumatic brain injury. He is not dying and can still live for many years.”
His parents, friends and medical specialists testified, according to the ECLJ, that Lambert was able to breathe unassisted and needed no cardiac assistance. It noted that his emotions were evident on his face, and that a video showed him weeping in the company of his mother.
The Reims court ruled that the cessation of treatment did not affect Lambert’s integrity as the patient because of the severity of his brain injury and his limited responsiveness for the last decade. The court also claimed that his parents had “no other reason than to oppose the Leonetti-Claeys law” regarding the manner of his death.
The Leonetti/Claeys End of Life law went into effect in 2016 and gave certain rights to patients regarding ending their life. It granted a right to let to die and to terminate medical care. However, it did not legalize assisted suicide or active euthanasia. Patients can call for ending life through “deep and continuous sedation until death,” while those who are judged to be suffering from a serious and incurable disease can deny themselves artificial hydration and nutrition.
In cases where the terminally ill patient has lost the capacity to express his will, the law requires physicians to provide continuous deep sedation when denying life sustaining therapy. The continuous sedation utilized by physicians consists of large doses of strong sedatives, such as midazolam, that are administered intravenously until the patient dies. The law also provides for so-called “advance directives,” by which a competent adult can write down his wishes about continued therapy. Lambert did not have an advance directive.
LifeSiteNews correspondent Jeanne Smits wrote extensively about Lambert’s case, which went all the way to the highest court in France last year and the European Court of Human Rights. France ignored a request from the UN Committee for the Rights of Disabled Persons for additional time to examine his case.
Lambert’s family had fought in courts for six years to save his life. Kept under lock and key in hospital, Lambert had limited visits from his parents and siblings, who were kept under strict surveillance. Smits reported that Vincent was denied deep sedation during his final ordeal, despite the directives of the Leonetti/Claeys End-of-Life law. In the days while he suffered hunger and thirst, Lambert cried and moaned, and also showed signs of respiratory distress.
Paillot and attorney Jérôme Triomphe declared that Lambert had been killed “for reasons of State and by a doctor who has forsaken his Hippocratic oath.” Calling for respect for human life, the lawyers said Lambert’s death was a “heinous wrongdoing” and a “State crime” that had shaken the very foundations of law and civilization.
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lifesitenews--2020-01-29--Human Coalition leader explains how they’ve rescued 14,500 babies from abortion

Brian Fischer of Human Coalition talks with Jonathon Van Maren on today ’ s episode of The Van Maren Show @ @ @ @ @ in Christian radio when he was first introduced to the pro-life movement .
He became @ @ @ @ @ center as a donor and volunteer over 20 years ago .
Quickly , Fischer began @ @ @ @ @ way of looking at everything to evaluate the pro-life movement .
Human Coalition began using @ @ @ @ @ to reach and talk with women who are in the high-at-risk-to-abort category .
This method @ @ @ @ @ the organization for the last decade .
Listen to this week ’ s episode of @ @ @ @ @ find out how they access these women .

Brian Fischer of Human Coalition talks with Jonathon Van Maren on today’s episode of The Van Maren Show. Fischer was actually working in Christian radio when he was first introduced to the pro-life movement. He became involved with a pregnancy resource center as a donor and volunteer over 20 years ago. Quickly, Fischer began using his business experience and way of looking at everything to evaluate the pro-life movement.
Human Coalition began using a specific and unique approach to reach and talk with women who are in the high-at-risk-to-abort category. This method has been the backbone of the organization for the last decade. Listen to this week’s episode of The Van Maren Show to find out how they access these women.


lifesitenews--2020-01-29--German bishops’ secretary: There’s ‘no ban’ on discussing female priests

January 29 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Father Hans Langendörfer , the secretary of the German Bishops ' Conference , has given an interview about the German “ Synodal Path ” which critics say aims at overturning the Church 's teaching and discipline regarding the topics sexuality , celibacy , and priestly ordination .
In it , he makes it clear that there is “ no ban on discussing the priesthood of women , ” adding that one “ always has to start spiritually and theologically with the pastorally given situation.
