Pope Benedict XVI delivers the Urbi and Orbi message and blessing to faithful after the Easter Holy Mass on April 24, 2011 at St Peter's square at The Vatican.
Unlike most people, every trip the Pope takes is a big event.
Security, giant projection screens, stages, sound systems, and accommodations for the thousands of pilgrims who want a glimpse of the leader of the Catholic Church are almost never already there in their entirety, making his visits very not cheap.
When Pope Benedict XVI visits Spain next week for World Youth Day festivities, the price tag to accommodate him and the event will be between $72 million and $86 million, according to Agence France Presse.
That price tag is too much, critics say, especially with Spain suffering massive public sector cuts and nearly 20 percent unemployment.
Organizers say 80 percent of the cost of the event will be financed by payments from the 1 million or so pilgrims expected to attend, with the rest coming from donations by companies and individuals, AFP reports.
Still, opposition to the event and its price tag has been very vocal, and is coming from both secular and religious groups.
An umbrella group - the Priest's Forum - argue that the costs and showmanship of the event cannot be justified in the age of austerity, The Guardian reports.
Evaristo Villar, a 68-year-old member of the group, told The Guardian: "The companies that are backing World Youth Day and the pope's visit leave much to be desired. They are the ones who, together with international capital, have caused the crisis. We are not against the pope's visit, we are against the way it is being staged."
Yago de la Cierva, the executive director of World Youth Day 2011, told The Guardian that they are trying to be economically responsible, but "the new generations - young people today - they like big events and the church uses all the tools that exist to present the message of Jesus Christ."
The World Youth Day celebrations began under Pope John Paul II in 1986 as a way to revitalize the faith among young Catholics, AFP reports. It was in Spain once before, in 1989.
Curia’s Response Team investigating another priest
The Curia’s Response Team is investigating another priest over involvement in sex abuse at St Joseph’s Home, Lawrence Grech, one of the sexually abused victims, told this newspaper yesterday.
“I was recently informed that Mgr Charles Scicluna (the Vatican’s sex crime chief prosecutor) has asked the Curia’s Response Team to investigate Fr Conrad Sciberras’ behaviour when he stayed at St Joseph’s Home around 20 years ago.
“Last October, we victims received a letter, signed by Fr Louis Mallia, the regional superior of the Missionary Society of St Paul (MSSP), informing us that the allegations against this priest are founded.
“I remember that this priest didn’t live permanently at the Home, but since he was a friend of Mr Pulis, he would come over and stay at the Home in summer. His duties revolved around supervising young boys.
“He is being accused of fondling four boys, on separate occasions, in the sea in Marfa, which is where he used to take us to swim in summer. His actions were witnessed by two other former residents of the Home, who have recently recounted to Mgr Scicluna what they saw happen,” Mr Grech said.
When the cases of long-running sexual abuse at the St Joseph Home were made public in 2003, this priest, thought to be in his 50s, was alleged to have fled to Italy before the police charged the now defrocked Charles Pulis, Fr Godwin Scerri and Brother Joseph Bonett (since deceased) with sexually abusing up to 11 boys.
When The Malta Independent published his name a few months ago, the priest in question wrote a letter, through his lawyer, informing this newspaper that he was never contacted by the police, that there are no criminal charges pending against him and that he had never fled to Italy. He also threatened legal action against this newspaper if he is again implicated in the sex abuse crimes which took place at St Joseph’s Home.
He added that he was serving in Rome years before the accusations first surfaced, where he has continued to be based. He added that he comes to Malta regularly and is constantly in touch with the MSSP, of which he is a member.
A week ago, Mr Pulis, 65, and who recently resided at St Agatha Convent in Rabat, was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of abusing nine boys.
Fr Godwin Scerri, 76, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment after the court found him guilty of sexually abusing two boys.
The Curia’s PRO could not be reached yesterday for comment. Questions sent to his e-mail address also remained unanswered.
Vatican’s probe of fourth priest is still ‘pending’
Response Team established allegations were ‘founded’
by
Christian Peregin
The Vatican is still reviewing the case against a fourth Maltese priest who was implicated in the scandal that has seen two priests being sentenced to prison last week for sexually abusing young boys in their care.
