Criminal proceedings against Fr Sciberras would have been time-barred – victim’s lawyer
by
Kurt Sansone
A week after two priests were found guilty of sexually abusing boys in their care, Archbishop Paul Cremona yesterday met most of the victims and asked for forgiveness for the suffering they endured.
“I asked for forgiveness on behalf of the Church for the suffering they went through and I also asked forgiveness for the long time it took (the Response Team) to investigate the cases,” Mgr Cremona said, visibly moved by the meeting at his residence in Attard during which the victims recalled what they went through.
For more than an hour, Mgr Cremona met eight of the 11 victims, who were accompanied by their lawyer, Patrick Valentino, and also prayed with them.
Speaking to the media alone, Mgr Cremona said that Dr Valentino asked for a specific meeting to discuss financial compensation for the victims. This will be held on Wednesday.
Quoting the late Pope John Paul II, Mgr Cremona said covering up mistakes would only lead the Church to commit the same mistakes. “It is only when the mistakes come out in the open that the healing process can start,” Mgr Cremona said.
The Maltese Church, he added, had passed on its findings into investigations on sexual abuse by a fourth priest, Fr Conrad Sciberras, to the Vatican for its decision. The Curia’s Response Team had confirmed that abuse allegations against Fr Sciberras were founded and the case was also investigated by a Church Tribunal.
The Vatican has already defrocked Carmelo Pulis and is looking into the case of Fr Francesco Scerri, known as Godwin, after analysing the conclusions of the Church Tribunal.
Mr Pulis and Fr Scerri were found guilty by the Magistrates’ Court, which sentenced them to six and five years in jail respectively. They filed an appeal yesterday.
A third priest, Bro. Joseph Bonett, who was also facing criminal proceedings died in January.
Mgr Cremona said he understood the emphasis placed on this case because priests were involved but urged the media to focus on child abuse in general because there were many more children who suffered abuse.
Speaking on the steps of the Archbishop’s residence just after the meeting ended, Dr Valentino said criminal proceedings against Fr Sciberras were never taken because the charges would have been time-barred.
He said Archbishop Cremona apologised for all that happened, more so because the abuse took place in a Church home.
“The Archbishop apologised for the time taken by the Response Team to investigate the cases and said the Church was changing the way allegations of abuse are investigated, including the setting up of two committees to conduct investigations,” Dr Valentino said.
Financial compensation to the victims, he added, would be discussed at a meeting with the Church authorities next week.
One of the victims who has fronted the group, Lawrence Grech, said the meeting was positive. “When the Archbishop personally apologised I told him he had nothing to apologise for because he had done nothing to us. I want an apology from Fr Pulis,” he said.
Mr Grech said the abuse they had suffered was wrong but insisted the victims did not want to tarnish all priests.
During the meeting, other matters were also discussed, such as the lack of adequate structures in the country to cater for 18-year-olds who would have left orphanages but had nowhere to live.
One of the victims also raised the issue of fostering and insisted it was important to place unwanted children with families rather than leave them in orphanages.
When asked for his reaction to the sex abuse scandal, a spokesman for Gozo Bishop Mario Grech submitted a list of quotations on the subject from various homilies and statements made by the Bishop since 2006.
In the latest declaration made last week during a meeting of the College of Parish Priests, Mgr Grech asked parish priests to urge people who allege sexual abuse of minors to report their case to him and to the police.
Mgr Grech unreservedley condemned abuse of minors, especially that perpetrated by priests, and described them as “ugly scandals” that destroyed the Church’s credibility.
The spokesman also clarified that Mgr Grech was not a member of the Curia’s Response Team in the 2003 case that acquitted Mr Pulis, then a priest, of sex abuse after being caught in a compromising position with a 15-year-old boy by a careworker.
“However, Bishop Grech was on the Response Team when the case was presented again. In the course of this second inquiry, Bishop Grech resigned from his post in November 2005 when he was nominated Bishop,” the spokesman said.
The cowardly actions of certain individuals hang all Catholic clergy out to dry, writes Celia Larkin
Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.
