New Study Reveals 3,677 German Catholic Church Sex Abuse Cases Over Decades - Sputnik International

A series of sex scandals has hit the church recently, with cases of the sexual abuse of thousands of minors and clerical cover-up emerging in the US, Australia, and Chile. The Pontiff himself has been accused of knowing about a disgraced US cardinal's sexual misconduct and doing nothing with it.

The Catholic Church is now facing a series of sex scandals, this time in Germany. Der Spiegel magazine said on Wednesday that thousands of children had been sexually abused by the German Catholic clergy over a 70-year period.

The study, conducted by the universities of Giessen, Heidelberg and Mannheim, detailed 3,677 cases of child sexual abuse between 1946 and 2014, perpetrated by 1,670 clerics and priests. The victims were predominantly boys, and more than half of them were aged 13 or younger. In many cases, pieces of records were destroyed or manipulated, the study added.

Der Spiegel quoted the study as saying that the Church had often moved clerics accused of sexual abuse to new communities, without notifying them about the perpetrations. Moreover, the culprits tended to escape punishment: only one third of those accused faced legal proceedings through the church, while 4 percent of identified perpetrators were still working. The study insisted that it is not yet time to say that the sexual abuse of minors is entirely in the past, as it continued until the end of the investigation period.

New Study Reveals 3,677 German Catholic Church Sex Abuse Cases Over Decades - Sputnik International

February 12-13, 2016::End of the day round-up (pg 3)

Texas DA: ‘I’m Pro-Life, But the Law Is the Law’

It didn’t take long after Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson announced the indictment of anti-Planned Parenthood videomakers David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt for the conspiracy theories to swirl.

It also didn’t take long for Anderson to shut all of them down. In a two-minute video statement posted Wednesday night, Anderson vehemently rebuts the idea that her office was ideologically predisposed to punish the pro-lifers.

“Anyone who pays attention knows that I’m pro-life,” Anderson said. “I believe abortion is wrong. But my personal belief does not relieve me of my obligation to follow the law.”
,,,
Even though Anderson’s beliefs don’t align with Planned Parenthood, she told doubters in her Wednesday video statement that the grand jury had to follow the evidence: “The inconvenient truth of a criminal investigation is that it doesn’t always lead where you want to go.”

The Harris County grand jury cleared Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing. So far, none of the many state-level investigations into the organization sparked by Daleiden’s undercover video campaign have turned up evidence of criminal behavior.

That hasn’t stopped the tinfoil hats from coming out in force to protest this first criminal indictment of the anti-abortion activists.

Fox analyst throws a tantrum at DA over Daleiden indictment: How dare a ‘Republican woman’ support abortion

Fox News judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano lashed out at a Texas district attorney on Tuesday, suggesting that she had no right as a “Republican woman” to support Planned Parenthood.

Catholic homeopaths claim to cure homosexuality

The German ‘Association of Catholic Doctors’, Bund Katholischer Ärzte, claims that homeopathic remedies can cure homosexuality!

Yes, I kid you not, this is what they state on their website. Specifically they advise that ‘…the working group HOMEOPATHY of the Association notes homeopathic therapy options for homosexual tendencies…repertories contain special rubrics pointing to characteristic signs of homosexual behaviour, including sexual peculiarities such as anal intercourse (die Vereinigung Katholischer Ärzte, BKÄ, weist mit Ihrem Arbeitskreis Homöopathie auf homöopathische Therapiemöglichkeiten bei homosexueller Neigung hin. Im Repertorium gibt es spezielle Rubriken, die auf charakteristische Zeichen von homosexuellem Verhalten hinweisen.

Oregon Judge Who Refused To Marry Same-Sex Couples Found 'Unfit'

A judicial oversight panel investigating complaints against Marion County, Oregon, Judge Vance Day, has recommended that the State Supreme Court remove Judge Day from the bench. Judge Day came to the panel's attention in May of 2014 when he refused to officiate at the weddings of same-sex couples after Oregon legalized marriage equality. The judge maintains it is against his Christian beliefs to participate in a same-sex couple's wedding.

The Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability sent its formal recommendation to the Oregon Supreme Court this week, accusing Judge Day of discrimination based on sexual orientation, among other serious charges.

"His misconduct is not isolated. It is frequent and extensive,” the commission found.

The commission charges Judge Day “willfully” violated ten different rules of the Code of Judicial Conduct, including his refusal to officiate at the marriages of same-sex couples. The commission said whenever a same-sex couple asked Judge Day to officiate, he told his staff to lie about his availability and direct them to another judge. Judge Day did not dispute that practice, but argued same-sex couples were not denied their rights because another judge was always found to marry them.

