lifesitenews--2020-09-23--Swiss bishop calls for a council on female priesthood, ‘otherwise we will experience a schism’

September 23 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Bishop Denis Theurillat , the auxiliary bishop of Basel , Switzerland , has given an interview in which he argued that the Church should conduct a council in Rome in order to vote for or against female priests .
“ The facts are on the table , ” he stated , “ the time is ripe .
All bishops of the world should come together : yes or no.
” Speaking with the official news website of the Swiss Bishops ' Conference Kath.ch , the 70-year old prelate insisted that Pope Francis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , adding that “ otherwise we will experience a schism.
” He himself would like to participate in such a council on the question of female priests , he continued , “ and if I may not experience it anymore , I will watch it from heaven.
” Bishop Theurillat has been organizing a meeting of the Swiss bishops with Catholic women and found praise from the head of the women 's association Frauenbund , Simone Curau-Aepli : “ He alone made this meeting possible , ” she stated .
The Swiss bishop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about this project of meeting with Catholic women , during the ad limina visit of the Swiss bishops in January next year .
Theurillat had been consecrated a bishop in 2000 under Pope John Paul II .
Theurillat is not the only bishop who has proposed such a council .
It was Cardinal Christoph Schönborn who stated on April 1 2018 that “ the question of the ordination [ of women ] is a question which clearly can only be clarified by a council.
” Similar to Bishop Theurillat , the Austrian cardinal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be decided upon by a pope alone .
That is a question too big that it could be decided from the desk of a pope.
” As Bishop Theurillat had told Kath.ch : a “ yes ” concerning this question would offend the conservatives , a “ no ” would disappoint the women .
However , the Catholic Church has clarified this question already for a long time .
The Church has always defended the all-male priesthood , and Pope John Paul II issued , in 1994 , a document restating this doctrine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had written : Although the teaching that priestly ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the Magisterium in its more recent documents , at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate , or the Church ’ s judgment that women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force .
In response to these opinions , the pope then wrote : “ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church ’ s faithful.
” Therefore , these prelates proposing a council on the matter of female ordination – according to Schönborn even up to the ordination of female bishops – is an offense against Catholic doctrine .
It is as if one were to propose a council to decide whether Jesus Christ was truly Man and truly God .
On 30 May 2018 , not long after that original Schönborn interview , then-Archbishop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith ( CDF ) – published a statement in the Vatican ’ s newspaper L ’ Osservatore Romano in which he restates the Church ’ s ban on the ordination of women to the priesthood .
He insisted that this teaching is part of the Church ’ s infallible Magisterium .
The topic of female priests is currently being discussed by the German bishops and their Synodal Path .
The head of the German bishops , Bishop Georg Bätzing , stated on only in May of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ priests by recent popes is not conclusive and that there needs to be more discussion “ because the question is present , in the middle of the Church !
” Other projects mentioned by him are Communion for Protestants and a blessing for those who can not receive the Sacrament of Matrimony — homosexual couples and divorced and civilly “ remarried ” couples .
He proposes to “ transport ” the conclusions of the “ synodal path ” currently taking place in Germany to Rome , “ on the level of the Universal @ @ @

'The facts are on the table,” he stated, “the time is ripe. All bishops of the world should come together: yes or no'
PETITION: President Trump, nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court! Sign the petition here.
September 23, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Bishop Denis Theurillat, the auxiliary bishop of Basel, Switzerland, has given an interview in which he argued that the Church should conduct a council in Rome in order to vote for or against female priests.
“The facts are on the table,” he stated, “the time is ripe. All bishops of the world should come together: yes or no.”
Speaking with the official news website of the Swiss Bishops' Conference Kath.ch, the 70-year old prelate insisted that Pope Francis should not decide upon this question alone, adding that “otherwise we will experience a schism.” He himself would like to participate in such a council on the question of female priests, he continued, “and if I may not experience it anymore, I will watch it from heaven.”
Bishop Theurillat has been organizing a meeting of the Swiss bishops with Catholic women and found praise from the head of the women's association Frauenbund, Simone Curau-Aepli: “He alone made this meeting possible,” she stated.
The Swiss bishop plans to speak with Pope Francis personally about this project of meeting with Catholic women, during the ad limina visit of the Swiss bishops in January next year. Theurillat had been consecrated a bishop in 2000 under Pope John Paul II.
Theurillat is not the only bishop who has proposed such a council. It was Cardinal Christoph Schönborn who stated on April 1 2018 that “the question of the ordination [of women] is a question which clearly can only be clarified by a council.” Similar to Bishop Theurillat, the Austrian cardinal added that this question “cannot be decided upon by a pope alone. That is a question too big that it could be decided from the desk of a pope.”
As Bishop Theurillat had told Kath.ch: a “yes” concerning this question would offend the conservatives, a “no” would disappoint the women.
However, the Catholic Church has clarified this question already for a long time. The Church has always defended the all-male priesthood, and Pope John Paul II issued, in 1994, a document restating this doctrine. In Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, the pope had written:
Although the teaching that priestly ordination is to be reserved to men alone has been preserved by the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the Magisterium in its more recent documents, at the present time in some places it is nonetheless considered still open to debate, or the Church’s judgment that women are not to be admitted to ordination is considered to have a merely disciplinary force.
In response to these opinions, the pope then wrote: “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.”
Therefore, these prelates proposing a council on the matter of female ordination – according to Schönborn even up to the ordination of female bishops – is an offense against Catholic doctrine. It is as if one were to propose a council to decide whether Jesus Christ was truly Man and truly God.
On 30 May 2018, not long after that original Schönborn interview, then-Archbishop Luis Ladaria Ferrer – the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) – published a statement in the Vatican’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano in which he restates the Church’s ban on the ordination of women to the priesthood. He insisted that this teaching is part of the Church’s infallible Magisterium.
The topic of female priests is currently being discussed by the German bishops and their Synodal Path. The head of the German bishops, Bishop Georg Bätzing, stated on only in May of this year that the rejection of female priests by recent popes is not conclusive and that there needs to be more discussion “because the question is present, in the middle of the Church!” Other projects mentioned by him are Communion for Protestants and a blessing for those who cannot receive the Sacrament of Matrimony — homosexual couples and divorced and civilly “remarried” couples. He proposes to “transport” the conclusions of the “synodal path” currently taking place in Germany to Rome, “on the level of the Universal 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--2020-09-23--Petition asks Lubbock City Council to declare their city a sanctuary for the unborn

PETITION : Stop Planned Parenthood from Opening in Lubbock , Texas !
Sign the petition here .
September 23 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – Texas Right to Life and LifeSiteNews have partnered to launch a petition calling on the Lubbock City Council to declare their city a Sanctuary City for the Unborn .
Since Planned Parenthood ’ s Lubbock facilities closed in 2013 as a result of laws passed by the Texas Legislature , it is estimated that at least 1,000 babies have been saved from abortion there .
However , Planned Parenthood is slated to reopen by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pro-abortion leftists have pledged $ 9 million dollars to help them do it .
Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope ( R ) has voiced opposition to declaring the city a Sanctuary City for the Unborn .
Mayor Pope compared preventing Planned Parenthood from reopening in Lubbock to preventing a supermarket or church from opening within the city limits , even though Planned Parenthood does nothing to help the community .
In fact , Planned Parenthood does the exact opposite : Planned Parenthood ends lives instead of nourishing and sustaining them .
If Lubbock becomes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it will join the ranks of 13 other Texas pro-life sanctuary cities .
As a Sanctuary City for the Unborn , Lubbock could give legal protection to its preborn citizens and stand for life at the local level .
Furthermore , Lubbock could protect vulnerable women and preborn babies from being exploited or killed by Planned Parenthood .
If you haven ’ t signed it already , please SIGN this petition urging the Lubbock City Council to make their city a Sanctuary City for the Unborn and share it with your friends , @ @ @ @ @

Since Planned Parenthood in Lubbock, Texas closed in 2013, an estimated 1,000 babies have been saved from abortion.
PETITION: Stop Planned Parenthood from Opening in Lubbock, Texas! Sign the petition here.
September 23, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Texas Right to Life and LifeSiteNews have partnered to launch a petition calling on the Lubbock City Council to declare their city a Sanctuary City for the Unborn.
Since Planned Parenthood’s Lubbock facilities closed in 2013 as a result of laws passed by the Texas Legislature, it is estimated that at least 1,000 babies have been saved from abortion there. However, Planned Parenthood is slated to reopen by the end of the year – and wealthy pro-abortion leftists have pledged $9 million dollars to help them do it.
Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope (R) has voiced opposition to declaring the city a Sanctuary City for the Unborn.
Mayor Pope compared preventing Planned Parenthood from reopening in Lubbock to preventing a supermarket or church from opening within the city limits, even though Planned Parenthood does nothing to help the community. In fact, Planned Parenthood does the exact opposite: Planned Parenthood ends lives instead of nourishing and sustaining them.
If Lubbock becomes a Sanctuary City for the Unborn, it will join the ranks of 13 other Texas pro-life sanctuary cities.
As a Sanctuary City for the Unborn, Lubbock could give legal protection to its preborn citizens and stand for life at the local level. Furthermore, Lubbock could protect vulnerable women and preborn babies from being exploited or killed by Planned Parenthood.
If you haven’t signed it already, please SIGN this petition urging the Lubbock City Council to make their city a Sanctuary City for the Unborn and share it with your friends, relatives, and colleagues.
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lifesitenews--2020-09-23--US Atty General Barr: Militant secularists co-opted ‘separation of church and state’ to attack relig