Fr Conrad Sciberras was implicated in the testimonies and reports submitted by some of the victims who used to live at St Joseph Home, Sta Venera, and grouped together to expose the abuse.
Fr Sciberras was never brought to justice because the allegations made against him were time-barred, according to the victims’ lawyer, Patrick Valentino. Fr Sciberras was not interrogated by the police either.
In the case of the other two priests – Charles Pulis, who has since been defrocked, and Fr Godwin Scerri – some of the claims were recent enough to tie all the allegations together.
There was a third cleric, Bro. Joseph Bonnet, from St Joseph Home, who faced court charges but died before the Vatican or the courts concluded their cases.
“The case against Fr Sciberras is still pending,” sources at the Vatican said yesterday, without giving any more details.
Fr Sciberras had been mentioned in a letter to the abuse victims by the Missionary Society of St Paul. The letter said the allegations were investigated and the Response Team established they were “founded”.
Like the other priests involved in the scandal, as a precautionary measure Fr Sciberras was immediately prevented from working with children as soon as the allegations surfaced.
Although he had been thought to have fled Malta not to face charges, his superior general, Fr Bernard Mangion, had explained last year he had been serving at Casa Generalizia, on the outskirts of Rome, since 1999, four years before the accusations first surfaced. Fr Mangion said Fr Sciberras denies the allegations.
But Lawrence Grech, one of the victims who reported abuse by Fr Sciberras, has challenged him to face his alleged victims. “He’s saying the allegations are untrue. We are ready to meet and challenge him.”
Mr Grech called for the Church to conclude its investigations for the victims to be able to get the closure they need.
Questions about Fr Sciberras’s case sent yesterday to the Vatican, the Church in Malta and the police remained unanswered. Efforts to contact Fr Mangion proved futile.
The head of the Vatican bank criticised "harmful" European bailouts of debt-stricken economies and "self-limiting" US policies to promote growth through debt, in interviews published this week.
Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, head of the Institute for Works of Religion, the Vatican state bank which manages the accounts of major Catholic religious orders, said private savings should be used to boost growth instead of cutting debt.
"If resources have to be taken away from families, why not immediately use them to promote economic growth? Why use them to reduce debt?... It is 1,000 times better to use them for growth," Gotti Tedeschi told Vatican radio.
In another interview with the Vatican official daily Osservatore Romano on Monday, Gotti Tedeschi criticised the European bailouts as "inflationary manoeuvres to reduce debt and uncertainty" that were ultimately "harmful".
"By using for example 10 percent of family savings in a country for healthy and market-leading medium-sized businesses... it would be possible to put major capital at the disposal of tens of thousands of companies," he said.
The pope's banker also criticised the United States for its policy of "keeping gross domestic product growth high by supporting it with debt."
Major economic powers should agree "that only a period of austerity, managed with integrity, can be the real key towards restoring growth," he added.
Pope Benedict XVI has often been critical of financiers, blaming them for helping to the start the global financial crisis.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Magi \Ma"gi\, noun pl. [L., pl. of Magus, Gr. ?; of Per. origin. Cf. {Mage}, {Magic}.] A caste of priests, philosophers, and magicians, among the ancient Persians; hence, any holy men or sages of the East.
The inspired Magi from the Orient came. --Sandys.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
magus
noun
1: a magician or sorcerer of ancient times
2: a member of the Zoroastrian priesthood of the ancient Persians [also: {magi} (pl)]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
Magi
noun: (New Testament) the sages who visited Jesus and Mary and Joseph shortly after Jesus was born; the Gospel According to Matthew says they were guided by a star and brought gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh; because there were three gifts it is usually assumed that there were three of them [syn: {Wise Men}]
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
magi See {magus}
magisterial
adj
1 commanding; authoritative
2 domineering; dictatorial
3 of or relating to a teacher or person of similar status
4 of or relating to a magistrate
(C17: from Late Latin magisterialis, from magister master)
♦ magisterially adv
♦ magisterialness n
English Collins Dictionary - English Definition & Thesaurus
Thousands of youths get ready for WYD during 'MAGIS,' organized by Jesuits
August 9, 2011. (Romereports.com) Roughly 1.5 million people are expected in this year's World Youth Day. But before that big event there's a smaller gathering leading up to the big one in Madrid. It's called MAGIS and it's organized by the Jesuit Order.
