Archbishop Wuerl: What Gives? (or An Open Letter to the Archbishop)

Dear Archbishop Wuerl:

When it was announced by the Catholic News Service (CNS) that Archdiocese of Washington DC CFO John Michael Kelly (aka "J. Michael Kelly"; aka "Mike Kelly") was indicted by the Securities and Exchange (SEC), we were told a couple of different stories.

Story One: He wasn't the Chief Financial Officer. (However, that was hard to believe, since he it was reported as such by CNS and he had represented himself as such at various meetings, in documents, etc.)

Story Two: Thom Duffy was the CFO. However, no where does he or the Archdiocese represent him as such, at the time of Kelly's indictment. In fact, I even have one document which shows he was not the CFO at the time Kelly was indicted. He was only the Executive Director of the Secretariate of Finances and Management.

Story Three: He was only volunteering his time.

My sources tell me that after his indictment, he announced that he would be "advisor" to you starting June 2, 2008. Mr. Duffy would be the CFO.

However, no where does it show that Mr. Duffy is the CFO. The area on your website for Financial Management has only a phone number. There is not even a listing for Thom Duffy on your website. You would think that an important position like this would be announced to the faithful.

When a priest has been accused of sexual misconduct and it is found "credible," he is immediately visited by the Director of Personnel, and at least one or two other priests. He is ordered to vacate the rectory within 24 to 48 hours. He is told not to say public Mass, hear confessions or conduct baptisms. He is told to stay off of Church property unless given permission to be on it. In some instances, there is a car waiting outside to take him to St. Luke's.

So, I ask you, if you can do this to a priest, why did you not ask Mr. Kelly (who was indicted by the US Government) not to vacate the premises immediately? Why does he still have his office? An office that equals that of the Moderator of the Curia and Vicar of Administration and that of Chancellor. You would think that that office should go to Mr. Duffy. Granted, you are the boss and can give anyone any office but to someone who is indicted?

On Tuesday, June 24th, the Archdiocese Finance Council held their first meeting since the indictment. The purpose of the meeting was to present the Archdiocesan Central Administration budget for the fiscal year starting on July 1st. Unfortunately, "CFO" Duffy was on vacation. And you know who presented the budget: Mike Kelly.

Why do you keep someone who has been indicted for fraud, involved in the finances of the Archdiocese?

All I ask is "WHY?"


Signed,


AWashingtonDCCatholic

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Help defeat Montgomery County's Gender Identity Bill 23-07 this November. Go to http://notmyshower.net.

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NObama in 08

The Three Scandals Affecting the Catholic Church

There are three main scandals affecting the Catholic Church today, in my humble opinion.

1. Pedophiles.
2. Homosexuality. Active gay priests, who also cover up for their pedophile brothers. (Oh, and the pedophile issue is partly a gay priest issue because many of those abused are not children but 13 and 14 year olds. Don't believe those who tell you otherwise.)
3. Financial. Mismanagement, and to some extent, embezzling.

Monday's posting will be on #3 and the Archdiocese of Washington DC.

See you then and have a great weekend.

Obama's NARAL Catholics

From the Wall Street Journal:

You are the Democratic candidate for president. You want to reach out to Catholics. So what do you do when the majority of the elected officials on your National Catholic Advisory Council have the seal of approval from NARAL Pro-Choice America?That's the position Barack Obama now finds himself in.

A few months ago, his Catholic advisory council was announced with great enthusiasm, and Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) was listed as a national co-chair. His appearance at the top of the council sent a clear message: This campaign is determined to recover some of the lost Democratic sheep who have gravitated to the GOP over abortion.

This council does indeed include some Catholics whose pro-life credentials are impeccable, including Minnesota Congressman James Oberstar. But let us also stipulate the obvious: Of the 21 senators, congressmen and governors listed on the council's National Leadership Committee, 17 have a 90%-100% NARAL approval rating. Even Mr. Casey now enjoys a 65% NARAL approval rating.