US Atty General Barr: Militant secularists co-opted ‘separation of church and state’ to attack religious freedom

WASHINGTON D.C. , September 23 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — U.S. Attorney General William Barr said today that “ no concept is more misunderstood than the notion of separation of church and state , ” and explained that “ militant secularists ” have long seized on that slogan “ as they drive religion from the public square.
” Yet , Americans must know that “ ‘ separation of church and state ’ does not mean , and never did mean , separation of religion and civics , ” he said .
Barr offered his remarks upon receiving the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him during the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast .
Barr spoke from his Department of Justice office during the virtual gathering .
After recounting the important role that religion played in the founding of America as a free nation , Barr lamented , “ Unfortunately in the last half-century , that foundation of our free society has been increasingly under siege.
” “ Traditional morality has eroded , and secularists have often succeeded , not only in eliminating religion from schools and the public square , but in replacing it with a new orthodoxy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Barr .
“ The consequences of this hollowing out of religion have been predictably dire , ” he continued .
“ Over the past fifty years , we have seen striking increases in urban violence , drug abuse , and broken families .
Problems like these have fed the rise of an ever more powerful central government , one that increasingly saps individual initiatives , co-ops civil society , crowds out religious institutions , and ultimately reduces citizens to wards of the state.
” A.G. Barr spoke of three important victories @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Justice , under his leadership , sought to support the free exercise of religion .
“ In a sense , it is dispiriting that the disputes in these cases ever arose , ” noted Barr .
“ In each case , the religious litigants were not asking for anything more than the basic freedom to exercise their faith.
” “ Advocating for religious liberty is just one way that lay Catholics and others can answer the call to serve .
In his exhortation Christifideles Laici , ” said Barr , “ Saint @ @ @ @ @ @ @ faithful are never to relinquish their participation in public life .
At the same time , he emphasized that faith is first and foremost about how we live our daily lives , for the daily life itself of a truly Christian family , makes up the first experience of the Church.
” “ Whatever our vocation in life , it is never too late to work in the Lord ’ s vineyard , ” concluded the Attorney General .
“ Our spiritual renewal and the renewal of our national character depend on it.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a distinction between church and state , but not a total separation .
Pope Pius IX called it an error in his 1864 Syllabus of Errors to hold that The “ Church ought to be separated from the State , and the State from the Church.
” Pope Pius X touched on this teaching in his 1907 encyclical to the Church in France titled Une Fois Encore ( Once again ) .
Here the Pope addressed the faithful who were experiencing persecution , letting them know that the Church demands of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inviolability of its property and liberty.
” Dr. Taylor Marshall explained in a 2015 video that , properly understood , there is a “ distinction ” between church and state , where each governs according to its particular competence , but not a strict separation , where one has nothing to do with the other .
Christendom College co-founder Dr. Jeffrey Mirus wrote in a 2018 article about the proper relationship between church and state : The Catholic position has always been what Pope Gelasius described in the late fifth century as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The State ( the temporal order ) is a natural society over which government presides with a natural authority , exercising that authority for the common good of the community it rules .
This is the “ temporal sword ” .
The Church , on the other hand , is a supernatural society which presides with a supernatural authority over souls , exercising that authority for the spiritual welfare of the community , both as a contribution to the common good and so that all its members may attain their final end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This is the “ spiritual sword.
” It follows that the Church is our authority for defining moral truth ( which is inscribed in natural reality by the Creator ) and also the truth which God discloses to us solely through Revelation .
To expound these truths is the purpose of what we call “ Christian doctrine ” .
It also follows that the State is our authority for devising and implementing the measures necessary to enforce the moral law most effectively for the good of the commonwealth , as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed to secure and advance the common good of all under its jurisdiction .
Mirus said that the proper relationship between Church and State in the governance of the human community is that the Church “ must determine the moral ends of natural government and the moral means by which natural governments may justly rule .
The State , on the other hand , must govern prudentially within the framework provided by this absolute moral understanding.
” The live-streamed event , in which President Trump and Bishop Robert Barron also spoke , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all Catholics were enthused about Barr being honored with the Christifideles Laici Award .
“ I am horrified that they are giving an award to Attorney General Barr who had reinstituted executions of people on death row , which is shocking and counter to Catholic social teaching .
It is abundantly clear , 'thou shalt not kill ' , and he is doing that and he is being given an award , ” Sister Simone Campbell , leader of the left-wing “ Nuns on the Bus , ” told Newsweek .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast 's scandalous offer of an award to Attorney General Barr for his 'exemplary Christlike ' behavior , ” said Sister Helen Prejean in a Tweet .
“ I urge the group to immediately rescind their invitation , and I urge anyone reading this to join me.
” Stephen Schneck of the Franciscan Action Network went so far as to suggest that because of Barr being honored today , “ The National CATHOLIC Prayer Breakfast needs to change its name . ''
Schneck is a former Obama White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USCCB ’ s Catholic Climate Covenant , an organization that asserts , “ Catholics do care about climate change.
” Text of the major portion of Attorney General William Barr ’ s remarks at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast , delivered on September 23 , 2020 : This is a challenging time for many Americans , but times of trial have a way of reminding us how much we have to be grateful for .
As people of faith , we take comfort in the knowledge that God has a purpose and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strength from the knowledge that our forebears confronted and overcame even greater tests .
In coming together for the strength and health of our country , we carry on a tradition that goes back to the beginning of the republic .
During the summer of 1783 , General George Washington gave his first major address following the Revolutionary War , a war the young nation nearly lost .
He delivered a famous prayer that continues to be read aloud every day at Mount Vernon .
He asked God not only to protect the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maintain the character of its citizens .
As he put it : To dispose all to do justice , to love mercy , and to comport ourselves with that charity , humility and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the divine author of our blessed religion , and without which , we can never hope to be a happy nation .
As Washington and his fellow founders understood , religion is at the heart of the American experiment in self-government .
In his farewell address , Washington said : Of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to political prosperity , religion and morality are indispensable supports .
What he meant was that self-government begins with self-restraint , and there is no greater teacher of restraint than religion .
That is why John Adams declared that our Constitution , which recently celebrated its 233 birthday , was made only for a moral and religious people .
As Fr .
John Courtney Murray later put it , the American idea is not that free government is inevitable , only that it is possible , and that its possibility can be realized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are inwardly governed by the recognized imperatives of the universal moral order .
That crucial link between religion and liberty , so well understood at the founding , is all too often forgotten today .
In American public discourse , perhaps no concept is more misunderstood than the notion of separation of church and state .
Militant secularists have long seized on that slogan as a facile justification , attempting to drive religion from the public square , and to exclude religious people from bringing a religious perspective to bear on conversations about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like this remind us , ‘ separation of church and state ’ does not mean , and never did mean , separation of religion and civics .
As late as 1952 , Justice William O. Douglas would write for a majority of the Supreme Court that we are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a supreme being .
Alexis de Tocqueville , the keenest observer of the early American republic , praised America ’ s separation of church and state while extolling America ’ s union of the spirit of religion and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its success .
Tocqueville identified religion as perhaps the greatest bulwark against the descent into tyranny .
How does religion preserve liberty ?
In the first place , as our founders recognized , religion assists in the formation of virtuous citizens who are prepared to exercise liberty responsibly , whereas in democratic times , individuals have a tendency to withdraw from public life and pursue private self-gratification .
Religion builds community , strengthens social cohesion , and turns our attention to the common good .
At the same time , religion safeguards individual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ‘ impious maxim , ’ that everything is permitted in the interest of society .
For all these reasons , Tocqueville referred to American ’ s religion as the first of their political institutions .
Unfortunately in the last half-century , that foundation of our free society has been increasingly under siege .
Traditional morality has eroded , and secularists have often succeeded , not only in eliminating religion from schools and the public square , but in replacing it with a new orthodoxy that is actively hostile to religion .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been predictably dire .
Over the past fifty years , we have seen striking increases in urban violence , drug abuse , and broken families .
Problems like these have fed the rise of an ever more powerful central government , one that increasingly saps individual initiatives , co-ops civil society , crowds out religious institutions , and ultimately reduces citizens to wards of the state .
As patriotic Americans and people of faith , we can not be complacent about these trends .
Yet nor should we give in to despair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to organizations like this one , we have seen some small but significant steps toward the restoration of religion to its rightful place in American public life .
Some notable advances which admittedly are of particular interest to me , have come in the legal arena .
They ’ re the results of decades of hard work , advocating for sound jurisprudential philosophies , and appointing principled judges to state and federal courts .
The most recent term of the Supreme Court , for example , saw three important victories for religious liberty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Department of Justice filed briefs supporting the free exercise of religion .
In one case , the court reaffirmed the principle that the government can not discriminate against religion in general funding programs , and struck down a provision of the Montana Constitution that had been interpreted to exclude religious schools from a scholarship program for underprivileged students .
In another case , the Court held that the First Amendment prohibits courts from intervening in employment disputes involving teachers at religious schools who are entrusted with the responsibility of instructing their students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case , the Court considered a regulatory mandate requiring employers to provide contraceptive coverage for employees and upheld the Administration ’ s rules exempting the nuns of the Little Sisters of the Poor and other employers with moral and religious objections .
In a sense , it is dispiriting that the disputes in these cases ever arose .
In each case , the religious litigants were not asking for anything more than the basic freedom to exercise their faith .
Nevertheless , the recognition of those rights by courts is encouraging , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to those who pray for the wisdom of judges— can take solace in having achieved a just result .
Advocating for religious liberty is just one way that lay Catholics and others can answer the call to serve .
In his exhortation Christifideles Laici , for which the award I have the honor of accepting today is named , Saint John Paul II noted that the lay faithful are never to relinquish their participation in public life .
At the same time he emphasized that faith is first and foremost about how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the daily life itself of a truly Christian family , makes up the first experience of the Church .
Whatever our vocation in life , it is never too late to work in the Lord ’ s vineyard .
Our spiritual renewal and the renewal of our national character depend on it .
God bless you all , and God bless America .

