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PHILADELPHIA — The Liberty Bell stands in Philadelphia as an icon of American freedom and independence since 1776. Today, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput warns that the bell is tolling for religious liberty in the United States, and lay Catholics must determine whether it rings in the rebirth or the end of that cherished freedom.
Archbishop Chaput and the rest of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have called upon Catholic Americans to observe the second annual "Fortnight for Freedom" from June 21 to July 4. The bishops have asked Catholics to engage in two weeks of prayer, education and action to address the many challenges to religious liberty in the United States, especially as the Aug. 1 deadline for religious organizations to comply with the HHS mandate approaches.
But while the U.S. bishops have highlighted this issue, Archbishop Chaput makes the case that the fate of religious liberty falls squarely upon the shoulders of the lay faithful. The archbishop has warned Catholics that they need to "wake up" and realize that the recent IRS scandals involving the deliberate targeting of political (and even religious) groups not favorable to the White House is only a foretaste of the consequences of losing the national discussion on religious liberty.
In this interview with the Register, Archbishop Chaput explains why the lay faithful must take up their role as the leaders in the fight for religious liberty — and why the U.S. bishops can't do this for them.
What responsibility do laypeople have to take action on behalf of the Church's religious liberty? Why can't this responsibility rest solely on the bishops' shoulders?
The secular world is the place where laypeople exercise their leadership most naturally. It's the environment of their everyday lives and their primary mission field. Bishops can counsel and teach, but their role in practical political affairs like the fight for religious liberty can only be indirect and secondary.
If laypeople don't love their Catholic faith enough to struggle for it in the public square, nothing the bishops do will finally matter.
How should we Catholics understand the different responsibilities of the lay faithful and their pastors and bishops in this fight for religious freedom?
American Catholic culture has a strong dose of "let Father do it." A hundred years ago, when the Church was still an immigrant faith under pressure and dealing with constant bigotry, a heavy dependence on priests for almost everything in Catholic life was natural. But in the long run it's not healthy, and it encourages clericalism on the part of the clergy and laziness on the part of laypeople.
What's our relationship with our bishops, then, and our proper role?
Priests do have a special task of leadership within the believing community through the sacrament of holy orders. But we all share a fundamental Christian equality in baptism, and priests can't — and shouldn't — take the lead where laypeople can do a better job.
When it comes to politics, economics and social policy, the main duty of a bishop is to preach basic principles. Sometimes, on some pivotal issues, bishops need to be more engaged in the details of legislation. But, overall, Catholic witness in the secular world should be the work of prudent, faithful laypeople.
Note that the two key words there are "prudent" and "faithful." Both qualities are vital to the lay vocation.
Why does the fight for religious liberty depend on lay leadership more than ever?
Religious liberty as an ideal sounds lovely. But in the abstract, it has very little power. It has political force only to the degree that ordinary people believe and practice their faith — and refuse to tolerate anyone or anything interfering with their faith. The current White House has a clear track record of ignoring the traditional American understanding of religious freedom and interfering with the activity of religiously inspired organizations.
If lay Catholics accept that sort of government behavior without inflicting a political cost on the officials responsible for it, then they have no one to blame but themselves when they find that their liberties have gone thin.
What advantages do the laity have that the bishops do not?
In the wake of the abuse scandal, bishops are too easily caricatured and marginalized by the mass media. The religious-freedom fight needs to be owned and led by laypeople.
Should the laity wait for the bishops to green-light their ideas, or should they just go ahead and get involved? How do we work together?
Laypeople have the freedom and the obligation to actively witness their faith, alone and together with other believers. Obviously, zeal should be accompanied by common sense. That means keeping your local bishop informed and seeking his blessing for any major apostolate.
But the missionary vocation belongs to all of us — clergy, religious and lay — and we should commit ourselves to pursuing it as our circumstances in life permit.
Register correspondent Peter Jesserer Smith writes from Rochester, New York.
Joe, I thought the same thing. In other words the
church of God includes all the Christian churches, ergo ecumenism. The word subsists is confusing, probably purposely.
The Vatican II documents were approved by an ecumenical council of the world's bishops and by the reigning pope. That's good enough for me, and it ought to be good enough for any faithful Catholic.
The subsists issue causes confusion purposely to get "People of God" to be ecumenically involved which BTW, is condemned. The Roman Catholic Church has the fullness of truth. Subsists is a Vatican 2 spin that breaks boundaries & makes it appear other churches are needed to find truth. Truth is never discoverable with heretics - quite the contrary. It eventually leads to atheism - read: "Animus Delendi-I Desire to Destroy" by Atila Sinke Guimarâes
Didn't the good thief receive baptism by desire!
Larry, thank you for clarifying that the "church subsists in the Catholic church. I thought it was the other way round, that the Catholic church subsisted in the Church of God. Secondly, yes, I agree that we cannot know if a person has the "baptism of desire". Of course, they can be saved. Actually, when I attended Catholic schools pre-vatican II, we were taught that only Catholics could be saved. I don't remember anything be said about the baptism of desire. Maybe, they did teach it to us, but I don't remember it. Yes, I knew that Protestants baptism were valid. Thank you again for the clarification.
The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church known as "Lumen Gentium," one of the documents of Vatican II, states: "This is the one Church of Christ which in the Creed is professed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic…This Church…subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him…" This passage simply means that the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church of Christ IS the Catholic Church. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on June 29, 2007 clarified this issue in response to those who had mischaracterized the meaning of "subsists," in "Responses to Some Questions Regarding Certain Aspects of the Doctrine on the Church." Furthermore, the fact that certain elements of sanctification which properly belong to and originate from the Catholic Church (again, part of the meaning of "subsists") are also found in other sects is undeniable, is not by any means a doctrine new to Vatican II, and is due to those sects' ancient Catholic roots. Protestant baptisms have long been recognized as valid—as has the so-called "Baptism of Desire." No one other than God can possibly know whether someone who died never having been a Catholic might have received the baptism of desire before death. It was not Vatican II, but Pope Pius XII's Holy See, which in 1949 condemned Father Leonard Feeney's teaching that no non-Catholics can ever be saved—and it was Pius XII's Holy See which excommunicated Feeney in 1953 for refusing to recant. Vatican II changed no doctrines whatsoever.
Ray erewein, the leaders of the church don't teach the truths of the church. Since Vatican II, the clergy has become mush-mouths when it comes to the true teachings. I notice your age, and I'm 67 years old. I'm sure you remember pre-Vatican II when the teachings were explicitly taught to the Catholics. Catholics of today don't know what to believe when you have the church come out and say that the Catholic church subsists in the Church of God. That statement came after vatican II. If the Catholic church is only a member of the Church of God, who are the other members? I was taught that there is no salvation outside the Catholic church, which is an infallible doctrine affirmed by a couple of Dogmatic church councils. Vatican II is said to have not changed any doctrine since is was a pastoral council. That is only one example. I've heard the church say today that anyone can obtain salvation. NOt when I went to Catholic school. "The only way to the father is through me, so that out any religion that is not Christian." John 16:4. "For there is one God, and one mediator of God and men, the man Jesus Christ." I Timothy 2:5 There are other teachings that have been watered down since Vatican II.
ray erewein You asked a loaded question. Minds are not formed with a Catholic conscience. Presbyters' homilies are absent of doctrine and the education foisted upon youth in US bishops schools is unexplainably atrocious and destructive. People in the religion of Vatican 2 are complacent with their situational selections of morality and of course the hierarchy contribute by their own anti-Catholic lifestyles. That and the list is endless.
I am a 77 year old person who was in almost every lay organization there is and the ignorance level of most respondents about catholic teachings is where he problem is. why are people so afraid of seeking truth?
DeCarlo, the laity cannot change the hierarchy but it can defund it. If the hierarchy is not doing it's job than that should confirm to you the need to find the True Faith.
Bishop Chaput, You and your bishops need to get some guts and preach the teachings of the church they way they were taught before the disastrous Vatican II. We need more fire and brimstone sermons, and less love-fest sermons. Use your power of excommunication and axe those so called Catholic pro-abortion politicians. Let have a church where members believe in the doctrines of the church. You are asking the laity to do things that the Bishops need to initiate. The shepherds lead the sheep, not the other way around.
@Sean How can the U S bishops support what has been Supremely condemned?
Religious liberty was condemned by Pope Pius VII in Post Tam Diuturnas,
by Pope Gregory XVI in Mirari Vos,
by Pope Pius IX inQuanta Cura,
and by Pope Leo XIII in Libertas Praestantissimum.
Religious liberty also contradicts the royalty of Jesus Christ in society as expressed in Quas Primas of Pope Pius XI, and the constant attitude and practice of the Church with regard to civil society.
"There is nothing that precludes The Bishops from making a public statement…(etc)" There is one thing precluding it, Nancy D.: lack of guts—and that does not seem to be changing in any major way (perhaps with a few bishops here and there.) Archbishop Chaput is correct in theory—the problem is that so many of his brother bishops have failed and still fail to do their jobs that it is highly unlikely that the laity will be prepared to do its job anytime soon.