-- Margaret J Wheatley
FR JOE McGuane speaks for most of us when he says it is time for Bishop Magee to return to Cloyne to answer criticisms outlined in the Commission of Investigation report.
The continuing refusal of Bishop Magee to explain his actions and more importantly, to explain the reason for the diocese's failure to tell the civil authorities about nine out of 15 allegations of child sexual abuse against a number of his priests, isn't just an example of personal cowardice. It hangs all Catholic clergy out to dry.
My heart goes out to all the good priests and bishops who are left to clean up the mess of cowardly individuals who run away rather than stay to explain their actions. Even more scandalous is the Vatican's complicity in this 'hide the bishop' episode.
This runaway bishop is the same guy who was private secretary to no less than three popes -- Paul V1, John Paul 1 and John Paul 11. This is also the guy who was implicated in the church's 'white lie' in relation to who found the body of Pope John Paul 1, (why the church felt the need to cover up the fact that a nun found John Paul 1's body is baffling). He is obviously well trusted at the top level within the Vatican. The very idea that he has gone into hiding without the knowledge, the sanction, even the collaboration of the top men within the church is, frankly, unbelievable.
The Catholic Church can issue all the apologies it likes. Archbishop Dermot Clifford can hold all the meetings he likes to discuss the Cloyne report, but he is fighting a losing battle in rebuilding confidence in his church until Bishop Magee faces the music.
The public perception is that the church is operating avoidance tactics. It is grossly unfair to hardworking priests throughout the country to expect them to suffer the wrath of the public when the individuals responsible for the cover-up of abuse cases are too cowardly to face the public, and powerful sections of the officer-class within the church are too terrified of what might be exposed were they to have the courage to face the public.
It's easy to issue a statement of apology. Far more difficult to explain yourself and face, in person, the consequences of your actions.
The victims of abuse need to know what happened. The public needs to know what happened. They need to know who exactly in Rome reacted -- or failed to react -- when it became public that Bishop Magee deliberately presented forged documents to Ian Elliott, head of the church's own Child Protection Board, when he was investigating allegations of child abuse in the Cloyne diocese. Because, make no mistake, whatever way you dress it up, that is what happened.
Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, sent a letter to every Catholic bishop in May 2001 which stated that the church can claim jurisdiction in cases where abuse has been 'perpetrated with a minor by a cleric'.
It ordered that 'preliminary investigations' into any claims of abuse should be sent to Cardinal Ratzinger's office, which had the option of referring them back to private tribunals in which the 'functions of judge, promoter of justice, notary and legal representative can validly be performed for these cases only by priests' and that the church's jurisdiction 'begins to run from the day when the minor has completed the 18th year of age' and lasts for 10 years.
The letter stated that 'cases of this kind are subject to the pontifical secret'. It went on to say breaching the pontifical secret while the 10-year jurisdiction order was operating carried penalties, including the threat of excommunication.
Cardinal Ratzinger is also quoted as saying 'standards of conduct appropriate to civil society or the workings of a democracy cannot be purely and simply applied to the church.'
Since then, the Pope has made a number of statements that strengthen the church's position on child sex abuse. Long overdue. But good, nonetheless.
But there can be no hope of confidence being restored in the church for as long as those responsible for the cover-up of abuse continue to behave in a secretive, duplicitous and cowardly fashion. No amount of 'mental reservation' can white-wash the fact that senior members of the Catholic Church effectively lied to the State by failing to report cases of child sex abuse ("mental reservation is a concept developed and much discussed over the centuries, which permits a church man knowingly to convey a misleading impression to another person without being guilty of lying").
Thankfully we live in a democracy and no person can be above the law. If the church is to survive, then it needs to operate in an open, compassionate, honest and humble way. Issues of such magnitude as addressed in the Cloyne report don't just disappear. Questions need to be answered and until Bishop Magee comes forward to answer the criticisms laid against him, the fallout from the report will endure like a running sore on the body of the church in Ireland.
After all, this is the bishop who, up to now, had no problem communicating with the public. He had a website that published everything he ever said about anything. He's curiously quiet now.