Barr said that secularists have attempted to 'drive religion from the public square, and to exclude religious people from bringing a religious perspective to bear on conversations about the common good'
PETITION: President Trump, nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court! Sign the petition here.
WASHINGTON D.C., September 23, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — U.S. Attorney General William Barr said today that “no concept is more misunderstood than the notion of separation of church and state,” and explained that “militant secularists” have long seized on that slogan “as they drive religion from the public square.” Yet, Americans must know that “‘separation of church and state’ does not mean, and never did mean, separation of religion and civics,” he said.
Barr offered his remarks upon receiving the “Christifideles Laici Award,” presented to him during the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. Barr spoke from his Department of Justice office during the virtual gathering.
After recounting the important role that religion played in the founding of America as a free nation, Barr lamented, “Unfortunately in the last half-century, that foundation of our free society has been increasingly under siege.”
“Traditional morality has eroded, and secularists have often succeeded, not only in eliminating religion from schools and the public square, but in replacing it with a new orthodoxy that is actively hostile to religion,” said Barr.
“The consequences of this hollowing out of religion have been predictably dire,” he continued. “Over the past fifty years, we have seen striking increases in urban violence, drug abuse, and broken families. Problems like these have fed the rise of an ever more powerful central government, one that increasingly saps individual initiatives, co-ops civil society, crowds out religious institutions, and ultimately reduces citizens to wards of the state.”
A.G. Barr spoke of three important victories for religious liberty in which the Department of Justice, under his leadership, sought to support the free exercise of religion.
In one case, the court reaffirmed the principle that the government can not discriminate against religion in general funding programs, and struck down a provision of the Montana Constitution that had been interpreted to exclude religious schools from a scholarship program for underprivileged students. In another case, the Court held that the First Amendment prohibits courts from intervening in employment disputes involving teachers at religious schools who are entrusted with the responsibility of instructing their students in the faith. In the third case, the Court considered a regulatory mandate requiring employers to provide contraceptive coverage for employees and upheld the Administration’s rules exempting the nuns of the Little Sisters of the Poor and other employers with moral and religious objections.
“In a sense, it is dispiriting that the disputes in these cases ever arose,” noted Barr. “In each case, the religious litigants were not asking for anything more than the basic freedom to exercise their faith.”
“Advocating for religious liberty is just one way that lay Catholics and others can answer the call to serve. In his exhortation Christifideles Laici,” said Barr, “Saint John Paul II noted that the lay faithful are never to relinquish their participation in public life. At the same time, he emphasized that faith is first and foremost about how we live our daily lives, for the daily life itself of a truly Christian family, makes up the first experience of the Church.”
“Whatever our vocation in life, it is never too late to work in the Lord’s vineyard,” concluded the Attorney General. “Our spiritual renewal and the renewal of our national character depend on it.”
Catholic teaching: Distinction, not separation
The Catholic Church teaches that there is a distinction between church and state, but not a total separation. Pope Pius IX called it an error in his 1864 Syllabus of Errors to hold that The “Church ought to be separated from the State, and the State from the Church.” Pope Pius X touched on this teaching in his 1907 encyclical to the Church in France titled Une Fois Encore (Once again). Here the Pope addressed the faithful who were experiencing persecution, letting them know that the Church demands of the state “respect for its hierarchy and inviolability of its property and liberty.”
Dr. Taylor Marshall explained in a 2015 video that, properly understood, there is a “distinction” between church and state, where each governs according to its particular competence, but not a strict separation, where one has nothing to do with the other.
Christendom College co-founder Dr. Jeffrey Mirus wrote in a 2018 article about the proper relationship between church and state:
The Catholic position has always been what Pope Gelasius described in the late fifth century as the doctrine of “the two swords”. The State (the temporal order) is a natural society over which government presides with a natural authority, exercising that authority for the common good of the community it rules. This is the “temporal sword”. The Church, on the other hand, is a supernatural society which presides with a supernatural authority over souls, exercising that authority for the spiritual welfare of the community, both as a contribution to the common good and so that all its members may attain their final end, which is eternal life with God. This is the “spiritual sword.” It follows that the Church is our authority for defining moral truth (which is inscribed in natural reality by the Creator) and also the truth which God discloses to us solely through Revelation. To expound these truths is the purpose of what we call “Christian doctrine”. It also follows that the State is our authority for devising and implementing the measures necessary to enforce the moral law most effectively for the good of the commonwealth, as well as the many other measures which will be needed to secure and advance the common good of all under its jurisdiction.
Mirus said that the proper relationship between Church and State in the governance of the human community is that the Church “must determine the moral ends of natural government and the moral means by which natural governments may justly rule. The State, on the other hand, must govern prudentially within the framework provided by this absolute moral understanding.”
Left-wing against Barr’s award
The live-streamed event, in which President Trump and Bishop Robert Barron also spoke, was watched online by thousands, but not all Catholics were enthused about Barr being honored with the Christifideles Laici Award.
“I am horrified that they are giving an award to Attorney General Barr who had reinstituted executions of people on death row, which is shocking and counter to Catholic social teaching. It is abundantly clear, 'thou shalt not kill', and he is doing that and he is being given an award,” Sister Simone Campbell, leader of the left-wing “Nuns on the Bus,” told Newsweek.
“I raise my voice in fervent opposition to the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast's scandalous offer of an award to Attorney General Barr for his 'exemplary Christlike' behavior,” said Sister Helen Prejean in a Tweet. “I urge the group to immediately rescind their invitation, and I urge anyone reading this to join me.”
Stephen Schneck of the Franciscan Action Network went so far as to suggest that because of Barr being honored today, “The National CATHOLIC Prayer Breakfast needs to change its name.” Schneck is a former Obama White House appointee and a board member of the USCCB’s Catholic Climate Covenant, an organization that asserts, “Catholics do care about climate change.”
****
Text of the major portion of Attorney General William Barr’s remarks at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, delivered on September 23, 2020:
This is a challenging time for many Americans, but times of trial have a way of reminding us how much we have to be grateful for. As people of faith, we take comfort in the knowledge that God has a purpose and a plan, and as citizens we gain strength from the knowledge that our forebears confronted and overcame even greater tests.
In coming together for the strength and health of our country, we carry on a tradition that goes back to the beginning of the republic. During the summer of 1783, General George Washington gave his first major address following the Revolutionary War, a war the young nation nearly lost.
He delivered a famous prayer that continues to be read aloud every day at Mount Vernon. He asked God not only to protect the nation from external threats, but to maintain the character of its citizens. As he put it:
To dispose all to do justice, to love mercy, and to comport ourselves with that charity, humility and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the divine author of our blessed religion, and without which, we can never hope to be a happy nation.
As Washington and his fellow founders understood, religion is at the heart of the American experiment in self-government. In his farewell address, Washington said:
Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.
What he meant was that self-government begins with self-restraint, and there is no greater teacher of restraint than religion.
That is why John Adams declared that our Constitution, which recently celebrated its 233 birthday, was made only for a moral and religious people.
As Fr. John Courtney Murray later put it, the American idea is not that free government is inevitable, only that it is possible, and that its possibility can be realized only when the people as a whole are inwardly governed by the recognized imperatives of the universal moral order.
That crucial link between religion and liberty, so well understood at the founding, is all too often forgotten today.
In American public discourse, perhaps no concept is more misunderstood than the notion of separation of church and state.
Militant secularists have long seized on that slogan as a facile justification, attempting to drive religion from the public square, and to exclude religious people from bringing a religious perspective to bear on conversations about the common good.
Yet as events like this remind us, ‘separation of church and state’ does not mean, and never did mean, separation of religion and civics.
As late as 1952, Justice William O. Douglas would write for a majority of the Supreme Court that we are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a supreme being.
Alexis de Tocqueville, the keenest observer of the early American republic, praised America’s separation of church and state while extolling America’s union of the spirit of religion and the spirit of liberty as the key to its success.
Tocqueville identified religion as perhaps the greatest bulwark against the descent into tyranny.
How does religion preserve liberty? In the first place, as our founders recognized, religion assists in the formation of virtuous citizens who are prepared to exercise liberty responsibly, whereas in democratic times, individuals have a tendency to withdraw from public life and pursue private self-gratification.
Religion builds community, strengthens social cohesion, and turns our attention to the common good. At the same time, religion safeguards individual rights by warding off what Tocqueville calls the ‘impious maxim,’ that everything is permitted in the interest of society.
For all these reasons, Tocqueville referred to American’s religion as the first of their political institutions.
Unfortunately in the last half-century, that foundation of our free society has been increasingly under siege. Traditional morality has eroded, and secularists have often succeeded, not only in eliminating religion from schools and the public square, but in replacing it with a new orthodoxy that is actively hostile to religion.
The consequences of this hollowing out of religion have been predictably dire.
Over the past fifty years, we have seen striking increases in urban violence, drug abuse, and broken families. Problems like these have fed the rise of an ever more powerful central government, one that increasingly saps individual initiatives, co-ops civil society, crowds out religious institutions, and ultimately reduces citizens to wards of the state.
As patriotic Americans and people of faith, we cannot be complacent about these trends. Yet nor should we give in to despair.
More recently, thanks in part to organizations like this one, we have seen some small but significant steps toward the restoration of religion to its rightful place in American public life.
Some notable advances which admittedly are of particular interest to me, have come in the legal arena. They’re the results of decades of hard work, advocating for sound jurisprudential philosophies, and appointing principled judges to state and federal courts.
The most recent term of the Supreme Court, for example, saw three important victories for religious liberty. In each of these cases, the Department of Justice filed briefs supporting the free exercise of religion.
In one case, the court reaffirmed the principle that the government can not discriminate against religion in general funding programs, and struck down a provision of the Montana Constitution that had been interpreted to exclude religious schools from a scholarship program for underprivileged students.
In another case, the Court held that the First Amendment prohibits courts from intervening in employment disputes involving teachers at religious schools who are entrusted with the responsibility of instructing their students in the faith.
In the third case, the Court considered a regulatory mandate requiring employers to provide contraceptive coverage for employees and upheld the Administration’s rules exempting the nuns of the Little Sisters of the Poor and other employers with moral and religious objections.
In a sense, it is dispiriting that the disputes in these cases ever arose. In each case, the religious litigants were not asking for anything more than the basic freedom to exercise their faith.
Nevertheless, the recognition of those rights by courts is encouraging, and all involved —from the litigants and lawyers, to those who pray for the wisdom of judges— can take solace in having achieved a just result.
Advocating for religious liberty is just one way that lay Catholics and others can answer the call to serve.
In his exhortation Christifideles Laici, for which the award I have the honor of accepting today is named, Saint John Paul II noted that the lay faithful are never to relinquish their participation in public life.
At the same time he emphasized that faith is first and foremost about how we live our daily lives, for the daily life itself of a truly Christian family, makes up the first experience of the Church.
Whatever our vocation in life, it is never too late to work in the Lord’s vineyard. Our spiritual renewal and the renewal of our national character depend on it.
God bless you all, and God bless America.
LifeSite’s Pete Baklinski contributed to this report
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lifesitenews--2020-09-23--We are in the middle of ‘the great apostasy’