It's not as if these NARAL scores are outliers: Sen. Obama himself boasts a 100% NARAL rating, and for good reason. In a speech before Planned Parenthood, he declared that the right to an abortion is at stake in this election, and vowed that he would not yield on appointing judges that would uphold Roe v. Wade.

Mr. Obama is for using tax dollars to fund abortions, and against restrictions on partial-birth abortion. In the Illinois Senate, he voted against legislation protecting a child who was born alive despite an abortion. In sum, if you want to know what Mr. Obama's policies mean, it's this: taxpayer-funded abortion on demand.

So, for all of you "Catholics" in the Archdiocese of Washington DC who support Obama, are you proud of yourselves? Will you continue to support him?

Unfortunately, some of you will.

As the bumper sticker says: NObama '08.

Tip of the hat to The Cafeteria is Closed for this one.

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Help defeat Montgomery County's Gender Identity Bill 23-07 this November. Go to http://notmyshower.net.

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NB: To the person who posted at 11:09am on Wed., is there an email address for you? When you write to me, please indicate the topic discussed in your posting, so I can verify.

"I stand for the Catholic faith."

"I'm not here to invent things, I'm not here to put my new spin on it," Riffle said later. "I'm a Catholic priest. It's the Catholic faith. I stand for the Catholic faith. All of this is so much more about Him, about His church."

In this day of Fr. Pflager's, Greeley's and Reese's, I was simply overjoyed (and thanked God) to hear a priest say this, and it is especially true when it comes from a newly ordained priest: Fr. Patrick Riffle.

What also amazed me that it was in published in the Washington comPost on Sunday, June 22nd.

Granted, the article focused on the celebration after a priest is ordained, but every once in a while the Post moves away from its' anti-Catholic bias and a gem shines through.

Take a moment to read it.

Congratulations Fr. Riffle. Ad multos annos!

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Help defeat Montgomery County's Gender Identity Bill 23-07 this November. Go to http://notmyshower.net.

Homosexuality and the Diocese of Arlington

I received from my friends over at Les Femmes, The Truth last week their e-letter.

At issue is the influence of homosexual priests in the Diocese of Arlington. (This was an issue that has been in the back of my mind as a possible blog posting or two -- only here in the Archdiocese of Washington DC.)

Although very long, I have reproduced most of it here. If you wish to read it the entire letter, please click on the link above, and go to that section.

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It's been almost seven years since Fr. Haley was booted from the St. Mary's rectory in Fredericksburg and forced into a nomadic life on the road for giving Bishop Loverde unwanted evidence of rampant sexual immorality in several Church rectories. It's almost four and a half years since the tribunal, headed by Bishop Thomas Doran, met in Philadelphia to decide Fr. Haley's fate. There is something seriously wrong when a bishop can throw out a faithful priest on a trumped up charge and leave him in limbo for seven years. Justice delayed is justice denied. Such a delay is incomprehensible. (Unless, as one individual suggested, it ensures the statute of limitations will prevent any action in civil court.)

How many good priests have experienced the heavy hand of retaliation for exposing homosexual immorality? Some have resigned; few have shown the perseverance of Fr. Haley. A short list of persecuted priests who blew the whistle on the gay problem in the Church includes: Fr. Michael Madden, Fr. James Foster, Fr. John Nesbella, Fr. Seamus MacCormack, Fr. Phillip Saylor, and Fr. Andrew Dowgiert. These men got the lash from their bishops and are gone. Meanwhile, can anyone doubt there are still homosexual priests running parishes? (To be clear, I define the term homosexual as the Church does: "those who practice homosexuality, show profoundly deep-rooted homosexual tendencies, or support the so-called gay culture.")