Fr Joe McGuane is right when he says that if Bishop Magee doesn't come forward he will be tracked down. He can run. He cannot hide forever. Nor should the church help to conceal him. If the Vatican believes that confession is good for the soul, they might usefully start to prove it by ensuring Bishop Magee makes a full public confession. In person. Soon.
The Homosexual Lobby has always had as its primary target the most basic building block of our society: The Family.
They cannot tolerate traditional and time-tested Family Values because they know it leaves no room for their sexual perversion.
They know that if children are raised in whole and unbroken homes, they will see the value in real marriage and the value in our American morals.
They want the government to take away parents’ rights to raise their children properly.
They want the government to take control of children’s classrooms so they can “teach” the kids that Family Values are bad, and Homosexuality is good.
They think the government will make your kids “better.”
Well, in the world today we can see first-hand how well that has worked out in other countries.
In the United Kingdom, teenagers are rioting in the streets and have actually brought the country to the brink of anarchy.
For decades the Homosexual Lobby in England has waged war on the Family.
They have indoctrinated young girls to believe that the best homes do not have fathers around. They have taught young men that it is perfectly alright for them to abandon their children to the State’s welfare.
And they have promoted “if it feels good now, do it” mentality.
The Leftist Agenda has destroyed the British Family and now they have an entire generation of kids with no moral compass, no sense of right and wrong.
The Family has always been America’s greatest asset, our greatest strength. Any attack on it is an assault on the very foundation of our nation.
The Radical Homosexuals would like nothing better than to reduce us to the point where people believe it is wrong for a man and a woman to make a home together, where the word marriage has absolutely no meaning.
They want to ruin our children and break our families in order to make this country more “tolerant” of homosexuality.
But you can rest assured that with your support, Public Advocate will always be here to stand for the Family, fighting against the destruction of our society.
FBI wants businesses watching for customers paying with cash
Government calls buying 'night flashlights,' making 'extreme religious statements' indicators of terrorism
By Bob Unruh
Just days after the White House announced a community-based approach to combating terrorism in the United States, the FBI and other agencies are asking managers of surplus stores to spy on their customers, watching whether they pay in cash, make "extreme" religious statements or purchase products such as waterproof matches.
And the request from the government also is going to gun shops, fertilizer suppliers, motels and hotels, authorities say.
Earlier this month, the Obama administration announced a new plan titled "Empowering local partners to prevent violent extremism in the United States." In it, Obama wrote, "Communities – especially Muslim American communities whose children, families and neighbors are being targeted for recruitment by al-Qaida – are often best positioned to take the lead because they know their communities best."
The report warns that while the Constitution recognizes freedom of expression, "even for individuals who espouse unpopular or even hateful views," it also is the responsibility of government to deter "plots by neo-Nazis and other anti-Semitic hate groups, racial supremacists, and international and domestic terrorist groups."
"The best defenses against violent extremist ideologies are well-informed and equipped families, local communities, and local institutions. Their awareness of the threat and willingness to work with one another and government is part of our long history of community-based initiatives and partnerships dealing with a range of public safety challenges," the report says.
One of the apparent elements of the White House strategy is a series of brochures being handed out to farm supply stories, gun shops, military surplus stores and even hotels and motels. The brochures ask proprietors, clerks and others to watch out for "potential indicators" of terrorism, including "paying with cash," having a "missing hand/fingers," making "extreme religious statements coupled with comments that are violent or appear to condone violence" and making bulk purchases of "Meals Ready to Eat" or "night flashlights."
The following was handed out to surplus stores by agents of the FBI in Denver in recent days.
The report from the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis defined right-wing extremism in the U.S. as "divided into those groups, movements and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups) and those that are mainly anti-government, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."
The DHS report had followed only by weeks a report from the Missouri Information Analysis Center that linked conservative groups to domestic terrorism.
The Missouri report warned law enforcement agencies to watch for suspicious individuals who may have bumper stickers for presidential candidates such as Ron Paul, Bob Barr and Chuck Baldwin. It further warned law enforcement to watch out for individuals with "radical" ideologies based on Christian views, such as opposing illegal immigration, abortion and federal taxes.
