Friday, October 29, 2010
Cardinal-Designate Burke Speaks on How a Catholic Must Approach Voting
As Americans approach the eve of election week, U.S. Cardinal-designate Raymond Burke is reminding Catholics in an exclusive 25-minute video interview that they are bound in conscience to vote for political candidates who oppose aborting babies, embryonic stem cell experiments, euthanasia and so-called homosexual so-called marriage. “Millions of Catholics have no idea it’s a sin to vote for candidates who favor these grave evils, which attack the very foundations of society Thomas McKenna, President of Catholic Action for Faith and Family,” said. "This matter-of-fact, pointed interview granted to me by Archbishop Raymond Burke in Rome last week makes it very clear what the responsibility of every American Catholic will be next Tuesday." Thomas conducted this interview with soon-to-be Cardinal Burke last week. Below is an excerpt. EWTN will be playing the 25-minute interveiw in its entirety on:
Friday 9 PM EST
Saturday 6:30 AM EST
Sunday 5:30 PM EST
Tuesday at 5:30 PM EST
Friday 9 PM EST
Saturday 6:30 AM EST
Sunday 5:30 PM EST
Tuesday at 5:30 PM EST
Gubernatorial candidate: Democrats' priest ad is ‘inappropriate’
“I believe the brochure’s picture showing a man of the cloth is inappropriate,” Dayton said in a statement. “I believe that it is inappropriate to bring religion into a campaign as this image and others do.”
In 1944, the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer-Labor Party merged to form the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
Indonesia: Catholic villages hardest hit by tsunami
Catholic villages were the ones “hardest hit” by the tsunami that has killed over 400 in Indonesia, according to Bishop Martinus Situmorang of Padang.
“As a diocese, we rented a boat that will depart for the islands tomorrow carrying humanitarian aid,” he said. “A team of Caritas is already in the tsunami zone and is working alongside the four priests and four nuns who live in the area. The religious are working on the frontline in helping and bringing comfort to the population.”
“As a diocese, we rented a boat that will depart for the islands tomorrow carrying humanitarian aid,” he said. “A team of Caritas is already in the tsunami zone and is working alongside the four priests and four nuns who live in the area. The religious are working on the frontline in helping and bringing comfort to the population.”
Hilarious Spoof of Barbara Boxer
Director David Zucker writes and produces a spoof of Boxer's infamous 2009 moment when, during a committee hearing she told a military officer to call her "Senator" instead of "maam" because she had "worked so hard for that title." Of course the military considers it a sign of respect to call any superior officer or civilian "sir" or "maam" AS a sign of respect.
Today on Kresta - October 29, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 29
4:00 – New Bin Laden Tape Warns France Over Ban On Veils
Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden threatens in a new audio tape to kill French citizens to avenge their country's support for the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan and a new law that will ban face-covering Muslim veils. France passed a law this month that will ban the wearing of face-covering burqa-style Muslim veils in public starting in April. Many Muslims have expressed fears the law would stigmatize them. "If you deemed it your right to ban (Muslim) women from wearing the hijab, then should not it be our right to expel your invading men by striking their necks?" bin Laden said. We talk to Marnia Lazreg, author of Questioning the Veil: Open Letters to Muslim Women
4:20 – Breakfast with the Pope
A Christian Eat Pray Love, Susan Vigilante, an average Catholic wife from Long Island, woke up one morning in the romantic Italian hillside near the ancient village of Castel Gandolfo and had breakfast with Pope John Paul II. How did she get here? Breakfast with the Pope is the funny, endearing, searing, and relentlessly honest story of a woman on a pilgrimage, a woman who has failed for years to become the writer she longs to be, who yearns for the children she is unable to bear, who seeks to find the promised God of love amidst the wreckage of failed human relationships. This is a book you will never forget, an often funny, always deeply moving spiritual memoir about seeking faith in the midst of doubt, compassion in the midst of suffering, and above all choosing love even knowing that it never comes without pain.
5:00 – Cardinal-Designate Burke Speaks on How a Catholic Must Approach Voting
As Americans approach the eve of election week, U.S. Cardinal-designate Raymond Burke is reminding Catholics in an exclusive 25-minute video interview that they are bound in conscience to vote for political candidates who oppose aborting babies, embryonic stem cell experiments, euthanasia and so-called homosexual so-called marriage. “Millions of Catholics have no idea it’s a sin to vote for candidates who favor these grave evils, which attack the very foundations of society Thomas McKenna, President of Catholic Action for Faith and Family,” said. "This matter-of-fact, pointed interview granted to me by Archbishop Raymond Burke in Rome last week makes it very clear what the responsibility of every American Catholic will be next Tuesday."
5:20 – Finance Friday: The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday
Today we continue our series intended to fully explore the practical, political, moral and philosophical underpinnings of the financial meltdown of 2008. Our guide will be Dr. Max Torres and each “Financial Friday” we will be using as a base of discussion, one book written on an aspect of the financial crisis. Today, we look at Michael Lewis’ The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday.
4:00 – New Bin Laden Tape Warns France Over Ban On Veils
Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden threatens in a new audio tape to kill French citizens to avenge their country's support for the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan and a new law that will ban face-covering Muslim veils. France passed a law this month that will ban the wearing of face-covering burqa-style Muslim veils in public starting in April. Many Muslims have expressed fears the law would stigmatize them. "If you deemed it your right to ban (Muslim) women from wearing the hijab, then should not it be our right to expel your invading men by striking their necks?" bin Laden said. We talk to Marnia Lazreg, author of Questioning the Veil: Open Letters to Muslim Women
4:20 – Breakfast with the Pope
A Christian Eat Pray Love, Susan Vigilante, an average Catholic wife from Long Island, woke up one morning in the romantic Italian hillside near the ancient village of Castel Gandolfo and had breakfast with Pope John Paul II. How did she get here? Breakfast with the Pope is the funny, endearing, searing, and relentlessly honest story of a woman on a pilgrimage, a woman who has failed for years to become the writer she longs to be, who yearns for the children she is unable to bear, who seeks to find the promised God of love amidst the wreckage of failed human relationships. This is a book you will never forget, an often funny, always deeply moving spiritual memoir about seeking faith in the midst of doubt, compassion in the midst of suffering, and above all choosing love even knowing that it never comes without pain.
5:00 – Cardinal-Designate Burke Speaks on How a Catholic Must Approach Voting
As Americans approach the eve of election week, U.S. Cardinal-designate Raymond Burke is reminding Catholics in an exclusive 25-minute video interview that they are bound in conscience to vote for political candidates who oppose aborting babies, embryonic stem cell experiments, euthanasia and so-called homosexual so-called marriage. “Millions of Catholics have no idea it’s a sin to vote for candidates who favor these grave evils, which attack the very foundations of society Thomas McKenna, President of Catholic Action for Faith and Family,” said. "This matter-of-fact, pointed interview granted to me by Archbishop Raymond Burke in Rome last week makes it very clear what the responsibility of every American Catholic will be next Tuesday."
5:20 – Finance Friday: The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday
Today we continue our series intended to fully explore the practical, political, moral and philosophical underpinnings of the financial meltdown of 2008. Our guide will be Dr. Max Torres and each “Financial Friday” we will be using as a base of discussion, one book written on an aspect of the financial crisis. Today, we look at Michael Lewis’ The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Pope's Legion delegate warns of 'shipwreck'
Archbishop Velasio De Paolis also said in a letter to the Legion that it will take three years or more to reform the order, dashing the hopes of Legion superiors who had wanted a quick-fix turnaround. At the same time, though, he made clear that the Legion was still viable as an order and suggested that, once reformed, it could have a role in the pope's new efforts to revitalize Christianity where it's on the wane.
Pope Benedict XVI named De Paolis to take charge of the Legion after an eight-month Vatican investigation determined it needed to be thoroughly "purified" to purge it of the influence of its late founder, the Rev. Marciel Maciel.
The Legion revealed in February 2009 that Maciel had fathered a child; it later admitted that decades-old accusations that he had sexually abused seminarians were true and that he had fathered at least two other children.
The revelations have thrown the Legion into chaos, in part because its members had revered Maciel as a living saint, and prompted questions about what the current leadership knew about his misdeeds and when.
Over the past year, several prominent Legion priests have left the order to become diocesan priests and dozens of consecrated members of the Legion's lay branch, Regnum Christi, have quit. Several have spoken about the deception and spiritual manipulation they say they endured in a cult-like movement that until recently had the unquestioning blessing of Rome.
De Paolis wrote a letter to current Legion priests and consecrated members last week, telling them that the process of reform was under way now that his team of canon lawyers and experts was in place.
He hinted at a power play with the current Legion leadership, detailing what they are supposed to be doing to help the Legion renew itself rather than digging in and resisting change.
"If we are united and respectful of each other as we move forward the journey will be swift and sure, but it will be certain shipwreck to let ourselves get caught up in the desire to win out and impose our own ideas," he warned.
At the same time, De Paolis noted that the superiors had an "extremely important" job to implement the necessary changes despite lingering distrust among the rank and file about what they may or may not have known about Maciel.