Joe, interesting, which Pontiffs? When? Where was this said?
Religious liberty has been condemned by Pontiffs. Why is religious liberty continually perceived as a natural right?
What Bishop Chaput said was, "If people do not Love their Catholic Faith enough to struggle for it in the public square, nothing the bishops do will finally matter."
The problem is, we need The Bishops to lead us by separating the wheat from the chaff, and many of The Bishops refuse to call a spade a spade.
There is nothing that precludes The Bishops from making a public statement that could also be read at every Catholic Mass, that makes it clear that anyone who denies the truth about the human person from The Beginning; that from the moment of conception, every son and daughter of a human person has been created in The Image and Likeness of God, equal in dignity, while being complementary as male or female, is an apostate , and should not present themselves to receive Holy Communion. To not do so, makes it appear as if the struggle in the public square is between Catholics, even though our Bishops know and should be making it clear that there is no division in Christ's One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Bill Sr.: Issues of prudential policy are entirely the responsibility of the laity—the bishops are NOT supposed to be giving "clear and vocal decisions and direction" regarding matters upon which good people may disagree without incurring charge of sin or heresy. The bishops have been giving too many "clear and vocal decisions…" lately on such questions—perhaps that—along with the failure of the bishops to do their REAL job, meaning the teaching of the faith and right-versus-wrong—has led to the torpor of the laity.
I have to agree with many of these folks who have commented on this article. We have entire generations of Catholics who have not been taught their faith, and now a bishop is saying it is the responsibility of this poorly catechised group to defend religious liberty…really? The bishops and priests have more exposure every Sunday to a much larger group of people than I do during the week…I think they have more of a responsibility to teach the faith correctly so that the faithful are knowledgeable about the threats to religious liberty! I'm doing the best I can with my sphere of influence but the bishops and priests are certainly not carrying their share of the load…and this is very discouraging!
The good Archbishop states:
"When it comes to politics, economics and social policy, the main duty of a bishop is to preach basic principles. Sometimes, on some pivotal issues, bishops need to be more engaged in the details of legislation. But, overall, Catholic witness in the secular world should be the work of prudent, faithful laypeople.
With the note that the key words are prudent and faithful."
I have the highest respect and admiration for this elevated priest of the people but the key words I see are "engaged" and "work". I dare say that in order to get the faithful off their behinds and at work we need more Bishops like him to become "engaged" to the effort. This is the real void. The laity in the several parishes I have attended are anxious to attend the wedding of their faithful consciences with clear and vocal decisions and direction of their Bishops on the pertinent issues of our day.
DJ = The USCCB are not accountable to anyone. And the money keeps flowing it!?
"If lay Catholics accept that sort of government behavior without inflicting a political cost on the officials responsible for it, then they have no one to blame but themselves when they find that their liberties have gone thin."
And who helped to vote the current government in if not the USCCB?
It's about money and power in neglect of salvation of souls. Stop funding them.
The bishops pronounce in favor of every liberal initiative that comes along including nationalized healthcare, global warming, immigration, gun control, death penalty, etc, etc. And then blames the laity for insufficient support for the right of the church to government contracts and tax exemptions and so on. You protect gays in the priesthood who molest children and spend our money to protect them. You allocate our contributions to the CCHD so they can support pro-abortion groups and ACORN. You help to create and perpetuate the problem and then, having cut the ground out from under the faithful laity you blame them for not supporting you. Absolutely disgraceful. Get the log out of your eye!
"In the wake of the abuse scandal, bishops are too easily caricatured and marginalized by the mass media."
Or in other words, the gross incompetence, criminal negligence, and sheer stupidity, of the majority of U.S. Bishops in protecting and concealing serial child rapists has rendered them for all intents and purposes utterly impotent.
Add to that the fact that it has only just this month been revealed that while Cardinal Dolan was supposedly fighting against the HHS Mandate which forces the Church to provide health insurance that covers contraceptives, his very own diocese had been for years already providing health insurance that covered not only contraceptives, but abortions.
Thus I would say it is not the press that has made the bishops into a caricature, it is the bishops themselves that quite obviously put all their energy into accomplishing that task.
Lay Catholics need the clergy to passionately preach High Octane Orthodoxy from the pulpit emphasizing that it is a grave sin to vote for and support politicians who vote for abortion and gay marriage. Otherwise the laity en masse will NOT Mobilize for Catholicism.
Bravo, Ralph!
Bishops are supposed to be leaders, not "enablers". Too many of them are too soft and too comfortable.
Lead from the front…..do your job.
Bravo, Sean!
Chaput's words are nothing but the old "blame the laity" approach that Catholic bishops and priests have taken for years. Chaput is just putting a new spin on it. Remember, this is the same man who equated Justice Antonin Scalia with Frances Kissling (president of Catholics For A Free Choice) when Scalia publicly questioned Pope John Paul II's revisionist stance on capital punishment.
Chaput either is a rank careerist or an ignoramus. His criticism of Scalia proved that to me.
If devout Catholics really shook off the guilt their bishops implanted in them and started to take Chaput's words seriously, Chaput and his "brother bishops" would soil their underwear.
I read this article when it was first posted because of my admiration of Archbishop Chaput. Unfortunately, it appears the Archbishop is washing his hands of the mess he and his peers have created over the last 50 years. To be candid, I am outraged by the abuse against the Bride of Christ at the hands of men unwilling to defend her. My guidance to Archbishop Chaput would be to consider publicly lecturing his peers before lecturing the laity. Along the line of "pick on someone your own size". I don't think I need to provide a list of Cardinal's and Bishops that might need such a public lecturing in this post as some have already been referenced in earlier posts.
Regarding Archbishop Chaput's concern about being marginalized by the Priest abuse scandal. As my parent's would say, "get over it". Lead and we will follow.
On the outside chance the Archbishop reads this, I have a suggestion, bring back the practice of praying three Hail Mary's and Holy Michael the Archangel after every Mass for the conversion of America (instead of Russia as was the practice prior to 1960).
To Archbishop Caput
Lay Catholics need the clergy to passionately preach High Octane Orthodoxy from the pulpit emphasizing that it is a grave sin to vote for and support politicians who vote for abortion and gay marriage. Otherwise the laity en masse will NOT Mobilize for Catholicism.
Ralph Mitchell Kingston NY
@Thomas P…. absent of any 'thou shall and thou shalt nots' - and very vague and situational.
This is a HUGE shirking of responsibility. The faithful for years have been in the streets of WDC for the ProLife marches.
Where have all the US bishops been? All of them, each and every year, should be LEADING the march through WDC.
They do not. Why not.
The Cardinal is a good man and a fighter but he is only one of a handful that truly fight for our Church.
I disagree with his views in the article. Bishops are supposed to be leaders, not "enablers".
Too many of them are too soft and too comfortable.
Lead from the front…..due your job.
Posted by Joe on Tuesday, Jun 25, 2013 8:38 PM (EDT):
Thomas Poovathinkal- and that guidance would be????
Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/archbishop-chaput-religious-liberty-depends-on-lay-faithful-not-bishops/#ixzz2XN3uP5qR
Those who have in private or in public serious problems in sexual matters like Lesbians, homoes, family planning, abortion, partnering people, avoiding children in marriage, priests and Bishops or Religious living double lives in sexual matters….whatever. The Pope's response will be a wise Pastoral response. But nobody should expect to escape PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. And what the Pope's guidance WOULD BE, must be seen when it comes, may be in the form of a Pastoral letter.
People who do not want to take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for their actions create all sorts of problems.
If laity are to be galvanized into leading the fight for religious liberty, then bishops and priests are going to have to provide much better leadership and direction for the laity from the pulpit——beginning with talking about the laity's remote participation in evil when they vote for politicians who support abortion, sodomy, and attacks on religious freedom. Then Bishops and priests must also enforce Canon 915 which states that "those who… persevere in manifest grave sin should not be admitted to Holy Communion." As long as widely known and obstinately pro-abortion politicians can receive Holy Communion from the hands of a leading Cardinal and be patted on the back afterward, how are Catholic laity to know that it is immoral to vote for these politicians who perpetuate abortion, sodomy, and violation of religious freedom!? Voting for pro-abortion politicans can't really be that bad if Cardinals and Bishops give them Holy Communion and give them photo ops afterward!
Thomas Poovathinkal- and that guidance would be????
Eileen - Only the Uncatechized, the willfully blind would have the audacity to say they are a democrat and a good Catholic. The republicans are false opposites.
