Abbey-Roads2

I guess abortifacients are OK some of the time… 

The Roman Catholic Bishops of Connecticut have given the OK for Catholic hospitals to administer emergency contraception to rape victims, reversing an earlier decision days before the state would require them to do so.

The church, which runs four of the state’s 30 hospitals, had fought the state law requiring medical personnel to give rape victims emergency contraception, sold as Plan B, even if the women are ovulating.

Church officials had said the treatment was tantamount to abortion and had been considering legal action, but they took a step away from that position Thursday, in a joint statement by the Catholic Bishops of Connecticut and leaders of the Catholic hospitals. - YahooNews

Nice example of heroic virtue in the middle of the New Springtime.  Or maybe I don’t understand what aspects of contraception are sinful? 

Conspiracy and cover-up? 

The Third Secret is a  conspiracy theory  that just  will not go away.  And Cardinal Bertone is the obvious villain in the case.  Opie should make a movie out of Antonio Socci’s book, The Fourth Secret of Fatima, which claims there is a fourth dimension to the secret.  The opening of the film can show Socci being roughed  up by Vatican secret police as the press conference begins with Cardinal Bertone promoting his own book on the cover-up.   Supposedly, that kind of  happened, here is the story - although the report here  is based upon a  ”press release”  by the National Pilgrim Virgin of Canada - do I smell a  Gruner  here?:

As Dr. Socci is a well-known journalist and television personality, his book caused quite a stir in Italy and around the world. Cardinal Bertone’s The Last Seer of Fatima was an attempt, albeit an unsuccessful one, to disprove the main thesis of Socci’s book. Apart from many indicators that the entire Third Secret was not revealed, Socci’s book contains the testimony of Archbishop Capovilla, the personal secretary of Pope John XXIII who admitted to Dr. Solideo Paolini that there were indeed two texts of the Third Secret.

Shortly before the event started, inside the auditorium, Socci had asked Father Federico Lombardi, Director of the Vatican Press Office, for permission to speak with Cardinal Bertone. Father Lombardi refused, insisting that the Cardinal will take no questions. Socci and Paolini then went to the entrance of the “Aula Magna” (the “large auditorium” of the University) in the hope of speaking with the Cardinal when he arrived. Upon seeing Dr. Socci, Cardinal Bertone darted to a side entrance to avoid Socci’s questions.

Vatican bodyguards immediately descended upon Dr. Socci demanding that he stop speaking to reporters and ordering him to leave. When Socci responded, explaining that he was simply a journalist who had a right to be there, they began pushing and shoving him. - YahooNews

The seer, Sr. Lucia declared there is no 4th secret. 

Despite the rumors and theories that there is another part of the secret, Mother Prioress from Sr. Lucia’s Carmel quotes the late seer in saying there is nothing more to the secret than what has been revealed.  In fact, Sr. Lucia points to the essential message of Fatima as being what is most important.  From Zenit:

The superior said that Sister Lucia always denied any talk of a “fourth secret of Fatima.” Sister Lucia would say of people who spread rumors of the alleged secret that “they are never satisfied; that they should do what Our Lady asked, that this is the most important thing.When someone would say: ‘Sister Lucia, they say there is another secret’ […] she would look at them ironically. ‘If there is one,’ she would say, ‘I wish they would tell it to me: I know of no other secrets.’” - Zenit

Conspiracy theories do not promote the message of Fatima. 

Liberals and progressivists have pretty much always regarded Fatima people with suspicion, which may be one reason the message has been ignored in later years.  However, these unending conspiracy theories and speculations about a Vatican cover-up only serves to make the Fatima message and adherents seem even more weird.  In addition, these idle speculations and insinuations do untold harm to the confidence simple people have in the the Vatican and the teaching authority of the Church.

What the faithful need to know has been revealed, and the authentic message of Fatima  should be what is promulgated and lived.  Leave the rest to Our Lady.

Update: Catholic World News  now has the story on the Socci ‘harrassment’ - adding fuel to the fire.  The people who promote the theory that there is a cover-up concerning the Third Secret of Fatima are essentially  suggesting  that John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Bertone, and Sr. Lucia of Fatima are liars.   I think they’ve been reading too much Anna Katherine Emmerich. 

The saint of the poor.

Here are a few maxims from the writings of St. Vincent:

“As it is most certain that the teaching of Christ cannot deceive, if we would walk securely, we ought to attach ourselves to it with greatest confidence and to profess openly that we live according to it, and not to the maxims of the world, which are all deceitful. This is the fundamental maxim of all Christian perfection.” 
 

“We have never so much cause for consolation, as when we find ourselves oppressed by sufferings and trials; for these make us like Christ our Lord, and this resemblance is the true mark of our predestination.”

“Perfection consists in one thing alone, which is doing the will of God. For, according to Our Lord’s words, it suffices for perfection to deny self, to take up the cross and to follow Him. Now who denies himself and takes up his cross and follows Christ better than he who seeks not to do his own will, but always that of God? Behold, now, how little is needed to become as Saint? Nothing more than to acquire the habit of willing, on every occasion, what God wills.” -St. Vincent de Paul

Elena at Tea at Trianon  has a nice post for the memorial of St. Vincent.

Brews you can lose. 

Miller Brewing Co. is asking the organizers of the Folsom St. Fair to pull their logo from the ad promoting the gay festival in San Francisco.  The posters are already out there.  Miller’s move, though symbolic, is better late than never.  However, they should withdraw sponsorship entirely.    Here is the story:

Responding to pressure from Christian groups, the Miller Brewing Co. is asking organizers of a “gay” street celebration in San Francisco to remove its logo from a promotional poster portraying Jesus Christ and his disciples as “half-naked homosexual sadomasochists.” - WND

Readers of this blog have been sending in their complaints to Miller as well.  Good going!