Catholics shocked by Notre Dame president’s turnaround on ‘Vagina Monologues’
South Bend, Ind., Apr 7, 2006 (CNA) - Following
his own strong words denouncing the play in January, many Catholics
have responded with dismay to the decision of Notre Dame University
president, Rev. John Jenkins to allow the controversial ‘Vagina
Monologues’ to be performed at the school.
In a January
23rd address to university faculty, Fr. Jenkins said that the play
contains “no hint of central elements of Catholic sexual morality,” but
instead, “contains graphic descriptions of homosexual, extra-marital
heterosexual, and auto-erotic experiences. There is even a depiction of
the seduction of a sixteen year-old girl by an adult woman.”
He had stressed
that the “portrayals stand apart from, and indeed in opposition to, the
view that human sexuality finds its proper expression in the committed
relationship of marriage between a man and a woman that is open to the
gift of procreation.”
He even said
that “the repeated performance of the play and the publicity
surrounding it suggest that the university endorses certain themes in
the play, or at least finds them compatible with its values.”
Despite this, on Wednesday, Fr. Jenkins surprised many by saying that he will now place “no restrictions” on the performance.
After hearing
from hundreds of students, faculty and alumni over the last 10 weeks,
Notre Dame’s president has now expressed his determination “that we not
suppress speech on this campus.” “I am also determined”, he said, “that
we never suppress or neglect the Gospel that inspired this university."
Patrick J.
Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society, said that "Either he
has radically changed his perspective on 'The Vagina Monologues' or he
is entirely ignoring the Catholic identity of Notre Dame. In either
case, it smacks of hypocrisy when he made such strong statements weeks
ago and is not imposing any restrictions at all now."
He added that
his group believes that Fr. Jenkins’ “original instincts about ‘The
Vagina Monologues’ were correct and sincere, but he fell into the trap
that has paralyzed so many other Catholic colleges and universities in
the United States—he has insisted on defining ‘The Vagina
Monologues’…within the context of “academic freedom.”
“This” he said,
“is a play, a piece of entertainment and one-sided advocacy. It
is not an academic event; it does not in itself offer substantial
information or reasoned argument that would contribute to a discussion
of sexual morality or violence.”
Likewise, Bill
Donahue, president of the New York based Catholic League said in an
e-mail that Fr. Jenkins‘ "statement is a strained and ultimately failed
attempt to reconcile free speech rights with the mission of a Catholic
institution."
In a recent
statement, South Bend’s Bishop John D’Arcy, appealed to the memory of
the late John Paul II, a playwright himself and longtime professor in a
Catholic university in his criticism of the performance.
The bishop
recalled John Paul’s thinking “that freedom must always be linked to
the truth and the common good. The same principles apply to artistic
freedom. As a university professor, the future pope presented a
series of lectures on human love and sexuality in which he reflected
how artistic freedom must always be linked to the whole truth about
human love and sexuality.”
He added: “I regret the sponsorship of this play by Notre Dame again this year, and pray it will be the last time.”
Very Rev. David
O’Connell, president of Catholic University of America also recently
spoke out against the performance at his own school saying, “I find the
play crude, ugly, vulgar and unworthy of staging or performing at CUA
in any manner whatsoever.”
He said that he
believes the cause of “promoting the dignity of women deserves better
than this play…” adding that “it has become a symbol each year of the
desire of some folks to push Catholic campuses over the edge of good
and decent judgment.”
Pope to youth: Life is a great adventure, dare to believe that God will not abandon you
Vatican City, Apr 7, 2006 (CNA) -
Throngs
of young people from around the Diocese of Rome gathered in St. Peter’s
Square yesterday evening to meet with Pope Benedict XVI and prepare for
the 21st World Youth Day, which will be celebrated in Rome and
throughout the world on Palm Sunday.
The theme of
World Youth Day, which is celebrated alternately on local and
international levels every other year, is: "Your word is a lamp to my
feet and a light to my path."