A number of years ago a young Arlington priest (not named above) told my husband and me over dinner that his pastor's "boyfriend", (who spent beaucoup time at the rectory) "doesn't like me." I wasn't surprised; my young friend was very handsome, movie-star handsome in fact. I'm sure the pastor's "significant other" was as jealous as a teenage girl thinking about such eye-candy in the rectory. To make a long story short, my friend ended up at St. Luke's for depression; his pastor got a bigger parish with a school. The homosexual is still there; my friend, an exemplary priest, is long gone, one more casualty of the lavender brotherhood. Did the bishop (Keating) know? Yes, a friend and I met with him and Fr. Robert Rippy (chancellor at the time) in April of 1997 to discuss Father's troubling lifestyle which included spending most of the week away from the parish at his nearby condo, living beyond his means, and being in the constant company of his "special friend." The bishop asked for proof; I told him he could get it from the priests who had lived with him. The result? Nothing. Well, not exactly nothing. My young friend left the priesthood. It was rumored that the day before he died, Bishop Keating who was in Rome for his ad limina visit, asked in a meeting what he should do about "his homosexual priest problem." Whatever he learned, the bishop never had the chance to implement it.

Who knows how many other homosexual priests are closeted in rectories entertaining their buddies with private porn collections and lavish dinner parties paid for from parish collections? The short answer: the priests who've live with them, priests, like Fr. Haley. But how many priests will say anything after witnessing what has happened to their brothers who present evidence to their bishops? Silence is safer even though it may endanger others both spiritually and physically. That's one reason the laity absolutely must speak up. We are less subject to retaliation from the bishops. I am finally speaking publicly about this situation in less veiled language because I know if anything ever happens to a child in that parish I will blame myself for keeping silent. I am not publicly exposing the priest. Rather, I wish to put the chancery on notice. Fr. Rippy knows who he is and he certainly should have briefed Bishop Loverde on the potential problem when the bishop arrived in the diocese. Additionally, unless they were deliberately destroyed, there are several letters on file at the chancery which I sent return receipt requested. If this priest ever injures a child or young adult, I will volunteer to testify for the prosecution that the chancery knew of his immoral homosexual lifestyle.


The bishops would like us to believe the homosexual problem in the Church is over. The news tells a different story. There may be fewer child molestations, but the cases of lewd conduct, embezzlement, etc. continue to appear. While soliciting sex in the park is less vile than raping children, such activities make a man unfit for the priesthood and he should be removed immediately when it happens. Bishops who knowingly assign homosexual priests to parishes are unfit to be guardians of the Church. Read Leon Podles book, Sacrilege. You may not be able to stomach the descriptions (sworn court testimony) of the sodomite rape of youngsters. I had to skip over some of the graphic parts. But what's also sickening is the sympathy of bishops, not for the ravaged children, but for the poor rapists whose priesthood was threatened by exposure. And so they allowed them to rape, and rape, and rape again. A little outrage over such bishops escaping justice (think Cardinal Law) is definitely appropriate. The homosexual priest is a threat to our children or grandchildren even if he selects "age-appropriate" partners for his lust or just fantasizes with his porn collection. The bishop who knows about his predilection and allows him to continue in a parish is irresponsible and, ultimately, an enabler of his immorality.

One of the saddest parts of this cultural meltdown is the damage to the priesthood in general. Every priest who entertains a child with a magic trick or a silly song is now a suspect. Tousling a child's hair or saying, like Jesus, "Let the children come to me," raises a red flag. What a horrendous injustice to good men who have devoted their lives to Christ; and there are many. We must pray and fast, both for the removal of homosexuals from the priesthood and for the protection of good priests who are one false accusation away from destruction. We can never lose hope, but neither should we be complacent.

There are many Judases in the Church. No surprise. One out of twelve of Jesus' closest friends was a traitor who betrayed his Master with a kiss. Was that percentage prophetic? Will we be fortunate if the traitors number only one out of twelve in the U.S. Church? Remember, two thirds of the bishops engaged in the cover-up. Most of those men are still running dioceses driving out good priests like Fr. Haley who dare to speak up about the homosexual cliques in the Church. His continuous exile warns the faithful that the cover-up continues.

