Today on Kresta - January 12, 2010

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Jan. 12

4:00 – Understanding and Overcoming Administered Freedom, Inquisitorial Tolerance, and Equality by Command
When it comes to liberalism, the usual story in postwar America is one of decline, accompanied by the subplot of conservatism’s ascendance. But take a longer view—look beyond and below politics—and it is the unchallenged triumph of liberalism and its philosophical assumptions that ought to command our attention. The triumph of liberalism means the tyranny of liberalism, explains James Kalb, for liberalism is the extension into the sociopolitical realm of modern scientific thought and technological rationality. These modes of thinking are regarded by nearly everyone today as uniquely authoritative; those institutions and beliefs which do not conform are regarded at best as annoyances, and at worst as evil. Furthermore, Kalb shows how liberalism is an expression of the interests and outlook of commercial and managerial elites, who are suspicious of less rationalized and controllable forms of social organization like the family.

4:20 – The Science on Women and Science
Are women victims of a widespread bias in science and engineering, as a 2007 report of the National Academy of Sciences concluded? Or are there other, more plausible explanations for the paucity of women in various quantitative fields? What, if anything, should be done to encourage more women to become engineers and scientists? Anyone looking for a balanced and temperate treatment of this sometimes-contentious topic will welcome this collection of essays from leading academics on both sides of the issue. Editor Christina Hoff Sommers is the editor and our guest.

5:00 – Prop 8 Back in Court – Should Cameras Be Allowed?
A federal trial on California's Proposition 8 began today after the chief judge explained that the U.S. Supreme Court had blocked the delayed release of tapes of the trial until a definitive decision Wednesday afternoon from the high court. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had given Walker the OK to release the tapes in delayed fashion — posting on the court's Web site — as part of a new experiment in the circuit to allow some trials to be taped or broadcast. Federal trials are rarely broadcast. Proponents of Prop 8 had objected to the presence of cameras because after Prop 8 passed, many supporters were harassed, physically assaulted and even reprimanded at work for their stand for traditional marriage. We look at a study of “The Price of Proposition 8” with Thomas Messner.

5:20 – TBA

Today on Kresta - Friday, January 8, 2010

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Jan. 8

4:00 – Kresta Comments

4:20 – The Limits of Liberal Democracy: Politics and Religion at the End of Modernity
Exploring the question of the place of religion in the modern nation-state, Scott H. Moore observes that the easy alliance between the modern liberal democracy and Christian faith in particular is showing some serious stress fractures. He offers an incisive analysis of the ways government, operating according to the ideals of a liberal democracy, has encroached on religious freedom and how the church, of both liberal and conservative leanings, has largely acquiesced. Moore offers a bracing critique of the limits of liberal democracy that calls for and points the way toward a more faithful engagement of Christians with public life--a participation that takes seriously the reality of the Christian church and both the private and public moral teachings of its Scriptures.

5:00 – Kresta Comments – Mary Daly

5:20 – Ten Commandments for the Environment: Pope Benedict XVI Speaks Out for Creation and Just
Seasoned author and journalist Woodeene Koenig-Bricker is an environmentalist – so is Pope Benedict XVI. But don’t let that word scare you. Woodeene is here to offer commentary that helps to unpack the Ten Commandments for the Environment, which were recently released by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. She helps us understand an environmentally responsible lifestyle as a moral responsibility to protect the poor, who suffer most when climate change creates a shortage of resources. With practical, everyday ideas for reducing one's ecological footprint, this book is a must-read for those seeking the inspiration that the Holy Father radiates to a new generation of Catholics.

5:40 – The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Sunday
Sunday is the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the feast day commemorating the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. Originally the baptism of Christ was celebrated on Epiphany, which commemorates the coming of the Magi, the baptism of Christ, and the wedding at Cana. Over time in the West, however, the celebration of the baptism of the Lord came to be commemorated as a distinct feast from Epiphany. We talk to Steve Ray about the Baptism of Christ and its relationship to Epiphany.

