An abandoned baby has been found alive in Sydney, Australia after his mother left him in a storm drain. Police allege the baby had been in the drain since last Tuesday, after having been born on Monday.
Click to Read at LifeNews.com:
http://www.lifenews.com/2014/11/24/abandoned-baby-found-alive-in-storm-drain-survived-five-days-after-mother-left-him/
by Armando Santos
Born in 1814, Alphonse Ratisbonne was from a family of wealthy, well-known Jewish bankers in Strasbourg, France. In 1827, Alphonse’s older brother, Thèodore, converted to Catholicism and entered the priesthood, thus breaking with his anti-Catholic family whose hopes now lay in the young Alphonse. At 27, Alphonse was intelligent and well mannered. He had already finished his law degree, and decided to travel to Italy before marrying and assuming his responsibilities in the family business. However, God had other plans for him.
While in Rome, Alphonse visited works of art, and strictly out of cultural curiosity, a few Catholic churches. These visits hardened his anti-Catholic stance, and nourished his profound hatred for the Church. He also called on an old schoolmate and close friend, Gustave de Bussières. Gustave was a Protestant and several times had tried, in vain, to win Alphonse over to his religious convictions. Alphonse was introduced to Gustave’s brother, Baron de Bussières, who had recently converted to Catholicism and become a close friend of Father Thèodore Ratisbonne. Because of the Baron’s Catholicism and closeness with his turncoat brother, Alphonse greatly disliked him.
On the eve of his departure, Alphonse reluctantly fulfilled his social obligation to leave his calling card at the Baron’s house as a farewell gesture. Hoping to avoid a meeting, Alphonse intended to leave his card discreetly and depart straight away, but was instead shown into the
house. The Baron greeted the young Jew warmly, and before long, had persuaded him to remain a few more days in Rome. Inspired by grace, the Baron insisted Alphonse accept a Miraculous Medal and copy down a beautiful prayer: the Memorare. Alphonse could hardly contain his anger at his host’s boldness of proposing these things to him, but decided to take everything good-heartedly, planning to later describe the Baron as an eccentric.
Click here to Order your free Miraculous Novena and Medal
During Alphonse’s stay, the Baron’s close friend, Count de La Ferronays, former French ambassador to the Holy See and a man of great virtue and piety, died quite suddenly. On the eve of his death, the Baron had asked the Count to pray the Memorare one hundred times for Alphonse’s conversion. It is possible that he offered his life to God for the conversion of the young Jewish banker.
A few days later, the Baron went to the church of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte to arrange for his friend’s funeral. Alphonse reluctantly went with him, all the while making violent criticisms of the Church and mocking Catholic practices. When they arrived, the Baron entered the sacristy to arrange the funeral while Alphonse remained in the church.
When the Baron returned just a few minutes later, the young man was gone. He searched the church, and soon discovered his young friend kneeling close to an altar, weeping. Alphonse himself tells us what happened in those few minutes he waited for the Baron: “I had only been in the church a short while when, all of a sudden, I felt totally uneasy for no apparent reason. I raised my eyes and saw that the whole building had disappeared. Only one side chapel had, so to say, gathered all the light. In the midst of this splendor, the Virgin Mary appeared standing on the altar. She was grandiose, brilliant, full of majesty and sweetness, just as she is in the Miraculous Medal. An irresistible force attracted me to her. The Virgin made a gesture with her hand indicating I was to kneel.”
When de Bussières talked to Alphonse, he no longer found a Jew, but a convert who ardently desired baptism. The news of such an unexpected conversion immediately spread and caused a great commotion throughout Europe, and Pope Gregory XVI received the young convert, paternally. He ordered a detailed investigation with the rigor required by canon law, and concluded that the occurrence was a truly authentic miracle.
Alphonse took the name Maria Alphonse at baptism, and, wishing to become a priest, was ordained a Jesuit in 1847. After some time, and at the suggestion of Pope Pius IX, he left the Jesuits and joined his brother Thèodore in founding the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion, dedicated to the conversion of the Jews. Father Theodore spread his congregation throughout France and England, while Father Maria Alphonse went to the Holy Land. In Jerusalem, he established a house of the congregation on the plot of land where the praetorium of Pilate had formerly stood.
The two brothers died in 1884, both famed and well-loved for their exceptional virtues.
Shocking:
Stores in Walden Galleria Mall in Cheektowaga, New York, will be fined for NOT opening by 6PM on Thanksgiving Day. This consumerist tyranny has got to stop!
Sign your petition right now...
Ask the Walden Galleria Mall to NOT fine store owners, but instead let them spend Thanksgiving Day with their families in peace...
***
Year after year, crazy consumerism eats away at one of the last remnants of peaceful family time in America – Thanksgiving Day.
Last year, we saw more and more stores pushing people to shop on Thanksgiving Day!
But this year, we’re facing something much worse...
According to media reports, the Walden Galleria Mall in Cheektowaga, New York, (near Buffalo) will fine stores $200 per hour for NOT opening by 6pm on Thanksgiving.
This is outrageous.
Are store owners no longer free to stay home with their families on Thanksgiving?
I guess not. So...
Is it right for a Mall to fine shop owners who
do NOT open on Thanksgiving?
If you say NO, then here’s something you can do. Sign our petition with this message:
Dear Walden Galleria Mall:
"Please don’t fine shops owners who stay home with family instead of doing business on Thanksgiving Day!"
Your action is absolutely necessary!
You see, to have a major impact, we need to collect thousands of signatures. And we need to do it now, before Thanksgiving Day.
Your signed petition – along with all the others – will be presented to the Walden Galleria Mall asking them NOT to fine stores who stay closed on Thanksgiving Day!
Thank you!
Some five million people are expected to venerate the remains of the 16th century Spanish missionary Francis Xavier when they are exhibited for 40 days beginning this weekend in Goa.
“We're determined that this event is celebrated in all its pomp and piety. We are working with other government agencies and the Church to make it a huge success," said ASI's Gangadhar Koregaonkar, assistant superintending archeological engineer.
Read more: http://www.ucanews.com/news/millions-expected-to-venerate-remains-of-saint-francis-xavier/72431
Kirsten Andersen, LifeSiteNews.com
Same-sex “marriage” was legalized in Kansas’ most populous county this week after the state Supreme Court lifted its stay of a lower court ruling barring enforcement of the state’s marriage protection law.
The Kansas Supreme Court ruled that Johnson County Chief Judge Kevin Moriarty did not overstep his bounds in ordering county clerks to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, a decision handed down October 8. The ruling follows a U.S. Supreme Court order issued last week that forced two other counties, Douglas County and Sedgwick County, to begin issuing marriage licenses to gay couples in response to a lawsuit filed by several lesbians.
While homosexual activists argue the U.S. Supreme Court ruling applies to all counties, not just Douglas and Sedgwick, state Attorney General Derek Schmidt disagrees. Because no other counties’ clerks were named in the original lawsuit, the state is not forcing other jurisdictions to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Meanwhile, Schmidt has vowed to defend the state’s marriage laws for “as long as a defense is properly available.”