At 6 p.m., the
Holy Father arrived into the midst of an evening of prayer, music and
dancing and greeted the young people. Shortly afterward, the World
Youth Day pilgrim was carried into the square by a group of youth from
the German city of Cologne, the site of last year's WYD.
During his time
with them, the Pope answered questions from five young people chosen
for the occasion. They concerned themes of Holy Scripture, love,
apostolate, vocation, and the relationship between science and faith.
Responding to
the first question, from an engineering student who asked whether Holy
Scripture is always the Word of God, the Holy Father said that "The
Bible cannot be read as if it were a history book. ... The Word cannot
be read as an academic exercise, but by praying and saying to God:
'Help me to understand Your Word'."
The Pope also
stressed the importance of reading Scripture while closely following
"the masters of 'Lectio Divina,' ... in the company of the People of
God, and in communion with the Church which transmits the Word down
through the centuries."
Secondly,
Benedict responded to a question on the nature of love, recalling from
scripture that a "man will abandon his father and his mother; he will
follow a woman and they will become one flesh, one life. From the
beginning, then, we are given a prophecy of what marriage is, a vision
that will remain the same in the New Testament.”
“It is a
Sacrament of the Creator of the Universe inscribed in human beings
themselves,” he said, “Thus, it is not an invention of the Church."
The Pope also treated the crowd with some insight into his own life as he recalled his own decision to become a priest.
Responding to a
young man who has asked him about vocations, Benedict said, "I grew up
in a world very different from ours…on the one hand there was a
'situation of Christianity' and it was normal to go to church, on the
other we lived under the Nazi regime which sought a world without
priests. Faced with this brutal and inhuman culture, I understood that
the Gospel and the faith show us the right path to follow."
He also noted other factors which helped him discover his vocation, such as theology and the "beauty of the liturgy.”
“Obviously”, he
said, “there was no lack of difficulties and I asked myself if I would
manage to live my entire life in celibacy, aware that theology was not
enough to be a good priest. ... Courage and humility are also
necessary, as are the trust and openness to ask oneself what the Lord
wants.”
“It is a great
adventure,” he said, “but life can only be lived if we have the courage
to dare and the faith that the Lord will not abandon us."
Finally,
speaking about faith and science, Benedict said that "There is an
intelligence that precedes mathematics and natural laws, the
intelligence of God; in other words, an 'intelligent plan' which
created both nature with its laws and the human mind."
"There are two
possibilities," the Pope told the crowd, "God exists or He does not
exist. In other words, we recognize the precedence of a creative
intellect ... or we uphold the precedence of the irrational.”
“In the end,” he
said, “we cannot speak of 'proving' one project or the other, but the
great option of Christianity is the option for rationality, for the
precedence of reason."
Following his
meeting with the young people, the Pope handed out Bibles to a number
of those present, calling the scriptures "a lamp to your feet."
He also recalled
his predecessor, John Paul II, whom he called "a great witness to the
Word of God." At the end of the evening, he and a number of youth went
down to the Vatican Grottoes to pray before the tomb of the late Pope
who originally initiated the World Youth Day celebrations.
President Bush praises Church as voice for human dignity at National Catholic prayer breakfast
Washington D.C., Apr 7, 2006 (CNA) - This
morning in the nation’s capital, Catholic and political leaders from
around the U.S. gathered for the annual National Catholic Prayer
Breakfast. For his part, President George Bush praised the Catholic
Church for its voice in the national immigration debate and called for
hope in a time of national and international tension.
President Bush
quipped about what an honor it was that the organizers of the Catholic
event invited himself--a Methodist. He also added his particular thrill
“to be here with the cardinals of the Church.”
He began by
saying that the world needs a “hopeful moment,” at a time “when more
people have a chance to claim freedom that God intended for us all.”
“It's also a
time of great challenge,” he said. “Some people believe you cannot
distinguish between right and wrong. The Catholic Church rejects such a
pessimistic view of human nature and offers a vision of human freedom
and dignity rooted in the same self-evident truths of America's
founding.”
