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FRI-SAT-SUN February 4-6, 2000 vol. 11, no. 25 SECTION ONESee why so many consider the Daily CATHOLIC as the "USA Today for CATHOLICS!"
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In this weekend's editorial we rebut the ridiculous survey results claimed by the Kansas City Star in which this major publication impugned priests as having four times as many AIDS related cases than the entire population. Those are scary claims and through research we show it is all a smokescreen masqueraded in the fog of assumption with the intent of demonizing the Church and her ministers and destroying confidence in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church which remains the only target that has a bullseye on it for anyone to take potshots at without consequence. For today's editorial Everything is not up-to-date in Kansas City!, see CATHOLIC PewPOINT
The natural reaction when one reads such drivel is to dismiss it as prejudice and go on to the next story, saying a silent prayer "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!" But first of all, they do know what they're doing, and secondly on first impression the lead sentence sends shockwaves through the reader's mind. Consider the words "Hundreds of Roman Catholic priests across the United States have died of AIDS-related illnesses, and hundreds more are living with HIV, the virus that causes the disease." For those who don't realize it's all a lie, the first thought is "wow, it's worse than I thought! The Catholic Church is nothing but a haven for homosexuals posing as priests." The next reaction: mistrust. "I'm not going to my parish priest for confession; he might be gay." "In fact, he's being a hypocrite by letting us think he's holy while he's really a homosexual so I'm not even going to go to church." They immediately lump the number with the profession and voila, guilt by association. Our heart aches each time a report about one priest gone bad comes out for it is always blown out of proportion and automatically gives the assumption that it is inherent with the priesthood. "If one priest is gay, then many must be, therefore the Church is really messed up and wrong."
We know so many good priests compared to bad ones. So many good priests suffer because of the sins of a few but then, because of their commitment to holiness, they suffer in silence accepting these setbacks as their cross that they willingly carry for Christ. People are so quick to cast the stone, forgetting their own humanity and faults and that priests are human too, susceptible to temptation and sin. Are there priests who are gay, who practice homosexuality? Sadly, yes, but thankfully they are in the vast minority. There is unfortunately proof that homosexuals have infiltrated the Church since Vatican II with the intent to destroy her from within both through communistic implementation and the gay agenda. Thankfully new discipline in the seminaries is weeding out these infiltrators, but there have been problems in the major orders because of their lax discipline in the past and bishops who turned their backs on the problems. Such consequences have reared their ugly heads in Dallas where the Rudy Kos trial garnered sensationalized tabloid news in trying to dig up all the dirt they could. They tried to crucify Bishop Charles Grahmann who actually inherited the mess from the previous bishop who was really kept in the dark by the real culprit, the former Vicar General who is an avowed liberal and has since been disciplined by Bishop Grahmann. The same circumstances have occurred in other dioceses where bad apples have surfaced. There was a major problem in the Diocese of San Diego decades ago when homosexuality was running rampant, but it has been curbed and the cancer eliminated since. But the numbers pale in comparison to the general public. In fact an accurate news story reported a while back that Baptist ministers had more pedophiles than any other group. Did the media blacklist Baptists and spread it throughout the country? No, it was an article buried in the back. Proof, that the Catholic Church remains the only target where there is an open season bullseye in this "politically correct" society.
Why is that? Simply because the Church remains the only conscience against the amoral and immoral ways of society today. Holy Mother Church remains the only steadying influence in a world gone mad and sinking in the vortex of the seven deadly sins. Since misery loves company, the afflicted ones rage out against the one institution trying to save them, striking and flailing while clinging to their sinful ways rather than reconciliation. The media is a major partner in this struggle for they too are drowning in the cesspool of pride and power. Therefore, they become knowing partners in crime in trying to bring the Church down. We have documented so many times on these pages the how, where, why, when, who and what of their scheme as have many other Catholic sites such as the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. If we don't, who will? The natural reaction to being accused is to take a low profile and sadly, many priests have done that as well as bishops, choosing not to face the problem or refute it with facts. That, folks, is the only kind of way to combat the media: with facts they cannot deny. So let's look at the facts:
The Star mailed their survey with questions slanted toward their objective of finding that AIDS was prevalent in the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church. Think about it, why else would they have sent the survey? Secondly, they sent it out to just over 3,000 priests nationwide when there are 47,199 priests in the United States according to the 2000 Catholic Almanac published by Our Sunday Visitor. That's only 6.4% of the representation. Then consider that they received replies from only 801 which is slightly more than a quarter response and only 1.7% of the total population of priests in America. Yet they made it sound as if it represented all the priests and the reader would naturally assume there were tens of thousands who had AIDS or were gay. There is a natural aversion to anyone who has AIDS simply because of the danger of infection, so this is only magnified moreso with priests after reading the report which is so flawed it reeks of bias...as are most polls that are taken. We say that because when one asks for a poll it is not because they don't know the answer but because they want to forge an idea and already have the outcome formulated. They just want some evidence to back it up. Therefore, in order to get the results they are looking for, they word their survey questions in such a way that they will get the response they want. It's one of the oldest tricks of public relations and yet people still buy into it lock, stock and barrel. It was that great PR genius P.T. Barnum who first said, "There's a sucker born every minute."
