Cameron's Either Lying Or Stupid...

According to the news today, and on the front page of the Daily Telegraph Online, The British Prime Minister, Mr. David Cameron wants to allow gay "marriages" to be conducted in churches, synagogues and so on.

For the sake of argument, let us overlook the little point that gay "marriage" hasn't actually been passed through Parliament - though from the way the PM is going on about it, he considers it to be a fait accompli. We shall also overlook the fact that this has nothing to do with equality before the law, as civil partnerships already provide this.

I want to look at the assurances being given by the Prime Minister.

He said: "I'm a massive supporter of marriage and I don't want gay people to be excluded from a great institution. But let me be absolutely one hundred per cent clear, if there is any church or any synagogue or any mosque that doesn't want to have a gay marriage it will not, absolutely must not, be forced to hold it. That is absolutely clear in the legislation."

No, it isn't.

The European Court of Human Rights, back in March this year, ruled that same-sex marriage is not a human right. In its conclusion, it also pointed out that if same-sex couples are allowed to marry, any church that offers weddings will be guilty of discrimination if it declines to marry same-sex couples.

There is always the slight possibility that I am sharper, and more on-the-ball that the Prime Minister's legal advisors. It's about as slight as my chances of being elected Pope. So that means the Prime Minister is giving assurances which he hasn't checked out (ie. he's mind-blowingly stupid.) Alternatively, he's lying through his teeth, and assumes that the British Public are too stupid to notice...

I didn't ever think that I'd prefer to think the Prime Minister of the country is a blithering idiot...

Dance For Rio...

Having found out about the great band ooberfuse via His Hermeneuticalness' blog post on Shabaz Bhatti, I was delighted to spot that one of the band had started following me on Twitter. It seems that Cherrie Anderson, who is one of the very talented songwriters and vocalists, likes to read my blog. I've got a sneaking suspicion that it's because of the cats. They are, after all, adorable, despite what His Hermeneuticalness says!

Anyway, I promptly started following back. And, from Cherrie's latest tweet, it seems that ooberfuse are making a video for World Youth Day 2013. They want volunteers who like dancing and want to be in the video to turn up at North Greenwich tube station on Saturday morning - that's December 8th. - at 9am.

It sounds like tremendous fun. Sadly, with two dodgy knees and an even more dodgy ankle, dancing isn't my thing these days. I'm also attending the Missa Cantata at Blackfen for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. But if you do happen to be free, I'd recommend it...

Here's the video they made in memory of Shabaz Bhatti, to give you a taste of the group's musical style...

Oh Please...!

Well, maybe after all the previous stuff, she'll say something radical. You know, something Catholic...

...But I won't hold my breath!

Twitch of the mantilla to the Lovely Bones.

Wasps In Autumn...

The Call to Action group which is trying to organise meetings of dissenters in various dioceses around the country remind me of wasps in autumn. They're dying, and they become more vicious because time is running out.

As I said on Twitter, I rather resent having to pay any attention to this unhappy coterie: I'd much rather settle back, and find out, in this Year of Faith, exactly what Vatican II actually did say about things like obedience to Papal authority, rather than being forced to repeat myself ad nauseam to people who are so wedded to their little fantasies of how the Spirit of Vatican II opened all the windows and doors of the church that they wouldn't recognise an actual Vatican II document if it sat up, waved a tie-dye stole and a tambourine, and bit them on the bum.

So why am I wasting a perfectly good evening's blogging time?

Well, it is rather invidious, this dissent thing. Dissent must make a noise. It has to be vocal. It is instability attacking stability, and so it needs to pop up all over the place in order to convince the powers-that-be that change just has to happen, because simply everyone is calling for it.

Quite apart from the fact that the Church, being a supernatural institution started and protected by God himself, isn't going to cave in to that sort of rubbish (well, not when considered in the light of eternity) there is the purely human aspect of it. The faithful Catholics in the pews who attend Mass regularly and support the Church with their time and money aren't, by and large, a vocal group. They expect things to be taken care of. Most of them won't actually notice the Call to Action types - just as they didn't really pay any attention to the Stand Up for Vatican II crowd.