Recalling the
late Pope John Paul II, Bush said that “in the last part of the 20th
century, we saw the appeal of freedom in the hands of a priest from
Poland.”
“When [John
Paul] ascended to the chair of St. Peter, the Berlin Wall was still
standing. His native Poland was occupied by a communist power. And the
division of Europe looked like a permanent scar across the continent.
Yet Pope John Paul told us, "Be not afraid," because he knew that an
empire built on lies was ultimately destined to fail.”
He went on to
say that “By reminding us that our freedom and dignity rests on truths
about man and his nature, Pope John Paul II set off one of the greatest
revolutions for freedom the world has ever known.”
The president
also talked spoke about John Paul’s predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who
he said “understands that the measure of a free society is how it
treats the weakest and most vulnerable among us. In his Christmas
homily, the Pope noted that the Savior came to earth as a ‘defenseless
child,’ and said that the splendor of that Christmas shines upon every
child, born and unborn.”
In this light,
he called for a strengthening of a “culture of life”, a term coined by
John Paul II, saying that “we will continue to work for the day when
every child is welcome in life and protected in law.”
San Antonio’s
Archbishop Jose Gomez greeted the president and congratulated him for
his efforts in developing an immigration legislation that
simultaneously strives to protect the U.S.’s borders and extend
compassion to immigrants.
On this, the
president praised the role of Catholic organizations in “welcoming
newcomers and helping them to become good citizens.”
Calling for more
civil discussion on the immigration debate, Bush said that “an
immigration system that forces people into the shadows of our society,
or leaves them prey to criminals is a system that needs to be changed.
He expressed his
confidence “that we can change our immigration system in ways that
secures our border, respects the rule of law, and, as importantly,
upholds the decency of our country. As the Congress continues this
debate, its members must remember we are a nation of immigrants. And
immigration has helped restore our soul on a regular basis.”
1,700 people
attended the prayer breakfast, including some 20 congressmen, 3
senators, and two Secretaries of the current administration.
In addition,
Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the new Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S. was on
hand bearing personal greetings of Pope Benedict XVI.
Madison’s Bishop
Robert C. Morlino gave the keynote address, speaking about how
Catholics have to respond to the dictatorship of relativism created by,
among other things by the complete manipulation of language.
Experts skeptical of new ‘Gospel of Judas’
Washington D.C., Apr 7, 2006 (CNA) - The
Gospel of Judas, a manuscript which experts believe may date back to
the 2nd century, and suggests that Judas Iscariot was merely taking
orders from Jesus himself when he turned the Messiah over to
authorities, was officially presented in Washington yesterday by the
National Geographic Society.
The ancient
papyrus manuscript first came to light 30 years ago when it was
discovered on the Egyptian antiquities market. Aside from new dating,
evidence of its existence stretch back to the time of St. Irenaeus, a
bishop, who condemned it as early as 180 A.D.
The document is one of many ancient manuscripts which were rejected by Church fathers when formulating the canon of scripture.
According to the
ANSA news service, the Vatican has denied suggestions that this week’s
hugely publicized publication is part of a rehabilitation of Judas by
the Catholic Church.
According to the
National Geographic Society, the newly translated document begins: "The
secret account of the revelation that Jesus spoke in conversation with
Judas Iscariot."
In one passage,
Jesus tells Judas, "You will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice
the man that clothes me," supposedly indicating that Judas was
essentially following orders when he turned the Lord over to his death.
Another passage
reads: "Step away from the others and I shall tell you the mysteries of
the kingdom," Jesus says to Judas, singling him out for special status.
"Look, you have been told everything. Lift up your eyes and look at the
cloud and the light within it and the stars surrounding it. The star
that leads the way is your star."
The text ends
with Judas turning Jesus over to the high priests and does not include
any mention of the crucifixion or resurrection.