Eileen, the problem is this: the Democratic Party, as a political entity, publicly stands for what they call "reproductive rights", which includes the use of contraceptives and abortion; for a redefinition of marriage based on what they call a "civil right" of homosexuals to marry; for a distorted vision of the principle of "separation of church and state" that pits the state against religion, especially the Christian religion, and so many other abominations in the eye of God. Both the Democratic and The Republican Parties are full of hypocritical politicians, who are nothing but, guess what?, politicians. So, the issue is not about which political party contains the less hypocritical politicians, or which political party "uses" the electorate less for its power agendas. The issue is which of them privately and publicly stands for and defends that which God has forbidden. There is only one true answer: for the time being, it is the Democratic Party whose platform and whose more famous leaders stand for that which God has forbidden. That is why, with much respect, I find strange that there may be any real, devoted followers of Christ, whether Catholic, or Protestant, giving their vote to such a political party. If the Republican Party platform were ever to move towards the defense of practices and beliefs opposed to the teachings of Christ and his Church, I would also call it a God-hating beast! You cannot follow God and mammon. Either those democrat Catholic voters are fully ignorant of their own party platform and of the very public pronouncements of that party's most famous and known leaders, or they are not real and devout Catholics. No two ways about it, Eileen.
In sexual ethics why not take direct guidance from Pope Francis?
I want to say that I know many God fearing Democrats. I have many practicing Catholic Democrats in my own extended family. I do not confuse them with the Democratic party. Nor do I confuse the Republican voting Catholics in my family with the Republican party. I myself have been voting third party lately as I've been feeling like a tool used by the Republican party for my pro-life vote and then cast aside so they could share power with the probably more honest, but godless Dems.
It was the Catholic vote that gave the democrats the power - twice for Obama and plenty of money to ACORN. And still the same clergy are in power.
I respectfully dissgree with you, Donald. Eileen's description of the present Democratic party is simply perfect. Jesus defined what loving Him meant: loving Jesus = obeying His commands. He founded a Church headed by Him and visibly and infallibly headed by a human Rock, so that Scripture would be authoritatively interpreted and taught to all (evangelization). Therefore, if loving Jesus = obeying His commands and the infallible Magisterium of His Church, it follows that any government arm that espouses causes and actions that stand in direct opposition to Jesus' commands is indeed a God-hating beast. The real scandal of the Democratic Party is that many of the leaders of those abominable God-hating causes sell themselves as "devout", "practicing" Catholics! It is most repulsive to real believers in Christ to suffer a God-hating pseudo Catholic or pseudo Christian describe himself/herself as a devoutly practicing disciple of Christ! It is an incredible blessing to believe in such a merciful God that allows those abominable persons to exist and even assures them of His merciful pardon if only they return to Him!
"The comment by Eileen on Wednesday, June 19 that 'the Democratic Party has turned into the God hating beast it has become today,' renders invalid any other legimate comments she may make regarding religious freedom." This statement may be a little over the top because there are good men and women in both parties. However, remember at the Dem. national convention when someone ordered the platform speaker to take a note to see if the Dems. wanted the Name of God to be reinserted into their platform and the vote was "NO" - when it was decided to reinsert God's Name anyway, the decision was loudly booed!! And their people came out one after the other to loudly proclaim that they want unlimited killing of unborn babies in the womb…and Obama asked God's blessing on Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortion in our country…Planned Parenthood goes into poor neighborhoods to target black and Hispanic women to urge them to kill their unborn babies because their founder Margaret Sanger considered those women 'undesirables' and did not want them to propagate their own kind - she wanted them to be sterilized…so I can understand the anger behind the comment while knowing that there are good men and women in both parties but the party itself stands for death…
Finally, the laity is fed up with these mush-mouth clerics. Give 'em hell, Harry!!
Virginia, "Ten Catholic bishops teamed up with a pro-Planned Parenthood group to a release a report this week that urges Catholic organizations to fund groups linked to the promotion of abortion and other acts opposed by the Church."
So what do you expect to hear from the 'pulpit'? Furthermore, why hasn't it already been preached, from the 'pulpit'? What's the stranglehold?
@Virginia Peterson has it right and that is why I go to an FSSP Latin Mass parish where the sermons are hard hitting, specific, and make each of us work harder for our salvation and love for others. Yes, it is harder, much harder. We have to be willing to leave the world behind, leave our selfishness behind, and work to serve God's kingdom. We must be loving God with are WHOLE soul, WHOLE body, and WHOLE mind (This is what Jesus said was required of us).
Sadly most Catholics don't want to do this. We see many come and see the Tridentine Mass and love it's reverence and holiness, then hear the sermon and never come back because it would involve leaving the world behind. Yes our parish has tripled in size in the last three years, but I wonder why it doesn't grow faster with so many Catholics watching their children join the world and stop practicing the faith.
Our leaders need to tell Catholics the way it is. Preach what Jesus taught, not some watered down 'feel good' sermon that expects no change, no reaching for improvement in ourselves. If we are no better than the world around us, we aren't serving God.
The comment by Eileen on Wednesday, June 19 that 'the Democratic Party has turned into the God hating beast it has become today,' renders invalid any other legimate comments she may make regarding religious freedom.
They already have plans in place for October, when it will be announced at Mass that we are to go downstairs after Mass where Catholic Charities will sign us up for Obamacare. This will be announced from the pulpit!!!
I love Archbishop Chaput. He should become a Cardinal. However, I agree with some comments that says we are co-responsible. We need the leadership to be more clear and active. Most of the lay people don't even know why they go to Church anymore. In addition, we need to expel from the Church those who proclaim themselves Catholics and defend abortion and other abominations. The Bishops need to take charge and authorship of their ex-communication. To just say that pro-abomination Catholics are "ex-communicating themselves" is a very easy escape. Together, the laity and the clergy can do better.
The Laity needs to be guided from the pulpit. I dearly love Mother Church but she has been silent too long. The excuse I heard was that the Mother Church would lose her 501C exemption if Catholic Priests preached from the pulpit and I am 100% certain that is not correct. Jesus preached to the people and turned the tables in the temple explaining the wrong; Laity needs to hear the same the rights and wrongs, the good and the bad. Most people don't need to hear the guidelines but the lost lamb does and unfortunately because they've not been fed many Catholics have left the faith with unanswered questions. God Bless Mother Church Always and Forever.
Thou shalt nots no longer exist. Salvation is taught now to be without a struggle, without prayer, without work, without practice of the virtues, without cultivating the inner life, without self renunciation and without proof of love for God.
"In the wake of the abuse scandal, bishops are too easily caricatured and marginalized by the mass media. The religious-freedom fight needs to be owned and led by laypeople."
There's a pretty simple answer to that one Archbishop. Time to start putting priests into the cloister and *advertising that you have done so*. In fact, long past time.
My problem is it quite often feels like the Archbishops aren't fighting the same fight we are. When material heretics are allowed to call themselves faithful Catholics in campaign literature, when Archdiocese under deals with unions already implemented the HHS mandate years ago, and when *convicted priests* are allowed to go on teen retreat weekends, we kind of need our leaders and pastors to step up to the plate.
FedUp, The bishops support Obama Care because Obama lied to them and said that the church would be exempt.
June 21st: No Gladys, you are not alone. I don't know if anyone has heard but Father Frank Pavone has written an open letter to Nancy Pelosi in response to her aggressively pushing to prevent a ban that would ban abortion after 20 weeks - she proclaimed that this is 'sacred ground' - telling her to renounce her Catholic faith - the thing is, it's not up to Pelosi to renounce her faith. It's up to her Bishop to inform her that she is not a practicing Catholic as she declared in her statement but that she stands against God and His Church and with those who publicly and aggressively promote the ongoing mass slaughter of humans in the womb - created in the image and likeness of God. She should be informed that she must not receive the Eucharist until she goes to confession and repudiates publicly her anti-life agenda. Joe Biden and Andrew Cuomo should do the same. Will they? Not unless the Bishops act.
Archbishop Chaput, thank you for your wake up call! It is up to we the laity to use our resources and voices, to let the government know we will not comply! As a Catholic singer/songwriter, I used my voice to write, "Let Freedom Sing" Inspired by Dr. Helen Alvare's site, http://www.womenspeakforthemselves.com
Let Freedom Sing! http://youtu.be/PnAXRqMM1rA
It's a shame the church refuses to excommunicate those leaders of our government who receive the eucharist and believe, promote abortion, what kind of example are you setting for our youth and other countries? Jesus kicked the evil doers out of the temple, and wouldn't tolerate those who corrupt children. I wouldn't blame the sheep who follow the shepherds,whose passing the buck here?
Yes it does make one feel blessed to know that there are so many with the same conviction and love for the Catholic Church. God Bless you too.
I have nothing intelligent to add to this marvelous discussion. Just wanted to thank all participants for caring enough to share their thoughts on Archbishop Chaput's article and mostly, for their great show of love for Jesus and His Catholic Church. I find it inspiring and encouraging. It lifts my heart and reminds me that I'm not alone. Thanks to you all from my heart! May God bless you and inlfame your hearts with even greater love for Him!
Going through some of the postings ( ca.50%) I strongly feel the U.S.Bishops should listen the to representative leaders of Catholic Faithful: Leaders of People's Choice. By shifting the responsibility to the People they are just deceiving themselves.
Let the Bishops be first of all be united and above all be Proclaimers of GOD'S WORD like our present Pope and let them be transparent in their life as ones representing Christ the Lord. Then their interventions will have authority.
If need be identify Bishops who live unworthy lives and take them to task in the strictest way possible.
Thew first thing the bishops could do is cut off funding for CCHD which funds anti-business, anti-capitalist organziations that organize rabble to attack business owners, community banks, and people who have actually made it in life.