The faithful parish priests, on the other hand, are hearing nothing but the vocal minority. With the best will in the world, it is difficult to keep one's spirits up in the face of such relentless poison. And, believe me, this stuff, just like a wasp sting, is a poison. It's killed off plenty of vocations over the past forty years, and destroyed many people's faith.

It is absolutely vital that this sort of dissent is dealt with. It's tempting to leave it to die quietly, but a dying wasp is vicious, and a whole nest really needs expert removal.

There is a precedent. The Bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska, issued an automatic interdict in 1996 which progressed to excommunication on members of the organisation within his diocese. This was backed up by Rome. In view of the latest Motu Proprio, the Bishops of England & Wales cannot just sit back and allow this to continue unchallenged. Silence implies consent.

Faithful Catholics also need to make their feelings known by writing to their Bishops. Find out where the meetings are to be held, and if it is on Catholic premises, then demand to know why.

If it all gets too much, remember to laugh about it. The gates of hell shall not prevail.

Finally, remember to support the very many faithful priests and religious who are as tired of this nonsense as anyone else. And don't forget to pray.

Reflections Of A Feline Nature...

The other day I was indulging in some idle reflections on why a comfortably sleeping cat (or even a picture of a sleeping cat) makes so many people smile. I concluded that it has something to do with the fact that the sleeping cat implies trust. If a cat is happy, things can't be that bad.

Both Cardinal Furretti and Monsignor Miaowrini were rescue cats, each adopted at approximately four months of age.

Furretti was adopted first, along with her brother, Cardinal Catzinger. Actually Catzinger was the one who picked me out; once he had conferred the seal of approval, Furretti wouldn't leave my side. The two of them had been dumped in a stairwell together, and it's as if she has some sort of separation anxiety. She loves to be in the same room as me, and sleeps on the bed beside me most of the night. She will also come over to say hallo when I get home in the evening.

About a month after Catzinger's death, I adopted Miaowrini. She had been abandoned, and, from the nervous way she shied away from me whenever I even looked at her, I suspect that she had been very badly treated. Gradually she would approach me, and allow me to stroke her, but she didn't like to be picked up. Then, after about 18 months, she started flopping over onto her side as I approached, wanting to have her tummy tickled.

It's taken two years, but finally Miaowrini has jumped up on to the bed beside Furretti and me, and has curled up and slept. And then she has woken up, stretched, purred, rolled over to be tickled, and then gone back to sleep... and watching her lie there makes me smile...

The two cats will continue to have their little squabbles, and I shall have to guard against accusations of "favouritism" from one or the other, but right now I have two happy, sleeping cats on my duvet. And that's a definition of happiness.

Questionable Questionnaires...

The Bitter Pill has a survey up about the new translation of the Mass. As well as a sloppy approach to Catholicism, it seems that the publication takes a sloppy approach to questionnaires.

The questions are clumsily worded and there were numerous errors in the text. Several commenters over at Fr. Z's blog uncharitably suggested that this might be because the people who wrote the questionnaire don't go to Mass regularly, and so are themselves unfamiliar with the new translation. I prefer to think that the authors of the questionnaire usually attend Mass celebrated according to the Usus Antiquior, and so are unfamiliar with the English...

Obviously someone alerted the powers that be at The Bitter Pill that they'd goofed. The questionnaire has been changed to remove some of the ambiguities - for example they clarify that you might hear a phrase rather than say it. This does rather affect the answers one might give, so it's worth going back to check your responses.

Reflections For Advent...

Every year I grouse about the fact that earlier and earlier Christmas celebrations crowd out the season of Advent. This year I'm delighted to note that Father Z has decided to help out by publishing a podcast reflection for each day of Advent.

I no longer bother with iTunes now that I've ditched the iPhone in favour of my beloved Android Samsung Galaxy Nexus, so I'm not sure if there is a way to download the podcasts automatically (there probably is a way, I'm just too busy (ok, ok, too lazy!) to look into it. However, it will come up on Google reader each day.