” Langendörfer – who has been the secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1996 – explains that “ new in the situation is that these assemblies can also come to conclusions that pertain to the Roman level : not on a level of a council , but on the level of the Holy Father and his Curia.
” The priest herewith implies that the German bishops ' synodal path has new competences that have not existed heretofore .
“ We think that it is not acceptable that all the themes that are to be decided now and in the future in Rome are being decided upon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he says .
Speaking with the German newspaper Bonner General-Anzeiger , Langendörfer insists that the Catholic Church in Germany , in light of the clerical sex abuse crisis , urgently needs change .
“ After the publication of the sex abuse study , ” the Jesuit priest explains , “ we realized , that there are in Germany an entire set of blockages.
” He quotes scientists who claim that these blockages – for example in the field of the sexual morality , the image of the priest , as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – have contributed to the sex abuse crisis .
“ We want to walk a new path , ” Langendörfer states , and points out that for that , the involvement of laymen is needed , next to the clergymen and bishops .
“ For that , ” he continues , “ we enter onto a special path which canon law – which prescribes certain forms – does not know this way.
” This new way , according to this German priest , “ brings laymen and bishops together , onto the same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this new path does not lead “ out of the Church , as often is claimed , ” but , rather , that it “ leads into it.
” Some changes can be implemented by the individual bishops or the bishops ' conference itself .
However , adds the priest , “ new in the situation is that these assemblies can also come to conclusions that pertain to the Roman level : not on a level of a council , but on the level of the Holy Father and his Curia.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ the different regions of the world can and ought to carry to Rome proposals ” in order to take into account on the level of the Universal Church the “ considerations of different cultures.
” This approach , the German priest continues , would bring “ also a new credibility.
” While he and like-minded advocates for change “ do not expect that Rome has to implement what we decide here in Germany , ” they do “ want to name certain insights and convictions and we expect that Rome takes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for example , that there needs to be a “ discernment of spirits , ” always “ starting with the realities ” and taking “ spiritually and theologically ” into account the “ pastorally given situation.
” Here , a discussion of the female priesthood is not forbidden , according to this influential priest .
“ When one links this [ method ] with the experiences of the dioceses and communities , there are to be found a large variety of possibilities for discussion.
” Pope John Paul II ruled in 1994 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the priesthood , thus making a definitive decision in this matter .
He then stated that “ in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren ( cf .
Lk 22:32 ) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church 's faithful.
” The comments of Langendörfer make it clear that the German “ synodal path ” aims at discussing matters that have already been ruled in a definitive manner by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ synodal path involving to a large degree laymen in episcopal decisions is not foreseen by canon law .
The Vatican had sent , in September of 2019 , a letter to Cardinal Reinhard Marx and all the German bishops asking : “ How can an assembly of a particular church make decisions on topics of the Universal Church , and how can a bishops ' conference be dominated by an assembly , the majority of which are not bishops ?
” According to different preparatory talks and discussion forums , the German synodal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Church 's positions regarding priestly celibacy , female ordination , homosexuality , cohabitation , contraception , the gender theory , and masturbation .
Cardinal Gerhard Müller , the former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , has recently stated that the Church 's ban on female priests is definitive teaching .
He wrote that “ no synod – with or without the Pope – and also no ecumenical council , or the Pope alone , if he spoke ex cathedra , could make possible the ordination of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deacon .
They would stand in contradiction to the defined doctrine of the Church.
” Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Robert Sarah just published a book on priestly celibacy in which they strongly defend this charism and Church discipline which is based on Apostolic Tradition .
Cardinal Sarah also strongly opposes female deacons .
On January 30 , the first synodal assembly will take place in Frankfurt .
The synodal path is planned as a two-year-long process , with the heavy involvement of laymen .
The assembly , which has 230 members , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laymen over 109 clergy ) .
The Wall Street Journal states in a recent article that Ludwig Ring-Eifel , the head of the German bishops ' news agency Katholische Nachrichten-Agentur , “ estimates that around two thirds of the bishops – the threshold for passing a resolution [ at the synodal assembly ] support the ordination of married man and women deacons and half are in favor of blessings for same-sex unions.