Explosive used to demolish crucifix in a Hanoi Catholic cemetery

The crucifix in the cemetery of Hanoi's Dong Chiem Parish Church was blown up with explosives yesterday. Parishioners who came to the site upon hearing the loud explosion were charged and beaten by police. Two youths were wounded and taken away; it is not known how many other were hurt.

The press release by the Archdiocese of Hanoi about the incident reads almost like a war bulletin. "Police attacked the parish today, in the early morning, when both its pastor and the pastor’s assistant were at the annual retreat in the Archbishop Office. An estimated 500 heavily armed and well-entrenched police officers and a large number of trained dogs were deployed in the area to protect an army engineering unit that destroyed a large crucifix erected on a boulder inside the parish cemetery," the statement said.

The attack began at 3 am with the use of explosive. "On hearing explosions, parishioners rushed to the site to protect their crucifix but they were stopped by police who tried to drive them back,” Fr. Joseph Nguyen Van Huu, pastor of Dong Chiem parish, said.

Parishioners reported that they were shot at close range with tear gas canisters as they knelt kneeling praying and asking police officers to stop destroying their crucifix. Some were even beaten with batons.

The exact number of those injured during the clash with police has not been reported.

A similar attack occurred in the parish of Bau Sen in the diocese of Vinh. On 5 November of last year, anti-riot police and a bulldozer were used to remove a statue of the Virgin Mary from a Catholic cemetery.

Notre Dame's Jenkins Would Do it Again – Calls Obama Visit “Successful”

The unprecedented controversy that rent the U.S. Catholic community over President Obama's abortion-themed commencement speech and his reception of an honorary law degree at the University of Notre Dame last May has apparently not fazed the school's president, who called the climax of the scandal "a successful" day that he does not regret.

When asked in a South Bend Tribune interview published December 27 whether he would do it all over again, Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins answered, "Yes, I would."

"He is the president of the United States, and there was a tradition of Notre Dame inviting presidents to be commencement speakers and receive honorary degrees, and we continue that tradition," he said. Jenkins went on to point out the historicity of Obama as the nation's first black president, saying it was "an honor for us to welcome him to campus."

"For all the controversy, I think it was a successful day," he said.

The decision to host the President at the Catholic university sparked an immense outpouring of criticism in the weeks leading up to the speech, with 80 active U.S. bishops and over 360,000 petitioners opposed to the decision.

"It’s important not to be afraid of controversies. If the issues are addressed with reason and respect, that’s the best you can do. And universities, particularly, should be places where controversy can be addressed with reason and mutual respect," Jenkins said. He insisted that "there were things in [Obama's] life and his leadership that we could affirm." Regarding areas of disagreement, especially the President’s enthusiastic support for abortion, the day allowed an opportunity to "speak about those differences openly."

"I thought he said things that he’d never said before on the issue of abortion — such as seeking a reasonable conscience clause, such as reducing the number of abortions — and I think it was a day when there was genuine dialogue among people who differed. And that’s really what a university is about," he said.

However, there is a group of individuals who have reason not to be completely satisfied by Jenkins’ words about the need for “genuine dialogue": the 88 pro-life individuals who were arrested on campus May 17 while protesting President Obama are still facing up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine on charges of trespassing. While witnesses say pro-Obama protesters were allowed to roam free, the arrested individuals were singled out for displaying any pro-life message - including slogans on the sanctity of life, a large wooden cross, and images of Mary.

Fr. Jenkins has denied pleas from several corners to request that the charges be dropped - a request lawyers say the St. Joseph county prosecutor would likely heed. Fr. Weslin, one of the 88 arrested, called on his fellow priest in June to dialogue over the scandal - a request Jenkins ignored.

Notre Dame law professor emeritus Charles Rice called Jenkins' pursuit of token pro-life initiatives a "mockery" while he allowed the protesters to continue facing charges.