In case you missed them, the first three days' reflections are here: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Tempus Fugit...

The chaps at Papa Stronsay have produced their wonderfully uplifting calendar again. Time to pencil in all your important engagements, Latin Masses to attend, conferences to go to...

Don't waste any more time! Order your very own copy now... and maybe even buy a few copies as presents!

Another Motu Proprio To Make Hearts Rejoice...

It's strange. Before Summorum Pontificum, I'd never heard of Motu Proprios, though I now know they existed. I'm pretty sure that the Holy Father has actually issued a few more, but, in my heart, Summorum Pontificum was THE Motu Proprio.

As of yesterday, this is no longer the case. Pope Benedict has delivered another Motu Proprio to warm the cockles of faithful Catholic hearts...

The title, Intima Ecclesiae Natura, is rather more wordy, but don't let that put you off. This MP is on charity, and particularly on Catholic charitable organisations. Yes, important, but surely nothing to get excited about? Actually, here in the UK, it constitutes a tolling bell for organisations such as CAFOD, which will now be required to toe the line on Catholic teaching on contraceptives or else change its name to AFOD.

I believe that the US also has one or two institutions which will be similarly affected.

The bit that got me all excited was the realisation that this will apply to all Catholic institutions which claim charitable status... for example, The Bitter Pill. True, The Tablet doesn't actually use the word "Catholic" in the title... but it does have the phrase "The International Catholic News Weekly" under the title on the website. And, if it isn't Catholic, why should it be distributed and sold in churches across the country?

There are some real grenades just about to be lobbed at organisations which claim to be Catholic, but in reality sneer at the teachings of the Church and at the Holy Father. In particular (and the emphases are all mine):

Article 4. - § 3. It is the responsibility of the diocesan Bishop to ensure that in the activities and management of these agencies the norms of the Church’s universal and particular law are respected...

Article 7. - § 1. The agencies referred to in Article 1 § 1 are required to select their personnel from among persons who share, or at least respect, the Catholic identity of these works.

Article 7. - § 2. To ensure an evangelical witness in the service of charity, the diocesan Bishop is to take care that those who work in the Church’s charitable apostolate, along with due professional competence, give an example of Christian life and witness to a formation of heart which testifies to a faith working through charity.

Article 9. - § 3. It is the duty of the diocesan Bishop and the respective parish priests to see that in this area the faithful are not led into error or misunderstanding; hence they are to prevent publicity being given through parish or diocesan structures to initiatives which, while presenting themselves as charitable, propose choices or methods at odds with the Church’s teaching.

And another salvo is found lurking:

Article 10. - § 3. In particular, the diocesan Bishop is to ensure that charitable agencies dependent upon him do not receive financial support from groups or institutions that pursue ends contrary to Church’s teaching. Similarly, lest scandal be given to the faithful, the diocesan Bishop is to ensure that these charitable agencies do not accept contributions for initiatives whose ends, or the means used to pursue them, are not in conformity with the Church’s teaching.

This really is a Motu Proprio about which to celebrate! What a wonderful present for Advent from the Holy Father! How many hearts will rejoice at the news...? I think we'll probably be having more champers and chocolate cake at Blackfen...

Now, all we need to do is wait for the Bishops of England & Wales to follow the instructions... (Please be charitable in the comments box!)

Ten Years On...

Today I celebrated the tenth anniversary of my vows. I usually arrange to renew my vows on the first Saturday in December, as this coincides with the monthly Missa Cantata at Blackfen, making it a handy time to have a bit of a get-together afterwards. This year the first Saturday fell on 1st December, which is the actual anniversary, which was rather pleasing.

My good friend @fitzrufus who also blogs at Vox in Rama Audita Est came all the way over from the Netherlands, and she stayed with me overnight (this seemed to be the best way to ensure that we actually had time to talk, as I knew that today would be far too hectic!)