” Cardinal Rainer Woelki ( Cologne ) and Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer ( Regensburg ) are among the few German bishops who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ synodal path .
They tried to get at least a discussion forum established that would discuss the question of Evangelization , but this proposal was turned down by the majority of the German bishops .
As Woelki just told the German Catholic journal Herder Korrespondenz , he , together with a group of German bishops , requested that the discussion forums “ are to be filled in such a way that there is also really taking place a discussion between different viewpoints and that all the voices in the Church are being heard.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ forums were set up after last year 's episcopal spring assembly without consultation of the German bishops .
Woelki says that “ these forums were already established and were already working .
At the time , I criticized that the composition of these working groups was very one-sided.
” Woelki says that , at the end , “ each diocesan bishop has to face his responsibility before Christ and as given to him by the Church .
”

The comments make it clear that the German 'synodal path' aims at discussing matters that have already been ruled in a definitive manner by the Magisterium.
January 29, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Father Hans Langendörfer, the secretary of the German Bishops' Conference, has given an interview about the German “Synodal Path” which critics say aims at overturning the Church's teaching and discipline regarding the topics sexuality, celibacy, and priestly ordination. In it, he makes it clear that there is “no ban on discussing the priesthood of women,” adding that one “always has to start spiritually and theologically with the pastorally given situation.”
Langendörfer – who has been the secretary of the German Bishops' Conference since 1996 – explains that “new in the situation is that these assemblies can also come to conclusions that pertain to the Roman level: not on a level of a council, but on the level of the Holy Father and his Curia.”
The priest herewith implies that the German bishops' synodal path has new competences that have not existed heretofore.
“We think that it is not acceptable that all the themes that are to be decided now and in the future in Rome are being decided upon without participation of the local churches,” he says.
Speaking with the German newspaper Bonner General-Anzeiger, Langendörfer insists that the Catholic Church in Germany, in light of the clerical sex abuse crisis, urgently needs change. “After the publication of the sex abuse study, ” the Jesuit priest explains, “we realized, that there are in Germany an entire set of blockages.” He quotes scientists who claim that these blockages – for example in the field of the sexual morality, the image of the priest, as well as the question of access to the priesthood – have contributed to the sex abuse crisis.
“We want to walk a new path,” Langendörfer states, and points out that for that, the involvement of laymen is needed, next to the clergymen and bishops. “For that,” he continues, “we enter onto a special path which canon law – which prescribes certain forms – does not know this way.” This new way, according to this German priest, “brings laymen and bishops together, onto the same level.” He goes on to say that this new path does not lead “out of the Church, as often is claimed,” but, rather, that it “leads into it.”
Some changes can be implemented by the individual bishops or the bishops' conference itself. However, adds the priest, “new in the situation is that these assemblies can also come to conclusions that pertain to the Roman level: not on a level of a council, but on the level of the Holy Father and his Curia.” “We think,” he continues, “the different regions of the world can and ought to carry to Rome proposals” in order to take into account on the level of the Universal Church the “considerations of different cultures.” This approach, the German priest continues, would bring “also a new credibility.”
While he and like-minded advocates for change “do not expect that Rome has to implement what we decide here in Germany,” they do “want to name certain insights and convictions and we expect that Rome takes heed of them.”
Father Langendörfer says, for example, that there needs to be a “discernment of spirits,” always “starting with the realities” and taking “spiritually and theologically” into account the “pastorally given situation.” Here, a discussion of the female priesthood is not forbidden, according to this influential priest. “When one links this [method] with the experiences of the dioceses and communities, there are to be found a large variety of possibilities for discussion.”
Pope John Paul II ruled in 1994 that there no possibility to ordain women to the priesthood, thus making a definitive decision in this matter. He then stated that “in virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32) I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful.”
The comments of Langendörfer make it clear that the German “synodal path” aims at discussing matters that have already been ruled in a definitive manner by the Magisterium.