Officials with Oath Keepers.org noted the document was similar to one earlier given to gun store managers in Utah. Authorities in Denver confirmed to WND that related brochures are going to surplus stores, hotels and motels, farm supply companies that handle fertilizer and gun shops.
"This new handout expands the absurdity by now also targeting customers of military surplus stores, and by specifically targeting the purchasing of very common, and very popular, preparedness items such as Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) as 'potential indicators of terrorist activities,'" said a statement from Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes.
"Islamic terrorists are not known to hang out in local Army-Navy surplus stores, stocking up on MREs, high capacity magazines and bi-pods for their long range rifles," the statement said. "As Brandon Smith, over at Alt-market.com notes, 'These are very common purchases, not for terrorists, but for Preppers and Survivalists, who are obviously the targets of the FBI profile, not secret al-Qaida agents.'
"Spot on," Rhodes wrote. "Obviously, the current crop of FBI 'leadership' considers anyone who wants to be self-sufficient and prepared to be a 'threat' that should be relentlessly tracked and reported."
An FBI spokesman in Denver confirmed to WND that the flyer is genuine.
"It has been disseminated throughout the United States by the FBI. The flyer and the information on it, stands on its own merit. It was created by FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Denver Division has placed our contact information on the flyer and distributed it to local businesses within the states of Colorado and Wyoming.
"I assure you the process and the information has been well vetted by the Department of Justice before being released."
In addition to contact information for the FBI, the flyer also had a telephone number for the Colorado Information Analysis Center, a law enforcement "fusion" center where director Dana Reynolds told WND it's just part of the information-collecting done by the government.
He said when tips are turned in about suspicious activity, they are evaluated to determine whether there should be a police investigation.
"If it turns out to be nothing, if there's no probably case, then the contact is ended there."
However, when asked about profiling for suspicious behavior, such as that done successfully by security authorities in Israel, he said that was not being done, and why it is not being done "is a good question."
One-time Colorado congressional candidate Rob McNealy, who also is a decision-maker in the Libertarian Party, told WND he came across the flyer to surplus stores among his circle of friends and quickly confirmed it was genuine.
Then the FBI asks store managers to report the "suspicious" activity of buying the same items.
"It's almost like entrapment," McNealy said.
He warned that such practices could be used as attacks on free speech, the right of association and other constitutional provisions. And he believes authorities are targeting Americans who choose to prepare themselves for emergencies.
"Al-Qaida terrorists are not running around buying MREs," he said.
McNealy said he has information "from somebody who sat in on one of the [fusion-center type] training things in their class they will talk about all the groups out there who are dangerous to cops, sovereign citizens, neo-Nazis – and Oath Keepers and tea party groups."
"They lump them all together," he said.
Oath Keepers reported last year that it appeared the Southern Poverty Law Center had become "officially" part of DHS. That was because the chief of the SPLC "now sits on the DHS 'Working Group on Countering Violent Extremism' along with the leaders of other so-called non government organizations," the group reported.
The move came after a government agency accused a father of being associated "with a militia group known as Oath Keepers."
"It should come as no surprise to see Joint Terrorism Task Forces in states now listing the purchasing of firearms, high capacity magazines, bi-pods, night vision, MREs, weatherproofed ammunition containers, etc. as 'potential indicators of terrorist activities' since SPLC is almost entirely focused on going after the militia movement and the Patriot Movement, and is also focused on relentlessly demonizing and smearing nearly any individual or group on the political right that advocates strict adherence to the Constitution or who advocates for the right to bear arms, for state nullification of unconstitutional federal laws, etc. which is why SPLC also has a special animus toward Oath Keepers, which it has labeled as one of the most worrisome groups out there, because it contains active duty police and military who advocate for strict obedience to the Constitution and who pledge to refuse to obey unconstitutional orders," Rhodes wrote at the time.
"They see all of us on the patriot right as being terrorists or potential terrorists, and they intend to use all the power of government to control, suppress, marginalize, investigate, track, and if possible, prosecute us all until they stamp out our beliefs and views," Rhodes told WND.