"It would be a mockery for you to present yourself now at the March, even at the invitation of Notre Dame students, as a pro-life advocate while, in practical effect, you continue to be the jailer, as common criminals, of those persons who were authentic pro-life witnesses at Notre Dame," wrote Rice in a September letter to Fr. Jenkins.

In the Tribune interview, Jenkins also touched upon his relationship with the local ordinary, Fort Wayne-South Bend bishop John D'Arcy, who took the unusual step of boycotting the commencment exercises, and instead showed up at a smaller ceremony held by Notre Dame graduates protesting the invitation elsewhere on campus. The Notre Dame president has met with D’Arcy several times since the event, he said, and they remain at loggerheads. He says he has not discussed the issue with Bishop Kevin Rhoades, who will take over for the retiring Bishop D'Arcy in January.

Upon learning of the invitation, about which he had not been consulted, D'Arcy stated last March that "the diocesan bishop must ask whether a Catholic institution compromises its obligation to give public witness by placing prestige over truth," and condemned the appearance of "surrender to a culture opposed to the truth about life and love."

Meeting in June, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a resolution expressing solidarity with Bishop D'Arcy and his "solicitude for [Notre Dame's] Catholic identity."

Outrageous Statement of the Day

Talk show host Monica Crowley suggests that President Obama wants Americans to be killed in order to fulfill the Saul Alinsky agenda. We have our differences with President Obama, but claiming that the President of the United States wants Americans to die is outrageous.

Cartoon of the Day - Obama Gets Scanned

Today on Kresta - January 7, 2010

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Jan. 7

4:00 – “Catholic” Feminist Icon Mary Daly Dies at Age 81
Radical feminist Mary Daly, the iconoclastic theologian who proclaimed, ''I hate the Bible,'' and retired from Boston College rather than allow men to take her classes, has died. She was 81. Daly's tumultuous career at the Jesuit-run Boston College ended after three decades when she refused to open her classroom to men, believing women did not freely exchange ideas if men were present. Men, she said, ''have nothing to offer but doodoo.'' Daly described herself as a pagan, an eco-feminist and a radical feminist in a 1999 interview with The Guardian newspaper of London. Al looks at her life and impact.

4:20 – National security adviser: Airline bomber report will “shock” Americans
White House national security adviser James Jones says Americans will feel "a certain shock" when they read an account being released today of the missed clues that could have prevented the alleged Christmas Day bomber from ever boarding the plane. President Obama "is legitimately and correctly alarmed that things that were available, bits of information that were available, patterns of behavior that were available, were not acted on," Jones said in an interview. We talk to counterterrorism expert Lorenzo Vidino about the impact of this report.
4:40 – Four-legged animals emerged earlier than thought: A Danger to Evolutionary Thought
The water-dwelling ancestors of modern-day mammals, reptiles and birds emerged onto land millions of years earlier than previously believed, researchers reported recently. A set of fossilized footprints show that the first tetrapods — a term applied to any four-footed animal with a spine — were treading open ground 397 million years ago, well before scientists thought they existed. An expert unconnected with the research said the find would force experts to reconsider a critical period in evolution. Until now, scientists thought they had the evolution from fin to foot fairly well understood. Apparently not so. We talk to Dr. Fuzzale Rana, vice-president for science apologetics at Reasons To Believe.

5:00 – U.S. Bishops Announce a Major Push for Immigration Reform in 2010
The USCCB yesterday announced steps to push for the enactment of immigration reform legislation in 2010. Bishop John C. Wester, bishop of Salt Lake City, Utah, and chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, said “It is our view, and that of others, that the American public, including the Catholic and other faith communities, want a humane and comprehensive solution to the problems which beset our immigration system, and they want Congress to address this issue.” They are pushing a postcard campaign and have set up two websites to keep the issue in the forefront. We talk to Kevin Appleby, Director of the Office of Migration and Refugee Policy at the USCCB.