"I ardently invite you to set aside all suspicion and distrust, and work concretely and positively for the good of the Legion, without lingering still on the past or feeding divisions," he wrote, suggesting that for now the question of who knew what and when remain unanswered.
Jim Fair, the Legion's communications director, said Wednesday that any Legionary would resign his position if asked to by De Paolis. Fair also stressed the positive elements of the letter, noting "its clear statements of the future of the Legion."
For the first time, De Paolis hinted at how the Legion would deal with Maciel's victims, saying a commission would likely be formed to "approach those who in some way put forward claims against the Legion."
Already, one of Maciel's Mexican-born sons has filed a lawsuit against the Legion alleging his father sexually abused him; he had previously asked the Legion for $26 million to keep quiet. In Rhode Island, the family of a wealthy widow who gave millions to the Legion in life and in death is contesting her will, alleging she never would have given her fortune away had she known the truth about Maciel.
Another commission is expected to look into the Legion's financial matters; some reports estimate the Legion's assets at euro25 billion although the Legion has said those figures are wildly inaccurate.
De Paolis acknowledged the toll the scandal has taken, noting that some priests have left for dioceses, ordinations are down and that other current Legion priests have "let themselves get caught in this whirlpool of public opinion and have desisted in their efforts to promote vocations."
In its May denunciation of Maciel, the Vatican said the Legion needed to review how authority was exercised in the order to ensure it respected the consciences of its members amid charges that superiors had unchecked ability to manipulate underlings. The Vatican also said the order's essential spirit — what makes it unique from other orders — had to be redefined.
Despite such fundamental problems, De Paolis noted the Legion had been approved by the church, that the pope had expressed his confidence in it as a religious order by naming him to carry forward, and that the Legion could be a vital new force in Benedict's effort to revive the faith in an increasingly secular Europe.
Such facts give hope for a positive outcome of the reform process, De Paolis said.
"The shock caused by the founder's actions had tremendous impact, on a scale capable of destroying the congregation itself, as many in fact predicted," he wrote. "Yet it not only survives, but is almost intact in its vitality."
Today on Kresta - October 28, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 28
4:00 – IA Votes to Oust 3 State Supreme Court Judges / Obama Says View on Same-Sex Marriage “Evolving”
Voters in Iowa will decide Tuesday whether to oust three state Supreme Court judges after they ruled to overturn the state's ban on same-sex so-called marriage. Last year, the justices ruled that Iowa's Defense of Marriage Act violated the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution. Since April 2009, county recorders have been issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Also, this week President Obama told a group of liberal bloggers that his views on same-sex marriage are “evolving” and that society is moving in the direction of granting marriage rights to same-sex couples. With us to discuss these issues is Maggie Gallagher of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy
4:20 – Vivian Schiller and the Party Line at NPR
Our next guest says the Juan Williams/NPR flap isn't going away -- and shouldn't. Paul Kengor says Williams was fired for not toeing the party line at NPR. A number of observers, including Williams himself, are protesting the hypocrisy of NPR not dismissing the likes of Nina Totenberg for wishing AIDS upon the family of the late Jesse Helms. Of course, that's no surprise. Totenberg's hate speech doesn't qualify as hate speech in the liberal lexicon. Totenberg toes the party line at NPR. So what should we make of the Williams firing and should NPR be de-funded? Paul weighs in.
4:40 – Theodore Roosevelt: Born October 27, 1858
History of the United States: His Own Words
On this day after the birthday of our 26th president, we talk with Daniel Ruddy, author of Theodore Roosevelt's History of the United States: His Own Words. Ruddy had his work cut out for him in assembling this history of the United States from the perspective Roosevelt. He was a prolific writer, having penned enough for 20 volumes of collected works and written, it's estimated, more than 150,000 letters. Ruddy scoured a hefty portion of these writings, along with speeches, newspaper articles, and personal accounts left by associates, to create a colorful and highly opinionated account of some of the nation's most dramatic episodes. Though the book is comprised entirely of Roosevelt's own words, Ruddy is more than an anthologist; he's an adept editor, seamlessly stitching together passages from a myriad of sources to create a cohesive, informative, and always entertaining read.
5:00 – Prove It: God / Friendship With Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI Speaks to Children on Their First Holy Communion
One of our favorite people, Amy Welborn is here. She has updated Prove It: God, she has written a children’s book entitled Friendship With Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI Speaks to Children on Their First Holy Communion and we revisit her book Come Meet Jesus: An Invitation From Pope Benedict XVI.
5:30 – God and Evolution
What does it mean to say that God “used evolution” to create the world? Is Darwin’s theory of evolution compatible with belief in God? And even if Darwin’s theory could be reconciled with religious belief, do we need to do so? Is the theory well established scientifically? Is it true? In the century and a half since Charles Darwin first proposed his theory of evolution, Christians, Jews, and other religious believers have grappled with how to make sense of it. Most have understood that Darwin’s theory has profound theological implications, but their responses have varied dramatically. Jay Richards is a Catholic, a fellow at the Discovery Institute, a theologian and the author of God and Evolution.
4:00 – IA Votes to Oust 3 State Supreme Court Judges / Obama Says View on Same-Sex Marriage “Evolving”
Voters in Iowa will decide Tuesday whether to oust three state Supreme Court judges after they ruled to overturn the state's ban on same-sex so-called marriage. Last year, the justices ruled that Iowa's Defense of Marriage Act violated the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution. Since April 2009, county recorders have been issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Also, this week President Obama told a group of liberal bloggers that his views on same-sex marriage are “evolving” and that society is moving in the direction of granting marriage rights to same-sex couples. With us to discuss these issues is Maggie Gallagher of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy
4:20 – Vivian Schiller and the Party Line at NPR
Our next guest says the Juan Williams/NPR flap isn't going away -- and shouldn't. Paul Kengor says Williams was fired for not toeing the party line at NPR. A number of observers, including Williams himself, are protesting the hypocrisy of NPR not dismissing the likes of Nina Totenberg for wishing AIDS upon the family of the late Jesse Helms. Of course, that's no surprise. Totenberg's hate speech doesn't qualify as hate speech in the liberal lexicon. Totenberg toes the party line at NPR. So what should we make of the Williams firing and should NPR be de-funded? Paul weighs in.
4:40 – Theodore Roosevelt: Born October 27, 1858
History of the United States: His Own Words
On this day after the birthday of our 26th president, we talk with Daniel Ruddy, author of Theodore Roosevelt's History of the United States: His Own Words. Ruddy had his work cut out for him in assembling this history of the United States from the perspective Roosevelt. He was a prolific writer, having penned enough for 20 volumes of collected works and written, it's estimated, more than 150,000 letters. Ruddy scoured a hefty portion of these writings, along with speeches, newspaper articles, and personal accounts left by associates, to create a colorful and highly opinionated account of some of the nation's most dramatic episodes. Though the book is comprised entirely of Roosevelt's own words, Ruddy is more than an anthologist; he's an adept editor, seamlessly stitching together passages from a myriad of sources to create a cohesive, informative, and always entertaining read.
5:00 – Prove It: God / Friendship With Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI Speaks to Children on Their First Holy Communion
One of our favorite people, Amy Welborn is here. She has updated Prove It: God, she has written a children’s book entitled Friendship With Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI Speaks to Children on Their First Holy Communion and we revisit her book Come Meet Jesus: An Invitation From Pope Benedict XVI.
5:30 – God and Evolution
What does it mean to say that God “used evolution” to create the world? Is Darwin’s theory of evolution compatible with belief in God? And even if Darwin’s theory could be reconciled with religious belief, do we need to do so? Is the theory well established scientifically? Is it true? In the century and a half since Charles Darwin first proposed his theory of evolution, Christians, Jews, and other religious believers have grappled with how to make sense of it. Most have understood that Darwin’s theory has profound theological implications, but their responses have varied dramatically. Jay Richards is a Catholic, a fellow at the Discovery Institute, a theologian and the author of God and Evolution.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
More US nuns over 90 than under 60
Asked, “Is it true that vocations to more orthodox communities of women religious who are frequently in habits are up?”, she replied:
In August 2009, the National Religious Vocation Conference published a study on recent vocations to religious life conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). Using statistics gathered from religious institutes as well as from meetings with focus groups of young religious in selected institutes, the study revealed some dramatic trends. While there are more women religious in the United States over the age of 90 than under the age of 60, some congregations are definitely experiencing an upsurge in new vocations.Read Kathryn's full interview here.
The NRVC study offers some “best practices” for vocation promotion and indicates that the example of members and the characteristics of the institute seem to have the most influence on the decision to enter a particular institute. The research further suggests those congregations that follow a more traditional style of religious life seem to have the greatest success in attracting and retaining new members, especially younger candidates. While the NRVC study is distinct from the apostolic visitation, its complete findings might be of interest to those concerned about the future of religious life.
Three Cheers for Bishop Farrell
According to a university announcement, Father Curran will criticize “the bishops of the US for claiming too much certitude for their position on abortion.”