"How far we have come from the Founder's ideal of a 'well regulated' (well equipped and well trained) citizen militia where ALL able bodied citizens were expected to keep and bear their own weapons, ammunition, field gear, and other supplies essential to personal military capability and competence. And the Founders expected us to keep that military gear at home and to actually train together in its use so we would 'be prepared' for anything, you know, like the Boy Scouts motto. That motto is a sad remnant of the Founders' ideal of a prepared citizenry," Rhodes wrote.
"Under the logic of this most recent handout, the Boy Scouts should be reported as 'suspicious,'" he wrote.
"The Founders would have wanted all of us, every one, to 'be prepared' for 'any old thing.' They would have wanted us to have night vision, gas masks (which come in handy in many situations), 'high-capacity' magazines – and the powerful military pattern rifles that use them – bi-pods so we can shoot accurately at long distance, and plenty of ammunition in 'weatherproofed' containers (also known as surplus ammo cans). They would have wanted us to have plenty of MREs for handy field use, and even 'night flashlights.' I suppose 'day flashlights' are OK with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, but those dangerous 'night flashlights' are verboten, and anyone who buys one must be reported! I certainly hope it wasn't actually someone at the FBI who wrote that.
"Funny thing is, who exactly do the authors of these handouts think they are talking to when they ask gun store and military surplus store owners and staff to spy on their customers and serve as a network of government snitches? These stores are usually owned and staffed by veterans, who are also very preparedness minded – in other words, just like the customers the government wants them to inform on. That's like handing the MIAC report to Ron Paul and Chuck Baldwin supporters and asking them to keep an eye on those pesky, subversive, and potentially dangerous Ron Paul and Chuck Baldwin supporters. It's absurd," Rhodes wrote.
That argument is being made before the U.S. Supreme Court in a dispute over whether police investigators and other authorities should be allowed to track American citizens who have not done anything that would ordinarily prompt a judge to issue a search warrant.
"The court of appeals' decision, which will require law enforcement officers to obtain a warrant before placing a GPS device on a vehicle if the device will be used for a 'prolonged' time period, has created uncertainty surrounding the use of an important law enforcement tool," said the government's brief in the case, U.S.A. v. Antoine Jones.
"Although in some investigations the government could establish probable cause and obtain a warrant before using a GPS device, federal law enforcement agencies frequently use tracking devices early in investigations, before suspicions have ripened into probable cause. The court of appeals' decision prevents law enforcement officers from using GPS devices in an effort to gather information to establish probable cause."
If you would like to sound off on this issue, participate in today's WND Poll.
Suppose you had a food that you liked very much, but your food was very smart. Your food can read and write and have a mind of their own. So you create a book for planting, growing, cultivating, harvesting and preparing this food, your prey can read this book;so you write this book in such a way to trick your food into willingly allow you to eat it, and that your farm becomes automated. You liked your food grown and prepared a certain way. It must be grown organically without pesticides, and remain pure without defilement and be cleansed and washed before preparation. You like your food with its blood drained out, not alive! Lets face it; You wouldn't want something to eat you in this manner, the Bible says: 'do onto others as you would have them do unto you'. Lastly it must be served hot or cold or you will spit it out, food stored at a room temperature cultures germs and bacteria.
Mark 1:16-20.
King James Version (KJV)
16Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
17And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
18And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.
19And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
20And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.
Matthew 13:3-32.
King James Version (KJV)
3And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
9Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
18Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
19When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
20But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
24Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
31Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
32Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
Revelation 3:15,16.
King James Version (KJV)
15I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Revelation 14:14-20.
King James Version (KJV)
14And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
15And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
16And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
17And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
To Serve Man
from a 1962 story by
Lloyd Bochner, Richard Kiel, Susan Cummings
adapted by Rick Shur
Jimmy Johnson was one of Homestead High School’s whiz kids. Even though he was a farm boy, who lived alone with his parents on their small piece of land far from town, he knew everything there was to know about astronomy, and his junior year science project won first prize in the science fair at the school.