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

To help keep this and other programs on the air, please donate here. In this episode, Mother Miriam continues talking about Marian apparitions and the 'end times.' You can tune in daily at 10 am EST/7 am PST on our Facebook Page. Subscribe to Mother Miriam Live email updates here.
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lifesitenews--2020-09-23--Republicans must stop playing by pro-abortion Dem rules when it comes to Supreme Court picks

September 23 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – During her confirmation hearings in 1993 , Ruth Bader Ginsburg did something unprecedented : She openly endorsed legal abortion , something no nominee had ever done .
“ It is essential to woman ’ s equality with man that she be the decisionmaker , that her choice be controlling , ” Ginsburg told the Senate Judiciary Committee .
“ If you impose restraints that impede her choice , you are disadvantaging her because of her sex.
” Despite that , she was confirmed 93-3 .
Republicans joined their Democratic colleagues in sending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that with the Robert Bork hearings six years previously , when Democrats had launched a brutal attack on the Reagan nominee .
`` Robert Bork 's America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions , blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters , rogue police could break down citizens ' doors in midnight raids , and schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution , '' Ted Kennedy said .
Joe Biden , who was running the Senate Judiciary Committee , even suspended his scandal-plagued presidential campaign in part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reagan withdrew Bork ’ s nomination and instead put forward Anthony Kennedy , the Supreme Court ’ s “ swing vote ” who would uphold abortion rights , author the majority decision in Obergefell v. Hodges , and dash any hopes that the Court would decline to redefine America .
Kennedy was right : If Bork had been on the Court , America would be a very different country .
Just two years before , the Democrats had attempted to do the same thing to Clarence Thomas , whom they opposed due to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1991 conference of the National Organization for Women in New York City , activist lawyer Florynce Kennedy announced of Thomas : “ We ’ re going to ‘ bork ’ him.
” Like clockwork , Thomas was accused of sexual impropriety , and it almost derailed his nomination .
President George H.W .
Bush stood by him , and as Joe Biden hosted the circus , Thomas responded furiously to the accusations , which he denied in their entirety : This is a circus .
It 's a national disgrace .
And from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves , to do for themselves , to have different ideas , and it is a message that unless you kowtow to an old order , this is what will happen to you .
You will be lynched , destroyed , caricatured by a committee of the U.S. Senate rather than hung from a tree .
Thomas , unlike Bork , survived the Democratic gauntlet and took his seat on the Supreme Court .
Decades later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Anthony Kennedy vacated his seat and President Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh .
The Democrats swung into action , terrified that Kavanaugh would be the new swing vote that might roll back abortion rights .
Kavanaugh was accused of everything from sexual assault to serial gang rape .
Only his emotional speech in his own defence saved his nomination .
Bork ’ s seat was finally filled .
In contrast , Bill Clinton ’ s second pro-abortion pick for the Supreme Court , Stephen Breyer , was confirmed by a vote of 87-9 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pro-abortion pick , was confirmed 68-31 .
Elena Kagan was confirmed 63-37 .
In short , Democrats have seen the Court as an essential tool in the fight for legal abortion for decades , while the Republicans have not .
The Democrats destroyed Bork ’ s shot at a seat on the Supreme Court , and attempted to do the same thing to Thomas—both primarily because of their pro-life positions .
A few short years later , the Republicans were sending Bill Clinton ’ s nominees sailing onto the Court—despite the fact that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now , laughably , the Democrats are attempting to claim that the Republicans have “ politicized ” the Court .
In reality , the Democrats have been playing the game to win while the GOP hasn ’ t been playing the game at all .
Democrats ensure that their nominees are pro-abortion and pro-Roe—Republicans rarely do , which is why even with a 5-4 majority , the end of Roe is by no means certain .
Republicans happily voted for pro-Roe justices , while Democrats viciously attacked pro-life justices .
The Republicans should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Kennedy went after Bork , but they didn ’ t .
Republicans are now finally recognizing that the Democrats have been holding up norms and decorum while making a complete mockery of the process because what the Democrats did to Kavanaugh was so egregious .
That is why Lindsey Graham is now refusing to play by Democrat rules .
That is why Josh Hawley is calling on GOP senators to decline any justice not explicitly opposed to Roe .
The Democrats have been winning the war over the Supreme Court for decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part , obediently played along .