5:20 – Marriage: The Rock on Which the Family Is Built
Is marriage the foundation of family life? Many people today would say, “No!” Others would say, “Yes!”, but they would define “family” and “marriage” in ways at odds with how the words have been used almost throughout human history. In this revised and expanded edition of Marriage: The Rock on Which the Family is Built, internationally-renowned theologian William May makes the case for marriage’s foundational role for family, with marriage defined as the union of one man and one woman. Drawing on Pope John Paul II’s “theology of the body”, he explains the person-affirming, love-enabling, life-giving, and sanctifying nature of marriage. He shows how marriage is necessarily a complementary union of man and woman and how this rules out the idea of “same-sex” marriage.

5:40 – Lourdes: Font of Faith, Hope, and Charity
Today is the anniversary of the birth of St. Bernadette Soubirous, whose visions of the Blessed Virgin led to the establishment of the Shrine of Lourdes. We talk with Elizabeth Ficocelli, author of Lourdes: Font of Faith, Hope and Charity. We look at the different facets of the apparitions - personal experience, historical analysis, and spiritual reflection.

Czech cardinal warns: Muslims are conquering Europe

Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, who has served as Archbishop of Prague since 1991, has warned in an interview that “if Europe doesn't change its relation to its own roots, it will be Islamized.”

“Europe has denied its Christian roots from which it has risen and which could give it the strength to fend off the danger that it will be conquered by Muslims-- which is actually happening gradually,” he said. Muslims “easily fill the vacant space created as Europeans systematically empty the Christian content of their lives.”

“At the end of the Middle Ages and in the early modern age, Islam failed to conquer Europe with arms. The Christians beat them then,” he added. “Today, when the fighting is done with spiritual weapons which Europe lacks while Muslims are perfectly armed, the fall of Europe is looming.”

Denouncing Europe’s “pagan environment” and “atheistic style of life,” Cardinal Vlk said that “Neither the free market nor freedom without responsibility is strong enough to form the basis of society. Not even democracy alone is a panacea unless it is embedded in God.”

The Czech press is speculating that Pope Benedict will name a successor to the 77-year-old cardinal within days.

News reports on this story here and here.

Bishop Vasa: Prelates should publicly rebuke wayward politicians

Devoting his diocesan newspaper column to the topic of excommunication, Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker (Oregon) writes that publicly confronting wayward Catholic politicians is an act of charity not only towards politicians but also towards the faithful who are scandalized.

“Allowing error, publicly expressed, to stand without comment or contradiction is discouraging.

“When that moral error is espoused publicly by a Catholic who, by the likewise public and external act of receiving Holy Communion, appears to be in ‘good standing’ then the faithful are doubly confused and doubly discouraged,” he writes. “In that case, the error is certainly not refuted. Furthermore, the impression is given that the error is positively condoned by the bishop and the Church. This is very dis-couraging to the faithful. In such a case, private ‘dialogue’ is certainly appropriate but a public statement is also needed. In extreme cases, excommunication may be deemed necessary.”

“Failing to name error because of some kind of fear of offending the person in error is neither compassion nor charity,” he continues. “Confronting or challenging the error or evil of another is never easy yet it must be done.”

“The Lord has called bishops to be shepherds. That shepherding entails both leading and protecting. In an era when error runs rampant and false teachings abound, the voice of the Holy Father rings clear and true. The teachings of the Church are well documented and consistent. Bishops and the pastors who serve in their Dioceses have an obligation both to lead their people to the truth and protect them from error.”

Read the full letter here.

Cartoon of the Day - Frontline Warrior

Outrageous Statement of the Day

8 of them in fact!!! Well, it may not be an outrageous statement, but it IS outrageous to claim that these 8 campaign promises are being met.

According the analysis done by the McClatchy newspaper group (left-leaning if anything) the vast majority of negotiations on health reform have been held behind closed doors. These include two agreements with the drug industry and hospitals to reduce costs over the next 10 years. In Congress, some of the committee bill writing sessions have been open, but most of the negotiations are also taking place behind closed doors. While that is not uncommon in the Congress, it does fly directly in the face of Obama's campaign promises.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told the McClatchy reporters that Obama "has demonstrated more transparency than any president," but that "I don't think the president intimated that every decision putting together a health care bill would be on public TV."