In their ruling, the Kansas Supreme Court said they believe the U.S. Supreme Court ruling "is not as localized as the State argues," but declined to suggest any parameters for the decision. Instead, they said they will leave it to the federal judiciary to decide the ultimate fate of the state’s marriage protection amendment, which was passed by a majority of voters in 2005 and defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
Attorney General Schmidt said in a statement that he had hoped the Kansas high court would rule in a way that left no ambiguity about the legality of same-sex “marriage,” and was disappointed that decisions will now have to be made on a county-by-county basis until the federal courts make a final ruling on the issue.
“Although we asked the Kansas Supreme Court to provide statewide uniformity, today’s ruling leaves the decision whether to issue licenses in the hands of the federal judiciary and of district court judges throughout the state,” Schmidt said.
“Because a provision in the Kansas Constitution is at peril, the State of Kansas will continue its defense in federal court as long as a defense is properly available,” he continued. “I hope the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly agree to take up the case from the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati to give finality and certainty to Kansas and the rest of the country on this matter.”
The 6th Circuit is the first federal appeals court in the nation to uphold the legality of marriage protection laws, in contrast to the four other appeals courts that have struck them down. The discrepancy means that the U.S. Supreme Court will probably have to step in and decide the matter, but time is running out to do so during this session. The high court has only until January 16 to decide whether to hear the case during 2015. Otherwise, a decision could come as late as June of 2016, keeping states like Kansas in legal limbo while they wait for a final verdict.
Research shows that people who use Smartphones work longer hours. As a consequence, they suffer from health problems such as insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, stomach and even cardiovascular problems.
Well, in my opinion, while the Smartphone brings some advantages, it can also be a double-edged sword. Please see more on this topic here:
From the Toronto Catholic Witness Blogspot
Fr. Leo S. I. Mwenda, a young Dominican priest from Kenya recently published a letter that responded to Cardinal Kasper's criticism of the Church in Africa, as well as the mid-term relatio's treatment of homosexuality, cohabitation and Holy Communion for the civilly "remarried". Key passages on homosexuality include:
Read more here:
http://torontocatholicwitness.blogspot.ca/2014/11/african-priest-africa-opposes.html
There is the common myth repeated over and over again that Christianity suppresses science and progress. One would think that those who call Christianity “anti-science” would at least use some kind of scientific method to prove their accusations.
However, the proofs are sadly and incredibly lacking.
In contradiction to this myth, historians Stanley Jaki and A.C. Crombie affirm that “the rise of modern science, like that of political freedom and economic progress, has been coterminous with Christian-European thought, and for like causes.”
They claim that the biblical worldview contains all the essential elements for science and culture in general to flourish. Thus, at least six good reasons can be cited to support this claim:
1. Christians believed in a harmonious objective order intelligible to man which allowed for what Rodney Stark called “the triumph of reason.”
2. Christians believed in the biblical view that men’s role was to dominate nature and not be subject to it. This allowed them to search for ways to harness nature and make life easier.
3. There was a rejection of pantheistic magic that allowed the Faith to look for the reasons behind things.
4. The Catholic religion rejected the pagan idea of submission before the deities in nature that lived lives of vice and intrigue often at the expense of man’s progress.
5. The Church condemned superstition which hindered progress by adhering to irrational beliefs and practices.
6. Christians had a clear and rational understanding of reality which they developed into a philosophy that oriented their lives. This was opposed to the hazy, Gnostic understanding of reality that gave rise to fantasy and false mysticism that enslaved ancient and primitive peoples.
For these and other reasons, modern science only developed in Christian Europe and nowhere else. The groundwork was clearly laid.
Read more here:
October: Sowing and Ploughing. Illuminated by Jean Poyer.
Here we find the secret of the “Way of the Cross” society. With similar rectitude, medieval man logically embraced his own suffering, paying special attention to the hardest part of his situation. This is frequently represented in medieval pictures and stained glass where each is engaged in his craft. All work diligently but without hurry, anxiety, or laziness. They carry their crosses, this hardest part of their lives, with joy and resignation since their model is Christ, Who suffered infinitely more for us.
Buckwheat Harvest: Summer by Jean-François Millet.
“In this way all individual suffering is but the shadow of divine suffering, and all virtue is as a partial realization of absolute goodness,”* observes Huizinga. The result of this uprightness in suffering was that the person imagined for himself a way of imitating Christ that had perfection and sanctification as its goal. This perfection was well reflected in the quality of all his works, masterpieces, and monuments.
Alas, how such considerations differ from those of today! People seek fleeting and easy happiness. They flee hardship, lose themselves in frenetic laughter, and constantly seek to escape their responsibilities. In their blindness, they cannot see Christ in His Divine rectitude and follow Him on the dolorous Way of the Cross.
People seek fleeting and easy happiness. They flee hardship, lose themselves in frenetic laughter, and constantly seek to escape their responsibilities.
Yet it was this perspective that brought forth the flowering of the Middle Ages. The medieval man did not plan the Middle Ages; he merely desired to be like Jesus Christ. And from the realization of that desire, the Middle Ages was born and flowered.
In their blindness, they cannot see Christ in His Divine rectitude and follow Him on the dolorous Way of the Cross. (Jarviewalk and the Festival of Colors 2012. Photo by MarkEsguerra.)
This is the secret of the Middle Ages—and it is also our secret. If we could but have a similar, lively, and loving idea of Jesus Christ, we would want what they wanted and obtain what they received.
* Johan H. Huizinga, The Waning of the Middle Ages: A Study of the Forms of Life, Thought and Art in France and the Netherlands in the XIVth and XVth Centuries (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1954), 206.
John Horvat II, Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society—Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need To Go (York, Penn.: York Press, 2013), 337-8.
It is not uncommon to hear that communism was “a good idea poorly implemented.”
In spite of its actual experiences – all ending with catastrophic results – the idea that communism contains a “positive core” and is “friendly to the poor” reemerged at the World Meeting of Popular Movements organized at the Vatican from October 28 to 30 by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. It was held in the presence of Pope Francis and over one hundred representatives from movements often linked to the extreme left.
