MetaFilter posts tagged with catholics

A Step In The Right Direction

gman — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:50:47 -0800

Tomorrow will be the first time gay and lesbian couples will be able to enjoy civil-unions in the state of Illinois. The full text of the Bill can be read here. In response, Catholic Charities is ending foster care and adoption services to avoid serving same-sex parents.

Mmmm, Transubstantiation.

BZArcher — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 06:36:45 -0800

Homer Simpson, True Catholic? The Vatican's official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, has declared Homer Simpson a "True Catholic" with an explanation by Father Francesco Occhetta: "The Simpsons are among the few TV programmes for children in which Christian faith, religion, and questions about God are recurrent themes." The family "recites prayers before meals and, in their own peculiar way, believes in the life thereafter". "Few people know it, and he does everything he can to hide it, but it is true: Homer J Simpson is a Catholic," insists L'Osservatore Romano

Missionary Position: Facing West

zarq — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 08:50:00 -0800

Pope Benedict XVI has announced the establishment of a new Vatican department dedicated to tackling what he called 'a grave crisis in the sense of the Christian faith and the role of the Church." The Pontifical Council for the Promotion of New Evangelisation will (per Archbishop Vincent Nichols,) focus on countries "in which, even though the Christian Gospel has shaped an entire culture," secularism now reigns, in what the Pope termed an "eclipse of a sense of God." Editorial: "Catholicism, the religion that gave the world the idea of the missionary, is struggling on its historic home turf." This council is part of a larger reshuffling of the Vatican hierarchy, which may support the Pope's ongoing anti- abortion and gay marriage efforts: The first President of the new Evangelical Council will be Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, a Vatican bioethics official, whose controversial front page statement in the L’Osservatore Romano newspaper last year condoned the abortion of twins in a nine year-old Brazilian rape victim. At the time, Fisichella headed the institution that helps frame the Catholic church's "pro-life" doctrines, The Pontifical Academy for Life. A Canadian theologian and anti-abortion hardliner, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, will now head the Vatican’s powerful Congregation for Bishops, which evaluates the nomination of bishops and sets the tone for the Catholic Church hierarchy worldwide. “The head of the Congregation of Bishops is a very important nomination; it determines the ruling class of the Catholic Church for the next 20 years,” said Andrea Tornielli, a Vatican expert with the Italian daily newspaper Il Giornale. The appointment is particularly important in light of the abuse scandal, which has called into question the actions of bishops around the world. Victims have accused bishops of covering up abuse or not acting swiftly to discipline priests who have abused minors.
Ouellet has been outspoken against abort ion (calling it a 'moral crime', unjustified even in cases of rape) and gay marriage.

The Benedict Condom

aqsakal — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 02:34:10 -0800

The Benedict Condom: The British Government has apologised to the Pope over official documents that mocked his forthcoming visit to the UK by suggesting he should bless a gay marriage and even launch Papal-branded condoms. Reportedly a "junior official" at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office circulated a list of suggestions for events to make the visit newsworthy, according to the Daily Telegraph. Other suggestions included spending the night in a council flat in Bradford, doing forward rolls with children to promote healthy living, and even performing a duet with the Queen. Our (hapless) Man in the Vatican has crossed the Tiber to offer apologies, and one senior FCO official was found responsible and has been transferred to other duties. The BBC comments: "How serious and far-reaching the effect of the document is depends partly on how the Church itself responds." On recent form, this may not be a very optimistic view. Unsurprisingly, the news has not appeared on the website of the UK Embassy to the Holy See. As a former junior FCO official in another lifetime, I am dying to know who was responsible...

"Given the number of sins we've committed over the course of 20 centuries, reference to them must be rather summary"

empath — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:04:53 -0800

Is the Catholic Church a force for good in the world? Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Fry debate the question with Archbishop John Onaiyekan and Anne Widdencombe. Parts 2, 3, 4, 5

Loyalist and Nationalist Murals in Ulster

Rumple — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 01:23:27 -0800

Photogalleries of Loyalist (UFF, UVF) and Nationalist (IRA) murals in Northern Ireland. These are interesting folk art. The comments on the the Loyalist gallery in particular are astounding. Religious tensions are by no means over as the walls still stand (includes link to videos).

No Da Vinci Code For You!

grapefruitmoon — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 09:24:13 -0800

Despite its success as a book [NPR] and early cinematic success, China has banned the Da Vinci Code movie [NYT] after protests from Catholics. Are you living in China and want to see it? Try the black market.

A womb with a view

growabrain — Sat, 30 Jul 2005 02:30:42 -0800

Umbert The Unborn, the world's most lovable unborn baby & The wacky adventures of a fetus. Order now for Christmas

Catholics for Kerry?