He also shows that this synodal path involving to a large degree laymen in episcopal decisions is not foreseen by canon law. The Vatican had sent, in September of 2019, a letter to Cardinal Reinhard Marx and all the German bishops asking: “How can an assembly of a particular church make decisions on topics of the Universal Church, and how can a bishops' conference be dominated by an assembly, the majority of which are not bishops?”
According to different preparatory talks and discussion forums, the German synodal path will challenge, among other items, the Church's positions regarding priestly celibacy, female ordination, homosexuality, cohabitation, contraception, the gender theory, and masturbation.
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has recently stated that the Church's ban on female priests is definitive teaching. He wrote that “no synod – with or without the Pope – and also no ecumenical council, or the Pope alone, if he spoke ex cathedra, could make possible the ordination of women as bishop, priest, or deacon. They would stand in contradiction to the defined doctrine of the Church.”
In a 29 January article written for the German Catholic newspaper Die Tagespost, the German cardinal warns against adapting the Church's doctrinal and moral teaching to the “zeitgeist” and to see in the “realities of life” a “source of revelation.” He reminds us that synods or councils are not “to create a new church or to adapt her doctrinal and moral teaching to the changing zeitgeist and to the dominating world views and ways of life.”
Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Robert Sarah just published a book on priestly celibacy in which they strongly defend this charism and Church discipline which is based on Apostolic Tradition. Cardinal Sarah also strongly opposes female deacons.
On January 30, the first synodal assembly will take place in Frankfurt. The synodal path is planned as a two-year-long process, with the heavy involvement of laymen. The assembly, which has 230 members, has more laymen than clergy (121 laymen over 109 clergy).
The Wall Street Journal states in a recent article that Ludwig Ring-Eifel, the head of the German bishops' news agency Katholische Nachrichten-Agentur, “estimates that around two thirds of the bishops – the threshold for passing a resolution [at the synodal assembly] support the ordination of married man and women deacons and half are in favor of blessings for same-sex unions.”
Cardinal Rainer Woelki (Cologne) and Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer (Regensburg) are among the few German bishops who publicly criticize the orientation of the German synodal path. They tried to get at least a discussion forum established that would discuss the question of Evangelization, but this proposal was turned down by the majority of the German bishops.
As Woelki just told the German Catholic journal Herder Korrespondenz, he, together with a group of German bishops, requested that the discussion forums “are to be filled in such a way that there is also really taking place a discussion between different viewpoints and that all the voices in the Church are being heard.” He revealed that the four discussion forums were set up after last year's episcopal spring assembly without consultation of the German bishops. Woelki says that “these forums were already established and were already working. At the time, I criticized that the composition of these working groups was very one-sided.”
Woelki says that, at the end, “each diocesan bishop has to face his responsibility before Christ and as given to him by the Church.”
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--2020-01-29--Italian cardinal: Catholics who don’t like Pope Francis can become Protestant

ROME , January 29 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — In an unscripted outburst , the president of the Italian Bishops ’ Conference has expressed his frustration at mounting criticism of Pope Francis among Catholics , suggesting that those who do not appreciate his style of teaching and government should embrace Protestantism .
Speaking at an annual meeting with media in Perugia , on January 25 , Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti said : “ Criticism is fine , but this destructivism , no .
If someone doesn ’ t like this Pope let him say so , because he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There are too many people talking about the Pope , ” the cardinal told journalists , in comments reflecting his perception of a growing disaffectedness among Catholics with the current pontificate .
Cardinal Bassetti continued : “ I said to someone , ‘ Make the choice to be evangelical , if you don ’ t like the Catholic Church , if this boat is too tight.
’ Our Protestant brethren have neither Pope nor bishop ; let everyone make their own choices .
Enough complaining , it ’ s useless anyway.
” Apologizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Italian prelate said : “ Excuse the outburst , but everyone ’ s objective ought to be to look for answers for the good of the Church and humanity.
” Cardinal Bassetti , 77 , was created a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2014 .
He was elected to a five-year term as president of the Italian Bishops Conference in 2017 .