@Londiniensis, who occasionally comments on blogs, but now concentrates more on Twitter instead, also made it down to Blackfen for the day. Gem of the Ocean (who tweets as well) also came along, and the mighty Zephyrinus was MC. Tom was there to help with the singing, and his children joined in at the last Salve Regina of the year with gusto. Their mother gleefully informed us that they've been practicing the Alma Redemptoris Mater all week. Father Tim Finigan was there, of course, and with me that made it a six-blogger occasion... (Eight if you include Londiniensis and Delia (another commenter, who sadly couldn't stay for the party.)

Father Whinder, an old friend (as he so ungallantly reminded me), was once the most blogged-about non-blogging guest of English Catholic blogs, and he journeyed over from Mortlake to help me celebrate. The ubiquitous non-blogging priest from Chislehurst was absent, but we snaffled some of his parishioners, one of whom was happy to serve on the sanctuary...

Chislehurst's torchbearer on the right...

The Guild of St. Martha took care of the catering, and provided a rather scrumptious spread after the ceremony, and Danika from the parish club made sure that spiritual sustenance was available for those of us who fancied something stronger than tea. (I was a little disconcerted when I recalled that I used to teach Danika Science and RE...)

It really was a very special day, and I'd like to thank everyone who helped me celebrate!

Stepping Out In Style...

Life for Cardinal Furretti and Monsignor Miaowrini was beginning to get a little precarious. The ledge outside the cat flap was rotting away, and the available space being reduced bit by bit. I had placed a chair nearby because Miaowrini couldn't comfortably manage the distance between the ground and the ledge, and that was starting to disintegrate as well. On more than one occasion, when the two cats were vying for the prime spot on the ledge, I heard an ominous slithering sound followed by a thump as one or other of them stepped on the rotten piece of ledge...

Jonathan, Blackfen's Senior MC came to the kitties' rescue. He'd told me that he had some old bits of wood handy, and he'd weather-proof them and attach them to the wall outside the cat flap. I was expecting a couple of bits of MDF...

In fact these are not just any old bits of wood. They have been beautifully varnished (so much so that I wonder if the kitties will end up slithering off the ends) and fastened securely to the wall in a step-like fashion. Furretti has been out and in again, so that's ok. Miaowrini's still out gallivanting, so I don't know if she's figured out the new system yet...

More Advent Preparations...

I wrote a post about preparing for Advent. Less than a week to go now. This year I have the candles (purple, pink and white) all ready to go... though I have to admit that was because I didn't get around to using them last year!

The actual greenery will have to wait until the weekend.

Anyone who wants to do some spiritual preparation could benefit from reading the words of the Abbé Gueranger, so kindly reproduced by Zephyrinus. Part One is up already. Part Two will follow in due course...

Catholics Don't "Believe" - They Know!

One of the best explanations of why we, as Catholics, assert that life begins at conception, written by Creative Minority Report Guest Blogger, Rebecca Taylor.

I have to plead guilty to having used the phrase that Rebecca deplores. She is absolutely right, though. Her final paragraphs contain a challenge for all of us:

Every one of us is a continuous organism from the moment we are conceived to the day that we die. It is illogical that we be valued and protected under the law only for a part of that continuous process.

So the next time someone says to you, "Human life does not begin at conception," correct them and tell them that life indeed does begin at conception and what they really mean to say is "I don't believe the life that begins at conception has value." (And then explain to them why that stance is totally illogical.)

And if you must use the word "believe" when discussing the beginnings of life, please do not say, "I believe life begins at conception." Say instead, "I believe the life that begins at conception has moral worth simply because it is human."

Earworms...

YouTube is a real gift for tired teachers. A short video clip to illustrate a point can work wonders, and the sillier it is, the better!

Occasionally it backfires...

This afternoon my Year 10s (14-15 yrs old) were entranced by the following clip, and proceeded to join in with the chorus...

Unfortunately I can't get the tune out of my head. Aaaarghhh!

Preparing For Advent...

The traditional liturgical calendar gives us the season of Septuagesima in which to prepare for the rigours of Lent. It allows us some valuable "thinking time" - Ash Wednesday can catch us unawares if Easter is early.

Unfortunately, there is no corresponding season in which to prepare for Advent.

