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In India: Ban These Films!

One is well known to you, the other may not be.

From Asia News Italy:

Indian Catholics protesting against two films, “The Da Vinci Code” and “Tickle my funny bone”, have scored their first victory. The films are held to be “offensive to the community’s religious sentiments. Meanwhile, Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil today joined his voice to the chorus of condemnation.

Yesterday, the KBC, distributors of the second film, tendered an apology and said it will not use posters showing censored portions of the film. The Central Board of Film Certification has postponed release of the film, which was scheduled to take place yesterday, and censured parts of the film.

“Tickle My Funny Bone”, directed by Yogendra Konkar, is about a Catholic nun – depicted as a seducer – who has an affair with a married man. Vinayak Azad, head of the Central Board of Film Certification for Maharashtra state, assured Christian representatives that no vulgar scenes will be kept in the film and no symbols of the Christian Church, like churches, rosaries and crosses will be screened.

Before the cinema release of the censored film, a premier of “Tickle my funny bone” will be screened for Christians, so they may ascertain that the film does not include any offensive images.

Anniversary of Assasination Attempt on Pope John Paul

Feast of Our Lady of Fatima...
First...not anymore....
From this blog:

This took us right over the spot on St. Peter's Square where there is a red pophry rock marking the spot where Pope John Paul II was shot. Jeff Kirby had told us about it, but we hadn't been able to find it on any of the previous days, now we were stooped on the ground looking at it (the original stone had drops of blood and was removed, while this stone was put in its place as a marker). When we arose, there was Greg Burke and the Fox News crew getting ready to film a spot about the Italian Parliament's proclamation blaming the Soviet Union for the attach on the late Pontiff's life. "How did you know about that?" Greg asked us. "Thanks to Jeff Kirby."

A new plaque marks the spot:



The story of the day's commemoration from Asia News Italy:

A marble slab bearing the inscription of the coat of arms of John Paul II, and the date, in Roman figures, of the assassination attempt against him – XIII-V-MCMLXXXI – was placed yesterday in St Peter’s square, on the spot where Pope Wojtyla was felled by a bullet fired by Alì Agca 25 years ago. Many events are marked on this day, on which the Church recalls not only the assassination attempt against John Paul II but also the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, whose “maternal hand”, according to the then pontiff, diverted the deadly path of the bullet.

Yesterday, for the third time, the statue of Our Lady of Fatima arrived in Rome; today it will the focus of a procession organized to mark the anniversary of that tragic event. Tonight, it was placed in the private chapel of Benedict XVI.

Around 20,000 pilgrims are expected to turn up for the prayer event. The cortege from Castel Sant’Angelo will be led to the Basilica of St Peter by Cardinal Ivan Dias of Mumbai, India. A pause to recite two prayers – one composed by John Paul II and the other by his then secretary, today a cardinal, Stanislaw Dziwisz – will take place at the place where the assassination attempt took place.

In the afternoon, Cardinal Camillo Ruini will celebrate Mass in the Basilica. At the end, in the square, below the windows of the pope, a fireworks display will be held.

"Other-cott" the "Code"

From the Houston Chronicle:

Amy Welborn, author of De-coding Da Vinci, at an Opus Dei event that attracted more than 400 people.

Opus Dei, an organization of devout Catholics, has its own international campaign to correct the book's portrayal of the group as a secret society.

Welborn is among those calling for an "other-cott" next weekend — going to see another movie, such as the animated feature Over the Hedge, instead of Da Vinci. That campaign is sponsored by the Catholic grass-roots organization Da Vinci Outreach.

"I've got better things to do with my time," said Welborn, the mother of five. "But if you must see it, don't go on the first weekend, because that's important for the box-office results."

Hanks Speaks Out About DaVinci Paranoia

From the BBC News:

Da Vinci Code star Tom Hanks has said the film of Dan Brown's controversial best-seller is just "a good story" that should not be taken too seriously.

The actor told London's Evening Standard newspaper the film was loaded with "hooey" and "nonsense".