“I wish to point out that the bishops of the US have never changed their position on the question of abortion,” Bishop Farrell responded. “The act of taking an unborn human life is wrong and has always been wrong … on the taking of innocent human life there is no room for ambiguity.”
“I regret that Father Curran has chosen to criticize the position of the bishops of the United States on this matter.”
Outrageous Statement of the Day
During a forum in Minnesota US Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) argued that Al Qaeda is no longer a threat to the United States. Wow!
Holy card! Nuns auctioning rare Honus Wagner
The Roman Catholic nuns are auctioning off the card, which despite its poor condition is expected to fetch between $150,000 and $200,000. The proceeds will go to their ministries in 35 countries around the world.
The card is part of the T206 series, produced between 1909 and 1911. About 60 Wagner cards are known to exist.
A near-mint-condition T206 Wagner card sold in 2007 for $2.8 million, the highest price ever for a baseball card. Muller remains aghast that the 1 1/4-inch-by-2 1/2-inch piece of cardboard could sell for even a fraction of that.
"It just boggles your mind," Muller told The Associated Press. "I can't remember a time when we have received anything like this."
The brother of a nun who died in 1999 left all his possessions to the order when he died earlier this year. The man's lawyer told Muller he had a Honus Wagner card in a safe-deposit box.
When they opened the box, they found the card, with a typewritten note: "Although damaged, the value of this baseball card should increase exponentially throughout the 21st century!"
The card was unknown to the sports-memorabilia marketplace because the nuns' benefactor had owned it since 1936.
It has a big crease in the upper right-hand corner, and three of the white borders have been cut off. It has also been laminated. But even in poor condition, a T206 Wagner card is prized by collectors, said Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage Auction Galleries in Dallas, which is auctioning the card.
"The T206 set is known as 'The Monster' among collectors. It's just really tough to complete the entire set," Ivy said. The Wagner card is "one of those that's always sought-after, always desirable, and there's not a big population of them. Even in a lower grade, they do have quite a bit of demand and command a strong price."
Wagner, nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman," played for 21 seasons, 18 of them with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He compiled a .328 career batting average and was one of the five original inductees into baseball's Hall of Fame.
The card was printed during the prime of Wagner's career, but the American Tobacco Company ended production soon after it began. Some say Wagner didn't want to promote tobacco products to children. Others believe it was a dispute over money that led to the card being pulled.
On the card, Wagner appears stocky and pale, with his hair parted down the middle and the city on his jersey spelled as "Pittsburg," the official spelling at the time.
The auction ends Nov. 4, and the highest bid was $60,000 as of Wednesday morning.
Muller is making frequent checks to the Heritage Auction Galleries website — an unusual practice for someone who's taken a vow of poverty. But potential bidders should know that the sale of the card will help people worldwide.
"The money that we receive from this card will be used for the many School Sisters of Notre Dame who are around the world, who need support for their ministries for the poor," Muller said.
Today on Kresta - October 27, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 27
4:00 – By What Authority?: An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition
The authority of Sacred Tradition is the big dividing line between Catholics and Protestants. We hear the story of how one former Evangelical, with the unlikely help of the Jesus Seminar, became convinced that Catholic Tradition was the other side of the coin of biblical revelation. Mark Shea tells his story.
5:00 – Aborted Remains Found in Trash – MI Attorney General Conducts Investigation
More remains of aborted babies have been found in dumpsters outside of abortion mills in the State of Michigan. More patient information has been found on documents in dumpsters outside of those abortion mills. And the MI Attorney General has conducted an investigation. Monica Miller of Citizens for a Pro-Life Society is here to fill us in on the results of the investigation.
5:20 – USCCB Reprimands 2 Creighton Theologians Over Their Book The Sexual Person
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops last month issued a sharply worded rebuke of a book co-authored by two Creighton University theologians. The Sexual Person: Toward a Renewed Catholic Anthropology was published in 2008 and written by Todd A. Salzman, chairman of the Creighton University Department of Theology, and Michael G. Lawler, the department’s professor emeritus. The book attempts to provide moral justification for contemporary sexual behaviors that consistently have been held to be immoral by the Catholic Church. Drafted by the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine, it calls the authors’ conclusions “a radical departure from the Catholic theological tradition,” erroneous, and “harmful to one’s moral and spiritual life.” We talk to Fr. Daniel Mindling of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary.
5:40 – The Pope in the UK: The View a Month Later
It’s been a month since the Holy Father visited the UK. Fr. Robert Barron joins us to recap that visit now that the dust has settled and we have some distance. How was the message received, what will be the lasting impact, and what will change in the relationship between the Catholic Church and Anglicanism?
4:00 – By What Authority?: An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition
The authority of Sacred Tradition is the big dividing line between Catholics and Protestants. We hear the story of how one former Evangelical, with the unlikely help of the Jesus Seminar, became convinced that Catholic Tradition was the other side of the coin of biblical revelation. Mark Shea tells his story.
5:00 – Aborted Remains Found in Trash – MI Attorney General Conducts Investigation
More remains of aborted babies have been found in dumpsters outside of abortion mills in the State of Michigan. More patient information has been found on documents in dumpsters outside of those abortion mills. And the MI Attorney General has conducted an investigation. Monica Miller of Citizens for a Pro-Life Society is here to fill us in on the results of the investigation.
5:20 – USCCB Reprimands 2 Creighton Theologians Over Their Book The Sexual Person
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops last month issued a sharply worded rebuke of a book co-authored by two Creighton University theologians. The Sexual Person: Toward a Renewed Catholic Anthropology was published in 2008 and written by Todd A. Salzman, chairman of the Creighton University Department of Theology, and Michael G. Lawler, the department’s professor emeritus. The book attempts to provide moral justification for contemporary sexual behaviors that consistently have been held to be immoral by the Catholic Church. Drafted by the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine, it calls the authors’ conclusions “a radical departure from the Catholic theological tradition,” erroneous, and “harmful to one’s moral and spiritual life.” We talk to Fr. Daniel Mindling of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary.
5:40 – The Pope in the UK: The View a Month Later
It’s been a month since the Holy Father visited the UK. Fr. Robert Barron joins us to recap that visit now that the dust has settled and we have some distance. How was the message received, what will be the lasting impact, and what will change in the relationship between the Catholic Church and Anglicanism?
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Brazilian bishops threatened with death after urging pro-life election vote
Archbishop Geraldo Lyrio Rocha, president of the CNBB, decried the death threats and emphasized that “the bishops have a unanimous position of defense and respect for life.”
The three are bishops of the conference’s South Region 1, whose prelates have urged Catholics not to vote for Rousseff, prompting a remarkable reaction from the justice and peace commission of the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops (CNBB). “The CNBB does not suggest any candidate, and recalls that the choice is a free and conscious act of each citizen,” the commission stated two weeks ago. “Faced with this great responsibility, we urge Catholics to consider ethical criteria, especially unconditional respect for life, family, religious freedom, and human dignity.”
Matthews & Carter to Tea Partiers: Don't You Poor Fools Know You're Just Tools of the Rich?
Chris Matthews, on Monday's Hardball, invited on his old boss, former President Jimmy Carter to commiserate about the rise of the Tea Party as the two condescendingly praised the movement at first, with Matthews admitting "they're not all crazies, they're regular people" but then went on to portray them as dupes of the rich. I thought the best part was the logo in the corner "Jimmy Carter Plays Hardball" as the former President got about the biggest softball interview as it gets.
Continuing the Sisters' Formation and Education
(ANN ARBOR, Mich.) October 25, 2010 – “The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, has signed a purchase and sale agreement to buy the 3900 Harewood Road property in Washington, D.C., to be used as a House of Studies for the continuing education and formation of our Sisters. We are still in the inspection phase of this agreement,” said Mother Mary Assumpta Long, O.P., prioress general.
“We believe that the ultimate acquisition of this building, currently housing the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, represents an opportunity that is aligned with the visions of our community, Pope John Paul II and the Archdiocese of Detroit. It is a wonderful way to build upon the intention of the Center to bring the message of His Holiness to contemporary culture and promote vocations, and it provides yet another connection to his influence in our community and the incredibly generous donors to all these venerable institutions.
“As we continue the due diligence of the facility, we do so in prayer and discernment as we seek God’s will in our Community and our lives.”
###
The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist is a Roman Catholic community of women religious based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The community was founded in the Dominican tradition to spread the witness of religious life in accord with Pope John Paul II’s vision for a new evangelization.
Through profession of the vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, along with a contemplative emphasis on Eucharistic adoration and Marian devotion, the community exists for the salvation of souls and the building of the Church throughout the world. Its apostolate, as spiritual mothers, is the preaching and teaching of Truth.