There's an old political saying, "If we can't have honest politicians, let's at least have nervous ones." It's a good slogan for the bishops as well. We know there are a lot of dishonest bishops in the U.S. Church. One day they will stand before Jesus and answer for their betrayal. Let us pray that reflecting on that reality makes them nervous. They should be.

Welcome to The Deacon's Bench

In last Thursday's blog posting, I referenced The Deacon's Bench on the issue of VOTF and those women who wish to be ordained to the Catholic priesthood. After a couple of nice email exchanges with Deacon Greg, I am delighted to include his blog on my list.

And, by the way, have you noticed, no one from VOTF (or should I say "Voice of the Dissenters") has answered my questions.

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Help defeat Montgomery County's Gender Identity Bill 23-07 this November. Go to http://notmyshower.net.

VOTF - Dissenting from the Church Once Again

A few weeks ago, I took some heat (actually, it rolled like water off of a duck's back) regarding my statement that Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) were dissenters. There were a number of postings from a few who stated that they were faithful to the Church's teachings and that I was not able to prove my point.

On May 30th, the Congregation of Faith issued, via L'Osservatore Romano, the following decree:

In accordance with what is disposed by Can. 1378 of the Code of Canon Law, he who shall have attempted to confer holy orders on a woman, as well as the woman who may have attempted to receive Holy Orders, incurs in a latae sententiae excommunication, reserved to the Apostolic See.

If he who shall have attempted to confer Holy Orders on a woman or if the woman who shall have attempted to received Holy Orders is a faithful bound to the Code of Canons of the Oriental Churches, he is to be punished with the major excommunication, whose remission remains reserved to the Apostolic See, in accordance with can. 1443 of the same Code (cf. can. 1423, Code of Canons of the Oriental Churches).

Well, it looks like the NJ Chapter of VOTF has decided to come out against this.

In an email, which was posted over at The Deacon's Bench, you will see that they come out against decree and stand in solidarity with CORPUS in favor of women's ordination.

Now, for those of you who do not know, CORPUS was founded by Anthony Padovan, an ex-priest, and advocates for both married and single priests, both male and female. In addition, the facilitator of the NJ Chapter of VOTF (Theresa Padovan) happens to married to Anthony Padovan. (Just a coincidence?)

Now, the Curt Jester has taken apart VOTF's argument. He has done a much better job than I could ever.

So, to those VOTF members who do come here, esp. the St. Rose and Holy Trinity ones (and I know you do):

1. Do you agree or disagree with the VOTF email?

2. If you disagree, would you be willing to call upon the national VOTF to condemn the NJ Chapter?

These are simple questions and I am asking for simple answers.

To Question One, the only two possible answers are: Agree or Disagree.

To Question #2, if you disagree, the answer is either "Yes I will" or "No, I won't."
If you decide to answer, please, keep to the questions asked and the options given. If you can't, then your response may not be posted. (Don't say I have not warned you.)

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Help defeat Montgomery County's Gender Identity Bill 23-07 this November. Go to http://notmyshower.net.

Farewell DC Catholic

I learned the other day that the DC Catholic blog has signed off.

Although he feels he did not make an impact, I think he did. He gave publicity to events that were hidden and topics that needed to be covered.

So, I wish you the best and may you walk with the Lord for years to come.

The Future of Catholic Education - Dying a Slow Death

In the June 4th edition of My Catholic Standard, an article appeared written not by the staff of the Standard but was provided by the Archdiocese of Washington DC. That in and of itself is noteworthy.

The article, like many others, explains why there is a reduction in the number of Catholic schools. However, what really “gets me” is the section entitled “Preserving School Choice.”

As usual, the Archdiocese is willing to accept the crumbs and scraps from the same pro-abortion, pro-homosexual politicians, who they suck up to for funding for a senior citizen center, or another social program.

When will Archbishop Wuerl, the Maryland Catholic Conference (MCC) wake up and smell the coffee that these politicians do not give a dead rat’s rear end about Catholic education. And the Church continues to take it on the chin year after year.