Boko Haram in Nigeria kills at least 86, burns children

A survivor hidden in a tree says he watched Boko Haram fighters firebomb huts and heard the screams of children burning to death, among 86 people officials say died in the latest attack by Nigeria's homegrown armed group.

Scores of charred corpses and bodies with bullet wounds littered the streets from Saturday night's attack on Dalori village and two nearby camps housing 25,000 refugees, according to survivors and soldiers at the scene just 3 miles from Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram and the biggest city in Nigeria's northeast.

The shooting, burning and explosions from three suicide bombers continued for nearly four hours in the unprotected area, survivor Alamin Bakura said, weeping on a telephone call to The Associated Press. He said several of his family members were killed or wounded.

The violence continued as three female suicide bombers blew up among people who managed to flee to neighboring Gamori village, killing many people, according to a soldier at the scene who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to journalists.

Hearing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' on a 110-year-old fairground organ is oddly perfect (VIDEO)

First-Ever Excavation of Nazi Death Camp Treblinka Reveals Horrors

Confessions of a recovering lesbian | News | LifeSite

And BAM!! There it is.  Wham bam thank you mam,,,

I am a 37-year-old Catholic woman who has been happily married for nearly 15 years. We have five children that I homeschool. I also struggle daily with same-sex attraction.
,,,
I know some of you may be thinking, “What do you mean, you just ‘woke up’ one day and fell in love with a woman? Can that really happen??” Not really. There were many factors in both our pasts that made us vulnerable to same-sex attraction. Nora had been repeatedly molested by a male cousin as a child. I was abandoned by my birth mother and grew up being physically abused by my mentally-ill adoptive mother. For Nora, I was safe. For me, Nora offered the nurturing bond with a female I’d never had. Neither of us had had any guidance about sexuality other than “don’t get pregnant.” Nor did we have any faith in God, which made it easier to ignore our consciences when tempted to become involved.
,,,
Two years later, I met my husband, a man I felt all those things for and more. I went into marriage happy I’d finally achieved a “normal” life. Yet even then, same-sex attraction insidiously inserted itself. When I traveled out of town for work, I struggled not to go to lesbian bars. But I had promised fidelity and I had to honor that. I somehow knew if I cheated on my husband, I would be truly lost as a person. I thank God every day for helping me fight down those temptations.

And honey, you understand nothing!!  Why are you "studying John Paul II?

I am happy to say that the battle today is easier than in the early years of marriage. I remain faithful to God and my husband because I work hard to avoid near occasions of sin. For instance, I avoid deeply emotional friendships with women that eclipse the one with my husband. I don’t watch gay- and lesbian-themed movies. I also have trained my imagination to avoid impure fantasies. It can be tempting to fall into old thought patterns, especially if I’m tired. But if necessary, I’ll shut down physically and emotionally to avoid offending God. No fleeting sensual pleasure is worth offending Jesus, who suffered so much to save me.

Sounds like such a pleasant life, doesn't it, fixing something that isn't broken?

Confessions of a recovering lesbian | News | LifeSite

Man claims he lost job at Catholic home because he's gay - US News

This is one of those incidents that may scream injustice BUT,,,

And I say this cautiously - anyone who honestly thinks: 1] "the church" is changing, or 2] that they can change "the church" from within, is deluding themselves.  "The church": - and I am talking your mainline hardcore sects (not the prog/liberals) - want only one thing, power and the money that comes with it.  They do not give a shit about who they step on to get it; they will lie cheat and steal.

While I agree that who you fuck has no bearing one's job performance, I am concerned as to where Murphy got the idea, "I thought I found a safe place where I could do good and I won't be judged and I won't be ostracized."  Sorry dude but what fucking planet do you live on?  Please quit listening to the PR Pope,,,

Several LGBT Catholic workers and teachers have lost their jobs over the past few years simply for being “out” about who they are, with administrators often justifying the terminations by citing the Catholic Church’s historic opposition to homosexual acts. Catholic officials also often claim protection under the “ministerial exception” — a legal concept expanded in 2012 that allows faith-based organizations to discriminate when hiring for jobs they classify as “ministerial.”

Now my shitty attitude aside, which I will blame on my post stroke depression, this incident does offer an interesting legal twist, if it goes through the court system.  Something I also posted about back in July:

The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission ruled in July that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act — which bars employers from discriminating against someone because of their sex, race and religion — also prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

There is a religious exemption in the law, but it goes only so far as to allow organizations from refusing to hire people who aren't part of their religion, said Samuel Bagenstos, a professor at the University of Michigan who specializes in constitutional and civil rights law.