A number of
Catholic teachings come into conflict with the new document. For one,
the suggestion that Jesus needed to be released from “the man that
clothes him”, or his physical body, hearkens back to an early Church
heresy that which suggested that the flesh was evil and mankind needed
to shed material things for the sake of the spiritual.
In addition,
Catholic ethics teach that one can never use an evil means to reach a
good end. Under Catholic thinking, it would never be morally acceptable
for Judas to betray his master, even for the sake of a greater
good.
Immigration bill does not criminalize assistance efforts, say legislators
Washington D.C., Apr 7, 2006 (CNA) - A
group of legislators are striving to assure the U.S. Catholic bishops
that a new and much criticized immigration reform bill “does not
criminalize humanitarian assistance efforts … nor did it intend to.”
The bill, they
wrote in an April 5th letter, is the “House's good-faith effort to
bring human traffickers to justice” but it “will not be the final
product on this issue.”
The letter was
sent by House Judiciary Committee chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr.
(R-Wis.), House Homeland Security Committee chairman Peter King
(R-N.Y.), and House International Relations chairman Henry Hyde
(R-Ill.).
“We can assure
you, just as under current law, religious organizations would not have
to ‘card’ people at soup kitchens and homeless shelters under the House
bill's anti-smuggling provisions,” they wrote.
“Prosecutors
would no sooner prosecute good Samaritans for ‘assisting’ illegal
immigrants to remain in the U.S. under the House bill than they would
prosecute such persons for ‘encouraging’ illegal immigrants to remain
in the U.S. under current law, which has existed for nearly 20 year,”
they continued.
The three
legislators said they supported H.R. 4437 in December because it would
be a solid first step in preventing illegal immigration, helping law
enforcement agents gain control of the borders, and re- establishing
respect for immigration law.
They “wholeheartedly concur” with the bishops’ assessment that “human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery,” they wrote.
However, the
“current alien-smuggling laws are inadequate in the fight against these
sophisticated coyotes and snakeheads who rape, rob, beat, and abandon
their human ‘cargo,’ and also poison our communities through drug
trafficking,” the legislators argued.
They said border-area U.S. Attorneys have asked for the tools in H.R. 4437 to aid them in their fight against alien smuggling.
The legislators
promised to keep communication open with the bishops as Congress
considers the issue. They also said they remain committed to reducing
the penalty for illegal presence in the U.S. from a felony to a
misdemeanor.
Connecticut bishops claim bias in state legislature
Hartford, Conn., Apr 7, 2006 (CNA) - Connecticut’s
three Catholic bishops said Wednesday they believe the Church is under
fire in the state legislature, where there have been efforts to require
Catholic hospitals to provide emergency contraception for rape victims,
reported the Associated Press.
More than 500
people attended Catholic Day at the Capitol, along with Archbishop
Henry Mansell of Hartford, Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport and Bishop
Michael Cote of Norwich.
In his address,
Archbishop Mansell did not accuse specific legislators of being
anti-Catholic but said he believes that “Catholic bashing” is on the
increase and that there is an abortion-rights agenda behind the
emergency contraception bill.
“We have to see
the agenda beneath the agenda,” the archbishop was quoted as saying.
“Many would like to see Catholic services and the Catholic Church go
away.”
A bill that
would have required all hospitals, including Catholic ones, to provide
the morning-after pill to rape victims died in the Public Health
Committee last month after the panel ran out of time to act.
But last week, a
version of the legislation reappeared in the Democrats’ spending bill,
which sets aside $5 million in energy assistance for hospitals that
provide rape victims with emergency contraception. Archbishop Mansell
said the move “could be seen by many as extortion.”
The AP reported
that Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell said it is doubtful the provision
will be part of the final budget, which must be negotiated between the
majority Democrats in the legislature.
The archbishop
said he was willing to meet with legislators to discuss the issue, but
said the Catholic Church will not compromise on its position.