The DC Opportunity Scholarship is not going to be renewed. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the DC Representative in the House of Representatives, has said that the Democratic Congress intends to kill it. The Washington Compost has done a series of articles on what a waste of money it is.

If the Archdiocese had the intestinal fortitude, it would remind every parent of every child who ever received an Opportunity Scholarship that Eleanor Holmes Norton has sentenced every child to a sub-standard education. But will they do it. Nope.

They continue to push the BOAST program and how it has worked in Pennsylvania. I have heard that for the last 5 years from Dick Dowling and the MCC. And have they passed it. Nope. And does the MCC let Catholic parents know who supported it and who did not. Nope.

The Archdiocese continues to attempt to put a positive spin on a failure after failure. The only way that they will make any inroads with politicians is to target them for defeat. Remind Catholic parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc., of those who support Catholic education and those who oppose it, like Richard Madaleno. It is time to take the gloves off.

But to be honest, they will not. If the Archbishop is not willing to throw VOTF out of parishes, deny communion to pro-abortion politicians, remains silent on the Montgomery County Transgender Bill, and a host of other issues, he will not do a thing on this.

Archbishop Wuerl is slowly allowing Catholic education to die in this diocese. Those children will grow up to be Catholics (hopefully) but most will not send their children to Catholic school. Why? Because they will not see the value of it. And the cycle will begin over and over until there are no Catholic schools left.

Marc Fisher's Column This Week

The Sunday Metro section of the Washington Post had an article written by Marc Fisher.

To make a long story short, his basic premise was that the DC Opportunity Scholarships (or as he likes to call them - vouchers) were a failure to begin with, since it never covered the complete cost of tuition.



According to Mr. Fisher vouchers were "foisted on the District" by the Federal government. That is one biased way of looking at it.

The problem was that the District schools were failing everyone - everyone. They were failing the children, the parents, and the taxpayers and yet all were heard was the same lame excuse -- "If we only had more money."

So, we now have an option to help some children. Yes, it may only help 1900 children but it was a start. Many of these children were headed for the same cycle of poor education, poor jobs, etc. that many others had before them. Here was the chance to get them out of it.

In fact, I remember reading that for every scholarship given, there were two additional applicants. Tell me Mr. Fisher, was does that say about the failing DC Public Schools? What does that say about how desperate parents are to make certain that they succeed.

Second, we know that the Catholic schools that are closing are due to a number of reasons, not just because vouchers could not pay the full cost. There was a decline in enrollment, an increase in expenses, etc. But the children who attended these schools were doing fantastic and could probably beat the best that the public shools had to offer.

In fact, Mr. Fisher does not make comment on the fact that for every $7,500 given in a scholarship, it saved the DC Public Schools over $2,500. Why? Because it costs over $10,000 per year per pupil in DC. Now, it will cost them the full $10,000 per.


But who cares about that, when your socialist mentality says that everyone should suffer equally.

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Help defeat Montgomery County's Gender Identity Bill 23-07 this November. Go to http://notmyshower.net.

John Carroll Chapel Severely Damaged

The John Carroll Chapel, located in the Forest Glen section of Silver Spring, was severely damaged on June 4th, according to a story in the Gazette.

The storm knocked down two large oak trees into the chapel, damaging the roof and the entire right side of the building. When the first oak tree came down, it took a second one with it – both apx. 2 ft. wide.

The Chapel is under the care of St. John the Evangelist Church on Georgia Avenue. Built in the 1950’s, it is a replica of the John Carroll Chapel, built on the same site in the 1700’s. Carroll was the first Catholic bishop in the US and was the founder of St. John the Evangelist Church in 1774.

The chapel is only open for the occasional rosary service and tours, most of which are given by appointment.

Unfortunately, I was only able to get there this weekend. Of course, the trees had been removed and tarps put up.

The word is that they may have to tear the entire thing down.