"If you are going to take any sort of movie at face value, particularly a huge-budget motion picture like this, you'd be making a very big mistake."

Jury that Convicted Priest Did Not Hear all Evidence

What wasn't allowed which you can read here, isn't necessarily as damning as it seems (with the exception of the S & M/rape allegation).

From Court TV:

The jury that convicted the Rev. Gerald Robinson Thursday listened to 41 witnesses during the three-week trial, but they did not hear every piece of information authorities uncovered in the course of their investigation.

Prosecutors were barred by law from presenting some evidence against the priest. Other information was deemed irrelevant to the murder of Sr. Margaret Ann Pahl or open to too many interpretations to benefit their case. Among the things jurors did not hear.

Pope and Chevez

From the Vheadline:

Instead, Pope Benedict XVI, increasingly wary of foreign leaders using meetings at the Vatican for political purposes, gave Hugo Chavez, the aggressively populist left-wing leader, a stern lecture on the need to respect religious freedom in a nation where 96% of the population is Roman Catholic.

Senor Chavez, who arrives in London this weekend, last year described the Church as a “tumour” and denounced Venezuela’s bishops as out-of-touch, elitist “devils in cassocks."

The Vatican noted dryly that during the 35-minute audience Senor Chavez ... who faces elections in December ... had “briefed the Holy Father on projects for social change under way in his country."

Catholic School Cancel Ne-Yo Concert

From Monsters and Critics:

Administrators of a suburban Detroit Catholic girls school canceled a free concert by R&B star Ne-Yo because of his sexually explicit lyrics.

The students at Mercy High School in Farmington Hills, Mich., had won a contest sponsored by a radio station and a nearby maker of seatbelts, by signing petitions that pledged always to buckle up, the Detroit Free Press reported

.

Jag's Wide Receiver Jimmy Smith Retiring

From USA Today:

Jimmy Smith, one of the most prolific receivers in NFL history, has decided to retire.

Smith, a five-time Pro Bowl selection who overcame several health problems and a drug addiction during his 12 seasons, scheduled a news conference at 1 p.m. ET Thursday with the Jacksonville Jaguars to announce the decision.

The 37-year-old receiver led the Jags with 70 catches for 1,023 yards and six touchdowns last season. He ranks seventh in NFL history with 862 receptions and 11th in receiving yards. He has more receptions than every receiver in the Hall of Fame, and only Marvin Harrison has more catches and yards receiving than Smith since 1996.

Toledo Priest Found Guilty of Murder

From the Toledo Blade:

Catholic priest Gerald Robinson was found guilty today of the murder 26 years ago of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl.

The jury deliberated for six hours and 25 minutes yesterday and this morning before delivering its verdict.

Robinson appeared to have no reaction after the verdict was reached. He was immediately sentenced to 15 years to life in prison by Lucas County Common Pleas Court Judge Thomas Osowik. Robinson has 30 days to appeal.

Fired for not Practicing What You Teach

Diocese of Green Bay, in Appleton, WI. My guess is that there is more to this story, something akin to a very public dissent from Church teaching that isn't being told in the stories below:

From ABC's Good Morning America:

After five years trying to conceive, Kelly and Eric Romenesko decided to try in vitro fertilization.

Their twins, Alexandria and Allison, were born last year. It was a joyous event in the couple's life.

"They're miracles. They're precious," Kelly Romenesko said.

The couple were not prepared for what came next. When Kelly, a teacher at two Catholic schools in Wisconsin, told her bosses she had gotten pregnant through in vitro, they handed her a pink slip.

From the Local Press:

Kelly Romenesko wanted to get her story before the public, but appearing live on network TV was a little more exposure than she had anticipated.

A camera crew from ABC's "Good Morning America" was setting up at the Romenesko's house Wednesday night for a live broadcast this morning.

Oh, and Geraldo called. So did CNN.