His annual gathering with media was held one day after the feast of St. Francis de Sales , patron saint of journalists .
During his year ’ s meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s message for the World Day of Social Communications , themed : “ That you may tell your children and grandchildren ” ( Ex 10:2 ) .
He also used the occasion to present journalists with the program for an upcoming pro-migrant initiative sponsored by Italian Bishops ’ Conference , titled “ Mediterranean : border of peace.
” He said that the event , being held in Bari on February 19-23 , will “ bring together the bishops of nations on the sea to propose together paths of reconciliation between peoples.
” It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was referring in his unscripted outburst , but as the Italian media have noted , there are a variety of possibilities .
Il Messaggero suggested the Italian prelate might have lost his patience over “ the continuous negative references to this pontificate for the commitment that Francis is making to immigrants.
” The topic of migrants is “ a divisive theme in the Church , ” Il Messaggero noted , pointing to a split in the Italian Catholic electorate and growing support for the populist Lega party , led by rosary-brandishing Matteo Salvini @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mystery to anyone that the preaching of ‘ open ports ’ is not always received in the same way in parishes and in many dioceses , ” the article observed .
Cardinal Bassetti , whose position as president of the Italian Bishops Conference carries great weight in Italy , is known for his anti-Salvini stance and has openly expressed his support for the “ Sardines against Salvini , ” a leftist political movement that is named for cramming protestors into public spaces .
But Il Messaggero also noted that “ within the Church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shaking its foundations.
” Rome ’ s most prominent newspaper pointed to a push in Germany to abolish priestly celibacy and introduce a female priesthood .
Commenting on the growing threat of schism under the current pontificate , particularly on the German front , Il Giornale argued that Cardinal Bassetti ’ s comments “ certainly ” were not directed “ at the Germans , whom the Pope likes , ” but at “ the so-called ‘ anti-Bergoglians ’ , ” whom the article also termed “ traditionalists.
” The Italian daily noted , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ranks is “ truly unlikely.
” The “ traditional front , ” it observed , has always “ emphasized the need for ecclesiastical unity , even if it unleashes more than a few public storms.
” Meanwhile , the Umbrian Bishops ’ Conference , of whom Bassetti is a member , said the cardinal underlined in his unscripted remarks to journalists “ the importance of the magisterium of the Pope , by recalling that ‘ his guidance comes from the Holy Spirit.
’ ” LifeSite contacted Cardinal Bassetti ’ s secretary , vicar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email but has received no response .
In light of Cardinal Bassetti ’ s comments , one might wonder how evangelicals are responding to the idea of a sudden influx of Catholics disaffected by the current pontificate ?
Writing on January 29 for Evangelical Focus , a news and opinion outlet that aims at giving evangelicals in Europe a voice , Leonardo de Chirico , an Italian evangelical pastor and theologian familiar with the Vatican , said Cardinal Bassetti ’ s words show that evangelicals are “ brought into play by the right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not become evangelical because there is now Francis or before there was Benedict , ” de Chicco said .
It is not “ a pope ’ s personality ” or “ style ” that distances evangelicals from the Roman Catholic Church , but doctrine , he insisted .
“ Whether there is a Thomist Pope ( like JPII ) or an Augustinian ( like BXVI ) or a Jesuit ( like Francis ) doesn ’ t matter , ” but “ the Pope ’ s claim to be the ‘ vicar of @ @ @ @

'There are too many people talking about the pope. ... Enough complaining,' he said.
ROME, January 29, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — In an unscripted outburst, the president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference has expressed his frustration at mounting criticism of Pope Francis among Catholics, suggesting that those who do not appreciate his style of teaching and government should embrace Protestantism.
Speaking at an annual meeting with media in Perugia, on January 25, Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti said: “Criticism is fine, but this destructivism, no. If someone doesn’t like this pope let him say so, because he’s free to choose other paths.”
“There are too many people talking about the pope,” the cardinal told journalists, in comments reflecting his perception of a growing disaffectedness among Catholics with the current pontificate.