Maybe not every decision, but he made it clear that he wanted negotiations, especially with those representing the for-profit health care industry, to take place in the open. Now, this week C-Span is actually having to publicly beg the White House to live up to the Obama promises.

Watch and enjoy.

Today on Kresta - January 6, 2010

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Jan. 6

4:00 – Kresta Comments on Infant Baptism
It was this week in 1527 that Swiss Anabaptist reformer Felix Manz was drowned in punishment for preaching adult baptism and opposing infant baptism, becoming the first Protestant martyred by other Protestants. Al takes the opportunity to explain Catholic teaching on infant baptism.

4:20 – Counterknowledge: How we surrendered to conspiracy theories, quack medicine, bogus science and fake history
From 9/11 conspiracy theories to Holocaust denial, we are experiencing an epidemic of demonstrably untrue descriptions of the world. Now, British Catholic journalist Damien Thompson has written Counterknowledge: How we surrendered to conspiracy theories, quack medicine, bogus science and fake history. This work demonstrates that unless the defenders of enlightenment values fight back soon, the counterknowledge industry has the potential to create new political, social and economic disasters. We look at it.

4:40 – January 6, 1412 (traditional date): Joan of Arc is born
Today, January 6, is the traditional date of the birth of Joan of Arc, the French peasant mystic Christian who became a national heroine and her country's patron saint. We look at her life, legend, and the bizarre story from 2 years ago in which bones purported to be from Joan of Arc turned out to be those of an Egyptian mummy. We talk with Ann Astell, author of multiple books on Joan of Arc.

5:00 – Kresta Comments – Faith as the Oppressor of Science: Mendel vs. Galileo as a Case Study
This week we commemorate the deaths of both Gregor Mendel, an Augustinian monk who is the founder of the science of genetics as well as mathematician, physicist, and astronomer, Galileo Galilei. We take this opportunity to do a case study of the common notion that faith – especially Catholic faith – is in opposition to science. Such a claim could not possibly be more incorrect, and Al has the evidence.

5:20 – Global Restrictions on Religion
For more than half a century, the United Nations and numerous international organizations have affirmed the principle of religious freedom. For just as many decades, journalists and human rights groups have reported on persecution of minority faiths, outbreaks of sectarian violence and other pressures on religious individuals and communities in many countries. But until now, there has been no quantitative study that reviews an extensive number of sources to measure how governments and private actors infringe on religious beliefs and practices around the world. Global Restrictions on Religion, a new study by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, finds that 64 nations - about one-third of the countries in the world - have high or very high restrictions on religion. But because some of the most restrictive countries are very populous, nearly 70 percent of the world's 6.8 billion people live in countries with high restrictions on religion, the brunt of which often falls on religious minorities. We look at the study with one of its principal authors, Brian Grim.

5:40 – The Feast of the Epiphany
The Solemn feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, traditionally occurs on January 6 following the twelve days of Christmas. Epiphany commemorates three scriptural events: the visit of the Magi to the stable of Bethlehem following the nativity of Jesus, Christ's Baptism in the Jordan, and his first miracle at the wedding feast at Cana. This Epiphany article focuses on the significance of the Magi or three wise men who follow the star in search of the King of kings. We look at these events with apologist Marcellino D’Ambrosio.

Freedom of Religion? Not So Much

For more than half a century, the United Nations and numerous international organizations have affirmed the principle of religious freedom.1 For just as many decades, journalists and human rights groups have reported on persecution of minority faiths, outbreaks of sectarian violence and other pressures on religious individuals and communities in many countries. But until now, there has been no quantitative study that reviews an extensive number of sources to measure how governments and private actors infringe on religious beliefs and practices around the world.