Archbishop Chaput speaks here almost as though he really understands that the role of the bishops is to teach the faith and the eternal moral law while the role of the laity is to formulate temporal schemes according to that law. But he and his brother bishops ought to stop constantly undermining that principle by their own ceaseless advocacy of prudential prescriptions for temporal problems—while at the same time they neglect to enforce discipline on those Catholics—lay and clerical—who place themselves firmly outside the moral law on such questions as abortion and unisex marriage. The bishops themselves helped bring about this crisis by supporting what they had no business supporting in the first place—national health care. Now they find themselves out on a limb, trying to force back the tide without any help from a passive, apathetic laity. The bishops must first face the fact that they were the ones who made the laity passive and apathetic in the first place by their clericalistic involvement in politics. They climbed out on a limb where they did not belong. Now the laity, which stood by and watched while they did so, stands by and watches as they scream for somebody to help them down. You reap what you sow. It's time for some soul-searching by the bishops of America.
The greatest tragedy of the Second Vatican Council was the drastic erosion of our main doctrine. Fifty years after the council only one in four of those who say they are Catholics still believe in the Real Presence. Apostate Catholics voted to make our nation a socialist nation, and that is the main crux of the problem with religious freedom we are now facing. Until we return to the peak of evangelization and universal belief in the Real Presence that preceded VCII, this problem will continue. Padre Pio said our nation would be taken over by socialism, but that it would only be for a short time. I hope he meant only eight years.
Who appoints these bishops who clearly are contrary to Magisterial Teachings? Compromise with truth is dangerous. Why the willful blindness to Catholic doctrine? It is the responsibility of Catholics to bring the faith to the nation, not make concessions. Religious liberty sounds good, but our Pontiffs clearly understood that the end result will be man's right to follow no divine Law.
Religious liberty has been formerly condemned by Pontiffs. This current position clearly is dismantling Catholic doctrine. We are obliged to obey God before men?
florin, I agree. The bishops need to bring back the declaration of anathema that Peter used with the magician, Simon(he also struck a couple dead for lying to the Holy Spirit). Cuomo, Biden and Pelosi would be prime candidates. Elijah cut the throats of the 450 priests of Ba'al he defeated. The least our bishops can do to protect the innocent is to publicly bind the sins of the irrevocably wicked.
This is a good article . Sometimes , people are not interested in doing anything in parish ministry , because , sometimes , it may be the priest wants things done his way , or the he 's too old , or too young , ( some of the priests coming to ministry and parish life are on ego trips.. and you are not part of his way.. In small parishes , in small towns or small communities , your "stepping on toes " you don't belong here , etc. We live in a small town , my wife and I are both third order 'Secular Franciscans ' and we left the fraternity because some of the members are inbedded in their roles.. We felt we were not welcome..
It would be helpful if the bishops acted more like shepherds who would give their lives for their flocks, and stand as true shepherds and not wolves or hirelings, or give wishy-washy responses or ignore politicians who mock our Faith. We have bishops for a reason, I wish they would understand that their God-given role is to lead us not hide behind us or hide from us.
God gave us spines for a reason, use them, my Fathers. Please. We pray for you, we support you, we love you and most of us do understand that sometimes discipline must be tough and hard decisions must be made. Please be faithful to the Gospel and not to modern pop culture!
@St Donatus - I wonder if Archbishop Chaput has any idea how many faithful Catholics have battled over the years and to this day only to be undermined by their bishops. Whether he acknowledges it or not, how he deals with his brother bishops who publicly scandalize the Church speaks volumes. WHere was he when good guy Cardinal O'Malley concelebrated Ted Kennedy's funeral? I'm one who thinks the pastor knows best whether there should have been a Mass - But to have the head of the diocese on the altar without some public acknowledgement of repentance sent a very clear message to the faithful - it's perfectly acceptable to vote like a Kennedy and be a Catholic in good standing. That's a Scandal with a capital S. And decent leaders should have pointed it out.
Again, I have an awful lot of respect for Archbishop Chaput, but I really think he needs to show us some leadership in this battle.
The Bishops and priests are the church leaders. The Generals and Commanders of an army don't say, "Let the Privates take the lead". The Bishops and priests must LEAD to get the majority of the Laity to act.
I really admire ARchbishop[ CVhaput. He is one of the very, very good 'few' in America. i mean, look at this one:
no wonder the church is in the shape it's in….....
Andy, I respectfully disagree with you. If lay American Catholics loved Jesus and the Faith a lot, we would not be in the mess that we find ourselves in. Do the math. There is a relatively small number of bishops as compared to the number of people nationwide who claim to love and follow Jesus. However, if that is true, how come so many of those professed Catholics consistently vote for politicians whose very public positions stand in stark contradiction to the teaching of Jesus and of His Church? Time and time again, a disturbingly high percentage of those supposedly Jesus-loving, faithful Catholics defend anti-Christian positions ranging from the use of contraceptives, cohabitation, abortion, even if only in very narrow cases, to a concept of social justice that is much closer to marxism than to Christianity. Time and time again, those pseudo Catholics vote for candidates whose agendas match theirs. I remind you, Andy, in a spirit of friendship, that Jesus Himself defined what it means to "love Jesus": rather than feeling vague or fuzzy or even intense feelings of love for Him, loving Him means obeying the Commandments and the infallible teaching of the Holy Spirit through the Church He founded. In that sense, the Bishops may have a lot to answer for, but we have no less to answer for. In the history of the Catholic Church, it is often the lay membership who have reformed the Church, not the bishops. And it stands to reason: we have the numbers!
Archbishop Chaput is one of the consistant Church leaders we have. He has never wavered. He has always made difficult and challenging decisions in accord with Church teaching. As faithful Catholics, the challenges can be overwhelming to say the least especially in the public square. But this however does not mean we give up the fight for our religious freedom. If we do not make a stand for this, regardless whether we agree with everything each bishop or priest or etc. does, we will lose all our religious rights. The right to have a good religious debate will no longer exist as we now know it. I can only speak for myself; the trials and tribulations are what St. Paul teaches about. No one wants them, but since they are a part of life, we are given many tools to help us through them. May Archbishop chaput continue to lead us in this ongoing fight for our religious freedom.
Texas Catholic: you need to read Centesimus Annus (JP2), Caritas in Veritate (B16), and the earlier Rerum Novarum (Leo 13). The Church simply isn't this capitalist-loving, Mexican-hating, American-flag-waving institution you think it is or should be. And the Bishops, for all their faults, simply aren't "nation destroyers."
It would be delightful if the Bishops were patriotic all the time and not just when it suits them. Many Americans have "struggled in the public square" for decades when it comes to standing for national sovereignty, standing against illegal immigration, supporting closing the borders, and ensuring that citizenship actually means love of and loyalty to this country—not just a ticket for handouts. Yet the bishops remain deaf and continue with their own nation-destroying plans…
June 20- If a Catholic politician or any public figure is pro-abortion, that does not merit excommunication - it is when Catholic figures in public office like Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, Andrew Cuomo et al are not only pro-abortion but they publicly and aggressively 'promote' the killing of human babies in the womb and urge others to stand with them against the Church - Pelosi goes so far as to make her public comments as a 'Catholic' ... as did Caroline Kennedy at the Democratic National Convention. These people actively promote the genocide of generations of humans created by God - this is a crime not only against humanity but against God Himself who created us in His image and likeness. And because these public figures are permitted to consider themselves to be Catholics in good standing with the Church and receive Holy Communion, they become hardened in their public sin, affirmed in their public sin…and evil takes deeper root in their souls…they are, in fact, denied the possibility of conversion of heart because they are led to believe they're right in what they are doing.
It is the responsibility of the bishops to set the tone. In the last 40-50 years there has been too much compromise with the social progressive agenda. Hence we find ourselves in this situation. I know it is late but the bishops can still begin the process of excommunicating prominent catholics who are pro-abortion. In other words, define the church based on its doctrines and let God give guidance and strength.
Rose P Eldridge, Amen to your comment.
Gladys, I'm not saying the Bishops have no authority to instruct based on the history of child abuse. What I said was, that as a practical matter, the bishops have made it hard for we lay people to make other arguments on behalf of Church teaching—I'm sure you have experienced this. Therefore, it's a little cheeky for Bp. Chaput to say, "If laypeople don't love their Catholic faith enough to struggle for it in the public square, nothing the bishops do will finally matter," given the muddled history of the bishops on addressing child abuse. One is tempted to respond to the Bishop, "take the beam out of your eye before instructing me on the speck in mine," the "beam" being the bishops faltering response to the child abuse crisis, the "speck" being the purported lack of ardor of the lay faithful. I think lay Catholics love Jesus and the faith a lot; *that's* not where the problem is.
Archbishop Chaput is one of the few bishops willing to stand up for capitalism and against the socialist and and pro-union/anti-business policies of the rest of the bishops.
The laity who are successful in life are the ones who can see that our liberty is protected and that the Church has the means to keep our parishes and schools open.