TungstenChef — Fri, 22 Oct 2004 08:36:29 -0800

Think that Bush has the Catholic vote sewn up? Think again. Despite the efforts of some to make Catholics one-issue voters, many Catholics are more concerned with the views on social justice [pdf] of the Church in this hotly contested [Real] race. It’s a weird year to be a Catholic voter.

'Bad' Catholics

Postroad — Mon, 05 Jul 2004 10:42:44 -0800

'Bad' Catholics "...From President Bush seeking the Vatican's help on social issues to the decision by some Catholic bishops to deny communion to pro-choice (but not pro-war or pro-death penalty) politicians and their supporters, some on the right are actively trying to portray John Kerry and others on the left as "bad Catholics." But such attempts could well backfire, as it appears the majority of Catholic voters dislike the selective and political co-opting of their faith. .."

Jimmy Brelsin has been taking stabs at Catholic Church

SimStupid — Tue, 08 Oct 2002 18:41:03 -0800

Jimmy Brelsin has been taking stabs at Catholic Church over the last two days (the bishops are abusing money this time). As one of the last true beat reporters in NYC, if not the nation, he's been writing for underdogs for over 40 years. Fairly well too.

charlesv — Sun, 06 Oct 2002 12:39:38 -0800

Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, the founder of the Opus Dei movement, was canonized today. Opus Dei is a conservative movement within the catholic church, and counts many powerful people among its adherents - the current pope among them. However, it is not without its detractors and opponents. Some of the most important people in the Franco dictatorship were part of the group, as were several of the participants in the Venezuelan coup earlier this year. Should we keep an eye on these guys? They are certainly secretive and aggressive, but are they just a group of concerned, pious Catholics, or a power-hungry fraternity? I'm half-catholic myself, and certainly curious to hear if any Catholic MeFiers have thoughts on this subject. Even better, an Opus Dei member to clarify some of these misunderstandings...

Catholics, Jews, Muslims - all three feel suddenly embattled and isolated

Voyageman — Thu, 13 Jun 2002 16:08:08 -0800

Catholics, Jews, Muslims - all three feel suddenly embattled and isolated [nyt reg req] "This is a rare moment in history, like a planetary alignment: three world religions simultaneously racked by crisis....this confluence is highly unusual but not without precedent... — from 800 to 200 B.C., a period of tremendous violence and upheaval on many continents.... We could use this suffering to create wonderful new religious systems, as the Buddha did, or we could retreat into the spiritual barbarism of hatred ." Perhaps Karl Marx was right that religion, like opium, results only in illusion and false hope.

Going to Hell?

Mack Twain — Sat, 04 May 2002 19:02:41 -0800

Going to Hell? According to the Vatican, sexually active homosexuals and divorced Catholics who remarry cannot be forgiven until they give up their sin. However, it came as good news for pedophile priests that priests implicated in the sex abuse scandal can be forgiven. Has the Church lost it's relevancy, or will it just take another 350 years for it to catch up with reality as was the case with Copernicus?

Carmelite nuns in Indy respond to the child sex abuse cases

ao4047 — Thu, 04 Apr 2002 04:37:54 -0800

Carmelite nuns in Indy respond to the child sex abuse cases currently plaguing the Church. (from NPR) Great to see the perspective of the other half of the Holy Orders - these nuns are ballsy and discard the notion of the (Roman Catholic) Church as a superpower. The dedication of nuns always blows my mind - and breaks the mean-ol'-bitch stereotypes that linger in my head... ...meanwhile the Archdiocese of New York gives a D. A. abuse accusation records from the past 30 years (from NYTimes - requires login, etc.)

luser — Thu, 31 Jan 2002 08:56:43 -0800

"The Archdiocese of Boston in the last 10 years has quietly settled child molestation claims against at least 70 priests." And that conservative estimate represents about 10% of diocesan priests! Many are priests still. Could there be a safer haven than the Church for these animals? Easy access to children, and if you get caught, worst case is that the church pays off your victims and you get reassigned to a prison or hospital, with no messy publicity. Shameful.

Bixby23 — Tue, 04 Sep 2001 19:45:10 -0800

Six-year-old kid goes to school, gets beaned with rocks. Class bullies? No. Protestants. Doesn't it seem like there are some places in the world (Middle East, Eritrea/Ethiopia, Balkans, etc.) where people just insist on hating and killing each other until everyone's dead? Or is it just that the various media paint it that way?

y6y6y6 — Thu, 31 May 2001 12:00:10 -0800

New! Jesus Sports Statues. When you saw the Buddy Christ idea in the movie Dogma you thought it was a funny, yet biting swipe at the Catholic Church. But apparently Catholics think it's a great idea. These figurines have already sold out. Jesus playing tackle football is my favorite.

hijinx — Wed, 24 Jan 2001 06:36:24 -0800

Chicago's Cardinal Francis George blessed a Porsche dealership yesterday. What do you think? Conflict of interest, or way to give back to a helpful business?