‘The Democrats have been winning the war over the Supreme Court for decades while the Republicans, for the most part, obediently played along’
PETITION: President Trump, nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court! Sign the petition here.
September 23, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – During her confirmation hearings in 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg did something unprecedented: She openly endorsed legal abortion, something no nominee had ever done. “It is essential to woman’s equality with man that she be the decisionmaker, that her choice be controlling,” Ginsburg told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “If you impose restraints that impede her choice, you are disadvantaging her because of her sex.”
Despite that, she was confirmed 93-3. Republicans joined their Democratic colleagues in sending Ginsburg off to the bench.
Contrast that with the Robert Bork hearings six years previously, when Democrats had launched a brutal attack on the Reagan nominee. “Robert Bork's America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens' doors in midnight raids, and schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution,” Ted Kennedy said. Joe Biden, who was running the Senate Judiciary Committee, even suspended his scandal-plagued presidential campaign in part to ensure Bork’s defeat.
Reagan withdrew Bork’s nomination and instead put forward Anthony Kennedy, the Supreme Court’s “swing vote” who would uphold abortion rights, author the majority decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, and dash any hopes that the Court would decline to redefine America. Kennedy was right: If Bork had been on the Court, America would be a very different country.
Just two years before, the Democrats had attempted to do the same thing to Clarence Thomas, whom they opposed due to his pro-life views. At a July 1991 conference of the National Organization for Women in New York City, activist lawyer Florynce Kennedy announced of Thomas: “We’re going to ‘bork’ him.” Like clockwork, Thomas was accused of sexual impropriety, and it almost derailed his nomination. President George H.W. Bush stood by him, and as Joe Biden hosted the circus, Thomas responded furiously to the accusations, which he denied in their entirety:
This is a circus. It's a national disgrace. And from my standpoint, as a black American, it is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas, and it is a message that unless you kowtow to an old order, this is what will happen to you. You will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured by a committee of the U.S. Senate rather than hung from a tree.
Thomas, unlike Bork, survived the Democratic gauntlet and took his seat on the Supreme Court. Decades later, a similar scene played out again when Anthony Kennedy vacated his seat and President Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh. The Democrats swung into action, terrified that Kavanaugh would be the new swing vote that might roll back abortion rights. Kavanaugh was accused of everything from sexual assault to serial gang rape. Only his emotional speech in his own defence saved his nomination. Bork’s seat was finally filled.
Follow Jonathon van Maren on Facebook
In contrast, Bill Clinton’s second pro-abortion pick for the Supreme Court, Stephen Breyer, was confirmed by a vote of 87-9. Sonia Sotomayor, Obama’s pro-abortion pick, was confirmed 68-31. Elena Kagan was confirmed 63-37.
In short, Democrats have seen the Court as an essential tool in the fight for legal abortion for decades, while the Republicans have not. The Democrats destroyed Bork’s shot at a seat on the Supreme Court, and attempted to do the same thing to Thomas—both primarily because of their pro-life positions. A few short years later, the Republicans were sending Bill Clinton’s nominees sailing onto the Court—despite the fact that both were staunch supporters of abortion.
Now, laughably, the Democrats are attempting to claim that the Republicans have “politicized” the Court. In reality, the Democrats have been playing the game to win while the GOP hasn’t been playing the game at all. Democrats ensure that their nominees are pro-abortion and pro-Roe—Republicans rarely do, which is why even with a 5-4 majority, the end of Roe is by no means certain. Republicans happily voted for pro-Roe justices, while Democrats viciously attacked pro-life justices. The Republicans should have begun playing this game when Biden and Kennedy went after Bork, but they didn’t.
Republicans are now finally recognizing that the Democrats have been holding up norms and decorum while making a complete mockery of the process because what the Democrats did to Kavanaugh was so egregious. That is why Lindsey Graham is now refusing to play by Democrat rules. That is why Josh Hawley is calling on GOP senators to decline any justice not explicitly opposed to Roe. The Democrats have been winning the war over the Supreme Court for decades while the Republicans, for the most part, obediently played along.
Not anymore.
Jonathon’s new podcast, The Van Maren Show, is dedicated to telling the stories of the pro-life and pro-family movement. In his latest episode, he interviews Danielle D’Souza Gill, the youngest board member of Women for Trump. Gill is also a graduate of Dartmouth College and the author of the brand new book titled “The Choice: The Abortion Divide in America.” You can subscribe here and listen to the episode below:
Follow Jonathon Jonathon Van Maren is a public speaker, writer, and pro-life activist. His commentary has been translated into more than eight languages and published widely online as well as print newspapers such as the Jewish Independent, the National Post, the Hamilton Spectator and others. He has received an award for combating anti-Semitism in print from the Jewish organization B’nai Brith. His commentary has been featured on CTV Primetime, Global News, EWTN, and the CBC as well as dozens of radio stations and news outlets in Canada and the United States. He speaks on a wide variety of cultural topics across North America at universities, high schools, churches, and other functions. Some of these topics include abortion, pornography, the Sexual Revolution, and euthanasia. Jonathon holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in history from Simon Fraser University, and is the communications director for the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform. Jonathon’s first book, The Culture War, was released in 2016.
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lifesitenews--2020-09-23--BREAKING: Trump announces executive order to protect babies who survive abortion

WASHINGTON , D.C. , September 23 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – President Donald Trump announced today he will be signing a Born Alive Executive Order “ to ensure that all precious babies born alive , no matter their circumstances , receive the medical care that they deserve.
” Speaking at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast , which due to the coronavirus crisis took place virtually , Trump called this measure “ our sacrosanct moral duty.
” The executive order , once signed , will protect babies born alive after a failed abortion .
“ We are also increasing federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that every child has the very best chance to thrive and to grow , ” Trump continued in his short three-minute speech .
The President talked not only about politics , but relayed some personal memories , as well .
“ I grew up next to a Catholic church in Queens , New York , and I saw how much incredible work the Catholic Church did for our community , ” he said , after expressing his “ deep gratitude to every person who prays for me and for the first lady , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States .
“ These are amazing people , ” he said of Catholics .
“ These are great , great people.
” “ Catholic schools give many underserved children the chance to reach their God given potential , ” Trump continued .
“ Catholics of all backgrounds share the love of Christ with the most vulnerable as they care for the elderly , the homeless and neighbors in need .
Our nation is strong because of Catholics and all people of faith.
” “ We believe in the joy of family , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work and the eternal truth that every child born and unborn is made in the holy image of God , ” the President said .
“ I will always protect the vital role of religion and prayer in American society , and I will always defend the sacred right to life.
” In another personal moment , Trump said , “ Melanie and I recently visited the shrine of St. John Paul II , a man who had such a profound impact on our country and the world .
It was an incredible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he encouraged Catholics to let “ the good news of Christ radiate from your hearts and the peace that he alone gives remain forever in your souls.
” “ We are very grateful for the millions of Catholics across America who live by these beautiful words and bring hope and joy and light and grace to the world , ” Trump added .

The Born Alive executive order will “ensure that all precious babies born alive” after a failed abortion attempt “receive the medical care that they deserve.”
URGENT PETITION: Tell the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade! Sign the petition here.
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 23, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – President Donald Trump announced today he will be signing a Born Alive Executive Order “to ensure that all precious babies born alive, no matter their circumstances, receive the medical care that they deserve.”
Speaking at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, which due to the coronavirus crisis took place virtually, Trump called this measure “our sacrosanct moral duty.” The executive order, once signed, will protect babies born alive after a failed abortion.
“We are also increasing federal funding for the neonatal research to ensure that every child has the very best chance to thrive and to grow,” Trump continued in his short three-minute speech.
The President talked not only about politics, but relayed some personal memories, as well.
“I grew up next to a Catholic church in Queens, New York, and I saw how much incredible work the Catholic Church did for our community,” he said, after expressing his “deep gratitude to every person who prays for me and for the first lady,” as well as for the United States.
“These are amazing people,” he said of Catholics. “These are great, great people.”
“Catholic schools give many underserved children the chance to reach their God given potential,” Trump continued. “Catholics of all backgrounds share the love of Christ with the most vulnerable as they care for the elderly, the homeless and neighbors in need. Our nation is strong because of Catholics and all people of faith.”
“We believe in the joy of family, the blessing of freedom and the dignity of work and the eternal truth that every child born and unborn is made in the holy image of God,” the President said. “I will always protect the vital role of religion and prayer in American society, and I will always defend the sacred right to life.”
In another personal moment, Trump said, “Melanie and I recently visited the shrine of St. John Paul II, a man who had such a profound impact on our country and the world. It was an incredible visit.”
Quoting the Polish Pope, he encouraged Catholics to let “the good news of Christ radiate from your hearts and the peace that he alone gives remain forever in your souls.”
“We are very grateful for the millions of Catholics across America who live by these beautiful words and bring hope and joy and light and grace to the world,” Trump added.
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lifesitenews--2020-09-23--Archbishop Viganò: Trump is ‘preparing to fight against the demonic forces of the deep state’