With the secular emphasis on Christmas (sorry, the "Festive" season), the round of present-shopping, parties and such-like, Advent can get lost. And yet it is a season in its own right. We are preparing for the coming of Christ - a remembrance of his first visit and an anticipation of the second!

There's a week to go before it starts. So take the time to decide what you are going to do to celebrate Advent.

Entente Cordiale...

Maybe it's the effect of Furretti's promotion to Cardinal. Alternatively, it might be due to the bad weather. Right now, the kitties are getting along nicely. Cardinal Furretti has extended the tongue of friendship and licked Monsignor Miaowrini's nose.

Both cats dislike the rain, though Miaowrini, being more of an outdoor type, tends to brave the elements for longer. Furretti only goes out for the minimum of time necessary to do her stuff, and then she comes bounding back in, demanding to be dried off. Miaowrini gets much wetter, and also miaows asking to be dried, but she is frightened of towels, so it's rather more tricky...

Anyway, it is very wet and cold outside, and so I've turned up the heating. Both the kitties came to keep me company while I blogged...

(The Cardinal decided she wanted to snooze on the cardigan and towel...)

Donor Cards...

I used to be a firm believer in donor cards. I remember being quite angry that, on the death of my father, no one at the hospital believed my mother was in a fit state to consent to his organs being used. When his personal effects were returned, we found his donor card in his wallet.

Now, I am not so sure about the wisdom of carrying a card. The more I learn about hospital procedures, the more suspicious I become. When, exactly, is a person considered to be dead? And if, in order to allow organs to be harvested for transplant purposes before the heart has stopped beating, the diagnosis of "brain death" is accepted, then what exactly is "brain death"? And now we hear of cases where the donor has recovered just in time to stop having vital organs removed...

Tony Bland had to have opiates administered so that he wouldn't show distress when he was being starved and dehydrated to death. Now "dead" patients are having to be anaesthetised to stop them reacting to the pain of surgery to harvest their organs.

Coma, the book by Robin Cook about a health centre which purports to look after coma patients whilst secretly harvesting their organs for transplantation is beginning to appear prophetic...

Blessed Miguel Pro

Today is the anniversary of the martyrdom of Blessed Miguel Pro, a Mexican priest of the early twentieth century.

I heard the name a while back, but I didn't know very much about him until I read this excellent summary of his martyrdom on the Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma blog. The similarities in the stories of the persecution of the Church in Mexico and the persecution carried out in England at the Reformation were quite striking. Nothing new under the Sun? Or does persecution of the Church always follow the same pattern? There's an extended blog post in there somewhere...

I was particularly amused by the tale of a young woman helping Fr. Pro to escape by linking arms with him and pretending to be his wife/girlfriend. There is a very similar account of one of the English martyrs (I forget which one) being saved from capture by the pursuivants when a maidservant pushed the priest into a water trough (or duck pond.) It was assumed that the woman, a known Catholic, would never do such a thing to a priest...

It is finding out about things like the persecution of the Church in Mexico that highlights the paucity of History teaching in the UK. The only thing British children get to hear about Mexico is that the Aztecs/Incas were there. The teaching is so vague that, even now, I don't know the difference between the Aztecs and the Incas...

Richard Collins also writes his own blog, Linen on the Hedgerow. It's well worth keeping an eye on his personal blog as well as the Guild one, because he doesn't always publish the same stories on both (I envy his industry... I have problems writing for just the one blog!!)

Happy Feast Day !

Oooops. Wrong celebration! This is the photo I meant to put up...

Happy St. Cecilia's Day. If you want to know more about the saint herself, do go and read my previous post about her.

And, to my many American readers, have a happy thanksgiving as well. Just one word of warning. If you are a vegetarian, and are happily planning on tucking into the tofurkey, be aware that it has nothing to do with tofu. The tofurkey is a cute little critter, and you have had it slaughtered...

Another Quick Plug...

A brand new blog is up and running, and is worth keeping an eye on.

It's by a friend of mine, Catholic Christian, who has just moved to the big, bad city,and he wanted to start a blog to record his thoughts and experiences.

Anyway, do pop over to Roamin in London when you get a chance