Besides being doctrinally questionable, this thesis is historically false. On the Catholic side, it was enunciated by Jacques Maritain, the ideologue of Catholic Action’s turn to the left. He applied it indiscriminately to both socialism and communism: “In the nineteenth century, socialism has been a protest of human consciousness and its more generous instincts against evils that cried out to heaven.... Socialism has loved the poor.”[1]
In this lyrical vision, Maritain included Soviet Communism: “For the first time in history, Maxim Gorky recently wrote about Soviet communism, the true love of man is organized as a creative force and sets as a goal the emancipation of thousands of workers. We believe in the profound sincerity of Gorky’s words.”[2]
This was also the thesis of Uruguayan Alberto Methol Ferré, philosophical mentor to an entire generation of Latin American churchmen of the “populist” line. According to Methol, the evil of Marxism lies only in his atheism: “The Church essentially rejected Marxism on account of the atheism it contained.” However, the system of Karl Marx had a valid element: “Marxism’s more valid [aspect] was its critique of capitalism.”[3]
This “valid” element leads the Uruguayan philosopher to defend aspects of the so-called liberation theology, of Marxist origin: “The theology of liberation can also be viewed as an attempt to assume the best of Marxism.... This theology has rendered an invaluable service by rethinking policy in light of the common good and therefore in close relationship with the preferential option for the poor and [for] justice.”[4]
It is amazing to see personages from the Catholic world exalting a system which the Magisterium of the Church defined as “detestable sect,”[5] “abominable sect,”[6] “intrinsically evil” system,[7] “shame of our time,”[8] the result of a “fundamental error;”[9] a system with which, in the words of Pius XI, “no collaboration can be admitted in any field.” Indeed, by a decree of the Holy Office of 1949, any collaboration with communism would lead to excommunication latae sententiae.
As stated above, the thesis of a communism “friendly to the poor” is a mistake as posited and a fallacy in the real world. Far from being a friend, communism is the worst enemy of the poor.
Wherever it has been applied, in all its combinations, variations and declensions, the result has always been a sharp increase in poverty and social ills. In fact, the left makes not so much a preferential option for the poor but for poverty as such. Journalist Indro Montanelli was right when he wrote, “The left loves the poor so much that their numbers increase whenever it rises to power.”
From Old Communism to New Populism, the Same Revolutionary Core
Today, gruesome and cutthroat communism remains only in a few scattered spots like North Korea and Cuba, while the left, especially in Latin America, proclaims itself “populist.” This populism, however, retains the core of old revolutionary communism: an egalitarian and socialist vision hostile to private property and free enterprise.
Contrary to its name, populism never comes from the people but from revolutionary elites and is always imposed by force, belying its supposedly democratic character. And once implemented, it has proven to be the worst enemy of the people.
The failure of socialism in Castro’s Cuba (to stay on Pope Francis’ continent) is such that the average monthly wage is still only US $ 21.00, by far the lowest in Latin America and “insufficient to meet the most basic needs of the population,” as President Raul Castro himself had to admit. Recently published data by economist Raul Sandoval of the University of Havana show that 70% of homes in Cuba are in disrepair.[10]
Another example is Venezuela. An oil-rich country with a flourishing economy to the point of being compared in the seventies to a “South American Florida,” it has been reduced by Chavez’s socialism to the “economic situation of a country at war”[11] where tragedy borders on the ridiculous. Recently, due to the chronic lack of shampoo in stores, the “Minister for Eco-socialism” (sic), Ricardo Molina suggested that his countrymen refrain from washing their hair as a form of “revolutionary sacrifice.”[12]
Another example is Ecuador. Though rich in oil resources, in 2008 it was forced to default on its external debt and is no longer able to obtain additional lines of credit on the international market. In 2013, China had to come to its aid by acquiring all its oil production.[13]
There is also the example of Argentina, where Peronist Cristina Kirchner was forced to default on the country’s debt for a second time in a few years. According to independent studies, poverty has now reached 36.5% of Argentina's population, forcing the INDEC (National Institute of Statistics and Census) to distort figures which would otherwise place the country below “third world’ levels.[14]
But, oh mystery! These failed systems were precise the ones defended in late October by militants of “popular movements” gathered at the Vatican under the aegis of Pope Francis. From Bolivian coca leader Evo Morales to anarchist activists of the “Leoncavallo Social Center,” famous for their physical aggressions of conservative political figures, the far left has gathered at Saint Peter’s. Latin American movements predominated.
The works, including the Pontiff’s talks and the final statement, were published in Spanish. A Cuban Communist blog referred to the event as the “World Assembly of the Fighting Poor.”
An Option for the Poor, or for Poverty?
A protagonist in the conference was João Pedro Stédile, leader of the Marxist-oriented and subversive Landless Workers Movement (MST) from Brazil. The MST slogan, “No peasant without land,” was transcribed in the conclusion of the final declaration. Through often violent actions, MST advocates a socialist and confiscatory “land reform,” i.e. the expropriation of farms to distribute the land to peasants grouped in “settlements” inspired by Soviet kolkhozes.
But none other than the very president of Brazil’s INCRA (National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform), Francisco Graziano Neto, has admitted: “Land reform turns out to be the worst public policy failure in our country”[15] Most of the “settlements” have become unproductive “rural slums,” as Minister Gilberto Carvalho has recently admitted.[16] However—and the mystery lingers on—these slums are precisely what MST proposes as a “populist” solution to the land question.
For those who closely monitor Latin American reality, the results of the World Meeting of “popular movements” hosted by the Vatican arouse perplexity and apprehension. Many of the movements that participated in it belong to the extreme left. An ecclesiastical endorsement would run a serious risk of being interpreted as a political prop to the said left, with catastrophic results for the very people they claim to defend. Is that the intention?
There are also rumors that in the context of the severe economic crisis we have been living after years of “neo-liberalism,” renewed populism would be able to inspire a new social consciousness that places the poor at the center of attention. Such awareness would be legitimate and even worthy of support. The problem is whether populism would be capable of providing it. In this case, a careful analysis shows how the left is not so much in favor of the poor as it is of poverty as such, since it obstinately keeps proposing socioeconomic systems that have proven to be unsuccessful and severely damaging to the lower classes – precisely those it claims to help.
So, borrowing the ironic expression of Jesuit theologian Horace Bojorge we can say that this populism is for the poor nothing more than a ‘lead-filled life jacket.” It is one more fraud in the long series of frauds dotting the ominous journey of the world lLeft.
[1] Jacques Maritain, Umanesimo integrale, Borla, Roma 2009, p. 132.
[2] Ibid., pp. 132-133.
[3] Alberto Methol Ferré, Alver Metalli, Il Papa e il Filosofo, Cantagalli, Siena, 2014, pp. 49-50.
[4] Ibid., pp. 112, 114.
[5] Leo XIII, Encyclical Quod apostolici muneris, 28 December 1878.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Pius XI, Encyclical Divini Redemptoris, 19 March de1937.
[8] Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect), Instruction Libertatis Nuntius, 6 August 1984.
[9] John Paul II, Encyclical Centesimus annus, 1 May 1991.
[10] Cf. Raúl A. Sandoval Gonzalez, La pobreza en Cuba, www.progreso-semanal.com, 28 March 2012.
[11] Infobae América, 2 March 2013.
[12] “Un ministro venezolano recomienda no lavarse el pelo si escasea el champú,” ABC, 31 October 2014.
[13] “La bandiera cinese piantata sull’Ecuador. Il gigante asiatico compra tutto il greggio,” Corriere della Sera, 30 September 2013.
[14] Francisco Jueguen, “Segun ex-técnicos del INDEC, la pobreza es del 36,5%,” La Nacion, 12 April 2014.