It is so childish to argue that because there have been a number of sexually abusing priests and a number of bishops who may have shielded them from the justice they deserve, the bishops and priests of the Church have no authority to teach what is right or wrong! If that line of thinking were accurate, no one could teach anything ever! Imperfect parents (all) could not teach their children; imperfect doctors (e. g., overweight, underweight, overindulgent in drink, smokers, etc.) could not give sound medical advice to their patients; friends who have made sinful choices could not be able to advise their friends on anything ever! It is so lazy of us, the laity, to "blame" priests and bishops for the trouble we are in! I agree that they have been grossly silent for too long. Moreover, many of them seem to be apostates who have abandoned the true Faith and seem to bow before secular idols. To that I say: they will have to respond to God for that! But, how does that excuse us? We are adults and know what is right and wrong. At the time of our judgment, and it will be forthcoming, God won't accept the pitiful "blame it on the bishops" excuse!
I see a lot of attacks on Archbishop Chaput here that I think are unfounded. The Archbishop was known for being a strong Bishop in Denver. He didn't hold back in telling it like it is. He encouraged his priests to likewise speak strongly against evil. He may be one of only a few that speak strongly but we should be supporting him instead of attacking him.
Yes, the Bishops as a whole, have failed in many ways in the last fifty years. Yes, priests sermons do seem to not have any substance. (Sadly, most of the priests have been taught this in seminary.) Let us pray that Archbishop Chaput gets the support he needs to fight Satan in our nation. Let us also pray that our priests start preaching what we need, so we can all worship God as we should.
Perhaps the laity simply don't define "religious liberty" as the right of employers to dictate to employees.
Perhaps they have a jaundiced view of a group that ignored child molestation telling them what "morals" they should have.
People have had it with the bullying from the last election where the Fortnight for Freedom was being used to tell people how to vote from the bullying from behind the pulpit via the homilies, and the EWTN commercial-people are worn out. If it didn't help the church in the last election, don't expect it to anything this time as well. Since Cardinal Dolan has paying under the table to the union's health plan; yet he was a strong vocal opponent to ACA, then none of the other bishops and cardinals should say anything and just pay the insurance and put the matter to rest. People are hungry for food and other assistance; the bishops and cardinals are as bad as the Republican in the House of Representatives, they would try to pass unconstitutional legislation, rather than legislation to create jobs and actually help the citizens that they were to represent, instead of their own agenda.
How do you say cop-out in Latin, English, Spanish.. or any language for that matter? Let's see? The home team (like the Yankees or Phillies) looses and it's the fans fault? Right! Now that's a real CYA statement if I have ever heard one. Blame the inmates for lax prison security. A real plan for sure. Disappointing at best. God help us. Pray for the Bishops and the Country.
June 19th: We are not our own shepherds!! I love and reverence Arch. Chaput but the Bishops need to do their part. We talk about religious freedom, about not forcing Catholic institutions to to have to pay insurance premiums for contraceptive and abortion producing drugs and then have to listen to the Archdiocese of New York admit they have already been doing that but 'under protest' - sorry, that just doesn't cut it. And every time Congress tries to limit abortions, Nancy Pelosi goes into a rage and accuses them of trying to harm women; and when she publicly and aggressively promotes the mass killing of babies in the womb, she declares that she does this as a practicing and respectful Catholic and the Bishops allow Pelosi and other public figures to continue to receive the Eucharist as a Catholic in good standing with the Church. If pedophilia were to be made legal and Pelosi and Biden stood before the cameras and declared that they would promote sex between adults and small children would the Bishops still allow her to be considered a Catholic in good standing with the Church? Pedophilia is a horror - molesting children is terrible but killing them is worse.
great article—-and this so clearly points to the necessity of parents not to wait for the bishops to declare the Girl Scout and Boy Scouts programs not in line with our Catholic faith——but to take action themselves and take their children out of these organziations today!
Sleeping Catholic laity will only wake up when their leaders renew themselves in the Spirit and rouse them by fearlessly witnessing to the Truth. Of the first bishops, one was the betrayer, one denied even knowing the Lord, ten hid in fear, and one found the courage to stand as a witness with Mary at the foot of the Cross.
Why we have to point out finger who do what. We are all Catholic people. We all fight for it. We need to work together to stand up for what we believe.
Amen. We need Bishop's encouragement, and constant reminder, though. - Lay person.
I am in total agreement with Archbishop Chaput. Our Faith demands that we act, prudently, but fearlessly, in defense of the freedom that God granted us. If God Himself does not infringe on the freedom He gifted us with, we should not allow our government to feel entitled to do what He alone is entitled to do, but doesn't. If we fail to defend our God-given rights with vigor, fortitude and conviction, we will face grave consequences and suffer dearly for our failure. And we will have no one to blame but our own darkness of intellect, betrayal of our Faith, and lazy cowardice.
Unfortunately, Archbishop Chaput's comments seem to reflect the bishops' and clergy's lack of responsibility for spiritual leadership which has affected the Church in recent years. Laypersons are often poorly equipped to stand up for their faith, because clergy and bishops are not taking their responsibility for the formation and salvation of souls seriously, instead passing this responsibility on to those laypersons who are poorly formed in the faith themselves. We NEED holy and courageous bishops and clergy to aggressively work to properly form the faithful and lead in this effort. If our leaders are not good role models, and don't prepare us, there is no way the laity can be expected to even understand the importance of standing up for the faith. There are far too many bishops that are complicit in supporting the homosexual agenda/lifestyle, and undermining the faith, for the unformed (or even misinformed) laity to even understand what it means to be faithful.
As always, Chaput speaks the truth. But this truth is hard to swallow for most americans who have no idea how or where to protest or evangelize for that matter. We have truly become sheep. Sunday mass needs to change to battle tactics if we are ever to regain what we have so dearly lost.
God bless his Excellency. Catholics do need to wake up. If recent history is any indication, however, they will not. After all, they voted in a president who is loved by NARAL and who has expressed his love for Planned Parenthood (e.g., by blasphenously calling down God's blessing upon them). The last Fornight for Freedom rally brought less than a thousand to SF, where not long before I saw half a million march for their baseball team. If this isn't evidence of idolatry, I don't know what is — oh, wait, I do: human sacrifice (of the unborn) to Hedon. Tragic.
I've been a colorado citizen for 16 years now.I saw and heard chaput on e.w.t.n.,make some comments,and at the very end he made a PRO-LIFE statement.Better late than never they say,I wanted to hear him speake of being PRO-LIFE and more about the culture of death,as JOHN-PAUL II did always.When chaput would-not support {PERSONHOOD-amendment} in colorado,he lost any good feelings I ever had for the guy.People should pray for him and other CATHOLIC clergy who stand against PERSONHOOD-amendments.Sadly to report this,but most {NATIVE-AMERICANS}I"ve spoken to in colorado,are not PRO-LIFE for the unborn baby humans.I'm now gathering signatures on a petition in colorado,for THE BRADY PROJECT,I'd like to hear where chaput stands on THE BRADY PROJECT.Adios kevin kelly
The bishops are waking up to the ills of society, but it's too late to save this generation. I never hear pulpit talks about mortal sin, how to avoid it, going to confession regularly. I never hear anything during the elections about conscience, what a well formed conscience is, what a Catholic believes, what a Catholic should uphold when they vote. No, parish clergy do not talk about contraception, living together, abortion, homosexuality, nothing important. It is pathetic. Now its up to the laity to stand up for religious freedom. Noone even knows what that means. I've never heard this from the parish pulpits. Some bishops stop evil and the lay know who they are; others do not. In San Antonio, I'm told our mayor receives the Sacraments, and in his job he supports homosexual unions/gay rights. The laity will not stop evil when the clergy turn a blind eye to evil, all around.
Dear Bishop Chaput,
Please do not think that what you do will not matter. I think we, faithful laity and clergy, leaders and pew fillers alike, are very frustrated at where our beloved nation is headed. We must stick together in prayer and work and beg the Lord for mercy and grace to accomplish His glorious Will.
I have heard other cracks in our solidarity. One made me wonder if Senator Reid's bishop, perhaps, could not explain to him privately and then publicly that his stand on abortion and this upcoming bill creates excommunication because his actions are scandalous and murderous.
I hate to say it, but the bishops seem to be really big on laying burdens on the lay people…but don't want to take on the burden of formally excommunicating certain politicians who are very much part of the problem.
Furthermore, many seem very keen to have big government with a generous welfare state paid for by high taxes and "the rich." Well, loss of liberty of all types (not just religious!) are part of that territory.
It is a difficult assignment when you had 50% of Catholics vote for the most pro-abortion president in history. Even with Obama's trying to take away our religious liberties, many Catholics (of course most are not practicing Catholics) are still in Obama's corner.
Your Excellency, there is only one reason we are having to deal with the potential loss of our religious freedoms, and that is the numbers of Catholics, including the clergy, who continue to give their name and support to the Democrat Party. Catholics are the largest single group in that organization, giving it its elective power to keep abortion legal for 40 years and, now, threaten our Constitutional right to freedom of religion
The only reason Catholics continue to join and remain in that organization is because of the Bishops' adopting Cardinal Bernardin's "Seamless Garment," aka, "Consistent Ethic of Life" in the mid 1980s. That stopped the Pro-Life movement's effort to pass a Right to Life Constitutional Amendment dead in its tracts.