Editor ’ s Note : The following is a note the Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò sent to the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast , which was held today .
The event organizers declined to read it aloud at the event , which this year took place online .
LifeSiteNews publishes it in full below .
September 23 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) – With deep emotion I have learned that President Donald J. Trump will be taking part in the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on 23 September .
On this occasion , Attorney General William Barr will receive the NCPB ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Faithful Laity ) , named after the Apostolic Exhortation On the Laity by Pope John Paul II .
I would like to make myself present on this memorable occasion , in which I participated with great enthusiasm as Apostolic Nuncio during the years of my mission in Washington , D.C. ( 2011-2016 ) .
I therefore join all the participants in this extraordinary celebration and all American Catholics , who see in President Donald Trump the greatest defender of the supreme values of Christian civilization : of life , from conception to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ composed of one man and one woman and children ; and of love for the homeland : One Nation under God !
And , most importantly , he stands for defending the right to freely practice our Faith , thus allowing us more fully to honor God .
The presidential elections in November represent an epochal challenge , a biblical challenge , the outcome of which will be decisive not only for the United States of America but for the whole world .
It is necessary that all of you Catholics of America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Providence has deigned to entrust to your President , and that you are aware of the extraordinary battle that He is preparing to fight against the demonic forces of the deep state and against the New World Order .
I am at your side with fervent prayer , together with millions of Catholics and with all people of good will throughout the world .
Our trust rests in God , the Almighty , whose right hand always works wonders .
+ Carlo Maria Viganò , Titular Archbishop of Ulpiana Former Apostolic Nuncio of @ @ @ @ @ @

'The presidential elections in November represent an epochal challenge, a biblical challenge, the outcome of which will be decisive not only for the United States of America but for the whole world.'
Editor’s Note: The following is a note the Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò sent to the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, which was held today. The event organizers declined to read it aloud at the event, which this year took place online. LifeSiteNews publishes it in full below.
September 23, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – With deep emotion I have learned that President Donald J. Trump will be taking part in the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on 23 September.
On this occasion, Attorney General William Barr will receive the NCPB’s Christifideles Laici Award (Christ’s Faithful Laity), named after the Apostolic Exhortation On the Laity by Pope John Paul II.
I would like to make myself present on this memorable occasion, in which I participated with great enthusiasm as Apostolic Nuncio during the years of my mission in Washington, D.C. (2011-2016).
I therefore join all the participants in this extraordinary celebration and all American Catholics, who see in President Donald Trump the greatest defender of the supreme values of Christian civilization: of life, from conception to natural death; of the natural family composed of one man and one woman and children; and of love for the homeland: One Nation under God! And, most importantly, he stands for defending the right to freely practice our Faith, thus allowing us more fully to honor God.
The presidential elections in November represent an epochal challenge, a biblical challenge, the outcome of which will be decisive not only for the United States of America but for the whole world.
It is necessary that all of you Catholics of America are well aware of the role that Providence has deigned to entrust to your President, and that you are aware of the extraordinary battle that He is preparing to fight against the demonic forces of the deep state and against the New World Order. I am at your side with fervent prayer, together with millions of Catholics and with all people of good will throughout the world.
Our trust rests in God, the Almighty, whose right hand always works wonders.
+ Carlo Maria Viganò,
Titular Archbishop of Ulpiana
Former Apostolic Nuncio of Washington, D.C. (2011-2016)
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lifesitenews--2020-09-23--Ontario politician blasts govt-imposed restrictions: ‘Socialism is neither a cure or remedy for COVI

Ontario politician blasts govt-imposed restrictions: ‘Socialism is neither a cure or remedy for COVID’

PERTH , Ontario , September 23 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — An Ontario politician blasted Premier Doug Ford and his medical experts for ignoring what he says is the real cost of continuing coronavirus restrictions : loss of freedom , government overreach , loss of the rule of law , loss of ability to earn a living , rising suicides and despair — all for the sake of a “ false sense of security.
” In an email to constituents last week , Independent MPP Randy Hillier decried Ford ’ s Bill 195 as legislating ongoing state of emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID Command Table ” to enact restrictions with no oversight or involvement from elected representatives .
The famously outspoken MPP for the rural south-east riding Lanark , Frontenac and Kingston also released a video detailing why he vehemently opposes this state of affairs in Canada ’ s most populous province .
“ Without debate or vote , we have embraced arbitrary rules .
We have thrown away the rule of law .
We have accepted unaccountable authority instead of representative government .
We have empowered governments to deprive people of their businesses , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Socialism is neither a cure nor a remedy for COVID.
” Ford has refused to disclose the identities of the members of the Command Table or to release the group ’ s “ agenda , minutes , or communications , ” Hillier wrote in his email .
Ontario ’ s Progressive Conservative government “ remains shielded from accountability and transparency , ” and many MPPs “ remain reluctant to speak out for fear of reprisal and removal , ” asserted Hillier .
That fear is well-grounded given that Cambridge MPP Belinda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July for voting against Bill 195 .
Hillier wasn ’ t similarly treated because he was permanently expelled from caucus in March 2019 for comments he allegedly made to a parent of a child with autism after question period in February .
He contends he was removed over his differences with two of Ford ’ s senior advisors .
An electrician , former property rights activist and MPP for 13 years , Hillier accuses “ corporate interests ” of “ profiting from and prolonging ” people ’ s fear of the coronavirus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of ignoring the data .
“ The evidence is clear and without a doubt : the probability of becoming sick or dying from COVID presents little risk to 99 percent of our population .
And of those who may fall ill , 99 percent are expected to recover , ” he said in his video .
“ This is not the catastrophic models predicted seven months ago .
But it is the facts today.
” The WHO ’ s declaration of a pandemic and Ontario ’ s declaration of an emergency in March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to an imminent , credible and grave risk to our lives , our safety and our security , ” said Hillier .
“ But in our haste , by ignoring our past experiences , our history , we compounded this threat .
We did not rely on facts , but on speculation.
” More crucially , people stopped thinking for themselves and relied on the opinions of experts , who , along with the government , appear to be oblivious to the fallout from their decisions .
“ The cost was of no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face of COVID .
Expediency was their only solution , ” Hillier asserted .
“ But we all know in life we ignore consequences at our peril.
” The price Ontarians are paying now and will pay for generations is “ far more costly ” than the undeniable financial hardships , warned Hillier .
“ The costs include our freedom to have a dissenting voice , to have honest , forthright discussions , free from censorship , to find truth ; our personal responsibility to take care of ourselves , our family and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ men and women to congregate together either in worship , prayer or party , ” he said .
The costs also include “ our elderly and sick loved ones who are isolated and left alone ; our liberty to move freely between house or cottage , between towns and provinces to seek better employment or to visit our loved ones , grieve the passing of our friends and family members , or to celebrate the uniting of our children in marriage , ” added Hillier .
Moreover , “ our social fabric and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in suicides , overdose deaths , domestic violence , depression , anxiety , and despair .
And we are forsaking our youth and future generations , ensuring they will never have what we have , ” he said .
“ It is a cost that is too high a price for me to promote or accept.
” Hillier said he has sworn an oath of office four times to uphold the constitution and serve his some 100,000 constituents , who have given him “ overwhelming support ” since he was first elected in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ask that our children and grandchildren pay with their future for our false sense of security today , ” he said .
“ Never again can we allow the common men and women of Canada to become second class citizens in our own country and to be lorded over and subjected to an unelected , unaccountable group of bureaucrats and experts.
” The 62-year-old MPP urged those who support him to back that up with action .
“ I can not do this alone .
I need your support if we are going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ societal interests back towards normalcy .
I need you to write to your MP , your MPP , your municipal councils and Health Units , ” Hillier wrote to constituents .
He asked people to “ counter the falsehoods and fear that is currently driving the public agenda ” on social media , in letters to the editor , and in discussions “ with friends , family , and neighbours.
” Meanwhile , Canada ’ s chief medical officer Dr. Theresa Tam alleged Tuesday that based on federal modelling , Canada is “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Canadians observe social distancing , mask mandates and stay away from social gatherings , there will be a marked uptick in cases by October 2 , CTVNews reported .
Tam said that with increased testing and the ability to pinpoint so-called “ hot spots ” where cases are on the rise , blanket restrictions are not in order , but local officials in affected areas might consider implementing further measures .
Ford also alleged Tuesday that a “ second wave ” of the virus is coming and it will be “ more challenging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ starting soon and people are heading indoors again.
” His government is implementing a $ 70 million flu shot campaign and in the next few days will unveil more of its plans to combat this expected second wave , CTV News reported .
The premier announced last Friday that social gatherings in Ottawa , Toronto , and the Peel Region can not exceed 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors due to a rise in reported cases in those areas .
While the data shows that positive COVID-19 cases have risen in the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ICU admissions , as well as deaths , have remained low in Ontario , with the province reporting 53 people in hospital because of COVID-19 and 21 of them in ICU , including 12 on ventilators , LifeSite ’ s Anthony Murdoch reported then .