It kicked off in the Sanctuary of Loyola in Spain, which is the birthplace of St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits. More than 3,000 youths from 50 countries attended the opening ceremony which included a spectacle of dance, music and special effects. Then Adolfo Nicolás Pachón, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus celebrated Mass with the young crowd.
The word MAGIS means 'more' in Latin, which is meant to represent the generosity and selflessness required when serving those in need.
This week the group will spread out across 100 locations in Spain and Portugal, where it will take part in activities that deal with social service, art, spirituality, ecology, faith and culture. It's a way to instill values in the young adults while also helping those in need. On August 15th the group will arrive in Madrid, just in time for World Youth Day, which runs from the 16th to the 21st.
FORTY YEARS ago the late Jesuit Fr. Joe Blanco and I had the honor of taking Fr. Pedro Arrupe, then the Jesuit superior general, to Tondo. We met the Zone One Tondo Organization leaders and Fr. Arrupe and the poor people discussed, among other matters, Marxism, armed struggle and the role of the Church in fighting poverty.
At that time in the Zone One area there were four priests helping the poor to organize their own people’s group. There was also a small convent of the Religious of the Good Shepherd who helped the organizing and took care of most other problems of the people. Now there are no priests or sisters in the urban poor area, except perhaps for Mass on Sundays.
We met Fr. Arrupe at the old Institute of Social Order on Padre Faura. Two Jesuits were sent with him by the Jesuit provincial, who, it seems, didn’t quite trust Fr. Blanco and me. We asked the two to wait at the ISO. Fr. Arrupe was excited as a boy on a picnic. He had been in meetings since he arrived in the country and was happy to be free to move around the city. He even enjoyed our mad dash to Tondo down Roxas Boulevard behind a careening bus that spouted so much foul exhaust it finally disappeared altogether in a black cloud.
Fr. Blanco arranged things in the ZOTO office while I took Fr. Arrupe around the area: Slip Zero, Pier Dos, Isla Puting Bato and Bonifacio Village (now called Parola). Some 30,000 poor families lived in Tondo at that time. I felt I was with a TV superstar, though few people had any idea of who Fr. Arrupe was, or what a Jesuit was for that matter. They saw a jolly man in his 60s, his thinning gray hair flying in the harbor breeze, with one of the most radiant, joyful smile anyone had ever seen. They crowded around, especially the children. He stopped to talk to people and was able to communicate with them in a mixture of Spanish and English. He held on to their hands while he talked to them. He had been a medical student in Madrid before he entered the Jesuits, so he took notice of the malnourished children, stagnant pools of water, the garbage everywhere—all speaking of disease.
He asked them about their incomes and other problems and their hopes in life for their children. He wasn’t shocked by the terrible poverty. Earlier in his life he was one of the first people to go to Hiroshima after the A-bomb attack. He had been stationed outside Hiroshima in the Jesuit novitiate. I thought I saw deep in his eyes traces of the horror he saw that day and the huge act of faith it took to believe God would someday renew this world.
I had some business in a nearby area, so I missed the beginning of the meeting with the ZOTO leaders, Trining Herrera, David Balondo, Pedro Timbolero and others. Fr. Blanco introduced Fr. Arrupe as a close friend of Pope Paul VI. The people met the Pope a year earlier in another part of Tondo. Later whenever the people wrote President Marcos about their problems, they sent the Pope a copy (“Copy furnished the pope,” they wrote at the bottom of their letters). Sometimes when Malacañang responded, they also added “copy furnished to pope.” Somewhere in the Vatican these old letters in Tagalog are filed away. Did anyone ever know what to do with them?
When I arrived in the ZOTO office, I found Fr. Arrupe and the ZOTO people discussing revolution and armed struggle. He wanted to know what ordinary urban poor people thought of these matters. He wanted to know what kind of world the poor people wanted. He gave the people his full attention and told stories of people he had met in other countries, especially in Latin America. The Tondo folk said they were open to armed struggle since nothing else seemed to work. They admired young people who joined the rebels.