"Pro-Life" was a word coined to counter the pro-aborts calling themselves "pro-choice." The new "meaning" of pro-life under the "seamless garment" enabled Catholic Democrats to stay in that organization because of their misguided belief in its "caring for the poor" with the social justice issues that were now, for the first time, considered "pro-life" in the Catholic Faith. The consequences of this misguided and unprudent change in the definition of "pro-life" is what has led to the continued attack on God's greatest gift - life, and now his second greatest gift - marriage, as well as our Freedom of Religion.
The Church is reaping what the bishops have sown. Now we are depending on lawyers and courts to protect our rights to freedom of religion against the attack by this organization that so many Catholics continue to prop up . What are the bishops going to do to stop this attack on the Church that started with abortion and has led to same-sex marriage and now the pending loss of our freedom of religion? I'll tell you what you can do. Focus on asking Catholics three questions. One, do they really believe God is the creator of life? Two, do they really want God's "will be done on earth," as they pray for in the Lord's Prayer? Three, do they really love the Lord, their God, with all their heart, and all their soul, and all their mind as commanded in what Jesus says is the Greatest Commandment?
After Catholics have answered those questions, then let them know that they better be able to answer yes to all three questions because God said in both the Old and New Testaments to choice life, but if you are lukewarm – He will spit you out. No Catholic, and for that matter, no Christian, can answer yes to those 3 questions and continue to give their name and support to the pro-abortion Democrat Party. They should rush get their names removed from that organization before it is too late to save their soul. They don't have to join another organization, just stop given life to the Democrat Party.
It is not a good Christian thing to pass the blame of Religious Freedom and the struggle to regain Religious Freedom on the laity. After all, it was the USA Bishops who clamored for a universal healthcare program but got the surprise of their life when Obama's program took a bite out of Religious Freedom. Was that the laity's fault?
Yes, the laity that are paying attention are letting their voices be heard in Washington and in the rest of the public square. However, I think you would accomplish more if you address the Bishops, Priests, Nuns, Religious, Deacons and Seminarians who voted for a Communist in the first place!!!!!! And, then address those Religious teachers/professors who told their students to vote for a Socialist. Apparently, they do not follow the advice of many Popes who claim that Socialism is an EVIL!!!! If the clergy get it right, then the Catholic laity will follow.
While the lay faithful have a role so do the Bishops. The Bishops through the USCCB were all in favor of Obama Care until it was revealed that there were not going to be exceptions for religious reasons concerning contraception and abortion. Well why did the support this disastrous piece of legislation to begin with? It nationalized 1/8 of the economy and we learn new awful aspects of this legislation every day. The USCCB has supported too many liberal causes and now they are fully supportive of the Immigration Bill advancing in the Senate. All this will do is add more liberal/socialist democrats to the rolls - some estimates as high as 46 million over 10 years. We need only look at what happened to California the last time amnesty was passed. California became a hard left state or a blue state ever since and it will never support conservative measures or politicians at the national level. The state is broke and people are leaving. Achievement is punished and being on the public dole is rewarded. The same thing will happen to Texas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. Maryland, a self declared sanctuary state already permits illegals to vote and it, the land of Mary and the birthplace of American Catholicism is mired in every hard left and immoral public policy. Same Sex Marriage, abortion after 20 weeks, gambling everywhere you turn, punitive taxation, anti-corporate policies, are all hallmarks of a now leftist, socialist, blue state. I call upon America's Bishops to withdraw their support of this disastrous Immigration Bill. I call upon the Bishops to stop supporting leftist and damaging causes that only serve to undermine this nation.
I disagree. I believe the bishops and priests must first act )either in pulpit or in public) and then the sheep will follow!
Yes, send the sheep out to the wolves, the shepherds might be misunderstood or caricaturized. Got it.
Bishop Chaput, with all due respect. It is the USCCB that has failed us. It funneled charitable funds through the corrupt CCHD to numerous groups whose sole purpose was to put the Pro-Abortionist, Anti-Catholic in the oval office. It was the USCCB that totally failed to attack his running for a second term. This internal conflict is exactly what the alinsky trained community organizer (who's training was supplied & paid for by the Chicago Diocese) desires & sought. Like the Vatican the USCCB must be purged of the homosexual-collective that has corrupted everything since the 60's. The LCWR for instance goes on & on spewing their dissent & hatred, effeminate Bishops are uncontrolled, Vocations & Church attendance are at an all time low, CINO politicians vote & voice their heresies unabated. Be honest, the clergy have dropped the ball for decades. Our Pastor for instance belongs to the Southern Poverty Law Center, treats the 'new york times' like a Bible & quotes heretics in his homilies. In spite of all of that the Bishop puts him in charge of Catholic Education. No one listens to us Lay folks, they have done & do as they please.
Normally, I am in full agreement with Archbishop Chaput, but not today.
The Church leadership needs to vociferously speak out and lead the faithful against this assault on religious freedom.
Unfortunately, the time to do this has come and gone. We should have been doing this in 2011 and 2012 during the presidential election. Add to this that 50% of Catholics voted for the very president taking away their religious liberty. Then again, if Catholics vote for a pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, pro-euthanasia president, it stands to reason that they support these issues, also.
We desperately need Church leaders to lead the fight in a catechismal sense as well as a political sense, so faithful Catholics can make informed decisions in a Catholic context regarding political issues like the HHS mandate of Obamacare. Yes, of course lay people need to be involved and vote as faithful Catholics. But to say the fate of religious freedom "rests solely on the shoulders of lay Catholics" and "they have no one to blame but themselves" when their religious freedoms are removed is an aberration of responsibility by the Church leadership.
I like Bp. Chaput, but two things stand out: (1) The bishops have given the lay faithful a huge weight already with the child abuse scandals and their foot-dragging, last-minute remedies. I'm glad things have gotten better, trust me, but just about every non-Catholic I talk to (Catholics too) bring this up. (2) The bishops have made a huge tactical error, in my opinion, in their ham-handed oppostion to the ACA. Obama has carved out an exception to contraceptive coverage for religious organizations, and delegated these determinations to the IRS (which is statutorily empowered to make such determinations.) The only group left out are secular employers, and the Bishops have said nothing to secular employers about their duties and options, except to stand firm and faint sounds that civil disobedience might be required at some point. This is not adequate shepherding, in my opinion—especially from a group of people that have health insurance. The bishops should be talking about remote participation in evil—which is what this insurance mandate boils down to for secular employers—but instead the bishops simply call for prayer and vigilance. Prayer and vigilance are good things, but a little counseling in Catholic casuistry would be nice.
Thank you,
It is so nice to have leaders in the Church like Archbishop Chaput. He lays it on the line.
If bishops would chastise the Catholic in name only politicians who are leaders, then maybe the laity could do something. As it is, most Catholic politicians are against the church in their policies and beliefs. A few Catholic politician who are faithful to the church get put down by other bishops. I recall how one particular congressman who ran for president was put down by bishops.
As a sometime critic of this Archbishop I admire him for his courage and personal growth on the job.
'If laypeople don't love their Catholic faith enough to struggle for it in the public square, nothing the bishops do will finally matter.'
A lay group dedicated to working for 1st amendment freedom of religion for every American of every faith has begun in Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY.
Catholics for Freedom of Religion has guided and facilitated volunteers in parishes to educate and advocate for freedom of religion in a non-partisan and ecumenical effort through a permanent ministry of parish groups. The groups provide prayer resources, speakers, films, panel discussions and rallies to inform and alert fellow parishioners of the denial of religious freedom and the need to restore and preserve that freedom.
Resources enabling any parishioners to join in this effort are available at http://www.catholicsforfreedomofreligion.org
Conversely, nothing the lay faithful do will matter unless the bishops become consistent with their messages and their actions. Why is it that so many prominent Catholics openly and vocally dissent on this and other matters of faith and morals? Because the bishops for too long have looked the other way.
I love Archbishop Chaput, and he is absolutely correct. I would add one qualification of looking for leadership from the bishops. I have run into more than my share of lay faithful who are hesitant about what degree activity will be supported by the bishops. This is due in part, to the bishops strong stand on pro-life issues, but hesitation to refuse communion to very public "Catholic" politicians that support abortion. They wonder about how serious the bishops will be in the long run. I always tell these people that it doesn't make any difference, we have a duty to be faithful to the truth.
what a cop out!
For 100 years the American Catholic hierarchy has been lecturing the laity on the need for a universal health-care model. Notwithstanding the fact that such a model would almost have to introduce some degree of state encroachment on the rights of caregivers, opposition to a state-run model has been strongly insinuated as being against Catholic social teaching.
So the state-directed model is a reality, and so is the encroachment. And now the laity are being told it's their problem? I'm having trouble understanding what isn't inconsistent—not to say gravely problematic—about the message.