Global Restrictions on Religion, a new study by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, finds that 64 nations - about one-third of the countries in the world - have high or very high restrictions on religion. But because some of the most restrictive countries are very populous, nearly 70 percent of the world's 6.8 billion people live in countries with high restrictions on religion, the brunt of which often falls on religious minorities.

Read much more here, and watch the video below.

Majority Favors Abortion Ban in Health Care Bill

According to Rasmussen Reports:

Fifty-three percent (53%) of voters favor a ban on abortion coverage in any health insurance plan that receives federal subsidies. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 40% are opposed to such a ban in the proposed health care legislation now before Congress.

Those figures include 39% who Strongly Favor it and 26% who are Strongly Opposed.

There are some provisions in the health care plan before Congress that are more popular and some that are less popular but none as controversial. The reason for the controversy is that attitudes on the provision cut across the lines of support and opposition for the overall bill.

Meanwhile, as Congress returns from their Christmas break, pro-life Michigan congressman Bart Stupak says he is ready to fight for the unborn. He will find himself dueling members of his own party who don't want to see his amendment to strike abortion funding added to the final version of the legislation.

“We're in a holding pattern right now,” Stupak told the Bay City Times last week. “We go back Jan. 10 and I'm sure heavy negotiations will take place.”

The House and Senate have approved starkly contrasting versions of the bill -- with the House measure containing the Stupak amendment and the Senate bill including the Nelson-Reid deal that allows states to force taxpayers to fund abortions.

A conference committee featuring members of both chambers will meet, either formally or informally, to iron out the differences. When it does, Stupak hopes to be there, but he's not sure if that will happen.

“I just don't know,” he said, “I asked to be, but I doubt they'll let me because of the amendment. I'll still be in the room, though.”

Stupak told the newspaper his goal is to make sure the health care bill doesn't deviate from the Hyde amendment, which has been used for over 30 years to prevent direct federal funding of abortions.

“It’s current law and we want to keep it that way,” he said.

Stupak has said he has as many as 10-12 lawmakers who would vote against the final version of the health care bill if his amendment is not included. With the House measure receiving approval by a narrow three vote margin, Stupak's colleagues would be enough to derail the bill without his amendment in place.

However, on the other side, pro-abortion stalwarts led by Rep. Diana DeGette, a Colorado Democrat, pledge to fight to keep the Stupak amendment out of the bill. But whether they go as far as defying Democratic leaders to vote against the bill is questionable.

"We do really want to have a bill, but we really are not going to compromise on something that goes beyond current law," DeGette told CQ-Roll Call today.

The Senate bill (HR 3950) also includes the Mikulski amendment that would allow the Obama administration to define abortion as preventative care and force insurance companies to pay for abortions with taxpayers' premiums.

Lying in the Bed We Made

In a case showing some ramifications of the legal recognition of same-sex unions, a Virginia woman has disobeyed a Vermont court order to turn over sole custody of her biological daughter to her former lesbian partner.

Lisa Miller conceived and gave birth to her daughter Isabella through artificial insemination in 2002 while living in a same-sex civil union with Janet Jenkins in Vermont. Miller left Jenkins and homosexual practice a year later and converted to an evangelical form of Christianity, the New York Times reports.

Jenkins brought a legal action seeking custody of Isabella in a Vermont court, claiming that the Vermont homosexual civil union law guarantees her parental rights.

Judge William D. Cohen of the Vermont Family Court granted significant visitation rights to Jenkins when he dissolved their union. He awarded custody to Jenkins on Nov. 20, 2009 after finding Miller in contempt of court for denying access to Isabella.

Miller has claimed that Isabella has shown signs of “violent reactions” to previous court-ordered visitations with Jenkins. She alleges that Isabella has complained that Jenkins forced her to bathe naked together.

"I do not feel safe leaving my daughter with her, and I believe I have a God-given and constitutional right to raise my child as I see fit," Miller has told Newsweek. "There is a homosexual agenda at work here, and Isabella is a pawn in their game.”

Supporters of Jenkins include the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the homosexual activist group Lambda Legal Defense Fund.