If the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission finds that Murphy was discriminated against, it will try to negotiate a settlement between the two sides. If it finds that there has been no discrimination or a settlement can't be reached, it will likely end up in federal court, where the potential outcome is unclear.

The issue hasn't been tested in court since the commission made its ruling in July and courts aren't required to follow the commission's guidelines.

"This is a very quickly developing area of the law," Bagenstos says. "It's, in some ways, a very open issue in the federal courts right now."

Man claims he lost job at Catholic home because he's gay - US News

How the British Army Spread Rumors of Black Magic and Witchcraft in 1970s Northern Ireland | VICE | United States

The Information Policy group may not have started the rumors, but they fed them in order to smear paramilitary organizations. It was only one aspect of a broader black propaganda strategy, which also relied on more "classic" defamatory rumors involving misappropriated money, communism, and drug trafficking. Their aim was to establish a link in the public opinion between the rise of paramilitary groups' violence and things that both the protestant and catholic communities would find objectionable. Ireland's strong religious culture and supernatural folklore gave the military the idea of this new kind of threat which could also encourage people—especially children and teenagers—to stay home at night. 

I called Richard Jenkins up for a chat about this weird phenomenon.

How the British Army Spread Rumors of Black Magic and Witchcraft in 1970s Northern Ireland | VICE | United States

Satanic 'Zombified' Religion Making Inroads in United States — Charisma News

What a horrid piece of tripe!! 

First off dumb-ass it's Vodou, of which there are numerous regional variations each of which has its own distinct pantheon of spirits.  Second point neglected, Vodou is not "satanic" and practitioners do not worship "demons".  The loa are equivalent to the Saints in Catholicism; they intercede with God on behalf of the practitioner.

Zombies?  Seriously, Hollywood is not a proper citation for information. You may wish to consult on the difference between a Houngan (or Mambo) as compared to the "folklorish" bokor or sorcerer. Zombie creation is not a part of Vodou, with a bokor considered more of an outcast generally not accepted by the Houngan or Mambo.

The only redeeming aspect of the attached piece is that the author, Jessilyn Justice, at least didn't cite the ole bloviating windbag, Pat Robertson:

They were under the heel of the French, you know Napoleon the third and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said 'We will serve you if you will get us free from the prince.' True story. And so the devil said, 'Ok it's a deal.' And they kicked the French out. The Haitians revolted and got something themselves free. But ever since they have been cursed by one thing after another.

What the windbag was referring to was the Bois Caïman ceremony of 1791 that began the Haitian Revolution.

Voodoo is the culture, the way they think. They view the world through a lens of voodoo, and it colors what they do, what they see. They bring it unwittingly into the church, and see mainstream denominations as no different from voodoo."

The satanic worship can be traced to colonization when the French demanded African slaves convert to Catholicism. Rather than fully converting, the slaves named their idols after saints, and the worship of the demons was incorporated into the church.

For many who visit the churches, it's difficult to tell the difference between the Catholic Saints and African demons. According to the Associated Press, many of Haiti's 10 million residents consider themselves followers of both voodoo and Catholicism.

The presence of voodoo is so strong that Vanderpool has seen strong Christians get swallowed up in the spiritual battle.
,,,
But the spiritual warfare continues, and missionaries like Vanderpool must ready for the battle every day, covering himself and his patients in prayer.

As one comment so aptly summarized,

This article is a pure nonsense that shows a complete ignorance of Haitian culture. Haiti has no OFFICIAL religion and voodoo is a cult more complex than these simplistic generalizations. I've studied Haitian culture for years as an anthropologist and served Haitian Christian churches in so many capacities, that I would recommend that Charisma find some more informed writers if they want to say something of intellectual value a foreign culture. The works of Christian churches had changed so much on this island that Max Beauvoir cannot be the spokesperson for an entire country. I hope this author spends some time with real Haitian Christians and stop writing these nonsenses [sic] about Haiti or at least learn more about voodoo before arrogantly expose such ignorant nonsense. [Ed for spelling]

Satanic 'Zombified' Religion Making Inroads in United States — Charisma News

See also::  Voodoo Brings Solace To Grieving Haitians

Playing the Princess | Commonweal Magazine

A different look at issues surrounding the mRFRA.  What I find enlightening, "[t]he U.S. Catholic bishops could have used,,,."  Referring to, as the author puts it, the "Catholic teaching on 'cooperation with evil'."  So to this non-Catholic, non-believer the Church appears to have an out but chose to remain involved for what?