Front

Right Side View

From the Back

(with one of the fallen trees)

Peeking thru one of the remaining windows

Even the tombstones were taken down

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Help defeat Montgomery County's Gender Identity Bill 23-07 this November. Go to http://notmyshower.net.

A Little Catholic Humor

Got this one via email. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

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After getting all of Pope Benedict's luggage loaded into the limo, (and he doesn't travel light), the driver notices the Pope still standing on the curb.

"Excuse me, Your Holiness," says the driver," Would you please take your seat so we can leave?"

"Well, to tell you the truth," says the Pope, "they never let me drive at the Vatican when I was a cardinal, and now that I'm Pope, I'd really like to drive today."

"I'm sorry, Your Holiness, but I cannot let you do that. I'd lose my job! And what if something should happen?" protests the driver, wishing he'd never gone to work that morning.

"Who's going to tell? Besides, there might be something extra in it for you," says the Pope with a smile.

Reluctantly, the driver gets in the back as the Pope climbs in behind the wheel. The driver quickly regrets his decision when, after exiting the airport , the Pontiff floors it, accelerating the limo to 105 mph.(Remember, he's German.)

"Please slow down, Your Holiness!" pleads the worried driver, but the Pope keeps the pedal to the metal until they hear sirens.

"Oh, Dear God, I'm gonna lose my license -- and my job!" moans the driver. The Pope pulls over and rolls down the window as the cop approaches, but the cop takes one look at him, goes back to his motorcycle, and gets on the radio.

"I need to talk to the Chief," he says to the dispatcher.

The Chief gets on the radio and the cop tells him that he's stopped a limo going a hundred and five."

So bust him," says the Chief. "I don't think we want to do that, he's really big ," said the cop.

The Chief exclaimed," All the more reason!"

"No, I mean really important," said the cop with a bit of persistence.

The Chief then asked, "Who ya got there, the Mayor?"

Cop: "Bigger."

Chief: " The Governor?"

Cop: "Bigger."

Chief: "The President?"

Cop: "Bigger."

"Well," said the Chief, "Who is it?"

Cop: "I think it's God!"

The Chief is stumped, " You been drinking, John?"

Cop: " No Sir."

Chief : " Then what makes you think it's God?"

Cop: "The Pope is his chauffeur."

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Help defeat Montgomery County's Gender Identity Bill 23-07 this November. Go to http://notmyshower.net.

Democratic Party Endorses Homosexual Marriage

On June 3, the Democratic National Committee issued a 2008 Gay Pride Proclamation. DNC Chairman Howard Dean and Representatives Barney Frank (aka "Our Boy Lollipop") and Tammy Baldwin released the proclamation. (Yes, I know it does not come right out and say it, but read the language used.)

So, for all of the my fellow Archdiocese of Washington DC Catholic's who support Obama, not only does Obama get the endorsement of NARAL, now he will in all likelihood support homosexual marriages.

So, will you continue to support him? Will you continue to support someone will go against our faith? Think twice!

Now, what can you do?

Congressman Paul Broun of Georgia has introduced the Marriage Protection Amendment of 2008 (H.J. RES. 89). This amendment would make marriage legal only between a man and a woman.

Write to your Representative and ask them to co-sponsor this bill. If they will not, then at least ask them to vote for it.

PS: I know you will not hear about this from the Archdiocese or from the Catholic Standard. At least you will hear it from me first.

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Help defeat the Montgomery Country Gender Identity Bill 23-47 in November. Go to http://Notinmyshower.net.

Your MD State Lawmakers and Domestic Partnership Bills

From the Maryland Catholic Conference:

Voting records are now available online for two new laws, signed into law recently by Gov. O'Malley, that undermine the legal status of marriage.

Senate Bill 566 grants marriage equivalency to domestic partners for the purpose of medical decision making.

Senate Bill 597 grants marriage equivalency to domestic partners for the purpose of exemption from recordation and transfer taxes.

Please click here to see the grid of how your state lawmakers voted on both SB 566 and SB 597.


The grid can be searched by legislators' last name or district. Click here to find out what district you live in .