Romenesko lost her teaching job with ACES/Xavier, the system that runs Appleton's seven Catholic schools, in 2004 for having in-vitro fertilization. The procedure violated her contract with the district, which requires teachers to act and teach in accordance with church doctrine. Unbeknownst to Romenesko, the Roman Catholic Church opposes in-vitro fertilization.

Evangelicals Using DaVinci Code as an Opportunity

To evangelize...even offering free i-pods?

From the LA Times:

Evangelical churches across the nation are launching an aggressive effort to save souls by talking about a fictional murder mystery that many regard as blasphemous.

Pastors are setting out doughnuts and sandwiches and inviting non-Christians to come discuss "The Da Vinci Code" bestseller. They're creating hip marketing campaigns to draw nonbelievers to sermons about the thriller. They're even giving away free iPods loaded with their commentary on the novel.

Amy Live Tonight on Life on the Rock (EWTN)

At 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, you can watch online if you don't have EWTN...

Understanding the Traditionalist Movement

This book will be invaluable if the rumored Indult happens:

Benedict's Catechesis on the Church Continues

From Asia News Italy:

Benedict XVI, partly improvising and reading off his prepared speech,
highlighted the role of the Church of Rome, “sign, criterion and guarantee of
the uninterrupted transmission of the apostolic faith” in the context of
apostolic succession. Although no reference, direct or indirect, was made to the
illicit Chinese ordinations, the words spoken by the pope today cannot but
appear to be a stress on bishops’ need for a relationship “with Peter”.

Benedict XVI dealt with the theme of apostolic succession, continuing
to tackle tradition in the Church. The pope said succession has a “personal
aspect”. It was started by Jesus, “gathering the Twelve, who represented the
future people of God”. After the Ascension and the “defection of Judas”, others
were “associated” with the Twelve and their ministry, so it would continue, and
Jesus himself “called” Paul. All of them, as the last expressly said, are
concerned with “passing on what I have received”. “Just as at first, there is a
calling and sending by the Risen Lord to the apostles, in the same way, the call
and sending of others, in the strength of the Spirit, by those who are already
inserted in the apostolic ministry, will be the way through which Episcopal
ministry is entrusted.”

Accuracy in the Media

Published by students of John Carroll University...

From Carroll News Online:

Books such as Darrell Bock’s "Breaking the Da Vinci Code," a book which attempts
to answer questions surrounding the novel and Amy Welson’s
"De-Coding Da Vinci," a Catholic response to the issues in the novel, are now
being published. Documentary television shows are aired to rebuttal some of the
issues Brown’s book raises.

Coming Soon!

Available September 2006!

Also look for:
A Pocket Guide to The Mass
in 2007

The Healing Priest at Ave Maria University

And a Parish Healing Service.

Poster Priest for Vocations--Known Dissident?

Such is the claim at Life Site:

The ad pictures Fr. Marcoux smiling, with the subtext "Priesthood, I love
my life."

The only problem is that Fr. Marcoux was the main signatory and in fact
one of the promoters of a letter slamming the Vatican and the U.S. bishops for
using "vile and toxic language" in addressing homosexuality.

The diocese cannot claim ignorance of Marcoux's actions since he led
the charge to write the controversial letter to the US Bishops Conference, and
the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith then and sent a copy to his bishop,
Rochester Bishop Matthew Clark. Bishop Clark has long been known to be a
sympathizer of homosexual clergy.

Top 10 Newspapers (by Circulation)

Look for Amy's op-ed in the top paper sometime within the next ten days...

From Drudge:

1. USA Today, 2,272,815, up 0.09 percent
2. The Wall Street Journal, 2,049,786, down 1 percent
3. The New York Times, 1,142,464, up 0.5 percent
4. Los Angeles Times, 851,832, down 5.4 percent
5. The Washington Post, 724,242, down 3.7 percent
6. New York Daily News, 708,477, down 3.7 percent
7. New York Post, 673,379, down 0.7 percent
8. Chicago Tribune, 579,079, up 0.9 percent
9. Houston Chronicle, 513,387, down 3.6 percent
10. The Arizona Republic, 438,722, down 2.1 percent