As one comment points out,

,,,thank you for calling for clear distinctions in the claims of undue burdens on free exercise of religion. A gay couple who tries to force the baker to CELEBRATE their marriage would pose an undue burden on their free exercise of religion. Providing goods and services is not. Sadly our bishops contribute to this lack of clarity with their histrionics about civil intrusions into private life (Never once noticing of course the Church's own intrusions in these spheres). [Ed. for spelling] 

One point not addressed, and lacking in other discussions concerning mRFRAs, religious belief is a choice. Opening a business that serves the public is voluntary.  Don't want to follow the laws, don't open a business.

The current approach to “substantial” burdens is no longer workable. In our increasingly pluralistic and interconnected society, we need to develop a consensus about what counts as a substantial burden on religiously motivated moral beliefs. That consensus need not draw on any particular theological vision; it only has to reflect what is reasonable to expect of people, given the degree to which they have agreed to participate in a pluralistic society.

Most people would agree that it is a substantial burden to be forced to be personally involved in an action they believe to be immoral. So no one should be forced to perform an abortion, or to directly administer contraception. Most people also recognize that forcing people to be considerably involved in actions that they think cause serious harm to vulnerable third parties is substantially burdensome. So, for example, forcing someone to prepare prisoners for execution—or patients for euthanasia—is not acceptable, even if such people are not made to administer the lethal dose.

At the same time, Americans need to acknowledge that many attenuated forms of connection to the wrongful acts of others should not rise to the level of a substantial burden for purposes of RFRA analysis. The terms of our social experiment mean that most of us will find ourselves a tangential part of an action or way of life that we don’t endorse. This is the price we all must pay for being involved in the commerce of a pluralistic society. That insight would rule out the RFRA claims of a Catholic innkeeper who refuses to rent a room to an unmarried heterosexual couple, just as it would in the case of a Muslim cab driver who declines to transport a passenger carrying alcohol. The same would go for an Evangelical baker who won’t make a cake for a same-sex wedding—the example most cited by supporters of the Indiana bill. In all three cases, the burdens on free exercise are not objectively substantial enough to trigger the cumbersome legal machinery of RFRA.

Such claimants might respond that their actions put them in a position of appearing to endorse fornication, alcohol consumption, or same-sex marriage, respectively. But that doesn’t make sense, because no sensible person understands the transactions that merchants make in the public marketplace as signaling their endorsement of the activities of their customers. And one who makes rooms generally available for rent doesn’t in any way sanction the specific activity that guests engage in behind closed doors.

Playing the Princess | Commonweal Magazine

Conservatives Seize On Hugely Flawed Study About Same-Sex Parents | ThinkProgress

Although dating to Febraury, Sullins research is important to note as he has in the past defended the Regnerus study, which is in the news again.  What it boils down to, "Conservatives praise these studies for their large samples, eagerly highlighting their negative results while ignore the distortions required to arrive at them."

Think of this as a precursor of what is to come.

Conservatives are excitedly promoting a new study that supposedly reveals negative outcomes for the children of same-sex parents. Like the infamously flawed Mark Regnerus study rushed out two years ago, the new study seems timed to impact the Supreme Court’s upcoming consideration of marriage equality for same-sex couples. It suffers, however, from some of the same flaws and biases as Regnerus’ study, and doesn’t actually support the argument against marriage equality that it tries to make.

The new study comes from Donald Paul Sullins, a Catholic priest and sociology professor at Catholic University of America. Sullins is a fellow of the Marriage and Religion Research Institute, a project of the anti-LGBT Family Research Council, and a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus, which has funneled millions of dollars into fighting marriage equality over the past decade. In 2010, he co-wrote a study suggesting that female homosexuality was somehow connected to growing up in a broken home, and when he has written about same-sex marriage, he uses scare quotes around the word “marriage.”

Sullins conducted an analysis of data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) that had been collected from 1997-2013. He concluded that information about the 512 same-sex parents identified in the study demonstrates that their children have more emotional problems compared to couples raised by their biological different-sex couples. That these children fare worse, he concludes, “justifies social and policy concerns about differences between family structures, including between opposite-sex and same-sex families.” In other words, same-sex couples should not be allowed to marry because they make inferior parents.

One of the first major flaws, however, is the fact that Sullins has no information about whether the same-sex couples were actually married.  As he notes, “Almost all opposite-sex parents who are raising joint biological offspring are in intact marriages, but very few, if any, same-sex parents were married during the period under observation.” The same-sex couples were instead defined as “those persons whose reported spouse or cohabiting partner was of the same sex as themselves.” No conclusions can actually be drawn about the impacts of legalizing same-sex marriage because the study, by its own admission, collected no data about same-sex marriage or its effect on children.