Today on Kresta - October 26, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 26
4:00 – The Pope's Maestro
Not all books are worth writing; this one assuredly is, because it tells how peace can happen, one heart at a time. It helps when the hearts beat in people of influence and talent. The hearts in question are, first, that of Sir Gilbert Levine, a conductor, Brooklyn-born Jew, and son-in-law of a Holocaust survivor. The other heart? Polish-born Pope John Paul II, who may be headed to sainthood. Levine and the late pope became acquainted when the musician became the conductor of the Krakow Philharmonic in the heady days of the late 1980s, as the Iron Curtain slowly crumbled in Eastern Europe. Levine and the pope became spiritual friends, collaborating on papal-sponsored concerts of reconciliation intended to ease estrangement and pained history between Catholic Christians and Jews, and, post-September 11, among the three Abrahamic religions. Sir Gilbert Levine is our guest.
4:40 – Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist Sign Purchase Agreement to Buy Building Currently Housing John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C.
The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, has signed a purchase and sale agreement to buy the 3900 Harewood Road property in Washington, D.C., to be used as a House of Studies for the continuing education and formation of their Sisters. The ultimate acquisition of that building, currently housing the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, represents an opportunity that is aligned with the visions of their community, Pope John Paul II and the Archdiocese of Detroit according to a statement from the order. We talk to Sr. Maria Gemma Martek, the Sisters’ spokeswoman.
5:00 – Universalism and the Catholic Church
Many Catholics are misled by a belief that all will be saved – a notion known as universalism. Ralph Martin is here to explain why that is a fallacy. Jesus died for the redemption of all mankind. His death redeemed mankind collectively, so we can say that even non-Christians are redeemed. But because each person has free will, he can choose to reject the salvation offered him as a gift. So, while all are redeemed, it is possible that not all will be saved. Christ’s death is sufficient for the salvation of all, but it is efficient for the salvation of those who choose to accept that gift. We get in depth with Ralph.
5:40 – The Middle East Synod / Embryonic Stem Cell Research / 40 Days for Life
We check in today with Archbishop Allen Vigneron of the Archdiocese of Detroit for our monthly discussion. The Archbishop just returned today from the Middle East Synod in Rome and gives us a report on his two weeks in Rome for the Synod. He also discusses the column he released to the media before he departed in defense of the unborn child in combating embryonic stem cell research and also discusses his plans to pray at an abortion clinic this weekend in Clarkston.
4:00 – The Pope's Maestro
Not all books are worth writing; this one assuredly is, because it tells how peace can happen, one heart at a time. It helps when the hearts beat in people of influence and talent. The hearts in question are, first, that of Sir Gilbert Levine, a conductor, Brooklyn-born Jew, and son-in-law of a Holocaust survivor. The other heart? Polish-born Pope John Paul II, who may be headed to sainthood. Levine and the late pope became acquainted when the musician became the conductor of the Krakow Philharmonic in the heady days of the late 1980s, as the Iron Curtain slowly crumbled in Eastern Europe. Levine and the pope became spiritual friends, collaborating on papal-sponsored concerts of reconciliation intended to ease estrangement and pained history between Catholic Christians and Jews, and, post-September 11, among the three Abrahamic religions. Sir Gilbert Levine is our guest.
4:40 – Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist Sign Purchase Agreement to Buy Building Currently Housing John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C.
The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, has signed a purchase and sale agreement to buy the 3900 Harewood Road property in Washington, D.C., to be used as a House of Studies for the continuing education and formation of their Sisters. The ultimate acquisition of that building, currently housing the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, represents an opportunity that is aligned with the visions of their community, Pope John Paul II and the Archdiocese of Detroit according to a statement from the order. We talk to Sr. Maria Gemma Martek, the Sisters’ spokeswoman.
5:00 – Universalism and the Catholic Church
Many Catholics are misled by a belief that all will be saved – a notion known as universalism. Ralph Martin is here to explain why that is a fallacy. Jesus died for the redemption of all mankind. His death redeemed mankind collectively, so we can say that even non-Christians are redeemed. But because each person has free will, he can choose to reject the salvation offered him as a gift. So, while all are redeemed, it is possible that not all will be saved. Christ’s death is sufficient for the salvation of all, but it is efficient for the salvation of those who choose to accept that gift. We get in depth with Ralph.
5:40 – The Middle East Synod / Embryonic Stem Cell Research / 40 Days for Life
We check in today with Archbishop Allen Vigneron of the Archdiocese of Detroit for our monthly discussion. The Archbishop just returned today from the Middle East Synod in Rome and gives us a report on his two weeks in Rome for the Synod. He also discusses the column he released to the media before he departed in defense of the unborn child in combating embryonic stem cell research and also discusses his plans to pray at an abortion clinic this weekend in Clarkston.
Monday, October 25, 2010
WikiLeaks boss walks out on CNN interview after reporter asks him about HIS private life
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his organisation are famously liberal with the secrets of the U.S. military - but the man is not so forthcoming about his own private life.
Outrageous Statement of the Day
Maddow Guest Claims Women Receive Abortions "Because They Care About Motherhood" Maddow starts out by asking if the abortionist is even confortable being identified and seen - Why Rachel, do you really think there is a gunman waiting outside the studio. The fearmongering you attribute each night to the right isn't so far removed, is it? I love how she closes ths bit too. She talks about a press release from Operation Rescue and derides it because it has "pictures of cut up body parts on the press release." Yes Rachel, that's abortion. That's what you are fighting for. Instead of mocking it, take a good look at it.
Waiting for Superman
By Chuck Colson
Christian Post Guest Columnist
The ground-breaking new documentary, Waiting for “Superman” vividly highlights the problems with our public education system-and may prove a spark for educational reform across the country.
The film follows the lives of five children as their parents desperately try to enroll them in high-performing charter schools. The problem is, there are so many children trying to get into these schools enrollment is determined by lottery-often with heartbreaking results.
While highlighting the touching stories of these children, the film is a strong indictment of the adults responsible for the poor educational conditions these children are so desperate to escape.
A prime target of the movie are the teachers unions who oppose reforms and have been a key to creating a system where bad teachers can’t be fired. This indictment of the teachers unions is particularly stinging since the director of Waiting for “Superman,” Davis Guggenheim, can’t be dismissed as a conservative. He previously won an Oscar for directing Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth.
Guggenheim exposes our broken education system and highlights prominent reformers like Michelle Rhee, the recently-resigned Chancellor of the Washington, D.C. public schools.
In the wake of Rhee’s resignation, the Washington Post called her a “superstar of the education reform movement” under whose leadership, “student test scores rose, decades of enrollment decline stopped and the teachers union accepted a contract that gave the chancellor, in tandem with a rigorous new evaluation system, sweeping new powers to fire low-performing educators.”
Guggenheim stumbled on the topic of education reform as he drove his children past three public schools every day to drop them off at their private school. Overcome with guilt, he realized that there was a story behind the obvious problem that not every willing child in America has access to a first-rate education.
In that moment, Guggenheim was inspired to tell this important story, and the movie will no doubt spark thousands of similar moments of inspiration for parents across the country.
Unfortunately for America’s school children, the teachers unions have gone on the offensive. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten has cautioned the public that the film doesn't paint the whole picture, citing high performing public schools around the country.
But Ms. Weingarten is missing the point. This movie is not about finding a scapegoat; it’s about creating a system where great teachers can be rewarded and schools can meet the academic challenges of today.
But it will be a long, hard slog. As Waiting for "Superman" shows, the system is rigged in favor of school bureaucracies and teachers unions over schoolchildren. Come to BreakPoint.org for more on the teachers unions and on one teachers’ association that puts children first.
Guggenheim's film about global warming created a firestorm of controversy and legislative action. And Waiting for "Superman" is certainly on track to become a full-fledged movement in its own right, while reinvigorating the education reform agenda nationwide. I urge you: go see it.
Today on Kresta - October 25, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 25
4:00 – Nothing to Hide: Secrecy, Communication, and Communion in the Catholic Church
Few people know the inner workings of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops like Russell Shaw. He served for two decades as Communications Director for the USCCB and has written Nothing to Hide: Secrecy, Communication, and Communion in the Catholic Church. He joins us to discuss the abuse of secrecy in the Church, the scandals it has caused and the serious problem of mistrust that exists in the credibility of the Church. In this beautiful vision of the Church, his aim is to make a contribution to realizing this vision in the concrete circumstances of the present day, by helping to end the culture of secrecy, especially within American Catholicism, and replacing the destructive culture with an open, accountable community of faith.
5:00 – The Temperament God Gave You
Hippocrates defined the four temperaments hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, classifying a pattern of personal inclinations as choleric, sanguine, melancholic and phlegmatic. Now, modern Christians can use that ancient knowledge coupled with Christ's call to perfection in understanding themselves, their spouses, and their unique path to holiness. In no other kind of human relationship is knowledge of the temperaments — the fundamental personality traits, hard-wired into us at birth, that affect the way we respond to the world around us — so critical, and so fruitful, as in a Christian marriage. For it’s only through mutual understanding of our own patterns of reaction, and those of our spouse, that we can motivate, nurture, respect, and above all, love each other with the selfless patience to which Christ calls us in the sacrament. Art and Laraine Bennett join us to discuss the temperaments God gave us.