The legal advocacy group Liberty Council, which represents Miller, claims that for the last five years, Jenkins “has neither attempted to phone nor write Isabella. She has never sent Isabella a card of any kind for any occasion.”

Moreover, the Liberty Council said in a December 2009 statement, Jenkins “has refused to attend Isabella’s Christmas plays, because she does not want to be around a Christian environment. She has also said that it is not in Isabella’s best interest to be raised in a Christian home.”

Miller’s attorney, Liberty Council founder Mathew Staver, has argued that Virginia law holds same-sex unions and any right created by such unions are void and unenforceable in the state.

“The legislature and the people have spoken clearly and with one voice on this issue. The future of Isabella is literally being weighed in a balance between two states,” he said, according to the Christian Post.

Other commentators were critical of Judge Cohen.

Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, said he showed “little understanding of the case or sensitivity to children.”

“He claimed the change in parental custody, which includes moving to a new home, school, and state to live with a virtual stranger, would cause some disruption for Isabella but would not be out of the norm for a child,” she commented.

In a Monday e-mail to CNA, Maggie Gallagher, president of the National Organization for Marriage, made general comments about the case.

"I have sympathy for the pre-eminent claims of natural parents versus legal parents, when the natural mother is a fit parent (which nobody has denied in this case). But we have to be a nation ruled by laws, even when those laws may be unjust.

“Let this act as a warning call: Don't enter civil unions with people if you do not want to give them legal rights over your children. And do not give much faith in the ‘best interest of the child’ standard to protect your child. If the best interest of the child conflicts with fashionable legal norms, courts will not care what is in your child's best interest.

“It cannot be in Lisa's daughter's interest to be forcibly moved to Vermont away from the only mother she has ever known. This case is a tragedy all around. I cannot endorse what Lisa Miller has done, but I understand it, and pity both women and most of all this child. I wish Lisa's partner had the wisdom of Solomon, but I cannot blame her either," Gallagher told CNA.

Outrageous Statement of the Day

That this is even a controversy is almost beyond belief. The video below shows MSNBC's David Shuster blasting Brit Hume's on-air appeal to Tiger Woods to consider converting to Christianity for grace and redemption in the wake of his adulteries coming to light.

As Bill Donohue points out:
"Anyone who doesn’t understand the premium that Christianity puts on forgiveness is badly educated, but that is no excuse for the kind of vitriol that has been spewed against Brit Hume. For advising Tiger Woods to consider Christianity, Hume has been roundly condemned by those whose highest virtue is being non-judgmental. He has been compared to Islamic extremists by Keith Olbermann of MSNBC; he has been the subject of endless blogs ridiculing him and his religion; and is now being counseled by Tom Shales of the Washington Post to apologize.

None of Hume’s critics, of course, seem to have any problem with the increasingly aggressive campaigns launched by atheists seeking to proselytize Christians. During this past Christmas season, we were treated to a slew of atheist evangelizing efforts, ranging from billboards in towns across America to posters on urban buses, all designed to promote atheism and denigrate Christianity. In England, author Philip Pullman is pushing for an atheist curriculum in the elementary schools, and his fellow countryman and cohort, Richard Dawkins, wants summer camps aimed at weaning kids away from Christianity. These examples, of course, are seen by Hume’s critics as nothing more than exercises in free speech. But when he speaks, as an analyst, not as a reporter, he’s put on the liberal watch-list as a closet Taliban.

When George W. Bush was reelected in 2004, all we heard from this gang was about the coming theocracy that threatened to engulf America. Even they didn’t think that the worst that would happen was a soundbite from Brit Hume touting the teachings of Christianity."