Regnerus himself provides an overview of the research.  In his attempt to defend it, however, he in turn reveals that it also has the very same flaws as his own study. In particular, the NHIS similarly contains no information about family formation. Sullins notes that many of the children had a biological connection to one of the same-sex parents, but it’s unknown if these are from prior relationships, which would suggest their negative outcomes are related to a broken home instead of having two parents of the same sex. Regnerus used the same conflation; only two of the children in his study were actually raised from birth by same-sex couples and they did not exhibit the same negative outcomes as those children who had parents that separated before one entered a same-sex relationship. Incidentally, Sullins has likewise defended Regenerus’ conclusions about the supposed  inferiority “gay and lesbian families,” ignoring the significance of this flawed conflation.

Conservatives Seize On Hugely Flawed Study About Same-Sex Parents | ThinkProgress

Why Native Americans Are Outraged Over the Vatican’s First Hispanic U.S. Saint

A "man of his time,"  what a freaking cop-out!!

The Virgen de Guadalupe is depicted with spikes around her, much like the Nahua serpent god Quetzalcoatl. Though her original purpose as a way to secretly practice the old religion has since been forgotten, the indigenous Mexican still exists in her DNA. It also exists in the stones of the basilica. It exists in the Mestizo.

Mexico is Catholic because of conquest. It is Catholic because many years ago the Spanish came and brought with them murder, disease, and Catholicism. The Indians were forced to accept a foreign faith, and if they refused, they were met with violence.

It is a violence that has shaped Latin America.

And now, Native American groups are furious that the Vatican is seeking to canonize as a saint a man who perpetuated that violence.

According to Latin Post, Pope Francis will canonize Junípero Serra, an 18^th century Hispanic friar in Baja California who was responsible for bringing Catholicism to much of California.

Why Native Americans Are Outraged Over the Vatican’s First Hispanic U.S. Saint

'Pope Francis effect' leads to exorcism boom - Telegraph

It is no wonder that the Satanic Panic is re-emerging.  Did it ever really go away?  It is back to the Dark Ages where we blame personal and social problems on the supernatural instead of effectively dealing with harsh reality.

A return to superstition and Scriptures aren’t helpful in a time where we need reason, human compassion and science-based treatments that actually work in the long run. It isn’t as easy to fix social problems and psychological issues so we blame the devil? Thanks, Pope Frank!

The “Pope Francis effect” has been credited with encouraging a resurgence in faith among rank-and-file Catholics but it has also had a more unexpected consequence – a boom in the demand for exorcisms.

The Argentinian pontiff’s fire-and-brimstone language and frequent references to the Devil have helped propel belief in Beelzebub back into the mainstream of the Catholic Church, where once it was an embarrassment.

Dioceses in the UK, Italy, Spain and elsewhere have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of people claiming to be possessed and have responded by training more priests in the dark arts of how to perform exorcisms.

A week-long exorcism conference, held this week at the Pontifical University of Regina Apostolorum in Rome and endorsed by the Vatican, is being attended by around 160 Catholic priests from around the world, who insist that demonic possession is very real.

"Pope Francis talks about the Devil all the time and that has certainly raised awareness about exorcisms," said Father Cesare Truqui, a Mexican priest trained as an exorcist. "But all Latin Americans have this sensibility – for them, the existence of the Devil is part of their faith."

[,,,]
During the week-long course, there will be lectures by Catholic prelates on subjects such as “Occultism, black magic and Satanism”, “Angels and demons in Holy Scripture” and “Criminal Aspects of Satanism”.

Addressing the first day of the conference, Monsignor Luigi Neri, the archbishop of Ferrara in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, attributed the growing demand for exorcisms to atheism and consumerism.

Gesticulating and jabbing with his finger, the white-haired cleric said prayer was central to the fight against the Devil.

"Evil exists and poisons the human experience. It is a challenge and a provocation."

 'Pope Francis effect' leads to exorcism boom - Telegraph

Pope faces gut checks on anti-Christian persecution and the death penalty | Crux

Interesting how two different news sources present the same event.  So in this Vatican approved or not?

First, despite what you may hear, the course is not a “Vatican school” or “Vatican camp.”

It’s offered by the “Sacerdos Institute,” a program of priestly formation operated by the Legionaries, in partnership with a private Bologna-based foundation called the “Group of Socio-Religious Research and Information” that tracks New Age movements and the occult.