4:00 – Nothing to Hide: Secrecy, Communication, and Communion in the Catholic Church
Few people know the inner workings of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops like Russell Shaw. He served for two decades as Communications Director for the USCCB and has written Nothing to Hide: Secrecy, Communication, and Communion in the Catholic Church. He joins us to discuss the abuse of secrecy in the Church, the scandals it has caused and the serious problem of mistrust that exists in the credibility of the Church. In this beautiful vision of the Church, his aim is to make a contribution to realizing this vision in the concrete circumstances of the present day, by helping to end the culture of secrecy, especially within American Catholicism, and replacing the destructive culture with an open, accountable community of faith.
5:00 – The Temperament God Gave You
Hippocrates defined the four temperaments hundreds of years before the birth of Christ, classifying a pattern of personal inclinations as choleric, sanguine, melancholic and phlegmatic. Now, modern Christians can use that ancient knowledge coupled with Christ's call to perfection in understanding themselves, their spouses, and their unique path to holiness. In no other kind of human relationship is knowledge of the temperaments — the fundamental personality traits, hard-wired into us at birth, that affect the way we respond to the world around us — so critical, and so fruitful, as in a Christian marriage. For it’s only through mutual understanding of our own patterns of reaction, and those of our spouse, that we can motivate, nurture, respect, and above all, love each other with the selfless patience to which Christ calls us in the sacrament. Art and Laraine Bennett join us to discuss the temperaments God gave us.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Pittsburgh: #1 in Producing Cardinals
Friday, October 22, 2010 
By Ann Rodgers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The City of Champions can claim a new American title: No. 1 in producing cardinals for the Catholic Church.
With the expected elevation of Cardinal-designate Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C., four living cardinals will have grown up in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Cardinal-designate Wuerl is also the fourth former bishop of Pittsburgh to receive the red hat. No other U.S. diocese has four living members of the College of Cardinals, said Rocco Palmo, an ecclesiastical analyst who blogs at Whispers in the Loggia.
After the Nov. 20 ceremony, three of the 13 Americans eligible to vote for the next pope will be Pittsburghers.
"It just seems that the ethos of Pittsburgh is something that [Pope] Benedict sees as a template for effective leadership in the church," Mr. Palmo said.
Cardinals advise the pope, and those under 80 vote in papal elections. With 20 new electors, there will be 121 eligible to vote.
Cardinal-designate Wuerl, who is from Mount Washington, was bishop here from 1988 to 2006. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston grew up in Castle Shannon and was a priest here; Cardinal Adam Maida, the retired archbishop of Detroit, is a native of East Vandergrift and was a parish priest and canon lawyer here; Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston attended first through sixth grades at St. Gabriel in Whitehall and spent eight years at the former St. Fidelis Capuchin seminary in Butler County.
Former Pittsburgh bishops who became cardinals were Bishop John Dearden (1950-1958), who became archbishop of Detroit; Bishop John Wright (1959-1969), who later worked at the Vatican; and Bishop Anthony Bevilacqua (1983-1988), the retired archbishop of Philadelphia.
Pittsburgh has a large pool of future talent. Another six of its priests are diocesan bishops: Bishop Paul Bradley of Kalamazoo, Mich.; Bishop Edward Burns of Juneau, Alaska; Bishop Bernard Hebda of Gaylord, Mich.; Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, R.I; and Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh.
"It's in the water," quipped the Rev. Thomas Reese, senior fellow at Georgetown University's Woodstock Theological Center and author of several books on the U.S. hierarchy.
He believes that Pittsburgh's flight of cardinals is actually due to savvy bishops who sent talented priests to work at the Vatican.
"A lot of these guys worked in Rome as priests, where they came to the attention of the leadership in the Vatican. They make friends. They see that they're hard workers, see that they're loyal, see that they have the Romanita [finesse] necessary for this kind of leadership. So they are trusted, and they get promoted to bishop and archbishop and to positions where they can become cardinal," he said.
"Bishops who are willing to let good men go over to Rome to work are well-liked in the Vatican."
Cardinal-designate Wuerl was Cardinal Wright's assistant in Rome from 1969 to 1979. Cardinal DiNardo worked in the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops from 1984 to 1990. Cardinal Maida was an accomplished canon lawyer who never worked in Rome but was highly regarded among Polish-American prelates who were close to Pope John Paul II.
Cardinal O'Malley traveled a different path to the college.
"He accidentally fell into it because he did very, very well in cleaning up sex-abuse scandals in a couple of smaller dioceses. They sent him to Boston because they wanted someone who was experienced with that," Father Reese said. Boston has traditionally had a cardinal.
The Rev. Lou Vallone, a pastor from McKees Rocks who enjoys ecclesiastical handicapping, said Pittsburgh had an uneven history of Rome assignments. Bishop Vincent Leonard (1969-1983) sent no one to work or to study in Rome. He is the only Pittsburgh bishop from 1950 to 2006 not to have become a cardinal.
"We went 14 years without anybody in Rome," Father Vallone said. Then-Bishop Bevilacqua sent the future Cardinal DiNardo to work in Rome and then-Bishop Wuerl sent the future Bishop Hebda and some others.
But Father Vallone doesn't believe that Vatican employment is key, because most Pittsburghers in the hierarchy didn't work there. He believes that Rome has seen Pittsburgh as a microcosm of America and a training ground for churchwide responsibility.
"Whatever you would find in the church in America, you would find in Pittsburgh," he said. "We had the ethnic groups, we had the Eastern Catholic churches. We were East Coast enough to be part of that church culture, but we were also the gateway to the West, where the church was loosening up. The only thing that's missing is the Latino experience."
The Rev. Ronald Lengwin, vicar general and spokesman for the Diocese of Pittsburgh, does suspect that it's in the water. Many ancient religious traditions view a confluence, such as Pittsburgh's three rivers, as sacred, he said. He likes to see it as a sign of God's presence here.
"This is a special city that's been blessed by God in many ways," he said, noting that the blessing includes good relationships between different faiths and strong families that raise virtuous children.
"From special cities come special people," he said.
Read more here
The City of Champions can claim a new American title: No. 1 in producing cardinals for the Catholic Church.
With the expected elevation of Cardinal-designate Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C., four living cardinals will have grown up in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Cardinal-designate Wuerl is also the fourth former bishop of Pittsburgh to receive the red hat. No other U.S. diocese has four living members of the College of Cardinals, said Rocco Palmo, an ecclesiastical analyst who blogs at Whispers in the Loggia.
After the Nov. 20 ceremony, three of the 13 Americans eligible to vote for the next pope will be Pittsburghers.
"It just seems that the ethos of Pittsburgh is something that [Pope] Benedict sees as a template for effective leadership in the church," Mr. Palmo said.
Cardinals advise the pope, and those under 80 vote in papal elections. With 20 new electors, there will be 121 eligible to vote.
Cardinal-designate Wuerl, who is from Mount Washington, was bishop here from 1988 to 2006. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston grew up in Castle Shannon and was a priest here; Cardinal Adam Maida, the retired archbishop of Detroit, is a native of East Vandergrift and was a parish priest and canon lawyer here; Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston attended first through sixth grades at St. Gabriel in Whitehall and spent eight years at the former St. Fidelis Capuchin seminary in Butler County.
Former Pittsburgh bishops who became cardinals were Bishop John Dearden (1950-1958), who became archbishop of Detroit; Bishop John Wright (1959-1969), who later worked at the Vatican; and Bishop Anthony Bevilacqua (1983-1988), the retired archbishop of Philadelphia.
Pittsburgh has a large pool of future talent. Another six of its priests are diocesan bishops: Bishop Paul Bradley of Kalamazoo, Mich.; Bishop Edward Burns of Juneau, Alaska; Bishop Bernard Hebda of Gaylord, Mich.; Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, R.I; and Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh.
"It's in the water," quipped the Rev. Thomas Reese, senior fellow at Georgetown University's Woodstock Theological Center and author of several books on the U.S. hierarchy.
He believes that Pittsburgh's flight of cardinals is actually due to savvy bishops who sent talented priests to work at the Vatican.
"A lot of these guys worked in Rome as priests, where they came to the attention of the leadership in the Vatican. They make friends. They see that they're hard workers, see that they're loyal, see that they have the Romanita [finesse] necessary for this kind of leadership. So they are trusted, and they get promoted to bishop and archbishop and to positions where they can become cardinal," he said.
"Bishops who are willing to let good men go over to Rome to work are well-liked in the Vatican."
Cardinal-designate Wuerl was Cardinal Wright's assistant in Rome from 1969 to 1979. Cardinal DiNardo worked in the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops from 1984 to 1990. Cardinal Maida was an accomplished canon lawyer who never worked in Rome but was highly regarded among Polish-American prelates who were close to Pope John Paul II.
Cardinal O'Malley traveled a different path to the college.
"He accidentally fell into it because he did very, very well in cleaning up sex-abuse scandals in a couple of smaller dioceses. They sent him to Boston because they wanted someone who was experienced with that," Father Reese said. Boston has traditionally had a cardinal.
The Rev. Lou Vallone, a pastor from McKees Rocks who enjoys ecclesiastical handicapping, said Pittsburgh had an uneven history of Rome assignments. Bishop Vincent Leonard (1969-1983) sent no one to work or to study in Rome. He is the only Pittsburgh bishop from 1950 to 2006 not to have become a cardinal.