[15] Francisco Graziano Neto, “Reforma Agraria de qualidade,” O Estado de S. Paulo, 17 April 2012.
[16] Fernando Odila, “Política agrária federal criou ‘favelas rurais’, diz ministro,” Folha de S. Paulo, 9 February 2013.
Among other things, this video captures a discussion at Johns Hopkins University between TFP Student Action volunteers and students who use relativism to justify their support for same-sex "marriage."
Some college cultures soak their students in the witches brew that "everything is relative," that nothing is true or certain. The only exception to the rule of relativism is relativism itself.
Relativism is the only acceptable absolute. Unfortunately, as the video painfully illustrates, students fall for it to the point of believing that men can "functionally become cows" and cease being men, if majority opinion were to subscribe to that illogical idea.
However, to deny the difference between good and evil, truth and error, right and wrong is the apex of immorality, as it constitutes the essence of moral relativism, which is a real danger for it undermines definition, dignity and direction... and higher learning.
The footage was taken on Oct. 23 as TFP volunteers distributed their flier, 10 Reasons Why Same-Sex "Marriage" is Harmful and Must Be Opposed
Watch the video and see the relativism and other "liberal" arts one can acquire while spending $47,000 a year, the current tuition at Johns Hopkins University. 
The recent election results show that the electorate was frustrated.
There was a profound discontent in all sectors against all parties. Voters questioned the rudderless course that the nation is following in these confusing times. One senses their fear.
On the horizon are the storms of ISIS, Ebola and economic collapse. There is moral decay in the family, community and Church that causes much affliction.
Above all, there is the unsettling sense that the comfort zone we have fought to "conserve" is fading – and there is nothing to replace it.
And that is why I ask you to read Mr. John Horvat II’s latest op-ed called:
Why A Conservative Victory Now Is Not Enough
It shows that conservatives need to address the important issue of where we need to go as a nation. We do not need the safety of value-neutral employment schemes or financial stimuli that are already being promised by opportunists capitalizing on the elections.
We cannot continue sidestepping important moral issues that are essential to the survival of the nation. We must free ourselves of the illusion that victory consists of avoiding anything controversial.
An increasing number of Chinese are making a point of publishing their resignation from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations, the online publication Epoch Times reported.
Since 2004, an ongoing campaign to resign from the Party has been followed by more than 176 million Chinese. Until a while ago, fearing retaliation from the Communist Party, many used pseudonyms when resigning. Today, however, that fear is evaporating.
Volunteers with the “Global Service Center for Quitting the CCP” have many calls from former CCP members asking that their resignation be publicly announced using their real names.
"This is a sign of courage from the Chinese people," said a volunteer of the Center. "In fact, doing so requires tremendous courage, especially for those living in China."
"Many of them are government officials. They learned about this campaign on business trips or while on vacation outside of China. So they have called us asking for help to leave the Communist Party."
"Before, many people were willing to quit the Party but used pseudonyms. Recently, the situation has changed."
"A gentleman from Beijing told me a few days ago on the phone that he obtained a booklet from our volunteers at a tourist destination abroad. He read it at the hotel and was shocked with the facts revealed."
The ongoing religious persecution in China is one of the main reasons mentioned by the brave Chinese who reject their country’s hateful State Socialism.
America Needs Fatima did a two hour Rally of Reparation against the blasphemous play “Testament” at the American Conservatory Theater on Sunday in the city of San Francisco.
A PUBLIC BLASPHEMY…
1. In a previous rendition of the play, the Virgin Mary was represented by an actress who goes totally naked in the show.
2. Holy Mary is portrayed as a skeptic who did not follow her own Son: She says: “I am not one of his followers.”
3. At the Crucifixion she fled, saying: “It was my own safety I thought of; it was to protect myself.”
4. She does not think her son is the Son of God.
5. She thinks the apostles are “a group of misfits.” Not one of them “normal.”
What made us sad was to see how many elderly couples went to watch the show. It was a shock. One might think that the elderly were more religious than the youth.
Sign and send your e-petition here
The prayer rally was carried out under the guidance of veteran TFP-ANF leader, Mr. Philip Calder.
Some TFP-ANF volunteers, joined by many San Franciscans, prayed the Holy Rosary from the beginning of the show at 2PM until the theater audience left, hours later.
We chanted hymns and the bagpiper played music to inspire the Catholic prayer warriors on crowded Geary Street in San Francisco.
Thanks to everyone who made this public act of reparation such a success. We pulled many thorns of sorrow from the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Sunday.
First, the attacker pushed Joseph, 17, one of our youngest pro-family volunteers...
Then -- using abusive and violent language -- the same-sex "marriage" advocate turned against TFP member Matthew Miller, 20, and started throwing punches at him, targeting his video camera.
"Bang!" -- The lens guard came rolling off.
"Crack!" -- And the video camera's microphone got ripped off.
You should watch the shocking incident here:
Video: Man attacks & breaks TFP camera
The attack happened during our rally for God's marriage at Johns Hopkins University on Oct. 23. You'll see how our volunteers responded.
I am so proud of them. They handled themselves with honor.
In fact, my colleague Peter told the attacker: "We're here totally peacefully."
But the pro-homosexual bully retorted, "I'm not."
Everything happened so quickly. The police only arrived after the attacker left the area. But they did report the attack and register the destruction of property:
-- Broken microphone (worth $198.00)
-- Damaged Canon Vixia HD G10 (worth $1,299.00)
This attack reflects a growing trend to stop free speech whenever it supports the sacred institution of marriage.
But I'm glad to tell you that TFP Student Action volunteers are not about to give up fighting the good fight.
No way.
They are only more committed.
More enthusiastic. More reliant on God. And willing to continue proclaiming the truth about marriage on college campuses more than ever before.
But right now I'm searching for kind souls -- souls like you -- to help me scrape together enough funds to replace the broken microphone and repair the damaged camera.
You see, before going out on our next campaign for marriage, the camera should be ready to roll. It's really important for our safety.
That’s why I am asking you to please consider sending a gift of $25.00 to help us get another microphone to replace the one that was damaged. Or maybe you've been blessed lately and would like to sponsor a new mic with a gift of $198.00.
Send your secure online gift today
Also -- I invite you to consider sponsoring a new video camera with a generous gift of $1,299.00.
How wonderful that would be.
I know $1,299 is a lot to ask, but I also know that you understand how important this mission is for the future of America.
Rest assured that your gift – no matter the size – will help build a new generation that stands up for the sanctity of God's marriage as well as the unborn.
Also, please pray for the safety of our volunteers as they travel.
We cherish your devotion and friendship and pray for you very often.
P.S. – When you send your gift of any amount -- $25, $198 or even $1,299 -- TFP volunteers will hear about it and pray for you. Thanks so much.
Despite their stone faced leader, Putin, Russia is collapsing in every way. Here are some examples:
ABORTION- Russia is the world abortion leader per capita. Approximately 70 abortions per 100 births in Russia. Most moms bring their kids with them to abortion clinics as if it were no big deal. (That’s approximately 300% more abortions than in USA.)