When the people asked about Pope Paul, Fr. Arrupe was full of praise for him, though a gap was already opening between Pope Paul and himself (and later between him and Pope John Paul II). Some Vatican officials thought Fr. Arrupe and the Jesuits were going beyond Church orthodoxy in several matters—for example, in their openness to the use of Marxist analysis.
We ate food the people brought from the local turo-turo and then a big crowd walked us out of the area. Fr. Arrupe shook every hand and kissed the children. We took him back to the ISO where the father provincial’s car was waiting.
Fr. Blanco and I arrived late at the airport on the day he left the country. When he saw us, he left the circle of Jesuit superiors and bishops he was with to hurry down to us. He told us to keep doing what we were doing in Tondo.
Fr. Blanco is dead. I am still working in the very same streets I walked with Fr. Arrupe that day. I sometimes think he is walking along with me, with his gracious smile for everyone we meet.
Fr. Arrupe had a stroke in 1981 and resigned as Jesuit superior general. He was able to speak until 1983, but the last eight years of his life were spent in silence.
His name is not mentioned often now. Perhaps 50 years from now, Fr. Arrupe’s memory will be revived and also the spirit of optimism and openness to change of Vatican II. Some consider him the very image of a Vatican II priest. They see in him the essential spirit of Vatican II.
Fr. Arrupe’s visit was in 1971. After that came martial law and 25 years of democratic government.
Denis Murphy works with the Urban Poor Associates. His email address is upa@pldtdsl.net.
Nine Salvadoran ex-soldiers face extradition over Jesuits killings
SAN SALVADOR (BNO NEWS) -- The El Salvador Supreme Court will soon decide whether to extradite nine retired military officers who have been accused of the killings of Jesuit priests in 1989 during the country's civil war, Salvadoran media outlet El Faro reported on Tuesday.
On November 16, 1989, members of the Salvadoran Army allegedly killed Spanish national Ignacio Ellacuría who was dean of the Central America University (UCA). In addition, six other Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter were also murdered. Five of the priests were Spaniards.
Spanish judge Eloy Velasco indicted 20 military officers for their roles in the slaughter in May, accusing them of eight counts of murder and one count of crimes against humanity. The nine suspects turned themselves in at a military base on Sunday afternoon as Salvadoran police were preparing to arrest them on an extradition order issued by Interpol.
The Defense Ministry subsequently handed the arrested suspects over to Salvadoran justice authorities to start the proper procedures against them. One of the suspects, former General René Emilio Ponce, died in May, but his case has not been dismissed yet because the Spanish court has not received his death certificate.
Spanish judge Eloy Velasco has criticized the previous trials against the soldiers in 1991 saying it was a fraud. The two prosecutors assigned to the case in 1991 later resigned and then claimed that the Attorney General had asked them not to investigate the responsibility of military high rank officers in the slaughter, El Faro reported.
The murders of the Jesuits priests were part of an estimated 75,000 people who were killed during the 12-year civil war between the military-led government of El Salvador and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN).
Human rights groups have welcomed the move by the nine former military men but said they hold out little hope that the Salvadoran Supreme Court will extradite them to Spain.
Public Advocate achieved a real victory in the war for traditional values and morality this year.
After Public Advocate alerted hundreds of thousands of Americans to the Homosexual Classrooms Act, Barack Obama’s “Safe Schools Czar” Kevin Jennings announced he will resign.
“This is one battle won, but the Homosexual Classrooms Act is still gaining support in Congress,” said Eugene Delgaudio, President of Public Advocate.
“Public Advocate members must brace themselves for the next stage of this battle to defeat this outlandish bill once and for all.”
The Homosexual Classrooms Act
The goal of the Homosexual Lobby has long been the complete eradication of traditional values.
The Homosexual Classrooms Act, deceptively named the Student Non-Discrimination Act, would turn American schools into bastions of thought control and political correctness.
“The Homosexual Classrooms Act could be one of the greatest threats to traditional values I’ve seen in my 30 years fighting for the family,” said Eugene Deglaudio, president of Public Advocate.
A Laundry List of Anti-family Provisions
The Homosexual Classrooms Act would require schools to teach appalling homosexual acts in “tolerance” classes.