I agree that the faithful have the ultimate fight on our hands, but when will we hear that the bishops will indeed draw a line in he sand even if it means jail?
Can the Bishops stop working against the lay-faithful so we can re-gain religious liberty? Will the Bishops stop supporting socialism and big government since neither is consistent with Catholicism? If not then how do we turn the country around, when both the government and bishops are against us?
Since on a practical level The WORD OF GOD has not been given the foundational importance in the Church, inspiration to act on such occasions has to be injected by the Bishops and for this they themselves are responsible for how many among them are TRUE APOSTLES in practice for they claim to have succeeded the original Apostles!
In the primitive Church every Christian was an Apostle; for this reason under the guidance of the Spirit of Jesus the Lord, the Church went on growing from glory to glory. But in today's Church not even Bishops or Popes are found to be true Apostles on a practical level. They have NOTHING TO SAY about what the Lord has done for them and through them. Their word doesn't look like the WORD of Christ. But our present Pope has certainly made a difference. If it is not kept up in the center at least we shall see what sort of Church will be left behind.
Hmmm! Am I way off? This seems like a giant "passing of the buck" to me.
This is something that I pray for daily. However, is there anything else one of elderly years can do?
This is very serious. I have thought for quite awhile now that the times remind me of Germany in the 30's. The frog in cold water. We must be aware or the "frog" is going to be cooked. Pray , pray, pray! However, maybe God will allow trials because of our living. Chastisement is sometimes the only thing that wakes us up.
I love Archbishop Chaput. But, I must say that the bishops have failed to properly catechize the Catholic laity for forty years. One improper comment from a maverick bishop can do more harm than one million faithful laity.
Though I respect the Archbishop's thoughts and realize the value of all Catholic laypeople in addressing this important issue, I believe it is our co-responsibility. This is particularly important when the greatest majority of Catholic laypeople only attend mass on sundays. To reach this population our bishops must instruct their sheep and hear the message from their local priests. I find it unusual when a priest does address this and other ethical issues. One must conclude that our Catholic leaders are either fearful of addressing the issues or that it lacks importance. Clearly, we must stand together or we will not stand.
According to Canon Law, nuns are lay people. When you have groups like "nuns on the bus" going around then the media picks up on this as church teaching. the media will always find some liberal catholic group to point to and say "see, catholics believe that". One must also realize that the USA is not a predominantly catholic country. The solution in my opinion is for the bishops to be shepherds by encouraging catholics to be loyal to church teaching and by publicly admonishing prominent catholics who go against church teaching. Start by telling catholics that they need to go to mass on sundays and need to be pro-life. If only 25% of catholics in this country attend mass regularly, then we need to get our own house in order first.
I love Archbishop Chaput and he certainly has his work cut out for him here in Philadelphia. I don't envy him his difficult job - there are schools and churches here that have needed closing for many years and he's the first one with the fortitude to get the job done. Now, the papers are saying the priests' retirement fund is underfunded. And of course, all this comes in the wake of the Scandal. Yes, my husband and I keep Archbishop Chaput in our prayers - he really has a tough job.
That said, I have heard Archbishop Chaput say things along these lines before and while I agree with him, I think he needs to put himself in the shoes of the faithful. For years, we pro-lifers have been begging and pleading for the bishops to do something - anything other than the occasional church speak lip service - while their brother priests and bishops literally aided and abetted the Kennedys and Cuomos while they were turning the Democratic party into the God hating beast it has become today.
Unfortunately, all the groundwork done by the McCarricks and the Bernadines and the Notre Dames and the Georgetowns has finally come to fruition. America's charitable giving has been thoroughly secularized and God removed. I fear it's too late to save our religious freedom and our energies may be better placed on protecting our own souls and those of our children instead of trying to preserve our once great and free Republic.
I want Archbishop Chaput as the leader of the Bishop Conference and I hope Pope Francis will make him Cardinal. I wish all the other bishops would listen to Archbishop Chaput and the Pope more often. God bless him for doing a great job and remaining faithful. Pray for this bishop to remain strong in the faith and faithful to the Church and to the Pope.
In the end, it is up to the people to determine its country's destiny. For Catholics, we either persuade our fellow citizens to demand the reinstatement of the conscience clause or face the dilemma of refusing to follow the law - an immoral and therefore unjust and invalid law. The people should not recognize the "State" as holder of our religious liberty - that comes from God.


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10 CFR 2.1027 - Sua sponte.
In any initial decision in a proceeding on an application for a construction authorization for a high-level radioactive waste repository at a geologic repository operations area under parts 60 or 63 of this chapter, or an application for a license to receive and possess high-level radioactive waste at a geologic repository operations area under parts 60 or 63 of this chapter, the Presiding Officer, other than the Commission, shall make findings of fact and conclusions of law on, and otherwise give consideration to, only those matters put into controversy by the parties and determined to be litigable issues in the proceeding.
Title 10 published on 10-May-2017 03:48
The following are ALL rules, proposed rules, and notices (chronologically) published in the Federal Register relating to 10 CFR Part 2 after this date.


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Many drug and alcohol rehab programs substitute one drug for another, without addressing the underlying cause of addiction. Whether that cause be a biochemical imbalance, a psychological issue or a spiritual disharmony, we believe that these issues need to be addressed if true healing is going to occur.
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DADU: The flour price in Dadu district has shot up from Rs.32/- per kg to Rs.40/- per kg and beyond with severe shortage of the commodity in the market reportedly owing to non-release of wheat to the flour mills and grinding units by Sindh food department.
The citizens complained that the wheat flour is not available even at the state-run utility stores.
The owners of wheat grinding units (Chakis) said there are 400 Chakis in Dadu district, which are released 10 bags each in a week that cannot meet the requirement of 1.6 million population of the district.
Sikandar Ali Lakiar, chairman of the Chaki owners' association Dadu district, told that they have no big flour mill in the district after Jamshoro was made a new district carving it out of the old limits of Dadu district. "Now, the Jamshoro district has 800 flour mills and Chakis in Kotri and other areas that are getting 275 wheat bags a day by the food department.
"Although, the Dadu and Jamshoro are now two separate districts but the wheat quota has not been fixed separately," he said demanding increased quota as per population of district.
Meanwhile, Citizens' Action Committee leaders Javed Ghalu, Dr. Jabbar Babar, Gulsher Solangi, Inayat Jamali and others protested against shortage of wheat flour and warned of agitation if the shortage was not met immediately.


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Style Me Up! Blingin' Beads Bracelets Kit
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Add style and bling to your everyday look with the Style Me Up! Blingin' Beads Bracelets Kit. This DIY jewelry making kit is a simple and fun way to create your very own Shamballa-inspired bracelets. Use the cotton thread, stylish beads, waxed cord, luxury rhinestone beads and color instructions included in this kit to make gorgeous bracelets. Pair these bracelets with various outfits or give them away to your friends as gifts.
- Brand: Style Me Up!
- Includes 3 luxury rhinestone beads, 19 stylish beads, waxed cord, cotton thread and instructions.
- Conforms to ASTM 963 and EN71
- Length: 39 inches (cord), 87 inches (thread)
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BSc (Hons) Strength, Conditioning and Rehabilitation
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- Develop the in-depth knowledge and practical skills you need for professional accreditation in strength and conditioning


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Southsidedaily.com is your source for free local news and information in Virginia Beach
Sgt. Scott Merce spoke to about 12 people outside the Virginia Beach Police Department Thursday about a growing safety concern – Pokemon GO.
The free, location-based mobile game developed by Niantic, which was released in the United States last week, allows players to capture, battle, and train virtual fictional creatures called Pokémon. The augmented reality game utilizes GPS and phone cameras, and requires users to venture outside to collect the creatures. Outside the police department at 2509 Princess Anne Road, Merce listed nine main tips to follow so that players and the parents of players can avoid dangerous situations, like robberies or traffic accidents.
"It's a phenomenon," Merce said of Pokemon GO in a later phone interview. "It's changing society's interaction. You can see people playing the game at almost any location you go to."
The game has garnered millions of players of all ages worldwide. But it also has increased the potential for robberies and traffic accidents, Merce said.
Playing the game while walking around and crossing streets creates a hazard, he said. Recently, Merce was passed on the freeway by a driver who was going 65 mph per hour while holding a mobile phone with a Pokémon screen open.
The game includes "gyms" and "Poke stops" where users can battle each other and collect more poke balls, which are required to catch the Pokemon creatures. These gyms and stops are assigned to real locations, such as museums and businesses.
Some business owners, whose spaces are labeled as gym or PokéStops, or are situated next to one, are experiencing increased foot traffic. Others are using the game feature to attract potential customers to their businesses by purchasing a "lure" for up to 24 hours. Lures increase the rate of Pokemon generation in the area near a PokéStop.
The Adventure Park at Virginia Aquarium quickly capitalized on the game, announcing on its Facebook page a "PokeMonday" event July 18. Visitors to the park that evening will be able to climb through obstacles in the trees and catch Pokemon at the same time.
"Lures will be dropping all night," the event description states.