Church Attendance – Russia’s weekly church attendance is between one and two percent and that’s up from the Soviet days. Ironically fewer people now believe in the after life as compared with the Soviet days according to a Pew research poll.
HUMAN TRAFICKING – Russia is a world leader in Human Trafficking with the government being indifferent along with countries such as, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, and Yemen.
DIVORCE - a 54% divorce rate. In 2012, there were 642,000 divorces and 1.2 million marriages in Russia – a 54% divorce rate. That rate eclipses ours: in the U.S. about a 41% divorce rate.
(Putin himself divorced his estranged wife Lyudmila after years of infidelity with different women, one of them – Alina Kabayeva – a former Olympic gymnast turned representative in Putin’s political party.)
HIV – AIDS - Russia is a leading country for HIV infections (approximately 300% more people have HIV than USA - .9% vs .3 of the population.) New infections in Russia jumped 13 percent to 70,453 in 2012 and were on track to climb a further 10 percent in 2013, says Vadim Pokrovsky, director of the AIDS center.
Suicide
Russia has second worst suicide rate in the world behind only Lithuania and the third-highest teenage suicide rate in the world, just behind its former Soviet satellites Belarus and Kazakhstan - more than three times that of the United States.
Drug Abuse – Russians spend 1.6 trillion Rubles ($39 billion) per year on narcotics per year – ten times more than Americans. Russian Anti Drug Chief Says Russians Spend 50% More on Narcotics Than their Defense Budget.
The Russian army is plagued with sex slavery, male prostitution
(From Pravda.ru - a Russian internet news website owned by pro-Kremlin Pravda.ru Holding)
According to the UN International Panel for Struggle against Sexual Exploitation, the Russian army is plagued with male prostitution. A small amount of money is enough to find a Russian soldier-prostitute in the center of Moscow.
In case that’s not enough here’s more: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=23112
Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee!
She was a Hollywood actress.
She was successful.
She was lined up to be “the next Grace Kelly”.
Young, stunningly beautiful, smart and talented, Dolores Hart had already starred in many a movie, with rising luminaries such as Elvis Presley, Stephen Boyd and Robert Wagner.
She was engaged to be married to an able businessman…
…And then…she disappeared…
Click to read of this gifted woman’s courageous journey to answer her true calling.
…And how the world can disappoint and tire, but God – never.
After physically pushing and shoving one of our youngest pro-family volunteers and using abusive and violent language, the same-sex "marriage" supporter turned against TFP member Matthew Miller, 20, and started throwing punches at his video camera. As a result of the attack, the camera was severely damaged and its external microphone completely destroyed.
In the video footage, another TFP volunteer can be heard telling the pro-homosexual attacker how the campaign for God's marriage was being conducted peacefully. "We're here totally peacefully," he said, to which the same-sex "marriage" bully retorted, "I'm not."
The incident occurred at 11:06 AM near the intersection of N. Charles Street and E 34th Street. Moments later, police authorities arrived and registered the "destruction of property" in police report 145J10002. Hundreds of dollars in damage were caused by the attacker and photos of the incident were turned over to the police for further investigation.
This latest attack reflects a growing trend to stifle free speech that supports the sacred institution of marriage. Other cases are documented in the video Attacked by "Tolerance."
May God protect America and the family from the homosexual agenda.
Video: Amazing support received on marriage tour from general public 
Catholic World News
Following a meeting in Rome of the International Assocation of Exorcists, a spokesman for the group, Dr. Valter Cascioli, said that “the number of disturbances of extraordinary demonic activity is on the rise.” The situation, he said, is “becoming a pastoral emergency.” See more her:
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=23153
Technology, the work-saving redeemer of previous centuries, seems to be backfiring. As workers become more dependent on the modern equivalent of the steam engine, the smartphone, one should presumably find more time for recreation, rest and family interaction. After all, machines were meant to make work easier and free up time. Nevertheless, a tool can be as harmful as it is helpful.
Contrasting living beings with machines
The rise of smartphone might be traced to a few old maxims that state, “time is money,” and “money makes the world go round.” For many employers, profits are seen as all important. Of course, to keep up with competition, the latest and greatest of machines are needed. Many workers find it helpful, if not essential, to have smartphones to keep up in their work.
A recent study in Germany examined 57,000 people and found that more than half of those who had smartphones worked longer hours. The study, done by the Society for Labour, Industrial and Organizational Psychological Research in Oldenburg, published in the online journal, Chronobiology International, found that those who worked longer hours were affected by myriad health complications. Among the medical problems were insomnia, cephalalgia, fatigue, anxiety, stomach and even cardiovascular problems.
With increased connectivity, employers expect to be in touch with employees constantly. An electronic device should save time and effort, but the smartphone is making more work for its operator. The logic is, time is money, so if you want more money, make your employees work overtime without realizing it!
This example shows how the rule of money is overthrowing the prudent restraint fostered by institutions of the past that operated on a rule of honor, based on family, community and faith. When proper criteria is not used, the smartphone can become a double-edged sword.
After dedicating his life to developing a “progressivist” theology that justifies the “self-destruction” of the Church and her ominous invasion by the “smoke of Satan” (in the words of Paul VI), Swiss theologian Hans Kung is preparing to appear before God, the Belgian news agency Infocatho reported.
Yet in Kung’s theology, adopted by many architects of the "post-conciliar" era, this transcendental passage has no major importance. Hell does not exist, God does not punish, nor is there any sin except that in existing social inequalities and "alienation" in the Church. He is a great preacher against so-called "alienation" and inequality.
However, death comes for everyone and theologian Kung is terminally ill in hospital. He has just managed to overcome a clinical phase that seemed to be the end.
Given this inescapable perspective, he has written a book that is scheduled to appear under the title, Dying Happy?
In the afterword, he reaffirms his support of the false “right to choose death” and of iniquitous “assisted suicide," condemned by God’s Commandment "Thou shalt not kill."
Hans Kung is 86 and suffers from Parkinson's disease. "No one should endure an unbearable suffering as if it were sent by God," he writes in his last book.
However, that is precisely what Our Lord Jesus Christ did by suffering the unspeakable pains of His Passion in order to redeem us, having accepted on the height of Golgotha all the pains that God the Father sent Him. That is also what legions of saints and followers of Christ have done.
Can a disciple be more than his Master and not follow His divine example by suffering what God sends?
For Hans Kung, we are all equal and there is neither master nor disciple. It is the people that decide democratically. And Kung suggests he has a right to choose suicide.
The theologian of revolution in the Church has also argued, on other occasions, that every one has before God the right to decide about his own life or death, as if the supreme will of the Creator and Supreme Judge of life and death should not be obeyed.
Don’t Let Them Get A Foot In The Door.
Please Sign This Respectful Petition To The Governor of Florida.
Your voice is urgently needed to stop Satanists from setting up a “Christmas” display at the Florida state capitol building in Tallahassee.