In January,
Archbishop Mansell directed Connecticut’s four Catholic hospitals to
establish a policy of not prescribing Plan B if a rape victim is
ovulating or one of her eggs has been fertilized. The policy was
modeled after one in Peoria, Ill.
LA group to bring relics to hurricane-ravaged area, calls for national prayer
Los Angeles, Calif., Apr 7, 2006 (CNA) - A
Los-Angeles group will make a pilgrimage through the hurricane-ravaged
Gulf States with its collection of relics of Christ’s passion.
The Apostolate
for Holy Relics is also calling upon people of faith nationwide to join
in one week of prayer, May 13-20, for those who continue to suffer the
effects of the hurricane. The theme of the pilgrimage is One Cross,
Many Hands.
A relic is an
object, especially a bone or a personal item, of someone of religious
significance, such as a saint or a martyr. The Church’s doctrine on
relics teaches that the bodies or items of martyrs and saints, who were
elevated to heaven by Christ, may be venerated by the faithful, for
through them benefits may be bestowed by God.
The group’s
president, Tom Serafin, said he would like to rally about one million
people in prayer and would like one million rosaries to be said.
The group’s
collection of relics from the Passion of Jesus Christ will tour
Mississippi and Louisiana. The relics will visit St. Charles Borromeo
Church in Picuyune, MS; Annunciation Church in Kiln, MS; St. Patrick
Church in New Orleans, LA; and St. Anselm Church in Madisonville, LA.
Vatican Nuncio demands Radio Maria stay out of Poland’s politics
Warsaw, Poland, Apr 7, 2006 (CNA) - In
a letter sent this week to the bishops of Poland and to the provincial
superior of the Redemptorist community in Poland, who own Radio Maria,
the country’s Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Jozef Kowalczyk, demanded
the station “fulfill its pastoral obligations” and stay out of politics.
“I ask and
demand that the Bishops’ Conference of Poland consolidate its efforts
to ensure that Radio Maria and other media outlets linked to this
station fulfill their pastoral obligations and the Church’s principle
of staying out of political battles,” the archbishop wrote.
The Nuncio said,
“The Vatican is aware that the Polish bishops have already criticized
the activity of Radio Maria and reiterated the obligation of priests
and religious to refrain from participating in politics, but it
believes that the issue of the stations continues to be too troublesome
and uncomfortable.”
Archbishop
Kowalczyk also asked that the intervention of the Holy See be taken as
a serious warning, and he invited the provincial of the Redemptorists
to adopt adequate and effective measures to resolve the matter.
In 2005 during a
visit to the Holy See, several Polish bishops indicated that Radio
Maria had participated too directly in the political campaign of a
specific party.
Expert says changing Islamic mentality requires enormous educational effort
Madrid, Spain, Apr 7, 2006 (CNA) - Father
Khalil Samir, a professor at the Oriental Pontifical Institute of Rome
and St. Joseph’s University of Beirut, said this week that in order to
change the Islamic mentality, “which is fearful of reality,” an
“enormous educational effort” is needed at schools and universities,
while paying special attention to textbooks and teacher formation.
In statements
made to the Italian daily “Avvenire,” Father Samir, an expert in
Islamic issues, said, “The enlightened West should help the most
liberal Muslims to be heard in their countries and contribute to the
spread of their ideas by fostering the circulation and translation of
their works, inviting them to speak in Europe.”
“Above all,” he
stressed, “an enormous educational effort needs to be initiated at
schools and universities,” with special attention to textbooks and
teacher formation.
“This is a task
that would require generations to slowly change a mentality that is
fearful of reality. As Christianity teaches us, reason is not an
enemy, but rather an ally of faith,” he added.
Father Samir
explained that in Islamic schools, “the teaching methods are based on
repetition and memorization more than on logical reasoning. In
the family, parents do not give their children motives for obedience;
rather, it is imposed, sometimes through violence.”