Cartoon of the Day - Extremist Ties

Today on Kresta - January 5, 2010

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Jan. 5

4:00 – Liturgical Translations: Should there be a “grass-roots” review of the new Missal?
A recent article in the significantly left-leaning Catholic magazine “America” makes the argument that there should be a grass-roots review of the new Roman Missal, recently approved by the USCCB after years of dialogue amongst the Bishops and with Rome. The attempt is to recover a more accurate translation of the rubrics. The article is entitled “What if We Said, ‘Wait’?” Now “America” has surprisingly agreed to publish a response article by Fr. Peter Stravinskas entitled “We’ve Waited Long Enough!” We talk with Fr. Peter about the issue.

4:20 – 2009 Daniel of the Year: Fighting for humanity’s eternal value
WORLD Magazine's 12th annual Daniel of the Year is Stephen Meyer, director of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture, fights to show that lives have eternal value because they are the work of a Creator and not the product of chance. This fall Meyer came out with a full account of what science has learned in recent decades: Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design and shows that the cell is incredibly complex and the code that directs its functions wonderfully designed. His argument undercuts macroevolution, the theory that one kind of animal over time evolves into a very different kind. Meyer thus garners media scorn for raining on this year's huge celebration of the birth of Charles Darwin 200 years ago and the publication of On the Origin of Species 150 years ago. We talk to Meyer about his work.

4:40 – The Murder Business: How the Media Turns Crime into Entertainment and Subverts Justice
Crime stories fascinate the public. But between factual news stories, overblown “human interest” reports and salacious murder mystery exposés, it’s difficult to tell where news ends and entertainment begins. Mark Fuhrman explores this fine line and how it is increasingly being crossed, revealing new and shocking details on such high profile cases as JonBenet Ramsey, Martha Moxley and Chandra Levy. Fuhrman argues that the media’s approach to covering crime (“if it bleeds, it leads”) has allowed many criminals to get away with murder and impeded the search for justice. He presents a compelling plea for journalists, cops and citizens to demand higher ethical standards in the pursuit of justice.

5:00 – 5 Worst Stories of 2009 / 5 Positive Developments of 2009 / 5 Stories to Expect in 2010
Phil Lawler of Catholic World news has taken a novel approach to a review of the last year and what to look for in 2010. We look at the five worst stories of 2009, the five most positive developments of 2009, and the five stories you should be looking out for in 2010

5:20 – Direct to my Desk – Top Stories of the Decade

20 Ugandan priests go into schism

Claiming over 10,000 followers, between 20 and 25 priests in Uganda have gone into schism and registered as the Catholic Apostolic National Church. The group, which has dispensed with the discipline of clerical celibacy, has ties to the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church, a sect started by the late excommunicated Bishop Carlos Duarte Costa.

Denouncing leaders of the new schism as “false prophets,” Ugandan Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala said that “they come putting on sheep’s clothes, but inwardly they are wolves who want to snatch the good values in the Church.”

44% of Uganda’s 28.3 million residents are Catholic.

The Ugandan government said it was investigating the breakaway Catholic Apostolic National Church in Uganda and would ban it if found to be illegal. Vatican officials said the priests were now considered "outside" the Catholic Church and would likely be excommunicated.

The creation of the splinter church underscored the increasingly vexing problem of enforcing celibacy for Roman Catholic priests in Africa, which has the world's fastest-growing Catholic population but where there have been several cases of priests living openly with women and fathering children.

Earlier this year, the Vatican summoned African bishops to Rome for a three-week meeting on problems of the church in Africa, and celibacy was a key topic of discussion.

The breakaway Ugandan church has as its head a former Zambian Catholic priest, the Rev. Luciano Anzanga Mbewe, who was excommunicated earlier this year for having founded what the Vatican called a schismatic church, the Catholic Apostolic National Church of Zambia, which allows for a married priesthood.

The Pope, the Vatican and 2010

Pope Benedict XVI scheduled trips for 2010 are already set in stone. The pope will travel thousands of kilometers to meet Catholics and non-Catholics around the world. Among them will be Portugal, Britain, Turin, and Malta. Watch the Rome Reports video below for the full schedule.



Rome Reports also has a very nice series of videos on the year in review at the Vatican. Below is the one for Nov. / Dec. Watch them al at RomeReports.com