In respect to Kansas City Star survey, David Murray, a leading statistician, and S. Robert Lichter, president for the Center for Media and Public Affairs, both exposed it as greatly flawed. They wrote that "few survey researchers would consider a 27 percent response rate to be 'very good.'" They also wrote, "Given that the survey was confidential, after this self-selection, it is impossible to know if all the respondants came from one part of the country or shared some other demographical trait. It is even possible that priests who weren't HIV positive would have felt that the survey didn't apply to them and ignored it." We would think most priests would ignore such an invasion of time and trash. The retort went on to say, "All of these factors make the results at the very least questionable." They then proceeded to pick the survey's numbers apart. The article can be found in today's NEWS & VIEWS. The point of all this is how by claiming confidentiality and then exaggerating they can fabricate anything they want. This is just what the Star did and, in so doing, caused a great disservice to the Church and to the perception of others regarding priests. William Donohue of the Catholic League replied curtly, "Murray and Lichter's analysis of Kansas City Star data demonstrates the unscientific nature of the sex survey. When coupled with the obvious political agenda of the survey, the only unqualified conclusion that can be drawn is that the Kansas City Star deserves the Maria Monk award for fabricating stories that demonize the Catholic Church."
Several reporters for other major publications have had their jobs terminated because they fabricated articles. Isn't it time those responsible for this travesty in Kansas City received the axe? It would only seem consistent with the supposed great "code of ethics" the fifth estate brags about upholding. This includes the reporter Judy Thomas and the editor Mark Zieman who claims to be Catholic but his rationalization begs to differ. But they won't be fired and the reason is simple. Once again the subject is the Catholic Church and, as we've seen for so long, the Church is fair game for anyone wanting to take potshots at her and this includes Catholics as well. After all, Kansas City is also the home of the National Catholic Reporter.
While Murray and Lichter acknowledge the Church must face the AIDS epidemic "with compassion" and through a concerted effort of education and the seminary formation, they deduce that the "sensationalistic slant on the data provided by the Kansas City Star, however, would tend to impede, rather than encourage, serious dialogue and study." Did you ever think that was the goal of the Star? To encourage dialogue? Never! Their main objective was to sell papers through sensationalistic, sadistic, and satanic inference. We've already seen this disregard for fact and truth consistently from the NCR headquartered near the Star and whose liberal, modernist diatribes have labeled it the "darling of the dissidents." Now the reptiles are rejoicing because there is another serpent in the snakepit as they contribute to dragging down more souls in this Year of the Dragon. Kansas City is a long way from China, but the Star's reputation is as brittle as porcelain china for the tarnished Star's hot breath has scorched decency, proving not everything is up-to-date in Kansas City!
In her column this week, Sister Mary Lucy Astuto brings us the words of Darrell Scott, father of Rachel Scott who was gunned down at Columbine High School in Denver last year. In addressing politicians and the civic authorities and others in assembly, he didn't point the finger at guns or even the murderers, but rather at the concept that we have lost our soul, that we have turned away from God and the only way to resolve it is to turn back to Him and to return prayer to the schools. Sister shows through his words that the only way for America to survive is not through gun laws and further restrictions, but freedom - freedom to pray to the One Who can and will make a difference For her column, A father with wisdom, see GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER
"The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used. Neither was it the NCA, National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.
"In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore, I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder, I would be their strongest opponent. I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy - it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves.
"I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best. This was written way before I knew I would be speaking here today.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws
Through legislative creed
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!