"We went 14 years without anybody in Rome," Father Vallone said. Then-Bishop Bevilacqua sent the future Cardinal DiNardo to work in Rome and then-Bishop Wuerl sent the future Bishop Hebda and some others.
But Father Vallone doesn't believe that Vatican employment is key, because most Pittsburghers in the hierarchy didn't work there. He believes that Rome has seen Pittsburgh as a microcosm of America and a training ground for churchwide responsibility.
"Whatever you would find in the church in America, you would find in Pittsburgh," he said. "We had the ethnic groups, we had the Eastern Catholic churches. We were East Coast enough to be part of that church culture, but we were also the gateway to the West, where the church was loosening up. The only thing that's missing is the Latino experience."
The Rev. Ronald Lengwin, vicar general and spokesman for the Diocese of Pittsburgh, does suspect that it's in the water. Many ancient religious traditions view a confluence, such as Pittsburgh's three rivers, as sacred, he said. He likes to see it as a sign of God's presence here.
"This is a special city that's been blessed by God in many ways," he said, noting that the blessing includes good relationships between different faiths and strong families that raise virtuous children.
"From special cities come special people," he said.
Read more here
The Catholicism Project
Join Fr. Robert Barron on a journey across the planet and deep into the faith. CATHOLICISM is a breakthrough documentary series presenting the true story of Christianity and the Catholic faith.
Americans - Even Catholics - Strongly Favor Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Americans strongly favor embryonic stem-cell research, according to a new public-opinion poll. Catholics favor the research by a margin barely lower than that for the general population.
The Harris Interactive poll found that 72% of respondents thought researchers should be allowed to use embryonic stem cells for research leading to cures from serious diseases. Among Catholics the rate of approval was 69%. The poll question was based on the assumption that embryonic stem-cell research would likely yield cures, and that the stem cells would be harvested from “leftover” embryos created in the process of in vitro fertilization.
The Harris Interactive poll found that 72% of respondents thought researchers should be allowed to use embryonic stem cells for research leading to cures from serious diseases. Among Catholics the rate of approval was 69%. The poll question was based on the assumption that embryonic stem-cell research would likely yield cures, and that the stem cells would be harvested from “leftover” embryos created in the process of in vitro fertilization.
Vatican official outlines next steps in Legion of Christ reform
Vatican City, Oct 22, 2010 (CNA/EWTN News).The rehabilitation of the scandalized Legion of Christ has entered a new phase according to the Vatican official in charge of the troubled religious congregation.
In an Oct. 19 letter to Legion members, Archbishop Velasio De Paolis said the Legion is entering a period of “reconstruction and renewal.”
His letter was dated one day before Pope Benedict XVI announced that Archbishop De Paolis, president of the Vatican’s Prefecture for the Economic Affairs, would be one of 24 new cardinals to be installed in a consistory to be held Nov. 20.
The cardinal-designate had been tapped by the Pope in July to oversee renewal of the Legion following revelations of grave sexual and financial abuses by its charismatic founder, Father Marcial Maciel.
Because of his continuing influence on the congregation, the Vatican team suggested that Legion redefine its mission and its governing structure. Archbishop De Paolis has been charged with overseeing this transition.
Questions remain, he acknowledged, about how much other Legion leaders knew about Father Maciel’s abuses. Finding the truth is “not that simple,” he said.
“There is one recurring difficulty from more than one place: some feel that the current superiors could not have been ignorant of the founder’s misdeeds,” he said. “By silencing them, they must have lied. But we know that the problem is not that simple. The different denunciations published in the newspapers from the 1990s onward were well known, also to the superiors of the congregation. But it is something else to have proof that they were founded and even more that they were certain. This came only much later, and gradually.”
The cardinal-designate said that today, “it is a vital requirement now to recover trust.” Archbishop De Paolis said in his letter that while “not a few things” must be changed, the Legion’s basic approach to religious life and the priesthood should be “preserved and promoted."
"What matters above all is for each one to be moved by the desire for the good, and by the will to be converted ever more to the Lord, under the guidance of the Church, and so to be open to his will and to progress along the path of fidelity and holiness according to our own vocation," he said.
"If we are united and respectful of each other as we move forward the journey will be swift and sure, but it will be certain shipwreck to let ourselves get caught up in the desire to win out and impose our own ideas."
The cardinal-designate outlined plans for a renewal process that could take three years or more. He and four close advisors will work with Legion officials to revise the congregation’s constitution; in addition, he is considering appointing a committee to address complaints made against the Legion and another to address financial management issues in the congregation.
Included in the process will be a second investigation -- this time of the lay branch of the congregation, known as Regnum Christi. Archbishop Ricardo Blazquez of Valladolid, Spain, will head up that investigation, working in tandem with cardinal-designate De Paolis.
Despite the shock caused by Father Maciel's actions, he said, the Legion "not only survives, but is almost intact in its vitality."
Polish bishops debate discipline for Catholic lawmakers who support in vitro fertilization
Earlier this week the Polish bishops’ conference denounced the proposed legislation, saying that in vitro fertilization is “the younger sister of eugenics” and pointing out that many human embryos die for every one baby successfully implanted in a womb. Archbishop Henryk Hoser, the chairman of the Polish bishops’ committee on bioethics, added that legislators who support the proposal “will automatically find themselves outside of the Church.”
When reporters interpreted the statement by Archbishop Hoser as a threat to excommunicate the politicians who voted for the bill, retired Archbishop Tadeusz Goclowski of Gdansk said that such a threat was unwarranted. Archbishop Goclowski was quoted by Polskie Radio as saying that “no bishop may excommunicate someone—only the Pope.”
It seems likely that the quotation attributed to Archbishop Goclowski is inaccurate, since it is certainly wrong. A diocesan bishop has the authority to declare the excommunication of a Catholic under his jurisdiction. Polskie Radio had already confused the story by saying flatly that Archbishop Hoser had threatened to excommunicate Catholic politicians, when in fact he had said that the lawmakers would be separating themselves from the Church.
Still it is clear that Archbishops Hoser and Goclowski were in sharp disagreement on the appropriate response. Their dispute echoes the longstanding debate among American prelates over the proper discipline for lawmakers who support abortion, and the more recent debate in the Philippines about the discipline of Catholic politicians who support the distribution of contraceptives. (It is also instructive for American Catholics to recognize that the public policies being debated by bishops in Poland and the Philippines have been generally accepted for years in the US.) Archbishop Goclowski said that a politician who disagrees with Church teachings should “make his own decision according to his own conscience”—a line of argument that should be familiar to anyone who has followed the debate on abortion in the US.
Today on Kresta - October 22, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 22
Live from the campus of Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, FL
4:00 – Four Faces of Anger: Seneca, Evagrius Ponticus, Cassian, and Augustine
Sr. Gertrude Gillette brings to the modern age wisdom on the topic of anger by four ancient authors Seneca, Evagrius Ponticus, Cassian, and Augustine, whose feast we celebrate tomorrow. These authors broadly represent the classic views on anger and focus on how anger inhibits spiritual growth of the soul and its relationship with God. Sr. Gertrude joins us.
4:40 – First Things Magazine: Ave Maria University the “Most Catholic School in America”
Ave Maria University is "the most Catholic Catholic" college in the U.S., and has academics superior to almost all other Catholic schools, according to a survey of American higher education published by the respected religious journal First Things. First Things says it spent two years analyzing publicly-available data and conducting its own surveys on more than 2,000 U.S. colleges "to cast a light on the place of religion -- or lack thereof -- on American college campuses today." It published detailed rankings and descriptions of 105 schools in its November issue.The rankings by First Things come shortly after Newsweek Magazine named AMU one of its best schools in America and one of the 25 "most desirable rural schools" in the country. AMU Director of Marketing Deacon Forest Wallace is here to discuss it.
5:00 – Fr. Joseph Langford, MC: RIP
Father Joseph Langford, who, together with Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, founded the Missionaries of Charity Fathers, has died in Tijuana following a yearlong struggle with cancer. He was 59. In 1979, Father Langford sought Blessed Teresa’s approval for the incorporation of priests into the charism of the Missionaries of Charity. After a year of discernment, she agreed, and the Priest Co-Workers, later named the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests, began. In 1984, the movement became a religious institute and was renamed the Missionaries of Charity Fathers. We play portions of an interview Al did with Fr. Langford when he wrote the book “Mother Teresa: In the Shadow of Our Lady”
5:20 – Donahue Academy Begins Boarding Program
The Donahue Academy of Ave Maria has begun accepting Junior and Senior high school boarding students this fall. Freshman and Sophomore students will be considered for placement with a Host Family in the Town of Ave Maria. They estimate enrolling about 220 students next year, with about 65 in the high school program and 2-8 boarding students. The unique program and healthy academic and spiritual culture present at the Academy has been a strong draw for families not only from around Naples, but also from around the country. Here to talk about the new program is Headmaster Dr. Dan Guernsey.