Once you find out how your state lawmakers voted, please click the link on their last names in the grid to e-mail them:


• If your lawmakers voted "yes" on SB 566 and SB 597, tell them that you're disappointed in their vote and encourage them to uphold marriage in the future.


• If your lawmakers voted "no" on SB 566 and SB 597, thank them and tell them you support their position in favor of traditional marriage.


However and most important, DON'T VOTE FOR THEM IN THE NEXT ELECTION! (This is my opinion, and not the MD Catholic Conference's -- but it should be!)



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Help defeat the Montgomery Country Gender Identity Bill 23-47 in November. Go to http://Notinmyshower.net.

USCCB in dialog with Terrorist Supporters?

I came across this regarding the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops.

As announced in a PR release by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, "A newround of the Mid-Atlantic Muslim Catholic Dialogue," April 23-24, in Washington, looked at interreligious education in the United States. The meeting, which was convened by the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and Catholic representatives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, explored teaching about different religions in private and public institutions."

As the press release makes clear this event also included a high ranking member of the Council on American Islamic Relations [CAIR] "The discussion follows upon a meeting in 2007 where Safaa Zarzour described the development of a Muslim-Catholic educational exchange by the Council of Islamic Societies of Greater Chicago and the Archdiocese of Chicago. Zarzour chaired a panel of Muslim representatives at the April 23-24 meeting." CAIR is widely understood to be a supporter of the Palestinian terrorist organization HAMAS as well as having been named as an unindicted co-conspiratorin the ongoing U.S. vs. Holy Land Foundation, et. al., case the country's largest terror funding prosecution. Additionally, numerous CAIR officials have been convicted of terror related offenses, the most recently being Ghassan Elashi, founder of the Texas chapter of CAIR.

ICNA, the Islamic Circle of North America was founded in the early seventies as a da'wa propagation organization, its mission statement clearly identifies ICNA's purpose as one of establishing Islamic supremacy, "The goal of ICNA shall be to seek the pleasure of Allah (SWT) through the struggle of Iqamat-ud-Deen(establishment of the Islamic system of life) as spelled out in the Qur'an andthe Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad. [and to] invite mankind to submit to the Creator by using all means of communications...

For more information, please go to Pipeline News.

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Please remember to help repeal Montgomery County's Gender Identity Bill 23-07. Go to http://www.notmyshower.net

Voice of the Faithful - A Couple of Good Articles

Catholic Culture is an excellent website dealing with a number of issues regarding the faith. They really want to LIVE the Catholic life.

In particular, they have some excellent items on Voice of the Faithful. S

ince this has been a really hot topic around here a few weeks ago, I thought that I would provide you with the links.

Is it the Voice of the Faithful

Voice of the Faithful - Site Review

An Inside Look at Voice of the Faithful

The Communications Director Who Refuses to Communicate

As I was surfing the web, I found some more information on this earlier story I posted regarding Susan Gibbs, the Communications Director for the Archdiocese.

Tip of the Hat to The American Papist.

Update on the Boy Scouts and the City of Brotherly Love

Last year, I posted the story of how the City of Philly was going after the Boy Scouts.

The Scouts currently occupy the Beaux Arts headquarters. It was constructed by the Scouts in 1928 and given to the city. They city and the Scouts have a "in perpetuity" lease. In return for a rent of $1 per year, the Scouts promised to maintain the building. They spend about $60,000 a year to maintain it, and put in about $1.5 million in renovations in 1994.

(One of the things many of the articles on the web neglect to mention is the lease aspect.)

The City of Philly has decided that because of their stance on homosexuals, the Scouts have one of three options: (1) pay fair market value of apx. $200, 000 per year in rent; (2) leave the building; or (3) allow homosexuals to be leaders and staff.

Well, the Boy Scouts have decided that they prefer the forth option. Yep, just as I had suggested in December, they have decided to sue the city eight days before they were ordered to vacate.

Way to go BSA! I pray that you win.