For a bit of context, the Roman calendar is always chock-full of seminars, conferences, mini-courses, etc., offered by orders, lay movements, private foundations, Catholic colleges, activist groups, and so on. Walk into any Roman hotel, any day of the week, and you’ll likely find at least one. Though organizers often try to play up their Vatican contacts, even inviting a Vatican official or two to speak, none of that makes these initiatives Vatican events.

The course on exorcism is a case in point. It carries a loose endorsement from the Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy, and a couple of Vatican officials typically make presentations. This year the line-up includes Italian Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Vatican’s court for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins in the Catholic Church.

Yet nobody is required by the Vatican to attend, there’s no Vatican certification at the end, and one cannot assume that every word uttered represents the Vatican’s take on things.

Second, because the Rev. Gabriele Amorth’s name appears on the list of past speakers for the course, it’s a good bet that somebody will seek out the 90-year-old Italian priest for an interview this week on the current state of the Satan-fighting business.

When they do, Amorth likely will be identified as “the pope’s exorcist,” a designation that’s appeared so often in media reports over the years he probably should have it printed on business cards. The only problem is that it’s not true, and never has been.

Amorth is the most famous living exorcist in the Catholic Church. His 1994 memoir, published in English under the title An Exorcist Tells His Story, became an instant classic.

Amorth is adept at recounting possession stories that make your toes curl, so he has become an obligatory reference. For the record, he’s a priest in good standing, honorary president for life of the International Association of Exorcists, and since 1986 has been authorized as an exorcist by the Diocese of Rome. A member of the Pauline order, he worked out of a small office in the order’s headquarters in Rome, receiving people who sought his help 365 days a year.

Yet Amorth is not a Vatican official and does not perform any Vatican-licensed activity. In fact, there may be no one on the planet more critical of the Vatican’s approach to exorcism.

When the Vatican issued a revised version of the ritual for exorcism in 1999, Amorth loudly objected that the rules prevent exorcisms to counteract “evil spells,” such as curses or the evil eye, which he said account for 90 percent of the cases an exorcist faces. The new rules also stipulate that exorcisms should only be conducted when there is “certainty” of demonic possession, when Amorth insists that certainty can only be acquired by performing an exorcism.

In an interview with 30 Giorni magazine, Amorth bitterly complained that he had run into a “wall of refusal and disrespect” when he attempted to change the minds of Vatican officials, and said it was clear to him that the so-called experts who prepared the new ritual “don’t have the least idea of what an exorcism really is.”

To present Amorth as a “Vatican exorcist,” therefore, is not only inaccurate, but in some ways Amorth himself might take offense.

Pope faces gut checks on anti-Christian persecution and the death penalty | Crux

Practical help for the demon-possessed: Vatican rolls out new exorcism course :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

This month the Vatican will gather a wide range experts in the field of exorcism with the aim of shedding light on demonic possession from both theological and scientific perspectives.

The annual course, “Exorcism and Prayer of Liberation,” is designed for priests and lay persons interested in learning how to recognize a case of demonic possession when they see one – and what to do about it.

This year's session will run from April 13-18 at Rome's Regina Apostolorum University, and will feature interventions by a wide range of experts in the field of exorcism from priests – including practicing exorcists – medical professionals, psychologists, lawyers, and theologians. It's sponsored by the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy and organized by the Sacerdos Institute.

According to Breitbart News Network, one of the primary objectives of the course will be to help priests and lay people distinguish demonic possession from psychological or medical conditions.

The sessions will also examine a series of other related issues, including occult practices, Satanism, and nihilism among young people.

Practical help for the demon-possessed: Vatican rolls out new exorcism course :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

A Catholic City? | Americans United

On the site of an abandoned tomato plant in rural Collier County, Fla., Dom­ino’s Pizza founder Tom Monaghan is attempting to create a Catholic paradise. Ave Maria, an unincorporated planned town, boasts streets named after saints and is the site of Ave Maria University, a conservative Catholic institution.

According to some critics, it’s also the site of a miniature theocratic fiefdom. Religious communities aren’t exactly a new phenomenon in the United States. Since the earliest days of European colonization, members of various faith groups have regarded the United States as a potential haven from persecution and a place to carve out their own sectarian utopias.

As a consequence, many started settlements with explicitly sectarian motivations and laws that reflected those beliefs. The Puritans built their “city upon a hill” in Massachusetts; the towns of Rehoboth, Del., and Zion, Ill., also have theocratic roots. That’s true of some states, too: Pennsylvania used to be a refuge for Quakers, and Catholics had similar ambitions for Maryland.