5:30 – A Catholic View of Classic Literature: Macbeth
Acclaimed literary biographer Joseph Pearce is the editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions and has been our guide in looking at classical literature from a Catholic perspective. We will ensure that traditional moral readings of the works are given prominence, instead of the feminist or deconstructionist readings that often proliferate in other series of 'critical editions'. As such, they represent a genuine extension of consumer choice, enabling educators, students, and lovers of good literature to buy editions of classic literary works without having to 'buy into' the ideologies of secular fundamentalism. Today, we examine Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Live from the campus of Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, FL
4:00 – Four Faces of Anger: Seneca, Evagrius Ponticus, Cassian, and Augustine
Sr. Gertrude Gillette brings to the modern age wisdom on the topic of anger by four ancient authors Seneca, Evagrius Ponticus, Cassian, and Augustine, whose feast we celebrate tomorrow. These authors broadly represent the classic views on anger and focus on how anger inhibits spiritual growth of the soul and its relationship with God. Sr. Gertrude joins us.
4:40 – First Things Magazine: Ave Maria University the “Most Catholic School in America”
Ave Maria University is "the most Catholic Catholic" college in the U.S., and has academics superior to almost all other Catholic schools, according to a survey of American higher education published by the respected religious journal First Things. First Things says it spent two years analyzing publicly-available data and conducting its own surveys on more than 2,000 U.S. colleges "to cast a light on the place of religion -- or lack thereof -- on American college campuses today." It published detailed rankings and descriptions of 105 schools in its November issue.The rankings by First Things come shortly after Newsweek Magazine named AMU one of its best schools in America and one of the 25 "most desirable rural schools" in the country. AMU Director of Marketing Deacon Forest Wallace is here to discuss it.
5:00 – Fr. Joseph Langford, MC: RIP
Father Joseph Langford, who, together with Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, founded the Missionaries of Charity Fathers, has died in Tijuana following a yearlong struggle with cancer. He was 59. In 1979, Father Langford sought Blessed Teresa’s approval for the incorporation of priests into the charism of the Missionaries of Charity. After a year of discernment, she agreed, and the Priest Co-Workers, later named the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests, began. In 1984, the movement became a religious institute and was renamed the Missionaries of Charity Fathers. We play portions of an interview Al did with Fr. Langford when he wrote the book “Mother Teresa: In the Shadow of Our Lady”
5:20 – Donahue Academy Begins Boarding Program
The Donahue Academy of Ave Maria has begun accepting Junior and Senior high school boarding students this fall. Freshman and Sophomore students will be considered for placement with a Host Family in the Town of Ave Maria. They estimate enrolling about 220 students next year, with about 65 in the high school program and 2-8 boarding students. The unique program and healthy academic and spiritual culture present at the Academy has been a strong draw for families not only from around Naples, but also from around the country. Here to talk about the new program is Headmaster Dr. Dan Guernsey.
5:30 – A Catholic View of Classic Literature: Macbeth
Acclaimed literary biographer Joseph Pearce is the editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions and has been our guide in looking at classical literature from a Catholic perspective. We will ensure that traditional moral readings of the works are given prominence, instead of the feminist or deconstructionist readings that often proliferate in other series of 'critical editions'. As such, they represent a genuine extension of consumer choice, enabling educators, students, and lovers of good literature to buy editions of classic literary works without having to 'buy into' the ideologies of secular fundamentalism. Today, we examine Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Combative press conference highlights continued dispute on abortion in health care bill
Persistent questions about abortion funding in President Obama's Affordable Care Act arose again on Oct. 20 in a telephone press conference hosted by the bill's supporters at Catholics United. Heated discussion ensued between the organization's executive director Chris Korzen, and Douglas Johnson of the National Right to Life Committee over a controversial ad campaign targeting a Democrat who supported the bill.
Representative Steve Driehaus (D – Ohio) previously filed a complaint to the state's election commission due to a proposed billboard campaign by the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List. He claimed that the campaign would have illegally misrepresented his voting record by stating that “Driehaus voted FOR taxpayer funded abortion.” With a full hearing by the state's election commission scheduled for October 28, SBA List has filed its own lawsuit, alleging that Ohio's regulations of electoral advertising violate their right to free speech.
On Wednesday, Korzen accused the SBA List of “lying” to voters. The Catholics United leader reiterated his group's position that the bill “maintains current restrictions prohibiting taxpayer funds for abortions,” alongside the executive order of President Obama intended to prevent such funding.
But Johnson, the legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), said Korzen's defenses of the bill ignored a series of omissions and loopholes that exist alongside those “current restrictions.”
By those alternate routes –such as federal funding for community health centers and payment of premiums for plans that include abortion-- Johnson said that the Affordable Care Act clearly authorized abortion funding.
While some participants in the telephone conference challenged his assertive participation, Johnson noted that he represented “over 300,000 readers” of his organization's National Right to Life News.
NRLC's director referred all participants in the conference call to the 23-page affidavit he filed with the Ohio Elections Commission on October 11, in support of the SBA List. He stated that the document, available on his organization's website, exhaustively vindicated the SBA List's attack on Driehaus.
That affidavit incorporated the objections of both the General Counsel of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and its Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities. The secretariat stated in April 2010 that the Affordable Care Act both “uses federal funds to subsidize health plans that cover abortions,” and offers other funds that “can be used for elective abortions.”
The general counsel has similarly maintained that President Obama's executive order is selective and limited in its restrictions on abortion funding.
A group supporting Driehaus and his legal challenge, Democrats For Life of America, also stated on October 15 that it had filed an affidavit with the Ohio Elections Commission, although it had not made the document available as of Wednesday evening. A federal judge is expected to rule on SBA List's counter-suit this week, to determine the constitutionality of Ohio's laws on political advertising.
Archdiocese of Washington D.C.to open new seminary
“At a time when the teachings of the Catholic faith seem counter-cultural, we are seeing an increased interest in the priesthood, particularly among younger men who want to be a part of a new evangelization in society. Until now, most of our new seminarians, especially those in college, have had to leave the area for their studies. Now, the men will begin their formation here and be an integral part of the local Catholic community from the beginning,” said Archbishop Wuerl.
Sixty-seven men are studying for the priesthood in the Archdiocese of Washington, including 29 in college and pre-theology studies. In the 2001-02 academic year, 11 of 44 seminarians were in college or pre-theology programs.
Monsignor Robert Panke, archdiocesan director of priest vocations and formation for the archdiocese and president of the National Conference of Diocesan Vocations Directors, is overseeing the development of the new seminary. He calls it “a real boost” to vocations efforts and notes that the archdiocese has accepted 9 to 15 men into formation annually in recent years. He attributes the numbers to efforts to encourage young men in high school and college to consider the priesthood.
Initially, the seminary will have space for 30 men who will attend The Catholic University of America while receiving their priestly formation at the seminary. Before ordination, they will complete an additional four years of theology studies at seminaries such as Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, MD; Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy; and Theological College in Washington, DC.
Beginning stages in the renovation of the building are already underway and the work is being paid for by private donations. Constructed originally as a residence for a men’s religious order, the building currently houses archdiocesan offices and space for a few members of a religious community.
This will be the second seminary operated by the Archdiocese of Washington. The first, Archdiocesan Seminary Redemptoris Mater in Hyattsville, MD, opened in 2001 to prepare men from around the world to be archdiocesan missionary priests. Once ordained, they serve in the Archdiocese of Washington and missions worldwide.
Last year, 1,443 men were in college seminaries in the United States, and 3,483 in pre-theology or theology, according to Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. After three decades of decline, seminary enrollment in the United States has stabilized over the past 15 years.
Ourtageous Event of the Day
Ousted NPR news analyst and Fox News contributor Juan Williams on FOX NEWS today revealing the behind the scenes details about NPR's decision to terminate his contract. Williams was fired yesterday for making remarks about Muslims on the O'Reilly Factor.
Here is the FULL SEGMENT of Juan's appearance on the O'Reilly Factor so you can see the comments in their full context.
Here is the FULL SEGMENT of Juan's appearance on the O'Reilly Factor so you can see the comments in their full context.
Forced Abortion in China
This is a truly horrifying story.
An 8 month pregnant mother dragged out of her house, kicked in the belly, held down, and then given a lethal injection which killed the defenseless human being inside her. Take note. Steve Mosher has been blowing the whistle on the brutality of the one-child policy for decades.
If the moral evil is not bad enough, they are demographically wrong. Phillip Longman, a fellow at the New America Foundation and author of The Empty Cradle just published an article in Foreign Policy entitled "Think Again: Global Aging." He argues that the world DOES face a population bomb - but of old people. Well worth a read.
An 8 month pregnant mother dragged out of her house, kicked in the belly, held down, and then given a lethal injection which killed the defenseless human being inside her. Take note. Steve Mosher has been blowing the whistle on the brutality of the one-child policy for decades.
If the moral evil is not bad enough, they are demographically wrong. Phillip Longman, a fellow at the New America Foundation and author of The Empty Cradle just published an article in Foreign Policy entitled "Think Again: Global Aging." He argues that the world DOES face a population bomb - but of old people. Well worth a read.