The bill will allow homosexual teachers to spin impressionable students in a whirlwind of sexual confusion, even pressure to “experiment” with the homosexual “lifestyle;”
And private or religious schools would be forced to teach a pro-homosexual curriculum and purge any reference to religion if a student claims it “discriminates.”
Not only that, but homosexual students would be exempt from punishment for harassing or even sexually assaulting classmates, according to a warped version of “freedom of self-expression.”
Pro-Homosexual Indoctrination Already in Some Schools
Pro-homosexual indoctrination of children has already begun creeping into American schools.
At the Cambridge Friends School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, children participate in an annual Gay and Lesbian Pride Day.
What ensues on this day is a sinister program designed to immerse school children in a world where homosexuality is not only normalized, but praised.
Students are shown prominent celebrities who are practicing homosexuals, giving the students a false sense that homosexual acts are normal and healthy.
“It really makes you sick to the stomach how they take advantage of impressionable young children in this way,” said Mr. Delgaudio.
33 Co-sponsors in the Senate, 145 in the House
Hollywood leftist senator from Minnesota, Al Franken, launched an all out campaign with confessed homosexual Congressman Jared Polis to pass the Homosexual Classrooms Act in the Senate.
S. 555 already has 33 co-sponsors in the Senate -- over half the number need to pass the bill.
While H.R. 998 has 145 co-sponsors in the House.
“This is an emergency,” said Mr. Delgaudio. “This is a battle for the survival of American values and the fact is there’s no time to waste!”
Public Advocate to Defeat Homosexual Classrooms Act
Eugene Delgaudio wasted no time in rousing Public Advocate supporters into action and mobilizing to defeat this immoral legislation.
Public Advocate supporters received letters and emails alerting them to the threat and returned thousands of petitions demanding their senators and representatives defeat this bill.
But according to Mr. Delgaudio, “tens thousands of petitions aren’t enough. We need hundreds of thousands if not millions.”
“In order to engage in the full scale petition drive that is required to reach those numbers, I need the financial support of every pro-family Public Advocate supporter in the country,” concluded Mr. Delgaudio.
We are told in an 1873 edition of the Review & Herald the following words:
If God abhors one sin above another, of which his people are guilty, it is of doing nothing in a case of emergency. Indifference or neutrality in a religious crisis is regarded of God as a grievous crime; and equal to the very worst type of hostility against God. {RH, September 30, 1873 par. 9}
Martin Luther is known as saying that "Silence is Betrayal"...
On behalf of God's last-day movement that will never die, never be silenced or deterred, we would like thank all those who lifted the voice of protest and have cried out to God for the sins in Zion. By raising our collective voices, God has honored our requests. May this be a lesson going forward: The prayers of the righteous availeth much and we can move the arm of God when we stand together for the right. This is only a practice run, however; the final movements will be rapid and more severe. Be ye also ready.
Be encouraged for God has heard the prayers of His people and He has placed in Ted Wilson the kind of leadership that is willing to stand for principle, even at the risk of being unpopular.
T.D. Jakes Invitation to speak to our pastors at the annual Evangelism Council has been canceled. Below will be the final response concerning this issue:
If you are interested in staying in tune with the most cutting-edge trends in evangelism and news fulfilling Bible Prophecy in the world today, please join our mailing list by clicking below:
"The greatest want of the world is the want of men,-- men who will not be bought or sold; men who in their inmost souls are true and honest; men who do not fear to call sin by its right name; men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole; men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall." --Education, p. 57
TD Jakes Invitation to Evangelism Council 2011 Has Been Canceled!
Thank you for not keeping silent. Your overwelming response made an impact.