Cardinal Bassetti continued: “I said to someone, ‘Make the choice to be evangelical, if you don’t like the Catholic Church, if this boat is too tight.’ Our Protestant brethren have neither pope nor bishop; let everyone make their own choices. Enough complaining, it’s useless anyway.”
Apologizing to the press for venting his frustration, the Italian prelate said: “Excuse the outburst, but everyone’s objective ought to be to look for answers for the good of the Church and humanity.”
Cardinal Bassetti, 77, was created a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2014. He was elected to a five-year term as president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference in 2017.
His annual gathering with media was held one day after the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists. During this year’s meeting, Bassetti focused on Pope Francis’s message for the World Day of Social Communications, themed: “That you may tell your children and grandchildren” (Ex. 10:2).
He also used the occasion to present journalists with the program for an upcoming pro-migrant initiative sponsored by Italian Bishops’ Conference, titled “Mediterranean: border of peace.” He said the event, being held in Bari on February 19–23, will “bring together the bishops of nations on the sea to propose together paths of reconciliation between peoples.”
It is unclear to whom precisely Cardinal Bassetti was referring in his unscripted outburst, but as the Italian media have noted, there are a variety of possibilities.
Il Messaggero suggested that the Italian prelate might have lost his patience over “the continuous negative references to this pontificate for the commitment that Francis is making to immigrants.”
The topic of migrants is “a divisive theme in the Church,” Il Messaggero noted, pointing to a split in the Italian Catholic electorate and growing support for the populist Lega party, led by rosary-brandishing Matteo Salvini.
“By now it is no mystery to anyone that the preaching of ‘open ports’ is not always received in the same way in parishes and in many dioceses,” the article observed.
Cardinal Bassetti, whose position as president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference carries great weight in Italy, is known for his anti-Salvini stance and has openly expressed his support for the “Sardines against Salvini,” a leftist political movement that is named for cramming protestors into public spaces.
But Il Messaggero also noted that “within the Church … there are other issues that are shaking its foundations.” Rome’s most prominent newspaper pointed to a push in Germany to abolish priestly celibacy and introduce a female priesthood.
Commenting on the growing threat of schism under the current pontificate, particularly on the German front, Il Giornale argued that Cardinal Bassetti’s comments “certainly” were not directed “at the Germans, whom the pope likes,” but at “the so-called ‘anti-Bergoglians,’” whom the article also termed “traditionalists.”
The Italian daily noted, however, that a schism among these ranks is “truly unlikely.” The “traditional front,” it observed, has always “emphasized the need for ecclesiastical unity, even if it unleashes more than a few public storms.”
Meanwhile, the Umbrian Bishops’ Conference, of whom Bassetti is a member, said the cardinal underlined in his unscripted remarks to journalists “the importance of the magisterium of the pope, by recalling that ‘his guidance comes from the Holy Spirit.’”
LifeSite contacted Cardinal Bassetti’s secretary, vicar general, and press office by phone and email but has received no response.
In light of Cardinal Bassetti’s comments, one might wonder how evangelicals are responding to the idea of a sudden influx of Catholics disaffected by the current pontificate.
Writing on January 29 for Evangelical Focus, a news and opinion outlet that aims at giving evangelicals in Europe a voice, Leonardo de Chirico, an Italian evangelical pastor and theologian familiar with the Vatican, said Cardinal Bassetti’s words show that evangelicals are “brought into play by the right and the left.”
But “one does not become evangelical because there is now Francis or before there was Benedict,” de Chirico said.
It is not “a pope’s personality” or “style” that distances evangelicals from the Catholic Church, but doctrine, he insisted. “Whether there is a Thomist Pope (like JPII) or an Augustinian (like BXVI) or a Jesuit (like Francis) doesn’t matter,” but “the pope’s claim to be the ‘vicar of Christ.’”
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lifesitenews--2020-01-29--Growing in our faith, Gods revelation to man

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 !
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Watch Mother Miriam's Live show from 1.29.2020. Mother continues her series reading from The Catechism Explained. Today, Mother focuses on Gods revelation to man and how it shapes our faith.
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