MPP Randy Hillier decried Premier Doug Ford for his seizure of power: 'Without debate or vote, we have embraced arbitrary rules. We have thrown away the rule of law'
PETITION: No to mandatory vaccination for the coronavirus! Sign the petition here.
PERTH, Ontario, September 23, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — An Ontario politician blasted Premier Doug Ford and his medical experts for ignoring what he says is the real cost of continuing coronavirus restrictions: loss of freedom, government overreach, loss of the rule of law, loss of ability to earn a living, rising suicides and despair — all for the sake of a “false sense of security.”
In an email to constituents last week, Independent MPP Randy Hillier decried Ford’s Bill 195 as legislating ongoing state of emergency powers that allow members of the “COVID Command Table” to enact restrictions with no oversight or involvement from elected representatives.
The famously outspoken MPP for the rural south-east riding Lanark, Frontenac and Kingston also released a video detailing why he vehemently opposes this state of affairs in Canada’s most populous province.
“Without debate or vote, we have embraced arbitrary rules. We have thrown away the rule of law. We have accepted unaccountable authority instead of representative government. We have empowered governments to deprive people of their businesses, employment and livelihoods,” said Hillier.
“Socialism is neither a cure nor a remedy for COVID.”
Ford has refused to disclose the identities of the members of the Command Table or to release the group’s “agenda, minutes, or communications,” Hillier wrote in his email.
Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government “remains shielded from accountability and transparency,” and many MPPs “remain reluctant to speak out for fear of reprisal and removal,” asserted Hillier.
That fear is well-grounded given that Cambridge MPP Belinda Karahalios was ousted from the caucus in July for voting against Bill 195.
Hillier wasn’t similarly treated because he was permanently expelled from caucus in March 2019 for comments he allegedly made to a parent of a child with autism after question period in February. He contends he was removed over his differences with two of Ford’s senior advisors.
An electrician, former property rights activist and MPP for 13 years, Hillier accuses “corporate interests” of “profiting from and prolonging” people’s fear of the coronavirus, and the Ford government and its experts of ignoring the data.
“The evidence is clear and without a doubt: the probability of becoming sick or dying from COVID presents little risk to 99 percent of our population. And of those who may fall ill, 99 percent are expected to recover,” he said in his video.
“This is not the catastrophic models predicted seven months ago. But it is the facts today.”
The WHO’s declaration of a pandemic and Ontario’s declaration of an emergency in March was seen as a “necessary response to an imminent, credible and grave risk to our lives, our safety and our security,” said Hillier.
“But in our haste, by ignoring our past experiences, our history, we compounded this threat. We did not rely on facts, but on speculation.”
More crucially, people stopped thinking for themselves and relied on the opinions of experts, who, along with the government, appear to be oblivious to the fallout from their decisions.
“The cost was of no concern, unimportant and irrelevant in the face of COVID. Expediency was their only solution,” Hillier asserted.
“But we all know in life we ignore consequences at our peril.”
The price Ontarians are paying now and will pay for generations is “far more costly” than the undeniable financial hardships, warned Hillier.
“The costs include our freedom to have a dissenting voice, to have honest, forthright discussions, free from censorship, to find truth; our personal responsibility to take care of ourselves, our family and our health; our rights as free men and women to congregate together either in worship, prayer or party,” he said.
The costs also include “our elderly and sick loved ones who are isolated and left alone; our liberty to move freely between house or cottage, between towns and provinces to seek better employment or to visit our loved ones, grieve the passing of our friends and family members, or to celebrate the uniting of our children in marriage,” added Hillier.
Moreover, “our social fabric and cohesion is being stressed with tragic increases in suicides, overdose deaths, domestic violence, depression, anxiety, and despair. And we are forsaking our youth and future generations, ensuring they will never have what we have,” he said.
“It is a cost that is too high a price for me to promote or accept.”
Hillier said he has sworn an oath of office four times to uphold the constitution and serve his some 100,000 constituents, who have given him “overwhelming support” since he was first elected in 2007.
“But I will never ask that our children and grandchildren pay with their future for our false sense of security today,” he said.
“Never again can we allow the common men and women of Canada to become second class citizens in our own country and to be lorded over and subjected to an unelected, unaccountable group of bureaucrats and experts.”
The 62-year-old MPP urged those who support him to back that up with action.
“I cannot do this alone. I need your support if we are going to change the current narrative and move societal interests back towards normalcy. I need you to write to your MP, your MPP, your municipal councils and Health Units,” Hillier wrote to constituents.
He asked people to “counter the falsehoods and fear that is currently driving the public agenda” on social media, in letters to the editor, and in discussions “with friends, family, and neighbours.”
Meanwhile, Canada’s chief medical officer Dr. Theresa Tam alleged Tuesday that based on federal modelling, Canada is “at a crossroads” and that unless Canadians observe social distancing, mask mandates and stay away from social gatherings, there will be a marked uptick in cases by October 2, CTVNews reported.
Tam said that with increased testing and the ability to pinpoint so-called “hot spots” where cases are on the rise, blanket restrictions are not in order, but local officials in affected areas might consider implementing further measures.
Ford also alleged Tuesday that a “second wave” of the virus is coming and it will be “more challenging than before because the flu season is starting soon and people are heading indoors again.” His government is implementing a $70 million flu shot campaign and in the next few days will unveil more of its plans to combat this expected second wave, CTV News reported.
The premier announced last Friday that social gatherings in Ottawa, Toronto, and the Peel Region cannot exceed 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors due to a rise in reported cases in those areas.
While the data shows that positive COVID-19 cases have risen in the past few weeks, hospitalization rates, including ICU admissions, as well as deaths, have remained low in Ontario, with the province reporting 53 people in hospital because of COVID-19 and 21 of them in ICU, including 12 on ventilators, LifeSite’s Anthony Murdoch reported then.
For respectful communication, contact:
Premier of Ontario Doug Ford
Legislative Building
Queen's Park
Toronto ON M7A 1A1
Phone: 416-325-1941
Email: [email protected]
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lifesitenews--2020-09-23--Catholic archdiocese ‘appalled’ Nat’l Catholic Prayer Breakfast gave award to AG Barr

PETITION : Urge Catholic bishops to refuse Holy Communion to pro-abortion Biden !
Sign the petition here .
September 23 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — The Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe called on the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast ( NCPB ) to withdraw their “ Christifideles Laici ” award from U.S. Attorney General William Barr because of his support for the death penalty .
The archdiocese issued a statement last week saying that they are “ appalled ” that Barr has been given the award “ in light of the fact he just recently began executions of federal prisoners.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( the death penalty ) is clear , ” their statement reads .
“ The Church teaches that ‘ the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person , and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide ’ ( Catechism of the Catholic Church # 2267 ) .
” In August 2018 Pope Francis issued a rescript , or papal decree , replacing n. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and stating that the death penalty is “ inadmissible.
” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Athanasius Schneider , Cardinal Janis Pujats , Archbishop Tomash Peta , and Archbishop Jan Pawel Lenga responded to Pope Francis ’ decree in their “ Declaration of the truths relating to some of the most common errors in the life of the Church of our time.
” The prelates stated : In accordance with Holy Scripture and the constant tradition of the ordinary and universal Magisterium , the Church did not err in teaching that the civil power may lawfully exercise capital punishment on malefactors where this is truly necessary to preserve the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see Gen 9:6 ; John 19:11 ; Rom 13:1-7 ; Innocent III , Professio fidei Waldensibus praescripta ; Roman Catechism of the Council of Trent , p. III , 5 , n. 4 ; Pius XII , Address to Catholic jurists on December 5 , 1954 ) .
Writing in January 2018 , Catholic philosopher Dr. Edward Feser noted that “ scripture clearly teaches that capital punishment can be legitimate in principle , and the Fathers are agreed that scripture teaches this.
” Feser added that “ [ it ] follows that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a divinely inspired and thus irreformable teaching.
” Also in June 2019 the U.S. Bishops , following Pope Francis ’ lead , voted to change what they teach about the death penalty .
Los Angeles auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron chaired the revision of the U.S. bishops ’ teaching on the death penalty .
Bishop Barron defended Pope Francis ’ decree as “ eloquent ambiguity.
” As well as President Donald Trump , Bishop Barron also spoke this morning at the NCPB , which this year took place online .
Earlier this week LifeSiteNews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at his “ Word on Fire ” ministry to ask him if he disagreed with the statement by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe .
We did not receive a response .