The project was a satellite dish that Jimmy created to send signals into outer space. He programmed his computer to send an electronic message, “Earth people want to meet you,” in seventy-five different languages, including Morse code, towards various points in the night sky. It was Jimmy’s hope that the message would eventually be received by a superior race of alien beings somewhere in outer space. People didn’t really believe that the dish would accomplish anything, but Jimmy had put so much work into it that the judges were convinced that he should get the prize for energy and sincerity. The prize was Jimmy’s pride and joy. It was a silver ring with a large, blue sapphire. The inside was engraved with the words Homestead’s Brightest Star. He never took off the ring, not even to shower or wash his hands.
His dish shot his friendly message out night after night throughout the school year. Then, one warm, quiet Saturday night in May, the impossible thing happened. A space ship appeared, first as a speck of light, then as a silver dish in the night sky over Jimmy’s house. It came nearer and nearer, growing larger and larger until Jimmy could see the outline of a space craft. There were thousands of lights blinking on the metal frame of the ship which slowly but steadily descended toward earth and finally landed in Jimmy’s back yard.
It happened on a night when Jimmy’s parents were away for the weekend visiting relatives downstate. Jimmy was completely alone. There he was, all by himself, facing the most momentous event in earth’s history. A space ship had landed at his door because of his science project. At the same time thrilled and terrified, Jimmy watched as two small creatures emerged from the ship and walked down a ramp that came out of a door that slid open.
The creatures were childlike and wispy, with large eyes, much like many of the pictures that Jimmy had seen in alien encounter books. His body was filled with a warm glowing feeling of comfort and safety as the two blue creatures walked toward his kitchen door. Jimmy didn’t move, but he didn’t have to. The door of the kitchen opened magically. It was obvious that these creatures had telekinetic powers.
Jimmy was trembling in anticipation as the creatures went into his kitchen and found their way to his bedroom, where he was wearing only his light blue cotton boxer shorts. However, Jimmy wasn’t embarrassed that he was almost completely undressed. He was face to face with two aliens who seemed to be the kindest and most loving beings he had ever encountered and he was filled with joy. One of them opened its mouth and words like music came out that Jimmy could understand as English.
“We want to serve man.” As soon as it said those words, out of thin air, a small golden book materialized in the creature’s left hand. It had strange writing on the cover, symbols Jimmy had never seen before. “This book,” said the alien, “is our instruction book. In your language, it is called How to Serve Man.”
“Oh, my God. This is such a great night,” Jimmy cried.
“With this book, we can serve man…if you will come with us to our home.”
“You want me…to…to go with you?” Jimmy whispered with amazement.
“Yes. We want you to come with us to our planet. We want to take you to our leader. It is our wish to serve man.”
“My God!” Jimmy cried! “This is the answer to all our prayers! People from another planet have come to earth to help us! All the wars and poverty and hunger and diseases that we can’t do anything about….do you have the answers to our problems?”
“We have knowledge far beyond human understanding and our only wish is to serve man!”
“But how can I help?”
“You will see. If we are to serve man, you must come with us to our home!”
“Okay. I will! I will go with you! This is wonderful! But I have to write a note to my parents. What should I tell them?”
“You can tell them that we will deliver you back to your home very soon. We will present you to our leader.”
So Jimmy ran to his desk, took a pad of paper and scribbled that very message to his parents. He didn’t even bother to get dressed. After all, why would he need clothes on an alien planet? Anyway, these beings weren’t even wearing clothes themselves. He followed the creatures into their ship.
The inside of the ship was dazzling. Panels of electronic boards and lights were everywhere. Clearly, these beings had a technology far beyond anything humans had developed so far in their puny history.
One creature showed Jimmy to a seat in the space ship. Next to the seat, Jimmy was amazed to see a table with a plate of food that any American teenager would recognize: a hamburger, French fries, and a glass of chocolate milk.
“Is this for me?” Jimmy asked, amazed.
“Yes, eat. We want to serve you.”
Suddenly, the space ship vibrated and Jimmy’s body felt heavier as the craft rose quickly, straight up into the sky. Soon, they were speeding through space, past the stars, at warp speed. Jimmy was hungry even though he had made himself some spaghetti for dinner earlier that night, so he grabbed a hamburger, still trembling with excitement and joy.