The Koran, he
continued, “is learned by heart and applied in a mechanical and literal
way since, according to Islam, the text has been revealed directly by
God to Mohammed and contains all that is necessary for life, and no
interpretation is allowed.”
“If somebody
says an effort is needed to find a better application of it to today’s
world, he is accused of being a traitor of the most authentic spirit of
Islam and even deserves death for apostasy.” The result, he said, is
world that is “fearful of modernity.”
Father Samir
explained that such a mentality is “easily manipulated by the
statements and orders of radicals, who use religious sentiments for
political purposes and identify the West with the Great Satan.”
The recent
controversy over comics depicting Mohammed, he pointed out, was an
example of this situation in which reprisals were carried out not only
against the authors, but also “against the governments of those
countries in which they were published and, by extension, against the
West or Christians, with the tragic consequences which we have seen,
such as the assassination of Father Santoro.”
“This type of
mentality neglects the value of the person, drowning him in the
group. Reason must be exercised rather than letting oneself be
led by emotions. Unfortunately, reason is asleep in Islamic
countries,” Father Samir stated.
Holy Week speaks to culture in its most profound roots, says Spanish archbishop
Valencia, Fla., Apr 7, 2006 (CNA) - In
his weekly pastoral letter, Archbishop Agustin Garcia-Gasco of
Valencia, Spain, said that “what we relive in Holy Week always speaks
to our culture in its most profound roots,” adding that it has special
meaning in today’s world because of growing individualism present
throughout modern culture.
In his letter
the archbishop notes that the different celebrations and re-enactments
of Holy Week in churches and on the streets provide people the
opportunity to recall the overwhelming gesture of love of Jesus, the
Son of God, “who gave his life for us,” and to affirm that “the total
manifestation of God always puts forth a message of truth and love,
which is none other than the way to laying down one’s life for others.”
“Do you want to
see human fullness? Look upon him who loves to the point of giving up
his entire person. Do you want to find authentic greatness?
Contemplate him who chooses to humble himself to the extreme. Do
want to grasp the truth? Follow him who does not hold anything
back for himself. Do you want the highest freedom? Imitate
him who was not intimidated by aggressions or threats,” the archbishop
writes.
Archbishop
Garcia-Gasco also underscores in his letter that “showing the human
person his true dignity and his profound value is the central task of
the evangelizing action of the Church,” adding that this can be
achieved if people are challenged to live in such a way that conforms
to the desire of the human heart to love.
“To love is not
a heroic ideal just for the few, but rather the proper consequence of
discovering the truth and being transformed. One of the places
where we discover our most intimate identity, as men and women, is the
family,” he writes.
In concluding
his letter, the archbishop recalls that it was “the Son of God himself
who desired to have a family and experience upbringing and obedience to
show that all human reality, even from its most fragile and hidden
biological origins, is steeped in the wisdom and love of God.”
Cardinal launches prayer appeal for Mexico and Latin America
Mexico City, Mexico, Apr 7, 2006 (CNA) - While
celebrating Mass at the archdiocesan cathedral on April 2nd, Cardinal
Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City launched a massive prayer appeal
for Mexico and all of Latin America.
The appeal,
which will end on January 27, 2007, with a large youth pilgrimage, was
called for by a group of committed lay faithful, aware that “prayer is
the path to advancing a solution to the gravest problems that afflict
our society.”
According to
organizers of the appeal, the purpose is to pray for Mexico and for
people upon whom the future of the country depends. They said that “the
situation Mexico and the other Latin American countries are enduring is
not easy because it constitutes a challenge not only for the work of
evangelization in all areas, but also for social participation and
political action.”
In referring to
the serious problems facing Latin America, organizers mentioned lack of
security and injustice, corruption and impunity, severe poverty and
unemployment, as well as the weakening of the family and of moral
values.
“Therefore”,
they said, “we have launched this appeal which above all has as its
goal the personal transformation of those Mexicans, who participate, as
well as the unity and motivation of those who are willing to join in
the commitment.”