However, anyone can purchase a Lure, which also makes it a tool for robbers, Merce said.
"A criminal could set a lure at a stop in a game and attract people to come to it late at night," he said, adding that doing so would make anyone "potentially a robbery victim."
The concept of luring victims to specific areas with extra Pokémon isn't far off from more common methods employed by criminals, Merce said.
"We think about traditional scary predator stories, using candy to lure children. It's a new digital version within (Pokemon GO) that does that," he said.
The safety tips Merce offers to anyone involved with Pokemon GO include the following:
- Put down the phone while crossing the street.
- Catch Pokémon with a partner, not alone.
- Ask permission before entering private property.
- Set limitations on where children can collect the creatures, the police department discoursages players from hunting on railroad tracks, in industrial areas or near water without taking safety precautions.
- Expect an increase of unfamiliar vehicles in neighborhoods, but still report suspicious activity.
- Exercise caution with Lures set during late hours, and don't approach them alone.
- Don't play Pokémon GO while driving.
So far, Virginia Beach hasn't experienced any robberies or traffic accidents related to use of the game, Merce said. The tips and public announcements made by the police department are precautions that hopefully will prevent future harm.
"We want to get ahead of it and be proactive with our message for safety, rather than being reactive after someone got hurt or became the victim of a crime," Merce said.


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"It's a shock to realise the extremity of what's gone on," says Ellen, the narrator of Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights as her stormy tale draws to a close. You can imagine that BBC Radio 3 listeners were saying much the same thing over a restorative sherry on Sunday after the genteel network broadcast a new adaptation which embellished the original with the F-word.
In a move to ditch what he sees as the novel's reputation as a cosy love story, and to restore the violent shock of the book when it was published in 1847, writer and director Jonathan Holloway has the young lovers reaching for expletives, while other characters taunt Heathcliff with racist jibes.
The lively language began early in the adaptation, broadcast from 8pm. Radio doesn't have a watershed in the same way as television's 9pm rule, and it was startling to hear Heathcliff and his tormentor Hindley Earnshaw swearing like Gordon Ramsay so early in the evening as they tussled over a horse.
"Fuck off," Hindley growls, "you're not 'avin' my 'orse." Heathcliff bellows: "I won't hit you back, you fucker." The original scene has the young men exchanging milder insults ("Off, dog!"), and it is hard to imagine today's readers – latching on to the novel for its portrayal of a love that respects no boundaries, not even death – getting the full impact of insults such as "imp of Satan".
The addition of swearing here is defensible: Heathcliff refers in the original to his habit of cursing, and Brontë's manuscript used blanks in some particularly heightened exchanges as if, even publishing under her alias Ellis Bell, she couldn't print everything she wanted her obsessed, cruel characters to say.
Other linguistic innovations in this production were less convincing, though, sitting uneasily in an otherwise impressive and faithful adaptation. Holloway has Hindley calling Heathcliff "pikey scum, you scrounging black bastard" and Mr Linton describing him as "a wicked little wog of some kind". Here, Brontë has already done the work for us, and the insults are vicious enough in her words: Heathcliff repeatedly called a gypsy and casually dehumanised as "it" when he first arrives at Wuthering Heights. The fear and mistrust of the outsider needs no underlining.
But it was Catherine's use of the F-word that felt most like an empty shock gesture. It came in her dizzyingly passionate description of how she loves Heathcliff, and is a pivotal moment in the plot which lurches us into the next phase of exquisite misery. In the original, Catherine cries that if all the world remained, yet Heathcliff "were annihilated, the universe would turn into a mighty stranger".
Holloway has her saying that if Heathcliff were annihilated "I would wish the whole fucking universe burned to a cinder". It was the only duff note in Natalie Press's otherwise haunting portrayal of Catherine, and sounded absolutely ludicrous, smashing the poetic beauty and structure of the speech.
Emily Brontë already pushed the literary boundaries of what could be said, imagined and felt by her lovers as they teeter on the edge of an emotional abyss that will consume them both. Her novel, pulsing with life and feeling, doesn't need improving or modernising; the power of its dark, distracting beauty is a timeless, unstoppable thing.


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Coastal split widens in actors contract stalemate
By Leslie Simmons
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The New York regional board of the Screen Actors Guild demanded on Sunday that the Hollywood union take meaningful steps toward negotiating a new contract by August 25 or bring in a federal mediator.
Sam Freed, a member of the negotiating committee who is also president of the New York board and the union's second national vice president, said that the longer the union waits to make a deal, the more it hurts its members.
"All of us in New York, Hollywood and across the country should be concerned about how this failure to reach an agreement is impacting our members," Freed said. "They have already suffered significantly as a result of the (Writers Guild of America) strike, and now they are experiencing an additional loss of work, made worse when they can find a job, by having to work without a contract under old terms and conditions.
"There are some who feel we have all the time in the world to make this deal," he added. "We on the New York board do not."
The move drew immediate fire from SAG president Alan Rosenberg.
"This advisory motion is not in the best interests of New York Division SAG members or any SAG members across the country," he said in a statement. "It could delay and prolong the negotiations by emboldening management with a false belief that SAG actors are split on the issues."
In its statement, the New York board rejected Friday's message from SAG leaders that members of the negotiating committee are meeting informally with industry representatives and members of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers to hash out a new contract for television and film. The board said that "nothing is happening and we are no closer to a deal than we were six weeks ago. Continued...


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Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell had some harsh words for members of the media today, especially those associated with the cable network MSNBC.
Speaking at a discussion put together by the Joan Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics and Public Policy, he called the coverage of Barack Obama "embarrassing," and accused MSNBC of being "the official network of the Obama campaign."
UPDATE at end of post: "Fox & Friends" weighs in.
As reported by Michael Calderone at Politico Sunday (h/t NB reader Wisdom6773, file photo courtesy USA Today):
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell was supposed to give "closing remarks" during this afternoon's Shorenstein Center-sponsored panel discussion with all three Sunday show moderators — NBC's Tom Brokaw, ABC's George Stephanopoulous and CBS's Bob Schieffer — but instead, he opened up a can of worms about bias in 2008 election coverage [sic]
"Ladies and gentleman, the coverage of Barack Obama was embarrassing," said Rendell, in the ballroom at Denver's Brown Palace Hotel. "It was embarrassing."
According to Calderone, Rendell started debating Brokaw about this issue, and when MSNBC came up, said the following:
"MSNBC was the official network of the Obama campaign," Rendell said, who called their coverage "absolutely embarrassing."
Chris Matthews, Rendell said, "loses his impartiality when he talks about the Clintons."
Read the whole thing.
*****Update: "Fox & Friends" crew discusses Rendell's statements.


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Nambucca Heads is a stunning coastal township situated 280km north-east of Newcastle, at the mouth of the Nambucca River. It was first surveyed by John Oxley in 1820, and proclaimed a village in 1885. Today, this scenic community is well-loved as a holiday resort and for retirement, but fishing, oyster farming and forestry are all active area industries. Its 6,100 residents enjoy an enviable lifestyle amidst gorgeous vistas and endless golden beaches. Boating, fishing, swimming and myriad other water activities are much-favoured pastimes, and the town features several beautiful foreshore parks with walking trails and picnic areas. Bowra Street boasts an wonderful array of unique local shops, cafes and restaurants. The community's gorgeous golf course is unique in Australia, being sited on its own mid-river island. When fabulous flowers and gifts are called for, 1300 FLOWERS™ delivers Australia's finest to Nambucca Heads and nearby Hyland Park, Newee Creek and Valla Beach, 6 days a week.
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If spoiling someone is your goal, the more than 60 tantalising choices on our 1300 FLOWERS™ website give you various ways to do so. Our sensational bouquets and arrangements are conveniently organised by occasion to help you in your search for the perfect sentimental message. Do you want to add some romance to your relationship? Your adored one will love our Sofia, a luscious full dozen of the finest long stemmed roses in crimson red, the traditional symbol of passion. We box them sumptuously and add an elegant black ribbon for good measure. Adding a chic vase, some fine Lindt chocolates or one of our delectable gourmet hampers will make your gift truly unforgettable. Do you want to thank a friend, colleague or client? Consider our distinctive Claire, with its snowy Oriental lilies and lush greenery, artfully arranged in a tasteful ceramic pot. Nothing makes a more eloquent statement than awe-inspiring flowers and gifts from 1300 FLOWERS™.
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text: Sorry, this property is not available anymore. Photos Map 6 2 Property Place We bought here Features Bedrooms6Bathrooms2 Property Description Unique ! A lovely village house set out on three levels with a delightful private garden.Original features, very quiet, in a sought after location , ideal for B and B, tourist sites.Canal du Midi and Seuil de Naurouze (800 m) ! Request details This property listing (ref: APITS - 67223FLE11) is an advertisement supplied by Leggett Immobilier and does not constitute property particulars. While aplaceinthesun.com (APITS Ltd.) requests all advertisers supply correct details, it does not carry out checks on the information supplied and cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies. Aplaceinthesun.com recommends seeking independent legal advice prior to any overseas property purchase.