Here’s what’s happening according to WESH.com, Orlando:
The Satanic Temple announced Wednesday, [Oct. 8,] that "in a gesture of seasonal spirit and good will" it will apply to the state Florida Department of Management Services to erect a Satanic Christmas display at the Florida Capitol's first-floor rotunda.
And that’s why I am sending you this Protest Petition, and urging you to click on the link below and stop this from happening.
Click here to send your Protest Petition!
Listen: Yes, this is exactly the same group that tried to have a Satanic Black Mass at Harvard.
And, thanks to God and your protests, they failed!
Let’s shut them down again!
According to the latest press reports they will apply to get their “Christmas” display approved for showing in the Florida Statehouse rotunda. Read this:
“The Satanic Temple had proposed a diorama of an angel falling into hell bannered with the phrase ‘Happy holidays from the Satanic Temple.’"
Let’s not allow them to desecrate the true meaning of Christmas with a Satanic display on state property in Florida.
Click here to send your Protest Petition right now!
But what about the officials in Florida?
Incredible as it may sound:
Press reports state:
“Rather than institute a new policy that would limit displays, as some expected, the state Department of Management Services is trying to make the application process easier for groups seeking to put up temporary displays in the Capitol complex.”
The state of Florida must be put on notice! This cannot happen.
This blatant attempt to mock such a sacred holy day as Christmas will NOT, for the love of God, go unopposed.
That’s why I urge you to:
Click here to send your Protest Petition!
And after you sign your Protest Petition, copies will be rushed to:
Here is your chance to peacefully protest a Christmas blasphemy that goes against everything that true Americans hold sacred.
Please use all peaceful and legal means to prevent the proposed application of The Satanic Temple for its “Christmas” display from taking place.
Thank you.
During a time of confusion, uncertainty and danger, wouldn’t it be nice to find a place of refuge, where there is an ambiance of calm, affability, beauty, security, wisdom, inspiration and even spiritual comfort? Such a place was found at the 2014 TFP National Conference in Spring Grove, PA on October 25th and 26th. The tranquil and friendly atmosphere at the TFP headquarters during the two-day annual event was the perfect setting to discuss this year’s theme, “How to Prepare for the Coming Cultural Clash.” The conference also observed the 100th anniversary of the death of Pope Saint Pius X, who fought against the heresy of modernism.
As always, when members and supporters of the American TFP gather for its annual National Conference, the occasion is replete with activities that are aimed at nourishing one’s mind, body and spirit: enlightening and inspiring talks; enjoyable meals set in style; meeting up with old friends; a rosary procession; all of it capped by a Solemn High Mass.
This year’s speakers dealt with key topics that addressed the present sad state of affairs in the world. The well-rounded talks were all given by American TFP members, whose breadth of knowledge captivated the participants.
As with every TFP National Conference, informative talks were given by American TFP members, whose breadth of knowledge captivated the participants.
After being welcomed by conference coordinator Michael Drake, the first speaker, Gustavo Solimeo, author and scholar, discussed “Resisting the Moral Revolution Inside the Church.” His talk touched on the recent controversy surrounding the Vatican Synod on the Family, defining the differing positions of Synod participants and clarifying the true teachings of the Church regarding homosexuality and marriage.
American TFP vice-president and author John Horvat II spoke on “The Way of the Cross Society.” Using a chapter out of his renowned book Return to Order, Mr. Horvat developed the intriguing idea of a society embracing the “cross” as opposed to a society that is “anti-cross.” Such a society would have well-being, would rise to excellence and would be united to God. Members of an “anti-cross” society, however, would have lives without meaning, empty and shallow.
“The Growing Homosexualist Persecution” was the subject of Mr. Luis Solimeo’s talk. Also a gifted author and scholar, Mr. Solimeo dug deeper into the disordered human behavior that is continually assaulting the integrity and stability of the Church's moral teaching. However, he explained that the clarity and inflexibility of natural law, scripture, the popes, saints and Doctors of the Church make it virtually impossible for any change to occur in the Church’s traditionalteaching.
Mr. Norman Fulkerson, author of An American Knight, spoke passionately on “The Importance of America’s Attraction for Heroism.” Citing both civilian and military examples of heroism, Mr. Fulkerson declared that as much as heroism reflects an aspect of God’s grandeur, it also reveals the “legend” in a man, which is God’s plan for him.
HRIH Prince Bertrand of Orleans Braganza, a life-long Brazilian TFP member, and direct descendant of numerous saintly nobles gave the closing remarks, ending a weekend full of many graces.
On the second day of the conference TFP member Michael Whitcraft, who heads the American TFP Center in Southern California and Hawaii Outreach, delivered a scathing review of Thomas Picketty’s 696-page book, Capital in the Twenty First Century. In his talk, “Taxes and the War on Inequality,” he successfully made the link between the left’s egalitarian agenda with taxation on a global scale. He then defended the right to private property and its vital importance to a robust and hierarchical organic Christian society.
TFP member James Bascom, an up and coming conference speaker, spoke on “Common Core and the Destruction of Education.” He outlined in detail Common Core’s origins and destructive effects on our schoolchildren, a matter of grave concern to all the parents in the room. “Beyond the Bunker Mentality” was delivered by TFP member Michael Chad Shibler, who captivated his audience with real-life stories to illustrate his points.
Citing Our Lord Jesus Christ as the supreme model, Mr. Shibler encouraged his audience not to flee but to confront the crisis with faith and confidence and thus change the course of history. Rex Teodosio, a traveling Fatima custodian was tasked with presenting “TFP in Action,” an account of the American TFP and America Needs Fatima’s activities thus far, using a 10-minute video to showcase its organization, reach and accomplishments. He also spoke in detail about the latest campaign to protest the satanic ”black mass” recently held in Oklahoma City.
A TFP national conference would not be complete without the Solemn High Mass. This year, it was celebrated at the first church in North America dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Hanover, Pennsylvania. TFP members in their ceremonial habits served and sang in the choir to add to the solemnity and grandeur of the Mass with the presence of a Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima.
After Mass, the traditional Medieval Banquet back at TFP headquarters was graced by members of the sacred clergy and HRIH Prince Bertrand of Orleans Braganza, a life-long Brazilian TFP member, and direct descendant of numerous saintly nobles. His closing remarks ended a weekend full of nourishment of mind, body and spirit, the TFP way.
Available free for the next 48 hours HERE
Return to Order won’t convert rotten politicians,
fix the 17 trillion dollar national debt overnight, or
lower your taxes.
But it does brilliantly explain the root cause of our
economic meltdown…
…and what you -- and Americans everywhere -- can do to save America before it's too late.
After 20 years of research, author and scholar John
Horvat II just completed what I consider to be a world-class masterpiece:
Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society -- Where We Were, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go
Get your free Kindle copy today – (Available for the next 48 hours)
Don’t own a Kindle? No problem.
Just use the free download app on the right side of the page to get a free copy of Return to Order. It’s easy to do.