Bishop Robert Barron, who spearheaded the U.S. bishops' efforts to implement the Pope's changes to the catechism on the death penalty, also spoke at today's National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.
PETITION: Urge Catholic bishops to refuse Holy Communion to pro-abortion Biden! Sign the petition here.
September 23, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe called on the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast (NCPB) to withdraw their “Christifideles Laici” award from U.S. Attorney General William Barr because of his support for the death penalty.
The archdiocese issued a statement last week saying that they are “appalled” that Barr has been given the award “in light of the fact he just recently began executions of federal prisoners.”
“Catholic teaching on capital punishment (the death penalty) is clear,” their statement reads. “The Church teaches that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person, and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2267).”
In August 2018 Pope Francis issued a rescript, or papal decree, replacing n. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and stating that the death penalty is “inadmissible.”
In June 2019 Cardinal Raymond Burke, Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Cardinal Janis Pujats, Archbishop Tomash Peta, and Archbishop Jan Pawel Lenga responded to Pope Francis’ decree in their “Declaration of the truths relating to some of the most common errors in the life of the Church of our time.” The prelates stated:
In accordance with Holy Scripture and the constant tradition of the ordinary and universal Magisterium, the Church did not err in teaching that the civil power may lawfully exercise capital punishment on malefactors where this is truly necessary to preserve the existence or just order of societies (see Gen 9:6; John 19:11; Rom 13:1-7; Innocent III, Professio fidei Waldensibus praescripta; Roman Catechism of the Council of Trent, p. III, 5, n. 4; Pius XII, Address to Catholic jurists on December 5, 1954).
Writing in January 2018, Catholic philosopher Dr. Edward Feser noted that “scripture clearly teaches that capital punishment can be legitimate in principle, and the Fathers are agreed that scripture teaches this.”
Feser added that “[it] follows that the legitimacy in principle of capital punishment is a divinely inspired and thus irreformable teaching.”
Also in June 2019 the U.S. Bishops, following Pope Francis’ lead, voted to change what they teach about the death penalty. Los Angeles auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron chaired the revision of the U.S. bishops’ teaching on the death penalty. Bishop Barron defended Pope Francis’ decree as “eloquent ambiguity.”
As well as President Donald Trump, Bishop Barron also spoke this morning at the NCPB, which this year took place online. Earlier this week LifeSiteNews wrote to him via his media team at his “Word on Fire” ministry to ask him if he disagreed with the statement by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. We did not receive a response.
Contact information for respectful communications:
Archbishop John C. Wester
Archdiocese of Santa Fe
4000 Saint Joseph's Place NW
Albuquerque, NM 87120-1741
505.831.8100
General email: [email protected]
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lifesitenews--2020-09-23--Polish president for first time joins 5,000 pro-lifers to March for Life in Warsaw

WARSAW , September 23 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) ― The President of Poland joined 5,000 people in a recent pro-life demonstration in Warsaw .
Andrzej Duda , 48 , was one of the marchers on Sunday ’ s Fifteenth March for Life and Family , which took place despite the Covid-19 panic that has inspired lockdowns throughout Europe .
The President , recently re-elected after a campaign in which he stressed his commitment to the traditional Polish family , had been invited by the event ’ s organizers .
The motto of this year ’ s March for Life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defend the family together.
” According to online Polish news magazine Polonia Christiana , the March “ affirming family , life and love ” was “ sunny and joyful ” and made special by the presence of the Polish president .
It was the first time any President of the Polish Republic had taken part in the event .
“ We are honored that President Andrzej Duda accepted our invitation and took part in the March for Life and Family , ” stated Paweł Ozdoba , the president of the Centrum Życia i @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We are happy that Polish families have the most important person in the country as an ally , ” he continued .
“ We trust that thanks to [ Duda ’ s ] political activity , the family , as well as marriage as a union of women and men , will be protected on many levels.
” Also present at the rally were Barbara Nowak , the Superintendent of Schools for Poland ’ s Małopolska region , and Duda ’ s presidential challenger from the right , Krzystof Bosak of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at noon in Warsaw ’ s Plac Zamkowy [ Castle Square ] and processed along Krakowskie Przedmieście , a central street , to the baroque Church of the Holy Cross .
The demonstration had two themes : the need to protect the lives of unborn babies who can still be killed for eugenic reasons and the need to protect the family from “ ideological threats.
” Almost 1,000 unborn babies in Poland are killed every year because they are diagnosed with serious disabilities , Polonia Christiana revealed .
A Citizens ’ Bill calling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be considered by the nation ’ s Constitutional Tribunal on October 22 .
Poland ’ s relatively strict abortion laws also permit the destruction of unborn babies conceived in rape and incest .
Besides this , abortions can be performed only when continuing the pregnancy endangers the life of the mother .
In recent years , the traditional , largely Catholic country has been challenged by a fringe movement , funded from abroad and supported by the European movement , that is attempting to spread LGBT ideology .
Duda ’ s far-left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , created an LGBT “ Card ” ( Charter of Rights ) as Mayor of Warsaw .
In July , LGBT activists desecrated a statue of Christ sacred to survivors of the Warsaw Uprising by gagging the figure and festooning it with the LGBT flag .
LGBT activists have desecrated other national and religious symbols like the image of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa .
In 2019 activist Elżbieta Podleśna was arrested m after posters showing the icon of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa and her Son with LGBT rainbow halos were posted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Easter weekend , the holiest time of the Christian year .
Offending religious sensibilities is a crime in Poland , akin to disrupting the peace .
At times the LGBT attack on traditional Polish values has escalated to violence .
In June , “ non-binary ” activist Michał “ Margot ” Szutowski attacked a vehicle owned by the pro-life , pro-family group and its driver .

It was the first time any President of the Polish Republic had taken part in the event.
PETITION: Hold UN accountable for babies killed by sex-selection abortion! Sign the petition here.
WARSAW, September 23, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) ― The President of Poland joined 5,000 people in a recent pro-life demonstration in Warsaw.
Andrzej Duda, 48, was one of the marchers on Sunday’s Fifteenth March for Life and Family, which took place despite the Covid-19 panic that has inspired lockdowns throughout Europe. The President, recently re-elected after a campaign in which he stressed his commitment to the traditional Polish family, had been invited by the event’s organizers.
The motto of this year’s March for Life and Family was “Let’s defend the family together.”
According to online Polish news magazine Polonia Christiana, the March “affirming family, life and love” was “sunny and joyful” and made special by the presence of the Polish president. It was the first time any President of the Polish Republic had taken part in the event.
“We are honored that President Andrzej Duda accepted our invitation and took part in the March for Life and Family,” stated Paweł Ozdoba, the president of the Centrum Życia i Rodziny [Life and Family Center].
“We are happy that Polish families have the most important person in the country as an ally,” he continued.
“We trust that thanks to [Duda’s] political activity, the family, as well as marriage as a union of women and men, will be protected on many levels.”
Also present at the rally were Barbara Nowak, the Superintendent of Schools for Poland’s Małopolska region, and Duda’s presidential challenger from the right, Krzystof Bosak of the Confereracja party.
The March began at noon in Warsaw’s Plac Zamkowy [Castle Square] and processed along Krakowskie Przedmieście, a central street, to the baroque Church of the Holy Cross. The demonstration had two themes: the need to protect the lives of unborn babies who can still be killed for eugenic reasons and the need to protect the family from “ideological threats.”
Almost 1,000 unborn babies in Poland are killed every year because they are diagnosed with serious disabilities, Polonia Christiana revealed. A Citizens’ Bill calling for the criminalization of the eugenic practice will be considered by the nation’s Constitutional Tribunal on October 22.
Poland’s relatively strict abortion laws also permit the destruction of unborn babies conceived in rape and incest. Besides this, abortions can be performed only when continuing the pregnancy endangers the life of the mother.
In recent years, the traditional, largely Catholic country has been challenged by a fringe movement, funded from abroad and supported by the European movement, that is attempting to spread LGBT ideology.
Duda’s far-left challenger for the presidency, Rafał Trzaskowski, created an LGBT “Card” (Charter of Rights) as Mayor of Warsaw. In July, LGBT activists desecrated a statue of Christ sacred to survivors of the Warsaw Uprising by gagging the figure and festooning it with the LGBT flag. LGBT activists have desecrated other national and religious symbols like the image of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa. In 2019 activist Elżbieta Podleśna was arrested m after posters showing the icon of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa and her Son with LGBT rainbow halos were posted near a church in Płock during the Easter weekend, the holiest time of the Christian year. Offending religious sensibilities is a crime in Poland, akin to disrupting the peace.
At times the LGBT attack on traditional Polish values has escalated to violence. In June, “non-binary” activist Michał “Margot” Szutowski attacked a vehicle owned by the pro-life, pro-family group and its driver.
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