First, we would like to state for the record that it has not been the intent of this video and website to "out" or embarrass the leadership of the Evangelism Council. We love the remnant church and are zealous over it and the sacred truths it preserves. Perhaps we have been too zealous in our method, however. So, with this in mind, if we have offended anyone, we would like to humbly apologize. As we seek to hold leadership accountable, we will hold ourselves equally accountable for the manner in which we represent Christ, His character, and upholding the standards and instructions given in His holy word. Imperfect, though we may be, we must all seek to follow God's principles so that the enemy does not gain any advantage. May we all receive more grace in how we treat one another. However, we remain true to the spirit of protestantism and, in this final communication, make all aware of how pervasive and dangerous this issue is. What ultimately has been revealed through this experience is that a) the T.D. Jakes invitation is just the tip of the iceberg, for it is happening everywhere and happening quietly, and b) the majority of God's remnant people are not aware, but are outraged upon hearing of these unbiblical, self-serving, church-damaging, soul-poisoning practices that have covertly slipped into our midst. Awake and Keep Not Silent.
We have received an overwhelming response to this site and the video. We want to thank all who have engaged in this issue and are taking a stand. Many have sincerely asked “Why is this such an important issue?” We answer this question in this final communication.
With so many responses, we have come to the conclusion that this issue is much larger than T.D. Jakes. We have received emails from around the world that have shown that actually many conferences and churches are inviting non-Adventist preachers in to speak. We believe the bottom line is that it leads to a flood of spiritualism coming into the Adventist church. There was a reason why our General Conference President warned us of the Emerging Church movement, Spiritual Formation, Contemplative Prayer and other spiritualistic practices from first-day ministers. To understand this more, we recommend that you read a book by Rick Howard called The Omega Rebellion.
It has been stated by the Council that we are blowing this issue out of proportion since the Evangelism Council event has had a non-Adventist preacher for the last 17 years. Clearly the Council is not aware that revealing this is actually more incriminating. One need only consider the fruit of this 17-year practice. Jesus said that we will know them by their fruits. No need to judge anyone, just look for the fruit.
T.D. Jakes is confirmed to speak at this year’s event: Click Here to see that in writing. I think we can all agree, this is creating much confusion in the Remnant Church.
Each of us will have to decide what is right based on the truths that God has revealed to us in His word.
We felt it necessary to share clear, Bible instruction on this issue, with corroborating statements that conclusively clarify this issue.
Isaiah 8:20
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them.
COMMENT: We have placed a video showing TD Jakes mocking God's Sabbath out of ignorance or malicious intent (you decide). Or perhaps, he is in opposition to God's law based on "faulty theology". Nonetheless, TD Jakes spoke according to something else. What?
Isaiah 8:20 says "To the Law and to the the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
QUESTION: Did TD Jakes speak according to the law and the testimony? No, He actually mocked the law.
COMMENT: So if TD Jakes has no light, then what does he have?
ANSWER: Darkness. So according to the Bible, why should our leadership listen to darkness?
2 Corinthians 6:14
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?
"There is no union between the Prince of light and the prince of darkness, and there can be no union between their followers." {GC 45.1}
That seems really simple to me. How about for you? Below are a few more texts.
Romans 16:17- 18
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.
2 John 1:9
Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into [your] house, neither bid him God speed:
1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
There is to be no compromise with those who make void the law of God. It is not safe to rely upon them as counselors. {2SM 371.1}
What is the scriptural basis for doing what we're doing?
Isaiah 58:1
Ezekiel 33
The responsibility of the watchmen of today is as much greater than in the days of the prophet as our light is clearer and our privileges and opportunities greater than theirs. It is the minister's duty to warn every man, to teach every man, in all meekness and wisdom. He is not to conform to the practices of the world, but, as God's servant, he must contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. Satan is constantly at work to break down the strongholds which debar him from free access to souls; and, while our ministers are no more spiritually minded, while they do not connect closely with God, the enemy has great advantage, and the Lord holds the watchman accountable for his success. {5T 16.1}
Also below are two documents for further study on this vital topic. We believe this is the climax of the last attack on God’s Remnant Church, something Ellen White called “The Omega Apostasy.”
“I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence”... Isaiah 62:6
THE ISSUE AT HAND
The last few years, many have been inviting non-adventist preachers to speak at our schools, churches and conferences. Whether it is reading their books or hearing their preachers, we need to stand up and not keep silent. Pastor T.D. Jakes has been invited to Oakwood University for Evangelism Council, December 2011. This issue is much bigger than the T.D. Jakes' invitation, it's about holding true to the principles God has laid out in His Word.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A federal grand jury in Missouri indicted a jailed Catholic priest on Tuesday on fresh child pornography charges including that he took sexually explicit photos of girls as young as two years old.