This is how the former US Attorney General Edwin Meese III describes the book:
"Return to Order provides an interesting analysis of how the United States has departed from the spiritual, cultural, and economic precepts that supported the founding and the early history of our republic.
"It also sets forth valuable recommendations for restoring our society to its foundation of ordered liberty and traditional values."
-- The Honorable Edwin Meese III
Former Attorney General of the United States
Return to Order is a prescription for reviving the economy. Its printing comes at a time of great urgency because you and I are witnessing the sunset of the American dream...
For example:
-- Every day, our debt increases by $4 billion
-- Every hour, our government borrows $168 million
-- Every minute, $2 million
In fact, our National Debt now exceeds the entire economic output of Australia, China, and the United Kingdom combined. How much longer can we survive like a credit card nation?
Unfortunately, our casino economy needs much more than a superficial tune-up. The very foundation of our nation must be restored. That's why I believe you will find the framework of principles put forth in Return to Order so refreshing. In fact, every page contains nuggets of wisdom.
Get your free Kindle copy today -- (Available for the next 48 hours)
John Horvat's 400-page book will show you:
• How every economic system without virtue is unsustainable
• How to return to a healthy and vigorous economy
• How to correct the problem that sparks every major stock market crash
• The principles that allowed the Middle Ages to flourish from the ash heap of decadent Rome.
But my favorite part of the Return to Order talks about restoring the human element in society and business. Who wants to talk to a machine? Be treated like a barcode? Or be tied to a cell phone all the time?
Humans are human. We're not machines or robots.
What experts, economists, professors and military heroes are saying about Return to Order
"If our nation ever needed to return to traditional values, it is now.
"Each of our problems has at its roots a moral solution found in the tenets of the Christian tradition. Return to Order does a great job of highlighting the source and solution to our impending demise."
-- Major General Patrick H. Brady, (USA-Ret) Medal of Honor recipient
"By calling the reader to embrace the cardinal virtues of temperance, justice, prudence, and fortitude, Return to Order suggests a practical pathway to avoid the economic and spiritual crises that are looming before us and, by means of religious conversion, reestablish a right order for human flourishing."
-- Most Rev. John C. Nienstedt
Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis
"Mr. Horvat does an excellent job in excavating the underlying root of the current economic crises."
-- Gregor Hochreiter
Director, Institute of Applied Economics
"In this very well-documented and argued work, John Horvat ingeniously demonstrates how the four cardinal virtues are the basis of a free and prosperous society."
--Prof. Harry Veryser
Author and Former Director of Graduate Studies in Economics
University of Detroit Mercy
"An erudite cultural sculptor, Horvat chisels away materialism's false promises and points toward God as the source of the higher revelation that makes beauty, heroism, nobility, sacrifice and true vocation discoverable and meaningful."
-- Robert Knight
Columnist and author
"Its insightful thesis deserves wide circulation and consideration."
-- Kevin E. Schmiesing, Ph.D.
Acton Institute
Get your free copy today -- (Available for the next 48 hours)
Return to Order not only points to the pathway for prosperity in your own life; it's a blueprint for economic greatness.
PS -- If you worry about America's future and long to ensure a secure financial future for you and your family, carefully consider the lessons laid out in Return to Order.
To get your free Kindle copy today, please click here.
Or call 855-861-8420.
From October 21-27, members of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) Student Action campaigned in defense of traditional marriage in southern Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.
The campaign was met with much enthusiasm by those who were surprised to see young people defending marriage
As could be expected, however, the reception was not always good. On a campaign at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, an advocate of same-sex “marriage” attacked the TFP cameraman. He destroyed the shotgun microphone and then made a hurried exit, all the while campus security watched on the sidelines.
Not always so friendly.
An advocate of same-sex "marriage" attacks the TFP cameraman, destroying the shotgun microphone.
The days were spent at busy street intersections with our ever-present “Honk for Marriage” signs, flags, bagpipes and banners. It seemed that almost everybody was in favor of traditional marriage. In Virginia, the honks were almost deafening at certain intervals and the insults were few and far between. Many people said we were brave because of what we were doing, while others said that more people should be standing up for this issue.
After the campaign, TFP Student Action volunteers would go to campsites to spend the night. The weather was warm and the roughing it outside was very enjoyable. The mornings were crisp and chilly, making the coffee and hot breakfasts made at the makeshift kitchen that much more enjoyable.
Enthused traditional marriage supporters show that they are proud to be married.
The week-long campaign proved that the marriage issue is far from over. Many oppose same-sex “marriage,” and it will take more than a court ruling to change the hearts and minds of Americans who understand the importance of God’s marriage between one man and one woman.
I am worried about America!
I am not so much
worried about its politics and economics,
important though they be: I am worried about its soul.
After all, politics and economics are determined by the sense of
values which underlies them.
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
***
New Book Return to Order marks pathway to save the soul of America. See more information here:
http://www.returntoorder.org/the-book/
Testimonial about Return to Order:
“This is a remarkable and much needed book that focuses on the phenomenon of “frenetic intemperance” displayed in the souls of modern Americans. Lack of the cardinal virtue of temperance constitutes a disorder in the soul that is reflected in the various disorders and imbalances seen in the Republic itself. Enslavement to the disordered passion of “frenetic intemperance” that seeks to throw off all moral restraints has resulted, in effect, in “Two Americas” (one adhering to the remnants of the Judæo-Christian and classical political philosophy of the Nation’s Founders; the other in profound Crisis subject to the pathologies of extreme individualism, materialism, moral relativism, Socialism, and even to a Nihilism declaring human life without meaning). The worlds of politics, government, the economy, finance, technology, culture, law, and the academy have all been adversely affect by the rejection of a transcendent spiritual order and its Natural Law positing restraints on human behavior. The Brave New Secular World being erected in the name of ‘freedom” has been corrupting our institutions and human relationships.
The author has written a work unabashedly calling for an organic Catholic state and society or, at least, the permeation of our present troubled society with Christian principles that will address the disruptions in the body politic which threaten human dignity. An interesting feature of this volume is the author’s taking the best in contemporary scholarship to buttress his evaluation of our contemporary scene as well as noting those aspects and components of Medieval Society from which “post-moderns” can well learn and re-establish.
Our author has been clearly influenced by the writings of the Brazilian thinker Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira and the Pope most quoted in the documents of Vatican II (Pope Pius XII). The wisdom of the Aristotelian-Thomistic “philosophia perennis” is evident in his pages.”
— James Likoudis
president emeritus, Catholics United for the Faith (CUF)
Written for Everyone
Although written for everyone, Considerations makes special mention of Catholic bishops and politicians, since they can more directly intervene against the homosexual movement’s legislative offensive.
For bishops, Considerations is designed to “reiterate the essential points on this question and provide arguments drawn from reason” so they can carry out “more specific interventions.”
These arguments are also useful to Catholic politicians whose public lives must be “consistent with Christian conscience.”
Finally, Considerations is addressed to “all persons committed to promoting and defending the common good of society.” It presents arguments based on natural reason.