"We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts. Political posturing and restrictive legislation are not the answers. The young people of our nation hold the key.
There is a spiritual awakening taking place that will not be squelched!
"... We ... need a change of heart and a humble acknowledgment that this nation was founded on the principle of simple trust in God!
"As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America, and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School - prayer was brought back to our schools."
"Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God - given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA - I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone! My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!"
I thought this would be appropriate as we complete Catholic Schools Week for though the slain girl's father was talking about public schools, Catholic schools have the right and duty to pray and sadly, many are kowtowing to secular and government funding pressures and even cutting back on that. We can't afford to let that happen. Pray all the harder that students in both Catholic and public schools will be allowed to pray! It's what God wants!
God bless you, dear reader!
Today we continue with our new series in the search to uncover the wonderful treasures of the Church contained in the great Deposit of Faith. We complete the Books of the New Testament today with the introduction to Peter's Second Epistle. For the ninety-eight installment, see APPRECIATING THE PRECIOUS GIFT OF OUR FAITH
installment 103:
THE BOOK OF APOCALYPSE/REVELATION
The book presents Christ as the Coming One; it reveals the dealings of Him Who came, and Who is to come. It opens with the solemn hope that the Coming One will come soon, and closes with the impressive prediction that the Coming One will come quickly.
The book is one of hope, but also one of warning; its aim is to assure the Church of the advent of her Lord in victory. The precise time of this victory lies hidden with God, but it is certain, although the crown will not be won without a struggle. Heaven will be stormed and carried away through suffering and conflict. And all who keep the words of this book will take part in the conflict and share in the victory.
The conflict is presented under the form of symbols. It is not easy to give a full interpretation of all the types, but the general symbols are not difficult to understand. Jerusalem stands as the type of the good cause, and this is the Church of Christ. Babylon appears as the type of the evil cause, and this is the world power. The heavenly Jerusalem has the assistance of divine power. The earthly Babylon has the help of evil powers, the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. The scense in the great conflict arrange themselves around these types of good and of evil. The numbers, the seals, the trumpets and the bowls are phases in the development and consummation of the conflict.
John has arranged the scenes in a sevenfold structure; even in the subordinate visions he keeps to this arrangement. Commentators, however, are not agreed in marking off the limits of each structure.
The book was written in Greek by St. John the Evangelist, on the island of Patmos, about the year 96 A.D.
Monday: Divine Tradition part one
We continue with this special series introducing you to the Princes of the Church. Our one-hundred-fifty-fourth red-hat we feature, in alphabetical order is nearly 70 year-old Cardinal Thomas Stafford Williams, the Archbishop of Wellington, New Zealand for the past twenty years. He was elevated to the cardinalate during the Consistory of February 2, 1983 by Pope John Paul II. For more on Cardinal Williams, see COLLEGE OF CARDINALS COLLECTION
On December 20, 1979 Pope John Paul II decreed that he be ordained and installed Archbishop of Wellington, the see of his birth. Four years later he was named by the Holy Father to the cardinalate during his Consistory of February 2, 1983. He received the titular church of Jesus the Divine Teacher at Pineda Sacchetti. In 1995 he was also named Military Ordinary for all of New Zealand. In addition to his duties as Archbishop of New Zealand's capital, he also serves curial membership in the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Since he will turn seventy in two months he is expected to finish out his episcopate as Archbishop of Wellington at least for the next five years and then retire where he currently resides at the Archbishop's House, P.0. 1937, Wellington 5015, New Zealand.
NOTE: We respectfully recognize and accept the final authority regarding apparitions, locutions and prophecies presently being reported around the world rests with the Holy See of Rome and the Magisterium of Holy Mother Church to whose judjment we humbly and obediently submit.
"Dear children! I call you, little children, to pray without ceasing. If you pray, you
are closer to God and He will lead you on the way of peace and salvation. That is why I call you today to give
peace to others. Only in God is there true peace. Open your hearts and become those who give a gift of peace
and others will discover peace in you and through you and in this way you will witness God's peace and love
which He gives you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but the words of Archbishop 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".
"Knowledge is in the mind, character is in the will. To pour knowledge into the mind of a child, without disciplining his will to goodness, is like putting a rifle into the hands of a child. Without education of sthe mind a child could be a stupid devil. With education of the mind, but without love of goodness, a child could grow up to be a clever devil."