The Reverend Shawn Ratigan, 45, was charged with 13 counts in all, including 11 counts of producing or attempting to produce child pornography and two counts of possessing it.
According to the federal indictment, Ratigan took or attempted to take sexually explicit photos of at least five young girls beginning in 2005, shortly after he was ordained, through the spring of 2011, before he was arrested.
The victims ranged in age from two to 12 years old.
The indictment alleges that some of the photographs, including those involving the 2-year-old child, were taken inside the choir loft of the church in Easton, Missouri where he worked.
The sexually explicit images were found on Ratigan's laptop by church officials and turned over to authorities.
Ratigan, who is already in custody on related state child pornography possession charges filed in May, faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison without parole if he is found guilty on all the federal charges.
The charges against him are the latest to rock the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, which agreed to pay $10 million three years ago to settle clergy sexual abuse charges.
In June, Bishop Robert Finn enlisted the help of Todd Graves, a former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, to help the diocese look into allegations against Ratigan.
(Reporting by James B. Kelleher; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)
Pastor Nancy Petty, the lesbian spiritual leader at Pullen Memorial Baptist church in Raleigh, N.C., has a message for her state: Legalize same-sex marriage — or else. Until gay unions are legislatively permitted, Petty plans to no longer sign marriage licenses — an action that will potentially have a profound impact on her congregation.
At the end of July, Petty told her church body that until she state begins allowing gay couples to wed, she is uncomfortable performing nuptials. Apparently, she has asked church deacons to allow permission to be relieved of this duty until the matter is settled (i.e. until the state enables same-sex marriage). Though she claims that she’s enjoyed presiding over weddings, she says:
“every time I sign a marriage license for a heterosexual couple and act as an agent of the state, I am reminded of those couples who I marry that are denied the basic human right to legally marry the person of their choice.”
She’ll do the religious blessing at Pullen, but she won’t sign a marriage license. If the congregation backs her up, anyone wanting a state-sanctioned marriage will need to see a magistrate first — most likely in the public safety building downtown, where brides in their gown must pass through a metal detector.
In addressing same-sex marriage, Petty said the following to her congregation:
“Do we, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, want to continue to participate in offering religious ceremonies that carry with them civil and human rights that are not afforded to all people? Or will it be our practice and the practice of our ministers to honor all marriages equally by only offering religious ceremonies, thus not acting as agents of the state and perpetuating the unjust marriage laws of our state?”
Some may be wondering how a Baptist church could condone such actions. Others may be questioning the church’s general stance on same-sex relationships. The Associated Baptist Press (ABP) has more:
The church has long blessed unions between both same-sex and heterosexual couples, [Petty] said, but they are not the same. For heterosexuals it is called a “marriage” and satisfies requirements for the state. The others are called “unions” and are not legally binding.
Petty said she has “become increasingly uncomfortable with the inequality” of the two ceremonies. Even though the intent is to celebrate lifelong committed relationships equally, she believes the church unwittingly condones marriage inequality by acting as an agent of the state.
The church has a long history of advocating for progressive policies. According to ABP, its former pastor, Edwin McNeill Poteat, was a leading advocate for progressive Christianity within the Southern Baptist Convention in the early 1900s.
The pastors who followed also took stances on issues related to organized labor, the Vietnam War and, obviously, gay rights. As a result of the latter, the church was removed from the Raleigh Baptist Association, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and the Southern Baptist Convention in the 1990s.
Petty has been extremely active in her community. In 2010, she was arrested for taking part in a NAACP protest over a school diversity policy that was being stricken from the books. Here’s a video that showcases statements from Rev. William Barber of the NAACP as well as his and Petty’s arrest (she is only visible in a few frames, but her arrest and presence at the event is documented):
Considering the current debate over same-sex marriage across America, there’s no telling how long Petty could be refraining from signing licenses. The issue continues to be highly debated in the state.
August 9, 2011. (Romereports.com) Roughly 1.5 million people are expected in this year's World Youth Day. But before that big event there's a smaller gathering leading up to the big one in Madrid. It's called MAGIS and it's organized by the Jesuit Order.