Today on Kresta - October 21, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 21
Live from the campus of Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, FL
4:00 – Fr. Joseph Langford, MC: RIP
Father Joseph Langford, who, together with Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, founded the Missionaries of Charity Fathers, has died in Tijuana following a yearlong struggle with cancer. He was 59. In 1979, Father Langford sought Blessed Teresa’s approval for the incorporation of priests into the charism of the Missionaries of Charity. After a year of discernment, she agreed, and the Priest Co-Workers, later named the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests, began. In 1984, the movement became a religious institute and was renamed the Missionaries of Charity Fathers. We play portions of an interview Al did with Fr. Langford when he wrote the book “Mother Teresa: In the Shadow of Our Lady”
4:20 – Don’t Ask / Don’t Tell: On Again / Off Again
A federal appeals court yesterday granted the Obama administration’s emergency motion for a temporary stay of a worldwide injunction barring enforcement of "don't ask, don't tell," the military's ban on openly gay service members. The 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals provided no reason for its action other than "to provide this court with an opportunity to consider fully the issues presented." This just two days after the military began admitting open homosexuals at recruiting centers around the country. Here to help us sort out this mess is Eugene Milhizer of Ave Maria Law School.
4:40 – TBA
5:00 – Direct to My Desk
Live from the campus of Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, FL
4:00 – Fr. Joseph Langford, MC: RIP
Father Joseph Langford, who, together with Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, founded the Missionaries of Charity Fathers, has died in Tijuana following a yearlong struggle with cancer. He was 59. In 1979, Father Langford sought Blessed Teresa’s approval for the incorporation of priests into the charism of the Missionaries of Charity. After a year of discernment, she agreed, and the Priest Co-Workers, later named the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests, began. In 1984, the movement became a religious institute and was renamed the Missionaries of Charity Fathers. We play portions of an interview Al did with Fr. Langford when he wrote the book “Mother Teresa: In the Shadow of Our Lady”
4:20 – Don’t Ask / Don’t Tell: On Again / Off Again
A federal appeals court yesterday granted the Obama administration’s emergency motion for a temporary stay of a worldwide injunction barring enforcement of "don't ask, don't tell," the military's ban on openly gay service members. The 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals provided no reason for its action other than "to provide this court with an opportunity to consider fully the issues presented." This just two days after the military began admitting open homosexuals at recruiting centers around the country. Here to help us sort out this mess is Eugene Milhizer of Ave Maria Law School.
4:40 – TBA
5:00 – Direct to My Desk
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Today on Kresta - October 20, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 20
Live from the campus of Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, FL
4:00 – Faith and the Rescued Chilean Miners
As the last rescued Chilean miner came above ground -- after spending 69 days deep in the lower reaches of earth and surrounded by 700,000 tons of unstable rock -- the world watched in awe and tears. Mario Sepulveda, the second to emerge from the bullet-shaped rescue tube, said, "I was with God. I was with the Devil. God and the devil were fighting over me, and God won. I always knew they would get me out. I always had faith in the professionals here in Chile and in the Great Creator."Chilean President Miguel Piñera declared that what "started as a possible tragedy" ended up "as a real blessing from God." We look at faith and the rescued Chilean miners with Janice Crouse.
4:20 – TBA
4:40 – Pope names 24 new cardinals – 2 Americans
At his regular weekly public audience today, Pope Benedict XVI announced his plan to elevate 24 new members to the College of Cardinals. Confirming the expectations of Vatican journalists, the Holy Father announced that a consistory will be held on November 20. He named 20 prelates who will become voting members of the College of Cardinals. Four others who will receive a red hat in recognition of their long service to the Church, but because they are over the age of 80 they will not be eligible to participate in papal election. The Americans are Archbishop Raymond Burke and Archbishop Donald Wuerl. We talk with Phil Lawler of Catholic World News.
5:00 – Cross International Catholic Outreach – The Kobonal Haiti Mission
Cross International Catholic Outreach is an international Catholic relief and development ministry that assists the poorest of the poor around the world, reaching countless souls with the love of Christ and the message of the “good news’ of salvation. They work in more than 40 countries throughout Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Cross International President Jim Cavnar is here to talk about their Kobonal Haiti Mission and Ave Maria Radio’s partnership with them to meet human needs there. The mission provides good schools and clean water. Teen pregnancy is down; Voodoo has disappeared; and the village enjoys a vibrant Catholic community. But there is still a long way to go. Jim is here with us in Ave Maria, FL to look at the progress that has been made and the work that remains.
5:20 – The Robin Hood Legend – What’s Fact, What’s Fiction, and What’s Just Plain Hollywood?
Legend has it that Robin Hood was an outlaw living in Sherwood Forest with his Merry Men who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. There are several versions of the Robin Hood story. The Hollywood one is that of an incredibly handsome man - Errol Flynn - clothed in garments of Lincoln green, fighting and outwitting the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. However the first known literary reference to Robin Hood and his men was in 1377, and the Sloane manuscripts in the British Museum have an account of Robin's life which states that he was born around 1160 in Lockersley in Yorkshire. No such place exists in either Yorkshire or Nottinghamshire but there is a Loxley in Staffordshire. Another chronicler has it that he was a Wakefield man and took part in Thomas of Lancaster's rebellion in 1322. Medieval historian Dr. Jeff Hass is here to separate fact from fiction in Robin Hood lore.
Live from the campus of Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, FL
4:00 – Faith and the Rescued Chilean Miners
As the last rescued Chilean miner came above ground -- after spending 69 days deep in the lower reaches of earth and surrounded by 700,000 tons of unstable rock -- the world watched in awe and tears. Mario Sepulveda, the second to emerge from the bullet-shaped rescue tube, said, "I was with God. I was with the Devil. God and the devil were fighting over me, and God won. I always knew they would get me out. I always had faith in the professionals here in Chile and in the Great Creator."Chilean President Miguel Piñera declared that what "started as a possible tragedy" ended up "as a real blessing from God." We look at faith and the rescued Chilean miners with Janice Crouse.
4:20 – TBA
4:40 – Pope names 24 new cardinals – 2 Americans
At his regular weekly public audience today, Pope Benedict XVI announced his plan to elevate 24 new members to the College of Cardinals. Confirming the expectations of Vatican journalists, the Holy Father announced that a consistory will be held on November 20. He named 20 prelates who will become voting members of the College of Cardinals. Four others who will receive a red hat in recognition of their long service to the Church, but because they are over the age of 80 they will not be eligible to participate in papal election. The Americans are Archbishop Raymond Burke and Archbishop Donald Wuerl. We talk with Phil Lawler of Catholic World News.
5:00 – Cross International Catholic Outreach – The Kobonal Haiti Mission
Cross International Catholic Outreach is an international Catholic relief and development ministry that assists the poorest of the poor around the world, reaching countless souls with the love of Christ and the message of the “good news’ of salvation. They work in more than 40 countries throughout Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Cross International President Jim Cavnar is here to talk about their Kobonal Haiti Mission and Ave Maria Radio’s partnership with them to meet human needs there. The mission provides good schools and clean water. Teen pregnancy is down; Voodoo has disappeared; and the village enjoys a vibrant Catholic community. But there is still a long way to go. Jim is here with us in Ave Maria, FL to look at the progress that has been made and the work that remains.
5:20 – The Robin Hood Legend – What’s Fact, What’s Fiction, and What’s Just Plain Hollywood?
Legend has it that Robin Hood was an outlaw living in Sherwood Forest with his Merry Men who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. There are several versions of the Robin Hood story. The Hollywood one is that of an incredibly handsome man - Errol Flynn - clothed in garments of Lincoln green, fighting and outwitting the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. However the first known literary reference to Robin Hood and his men was in 1377, and the Sloane manuscripts in the British Museum have an account of Robin's life which states that he was born around 1160 in Lockersley in Yorkshire. No such place exists in either Yorkshire or Nottinghamshire but there is a Loxley in Staffordshire. Another chronicler has it that he was a Wakefield man and took part in Thomas of Lancaster's rebellion in 1322. Medieval historian Dr. Jeff Hass is here to separate fact from fiction in Robin Hood lore.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Pope expected to name new cardinals tomorrow
At his regular weekly public audience tomorrow—October 20—Pope Benedict XVI will announce a consistory and name new members of the College of Cardinals, most journalists at the Vatican are convinced. The consistory will take place on November 20, Vatican-watchers agree. While the new cardinals will actually receive their red hats on that date, the Pope will reveal their names tomorrow.
Andrea Tornielli of Il Giornale, who has accurately predicted several important developments of this pontificate, reports that the Holy Father will name 19 new cardinal-electors. There are currently 102 cardinal-electors; since the maximum is 120, there are 18 openings—but that number will rise to 19 on November 15, when Cardinal Janis Pujats, the retired Archbishop of Riga, Latvia, reaches his 80th birthday.
The list of active archbishops who are generally expected to receive red hats is heavily weighted toward Italian prelates serving in the Roman Curia. The Pope’s selections are likely to include:
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