Then he noticed the strange golden book on another table next to his seat. Jimmy picked it up as the smaller alien, the one who wasn’t piloting the craft, looked on. “What is in this book?” Jimmy asked.
“You may now look at the book called How to Serve Man” said the alien, quietly, sweetly.
Excited and curious, Jimmy turned to the first pages, he was amazed to see things he recognized as part of human culture. Even though he couldn’t understand the strange alien writing, he recognized the pictures. There was a picture of a kitchen, a picture of a table, a picture of a refrigerator, a picture of a stove. There was a picture of various utensils, including a long fork, and some stirring spoons. The next page had a picture of some knives. Then there was a picture of a large butcher’s cleaver. At this point, Jimmy was a little bit confused about why a book by a superior race of beings would have such mundane human things in it. Then he turned another page and he saw a picture of a hand. It was a sawed-off human hand with blood dripping out of the wrist. Then there was the next page, with a picture of a human leg, a sawed-off human leg, with blood dripping out of the thigh. Suddenly, Jimmy started to sweat and his skin became cold as he asked the little being sitting next to him his question.
“What are these pictures?”
The alien answered quietly, “This book tells us how to serve man. It is our cook book.” Before Jimmy could say anything, he smelled a sweet gas, and in moments, he was unconscious.
A month later, one afternoon, coming home from another meeting with the police chief, after weeks of fruitless searching for their lost son, the Johnsons found a large carton at their door. It had strange writing on the outside, symbols the Johnsons didn’t understand . Mr. Johnson quickly brought the box into the kitchen and put it on the table. He opened it. There was a small note card on top of a piece of greenish wax paper, which was covering the contents of the box. Mr. Johnson picked up the note card. It had writing in English. He read it out loud:
Your son was wonderful. We wanted to serve man to our leader. Our leader was delighted. Jimmy was delicious. We are returning what we didn’t need.
Mr. Johnson lifted up the piece of wax paper that covered the contents of the box. Frozen with horror, the Johnsons looked down at their son’s blue boxer shorts, neatly cleaned and pressed. They picked up the boxer shorts to see the rest of the box’s contents: a skull, and many bones, including one finger bone, which had around it, a silver ring with a large blue sapphire.
CATHOLICS have some pretty cock-eyed ideas, especially in regard to the bits and pieces of departed “holy” characters. These, they believe, possess “miraculous” properties.
Jesus’s foreskin is a case in question. At various points in history, a number of churches in Europe have claimed to possess the snipped end of Christ’s cock – sometimes at the same time!
According to the author David Farley, who wrote Fore Shame:
Depending on what you read, there were eight, twelve, fourteen, or even 18 different holy foreskins in various European towns during the Middle Ages.
Several hundred years on and Catholics’ bizarre faith in the healing properties of grisly relics remains undiminished.
Sister Marie Simon-Pierre Normand holds a glass reliquary containing the blood of the late Pope John Paul II during his beatification mass in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican on May 1, 2011.
A report today says that a vial containing the late pope John Paul II’s blood will soon be winging its way to Mexico in a bid to help bring down crimes rates in the largely Catholic country.
An episcopal conference in Mexico has requested that the relic be sent over and, according to Vatican Radio, the “relic”will arrive in the country on August 17 before being taken to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
A week later the vial of blood from the “blessed” Pope John Paul, a title he acquired posthumously after his successor Benedict XVI beatified him in May, will be taken on a pilgrimage to other Catholic dioceses around the country.
The relic will be accompanied by a statue of the late Polish pope, born Karol Wojtyla, with the intended message one of reconciliation.
Killings in parts of Mexico have shot up in recent years amid a military crackdown on organized crime and drug cartels which has sent soldiers onto the streets.
Mexican bishops, in a statement broadcast on Vatican Radio, said:
The reminder of John Paul II and the love he had for our country should push us to reinforce the faith of the Mexican people, at a time when our nation is undergoing profound social change.
Several vials of blood were taken from Pope John Paul II during the last days of his life in 2005.
This means that a few are left over to quell social unrest elsewhere.