But those mini-theocracies collapsed as outsiders moved in and religious pluralism took hold. Building theocracies is against the law – or so most Americans believe.

Despite this, there are still American towns whose governmental structures and legal systems resemble religious texts more than they do the founding document of our democracy.

[,,,]
About 2,500 people now live in Ave Maria, without public schools, a police force – and even a representative form of government. That’s because Monaghan didn’t just found the town. He owns it, alongside the Barron Collier development corporation.

The Naples Daily News reports that in 2004, mere months before Ave Maria came into being, Monaghan and Barron Collier directly lobbied former Florida governor Jeb Bush for a change to the state’s laws on planned developments. Developments originally belonged to the founding corporation for 10 years; after that period, they held elections to fill town council and mayoral roles. Town government in planned developments would eventually be identical to governments in other municipalities, thus ensuring that residents enjoyed full constitutional rights and democratic government.

But that’s no longer the case. Bush acquiesced and backed a law eliminating the requirement that development owners must surrender control of their investments. Now, they can retain that control indefinitely, and that means Monaghan and Barron-Collier could own Ave Maria in perpetuity. The town is officially known as the Ave Maria Community Stewardship District and is governed by a board of residents.

A Catholic City? | Americans United

Pope Francis Talks About Aliens; Says He Would Welcome Martians to Receive Baptism

Uhm, OK, I will bite!

BUT,,,

Since these "Martians" are not descendents of Adam, why would they even need baptism? Does Adam's original sin apply to aliens as well?

What about those that believe aliens are fallen angels or demons; the "great deception" that many within Nephilim eschatology believe?
__
Pope Francis spent some time during Mass at the Vatican on Monday talking about alien life forms, and suggested that Martians, should they ever visit Earth, would be welcome to be baptized as well.

"If – for example – tomorrow an expedition of Martians came, and some of them came to us, here ... Martians, right? Green, with that long nose and big ears, just like children paint them ... And one says, 'But I want to be baptized!' What would happen?" the Roman Catholic Church leader theorized, as reported by Vatican Radio.

In his speech focused on the question "Who are we to close the doors to the Holy Spirit?" he said that baptism is open to everyone, and reminded the audience of the words of Peter:

"If then God gave them the same gift He gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?"


Pope Francis Talks About Aliens; Says He Would Welcome Martians to Receive Baptism

Irony Is Dead – Catholics Demand Exorcism Because of Fears of Superstition » A Million Gods

An addendum of sorts, and an interesting point about pica is brought up,,,

Even the first murder in the Bible was a product of rage and jealousy. Of hard work being unrecognised and forsaken and the capricious nature of Jehovah lead Cain to murder Abel out of greed and anger. The other joke here is that evil never really existed. And it wasn’t Satan who caused evil to come into the world.

But man acquiring knowledge which gave him the capacity to see evil. Which means Evil Existed, We just never noticed it. In the same way that we see a pretty garden. Not a murder machine of weeds and pests. Evil is in the perspective. It is why devout jains sweep their path with feathers. Because to crush an ant is nothing to you, but a great evil to the ant.

That is a more thought out and measured and sensible approach to life than “It was magical beings that made me do it. That is a childish approach to morality. By claiming that evil came from a literal scape goat which could be yelled at. In this true social evils can never be fought effectively because rather than deal with causes, this attitude deals with splashing water on things and reciting incantations in Latin.

Irony Is Dead – Catholics Demand Exorcism Because of Fears of Superstition » A Million Gods

Decline of religious belief means we need more exorcists, say Catholics - Telegraph

The abandonment of religion “inevitably leads people to ask questions about the existence of evil and its origins”, he told Adnkronos, an Italian news agency.
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Ponder me this: why is asking a basic question about human existence a bad thing? The article speaks of the belief that there is a decline/abandonment of religious beliefs, Wouldn't it then be more pertinent to determine why people are leaving the church? What needs are not being met?

This continuation in a belief from a Bronze age culture (actually more of a Medieval world view) seems counterproductive. I'm not saying there is no evil in the world, but to perpetuate a belief in a scary being that has the appearance of power over "god's" creation diminishes the central tenet of the faith, the purpose of the deatha and resurrection of Christ.
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In the popular imagination, exorcisms evoke images of black-clad priests holding aloft silver crucifixes while trying to rid frothing, wild-eyed victims of Satanic possession.

The Church tries to play down the more lurid associations but at the same time insists that the Devil exists and must be fought on a daily basis.

