Matt Smith has published more information on the USCCB’s problematic membership in the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Calling it LCCHR’s “Greatest Hits,” Smith juxtaposes the civil rights organization’s opposition to the Federal Marriage Marriage and support for CEDAW with the Catholic positions advocated by the USCCB. Why would the bishop’s conference be … Read more
At the time Gabriel appeared to Mary, there was an emperor who ruled the known world. His name was Augustus Caesar. A common greeting among citizens of the empire at that time was, “Hail, Caesar!” Caesar, while originally a proper name, had already begun to morph into a title (a title that would be preserved … Read more
Over at the Catholic Advocate, I have posted my interview with Marco Rubio, who is on track to be the GOP candidate for the Florida Senate seat vacated by Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL). Here is an excerpt: For Rubio, his pro-life convictions are the “cornerstone” of everything else. “A society that does not respect the … Read more
Only last night, I was discussing James Fenimore Cooper’s classic, “The Last of the Mohicans,” (as well as the surprisingly tepid film adaption from Michael Mann). As a less-than-eager Cooper fan, I was waxing poetic about the validity of Mark Twain’s side-splittingly hilarious critique of Cooper’s works, particularly Cooper’s “high talent for inaccurate observation.” Demanding rigorous accuracy … Read more
In the House of Commons, Earl Winterton remarked that Muslims did not like the Allies calling the war a “Christian Crusade,” as both terms were odious to them. This was a sensitive matter, since, while there was no significant Islamic population in Great Britain or the United States, they made up a third of the … Read more
News has been spreading through the blogosphere that the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, will be appearing on Oprah tomorrow afternoon. The sisters explained how it all came to be in an e-mail update: Oprah was interested in doing a show on religious life as a hidden way of life which many people never … Read more
I’m not much of a football fan, but I usually find myself watching the Superbowl every year. It provides an excuse for a party, after all, and that means snacks. This year I was rooting for the Saints, mainly because they were the underdogs and have never taken home the Lombardi trophy. (Plus, I like … Read more
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has some surprising associations. For example, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR), founded in 1950, lobbies the Congress and White House on behalf of its 200 coalition members, which includes the USCCB. Members of the LCCHR must pay annual dues depending on the size … Read more
Don’t sign that contract, Uncle Harry! Those guys are up to no good!! (As always, these pages come from Catholic University’s online archive of Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact. This is part five of a 10-part series from 1960.) You just don’t see steam engines used in stories anymore…
OK, the snow may be beautiful, but it is not fun! I took this picture from the kitchen this morning when there were only 19″ on the ground. We are headed for 30″or more. Enough snow was shoveled in the back yard for the dogs to have a space for their “business,” and then … Read more
Over at the frequently amusing, ever-quirky blog Within the Cranium, I ran across this demo reel from Stargate Studios, “a high tech production company offering visual effects and production services to the film and television industries.” It’s called simply “Trust No Video.” And that pretty much says it all. Some of those sequences contain fairly obvious CGI elements. (What … Read more
I grew up with a dad who prays the Liturgy of the Hours, and as a result, the Church’s daily pockets of prayer have always held a special attraction for me. Perhaps when I am an older woman, I will live the kind of life conducive to praying the Divine Office, but for now, my … Read more
If you ask me, we’re way overdue for a Wendell Berry reading around here. In Berry’s essay The Use of Energy, he reflects on the agrarian ethos, the connection between religion and energy, and the role of living things, tools, and machines. He concludes that the energy crisis is not one of technology, but of … Read more
So, if what the weather forecasters are saying is true, I will apparently be buried up to my neck in snow by the time you read this. Better get moving, then: Pope Benedict speaks out on England’s proposed “Equality Bill,” saying that it would in fact limit religious freedom and that it “violates the natural law.” … Read more
There is much talk of the possible canonization of one of Catholicism’s favorite “secular saints,” G. K. Chesterton. Inevitably, people point to one thing that doesn’t sit well in the American consciousness: Chesterton was fat. I hear little buzzings about it all over, and the subject of gluttony vs. abstemiousness comes up repeatedly as … Read more
This is simply brilliant. First off, for you international travelers and residents, how many times have run across the stubborn (fill in the blank) official in some developing country when you’re trying to get through customs, fill out an application for a local phone, or simply get the right part for your car? After the … Read more
Things got a little heated around here last week on Zoe’s post about marriage and annulments. In response to the news that Pope Benedict was asking marriage tribunals to tighten up the annulment process, Zoe suggested that we should be taking marriage prep more seriously at the same time — with an eye toward obviating the … Read more
That bastion of conservatism, the New York Times, reports that “monogamy is not a central feature for many” gay and lesbian couples. In fact, fully 50% of gay couples are involved in polyandry, according to the soon-to-be-released Gay Couples Study by San Francisco State University. (In contrast, between 1.7 and 6% of heterosexual married couples are … Read more
In his audience last Wednesday, Pope Benedict spoke about the model St. Francis provides for dialogue with other religions, particularly Islam. Francis met in 1210 with the leading Muslim leader, Sultan Malik al-Kamil, in Egypt: “I want to underline this episode in the life of St. Francis because of its great relevance. At a time … Read more
It’s a heated debate: Should Congress go along with the request — recently made by President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that was adopted by Congress and President Bill Clinton in 1993? Should … Read more