Marriage Exists Solely Between a Man and a Woman
Based on the principle that marriage supposes “the complementarity of the sexes,” Considerations explains that marriage “is not just any relationship between human beings. It was established by the Creator with its own nature, essential properties and purpose.”
This truth is so evident that “no ideology can erase from the human spirit the certainty that marriage exists solely between a man and a woman.”
Considerations continues:
"There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God's plan for marriage and family. Marriage is holy, while homosexual acts go against the natural moral law. Homosexual acts “close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.”
"Sacred Scripture condemns homosexual acts 'as a serious depravity.... This judgment of Scripture does not of course permit us to conclude that all those who suffer from this anomaly are personally responsible for it, but it does attest to the fact that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.' This same moral judgment is found in many Christian writers of the first centuries and is unanimously accepted by Catholic Tradition."
Homosexuality is a Grave Sin Against Chastity
After recalling that people with a deviant inclination should be treated with respect and compassion, Considerations quotes the Catechism of the Catholic Church which states that such inclination is “objectively disordered” and that homosexual practices are among the “sins gravely contrary to chastity.”
A Duty to Offer Clear and Emphatic Opposition
Considerations points out that the homosexual movement takes advantage of legal tolerance to promote its ideology and place people at risk, particularly youth. It warns “that the approval or legalization of evil is something far different from the toleration of evil.” Even where homosexual unions have been legalized, “clear and emphatic opposition is a duty.”
Considerations insists, “Any kind of formal cooperation in the enactment or application of such gravely unjust laws” and even any “material cooperation on the level of their application” must be avoided. “In this area, everyone can exercise the right to conscientious objection.”
Laws Favoring Homosexual Unions Are Contrary to Right Reason
Indeed, “civil law cannot contradict right reason without losing its binding force on conscience. Every humanly-created law is legitimate insofar as it is consistent with the natural moral law, recognized by right reason, and insofar as it respects the inalienable rights of every person.”
Thus, “laws in favor of homosexual unions are contrary to right reason…the State could not grant legal standing to such unions without failing in its duty to promote and defend marriage as an institution essential to the common good.”
Legal Recognition Promotes Homosexuality and Weakens Marriage
Considerations refutes an objection often raised by the homosexual movement that, since the law allowing homosexual unions does not impose anything, it would not harm the common good.
"In this area, one needs first to reflect on the difference between homosexual behavior as a private phenomenon and the same behavior as a relationship in society, foreseen and approved by the law, to the point where it becomes one of the institutions in the legal structure. This second phenomenon is not only more serious, but also assumes a more wide-reaching and profound influence, and would result in changes to the entire organization of society, contrary to the common good. Civil laws are structuring principles of man's life in society, for good or for ill.
They 'play a very important and sometimes decisive role in influencing patterns of thought and behavior.' Lifestyles and the underlying presuppositions these express not only externally shape the life of society, but also tend to modify the younger generation's perception and evaluation of forms of behavior.
Legal recognition of homosexual unions would obscure certain basic moral values and cause a devaluation of the institution of marriage."
No Analogy Between Same-Sex Unions and Marriage
From a biological and anthropological standpoint, nature itself makes it impossible to even remotely compare any kind of homosexual union with marriage:
"Homosexual unions are totally lacking in the biological and anthropological elements of marriage and family which would be the basis, on the level of reason, for granting them legal recognition. Such unions are not able to contribute in a proper way to the procreation and survival of the human race."
"Resorting to artificial procreation does nothing to change this fact or make same-sex unions natural. Rather, it shows 'a grave lack of respect for human dignity.'1 Same-sex unions are incapable of a real 'conjugal dimension, which represents the human and ordered form of sexuality.'"
Homosexual Adoption: A Violence to Innocent Children
As for the adoption of children by homosexuals, Considerations very appropriately notes that it “would actually mean doing violence to these children,” whose situation of weakness and dependence would place them “in an environment that is not conducive to their full human development.” Besides being gravely immoral, adoption of children by homosexuals would violate the principle that “the weaker and more vulnerable party” must always be favored and protected.
Since the function of the State is to protect the weak, it must in this case defend children, rather than expose them to grave psychological and moral risks.
The Redefinition of Marriage Will Destroy Society
Considerations insists that society’s survival is tied to a thriving family firmly established on marriage. It also points out the grave consequences to society if homosexual unions are legalized:
"The inevitable consequence of legal recognition of homosexual unions would be the redefinition of marriage, which would become, in its legal status, an institution devoid of essential reference to factors linked to heterosexuality; for example, procreation and raising children. If, from the legal standpoint, marriage between a man and a woman were to be considered just one possible form of marriage, the concept of marriage would undergo a radical transformation, with grave detriment to the common good. By putting homosexual unions on a legal plane analogous to that of marriage and the family, the State acts arbitrarily and in contradiction with its duties."
It is Not Unjust to Deny That Which is Not Owed in Justice
The homosexual movement claims that keeping same-sex unions illegal is discriminatory and a violation of justice since homosexuals are equally entitled to marriage and all its benefits. Considerations answers this sophism:
"Differentiating between persons or refusing social recognition or benefits is unacceptable only when it is contrary to justice. The denial of the social and legal status of marriage to forms of cohabitation that are not and cannot be marital is not opposed to justice; on the contrary, justice requires it."
True Autonomy Never Harms the Common Good
The Vatican document also refutes the autonomy argument used by the Supreme Court in the Lawrence v. Texas decision:
"Nor can the principle of the proper autonomy of the individual be reasonably invoked. It is one thing to maintain that individual citizens may freely engage in those activities that interest them and that this falls within the common civil right to freedom; it is something quite different to hold that activities which do not represent a significant or positive contribution to the development of the human person in society can receive specific and categorical recognition by the State. Not even in a remote analogous sense do homosexual unions fulfill the purpose for which marriage and family deserve specific categorical recognition. On the contrary, there are good reasons for holding that such unions are harmful to the proper development of human society, especially if their impact on society were to increase."
Catholic Politicians Need to be Consistent with Their Faith
In its section “Positions of Catholic Politicians with Regard to Legislation in Favor of Homosexual Unions,” Considerations emphasizes the obligation of Catholic politicians to oppose such legislative proposals:
"If it is true that all Catholics are obliged to oppose the legalization of homosexual unions, Catholic politicians are obliged to do so in a particular way, in keeping with their responsibility as politicians.… The Catholic lawmaker has a moral duty to express his opposition clearly and publicly and to vote against it. To vote in favor of a law so harmful to the common good is gravely immoral."
Homosexual Behavior and Unions Simply Cannot be Approved
Considerations emphasizes: “The Church teaches that respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to considerations of homosexual unions.”
Thus, there can be no doubt that all Catholics have a duty to oppose the homosexual agenda. The Church’s moral teaching cannot change.
***
Excerpt from the book, Defending a Higher Law: Why We Must Resist Same-Sex "Marriage" and the Homosexual Movement
1. Cf. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction Donum vitae (Feb. 22, 1987), II. A. 1-3. [back]
