Day of the Mea Culpa
"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." 
Because His Holiness Pope John Paul II has been in his annual Lenten Retreat all week there was no General Papal Audience this past Wednesday. He resumes his shepherdly duties today in St. Peter's Square when he will beatify 233 Spanish Martyrs slain for Christ during the terrible religious persecution there. Since tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of an unprecedented event in Church history in which the Holy Father, along with seven members of the Roman Curia - Cardinals Ratzinger, Gantin, Etchegaray, Cassidy, Arinze and Nguyęn Van Thuân along with Archbishop Stephen Fumio Hamao - asked forgiveness for past sins by members of the Church over the centuries, we are presenting again this historic event in full. See THE VICAR OF CHRIST SPEAKS
Archbishop Levada: We implore you to call California Rep. Nancy Pelosi to task for her unyielding pro-abort stance.
  Today's "Herod's Hero" is from California's 8th District of the the U.S. House of Representatives: Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. We call on her to repent and for her bishop Archbishop William L. Levada of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, along with Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Shepherd of the nation's capitol see, to issue the ultimatum of the "Bell, Book, and Candle" if she will not hear even the Church. We beg of you, dear Bishops, to stand up for the Roman Catholic Church, to exact the discipline all Catholics are expected to follow. By her blatant pro-abortion record during her three-year term, Pelosi has shown a disdain for Catholic doctrine and has been a willing accomplice to satan. We implore her to amend her ways, to turn away from embracing the pro-abort stance with no mercy for the lives of millions of unborn. By her actions she is guilty of being an accomplice to murder through her promotion, voting record and legislation of pro-abortion measures. For another betrayer who seeks to perpetuate the culture of death and slay the innocents, see HEROD'S HEROES
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Cardinal Ratzinger lashes out at European Charter for shallowness in recognizing religious dimensions of the dignity of man
Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger criticized the European Charter of Fundamental Rights for not specifically recognizing the religious dimension of the human person and the rights stemming from it.
In addressing the Theological Days, held at the Catholic University of Oporto this week, the German cardinal stated: "Respect for that which is sacred to another, and reverence before the sacred in general, before God, is something totally reasonable, even for those who personally do not believe in God." For more, see News from ROME
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New York's Nadler has No Shame in Promoting Gay-oriented Immigration Bill
The militant homosexual lobby has a friend in New York Democratic Congressman Jerrold Nadler, who has introduced legislation that would allow homosexual and lesbian U.S. citizens to sponsor their foreign sexual partners to become U.S. residents. Called the "Permanent Partner Immigration Act," it would grant the same immigration priority consideration afforded to spouses and family members of U.S. citizens to the foreign partners of homosexuals and lesbians. Hopefully it will go down to defeat in the House and decency and right will win out. For more, see USA News
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Pro-Lifers Sue Government!
Suit and New Study give new Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson something to think about
President George W. Bush has announced that he will make a decision on whether to ban the use of aborted fetuses for stem cell research by this summer and the most recent findings by the New England Journal of Medicine in addition to a suit filed against the Health and Human Services by Pro-Life groups could easily tip the scale in favor of Bush restricting all use of aborted embryos. His secretary Tommy Thompson is supposed to be Pro Life, so this should give ammo to Bush and Thompson for the cause of the culture of life.
For more, see Pro Life News
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Russian Right Radicals Rocking the Barque of Peter
The Holy Father has plenty of obstacles in his hopes of making a Papal Visit to Moscow. On one side you have the Russian Orthodox Church and on the other you have the radical right Democratic Liberal Party in Russia. The latter's VP of the Russian Parliament is making noise that he wants to investigate Catholic infiltration and all the particulars of the Pope's pending visit to the Ukraine. He's also prying into the Icon of Our Lady of Kazan which he really doesn't honor, just wants to create problems, even to forcing Ukrainians to remain Orthodox. Stay tuned, communism is far from dead in Russia.
For more, see Universal News
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For more Daily News, we recommend sources we rely on. For these news agencies, see News Sources
SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
Today is the SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT while tomorrow we observe Lenten Weekday. For these liturgies, see Daily LITURGY
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Purple vestments
SUNDAY, March 11:
SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
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First Reading: Genesis 15: 5-12, 17-18, 27
Psalms: Psalm 27: 1, 7-9, 13-14
Second Reading: Philippians 3: 17-21; 4: 1
Gospel Reading: Luke 9: 28-36
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"And there came a Voice out of the cloud, saying 'This is My beloved Son; hear Him.' And after the Voice had passed, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one at that time any of these things that they had seen." Luke 9: 35-36
 The Voice of the Disciple
Thou knows Thy servant, and Thou knows that he has nothing of good in himself that Thou should grant him this favor.
I confess therefore my unworthiness, I acknowledge Thy bounty, I praise Thy mercy, and I give Thee thanks for Thy exceeding love.
For it is of Thine own mercy that Thou does this, not for my merits; in order that Thy goodness may be better known to me, that greater love may be imparted, and humility more perfectly set forth.
Since therefore this pleases Thee, and Thou has hidden thus, Thy gracious condescension pleases me also; and oh that my iniquity may not stand in my way.
From Book IV, Chapter II of "Imitation of Christ" by Thomas a Kempis.
Elevation of the Pope caught in the grip of the Reformation who contributed to reforming St. Peter's into a priceless masterpiece
On this date in 1513, Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici was elected the 217th successor of Peter, taking the name Pope Leo X. His pontificate would last for eight years. During this time this Florentine Roman Pontiff would neither understand nor know how to offer remedies to the dangerous schism brought about by the ex-Augustinian monk Martin Luther. Leo would contribute to the institution of the pawnbroker's activity which would be considered a work of charity for the assistance of the less fortunate. Also, a year to the date after he was elevated to the papal throne, he would be faced with another dilemna: replacing the famed Donato Bramante, who died, to head the design of St. Peter's Basilica. It was a massive task and he chose wisely, selecting Bramante's protege, the young and feisty Michelangelo Buonarroti and the rest, as they say, is history...and priceless art! For other Time Capsule events that happened Today in Church history, see Daily TIME CAPSULES in Church History
Thy Will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but the words of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen have been known to launch a thousand images in one's mind, one of the ways this late luminary did so much to evangelize the faith. Because of the urgency of the times and because few there are today who possess the wisdom, simplicity and insight than the late Archbishop who touched millions, we are bringing you daily gems from his writings. The good bishop makes it so simple that we have dubbed this daily series: "SIMPLY SHEEN".
"In contentment one does not submit before he has prayed and acted, but after one has done all he can, accepting the event as the will of the Lord."
Monthly Medjugorje Message for February 2001
For Our Lady's February 25th message for 2001 and more on Medjugorje, see MEDJUGORJE AND MORE
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March 11, 2001 volume 12, no. 70
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