“Exploring the theme of demonic possession does not mean causing general paranoia, but creating awareness of the existence of the Devil and of the possibility of possession,” Fr Truqui told Vatican Radio. “It happens rarely but you can fight it with God, with prayer, with Marian devotion.”
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Decline of religious belief means we need more exorcists, say Catholics - Telegraph

Cardinal Gerhard Mueller Rebukes U.S. Nuns For Honoring Feminist Theologian Elizabeth Johnson

"G"od help the Catholic woman that dare uses her brain. All because she had the courage to question the men and their so-called "divine revelations" concerning "God."

And yes her book just got added to my list to read!!
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The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which represents the majority of U.S. nuns, was sharply rebuked by Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), last week during a visit to Rome. Cardinal Mueller emphasized the need for reform within the LCWR, objected to their choice of honoree for a leadership award, and criticized their interest in the idea of conscious evolution.

The CDF, which serves as the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog, told the Presidency of the LCWR that their choice to honor a feminist theologian, Elizabeth Johnson, with an Outstanding Leadership Award "is a decision that will be seen as a rather open provocation against the Holy See and the Doctrinal Assessment."

Johnson's popular book Quest for the Living God was publicly denounced by the Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2011. The USCCB released a statement saying that the text reaches many "theologically unacceptable" conclusions. Johnson is a Distinguished Professor of Theology at Fordham University, a Jesuit college in New York.

Cardinal Gerhard Mueller Rebukes U.S. Nuns For Honoring Feminist Theologian Elizabeth Johnson

Iowa priest chosen to become exorcist | Iowa City Press Citizen | press-citizen.com

Four decades after the profession gained popular prominence in the gory horror flick “The Exorcist,” the Catholic Church is training a new legion of demon-fighting priests.

The Rev. David Fleming of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Urbandale is one of 50 U.S. priests recently chosen to train in the rite of exorcism. Fleming was named the official exorcist of the Diocese of Des Moines.

It is the church’s first effort in the United States to coordinate a “comprehensive and systematic formation process for this particular ministry,” Fleming told the Catholic Mirror, Des Moines’ diocesan newspaper. Contacted Saturday, Fleming declined to be interviewed by The Des Moines Register.

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It is a big moment for exorcists. Dioceses in Italy and Spain are also increasing their ranks because of an “unprecedented rise” in demonic possession, Madrid Archbishop Antonio Maria Rouco said last year, after nominating eight priests to undergo training to rid people of their demons.

Church leaders attribute the rise in possessions to people who are dabbling in the occult: practicing witchcraft, visiting a psychic, even playing with a Ouija board.

“Diabolical possessions are on the increase as a result of people subscribing to occultism,” the Rev. Francesco Bamonte, the president of the International Association for Exorcists, told Italian newspaper La Repubblica in December.

Iowa priest chosen to become exorcist | Iowa City Press Citizen | press-citizen.com

Nun faces expulsion from convent after giving birth to baby - Independent.ie

When I initially posted concerning this story I was a bit snarky which some took to mean I was dishing on Sister Roxana and not considering she may have been raped. I am very well aware of the RCC's other dirty little secret and my reaction was not so much about her pregnancy but how some followers of the Church were reacting, ie. second coming, virgin birth, anti-christ.

That being said, Sister Roxana now faces the "consequences" (from the Church) for her actions,,,

A nun from El Salvador who gave birth to a baby boy in Italy has described him as "a gift of God" and pledged to take care of him as she faces expulsion from the convent.

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"However, I am very worried about the commotion that this has stirred up. They are talking about this, not only in Italy but in my own country and I am afraid to return there."

The baby's birth has provoked an outcry in the Catholic Church since Sr Roxana took a vow of "poverty, chastity and obedience" when she became a nun in September 2012.

"How do I feel? More like a mum than a nun," she said after the birth of the baby.

Nun faces expulsion from convent after giving birth to baby - Independent.ie

BBC News - Nun who gave birth in Italy 'unaware of pregnancy'

Uhm, Is this what they call the Second Coming? And wondering exactly what if any "discipline" she will face considering this sounds like a very familiar story. Ya know like the one the whole religion is based upon. Sorry I am having a hard time being serious about this. This isn't the first time a Nun has had a child and it won't be the last. Suppressing your sexuality to serve God is not natural,,,

The 31-year-old was rushed to hospital with abdominal pains, which she thought were stomach cramps.

The young mother, who is originally from El Salvador, reportedly named her newborn Francis after the current Pope.

The mayor of Rieti, Simone Petrangeli has appealed to the public and media to respect the woman's privacy.


BBC News - Nun who gave birth in Italy 'unaware of pregnancy'