A public information service of the Catholic Traditionalist Movement
ISSN 1044-0518
VOL. III... No. 242
Special Issue
STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
The Sacred and the Secular Harmonize
at Christmas Mass
by DIANE CARDWELL
Before a rapt, multinational crowd of thousands, Archbishop Edward M. Egan said his first Christmas Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral early yesterday, delivering a homily that stressed humility and love, but avoided politics and any mention of his predecessor, Cardinal John O'Connor.
The service, which lasted about 90 minutes and was broadcast live on local television and radio, seemed in some ways tailored for a secular audience, with readings and performances by Jose Feliciano, Mary Higgins Clark and Ruth Ann Swenson, a soprano with the Metropolitan Opera.
Mr. Feliciano was escorted to the altar and performed a rollicking rendition of his signature hit, ''Feliz Navidad.''
Throughout the cathedral, worshipers accepted Mr. Feliciano's invitation to sing and clap along, backed by the church organ and chorus. Nancy Shelby, a Catholic who traveled from Providence, R.I., to see Archbishop Egan and the Rockettes, said: ''I thought that was really cool, and it was wonderful when the organ came in and syncopated with him. It was a great break from the religious aspect.''
Just before the official start of the service, the rector of St. Patrick's parish, Msgr. Anthony Dalla Villa, welcomed everyone to the cathedral, saying, ''Midnight Mass has its own meaning to you, regardless of religious background.''
He added, ''Sit back, enjoy it, participate to whatever extent you want.''
Archbishop Egan saved his acknowledgments of Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, Police Commissioner Bernard B. Kerik and Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen, each of whom received a warm round of applause, for the end. The crowd reserved its heartiest appreciation, complete with whoops and hollers, for Edward I. Koch, the former mayor.
THE NEW YORK TIMES METRO TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2000
" THE NEW YORK TIMES would have rendered its readers outside the New York area an extra service, had it pointed out that current mayor Rudy GIULIANI is one of the country's best known Catholic pro-abortion choice of politicians, and that Jewish former mayor Ed KOCH is the popular patriarch of New York City's homosexual contingent, best known for its annual blasphemously lewd anit-Catholic parade in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral." -- Father Gommar A. DE PAUW, Jan. 1, 2001.
Two new leaders meet at Inaugural Prayer Service
By Nancy Frazier O'Brien
Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON - The new archbishop of Washington exchanged the sign of peace with the new resident of the White House Jan. 21 at the Inaugural Prayer Service at the National Cathedral in Washington.
Cardinal-designate Theodore E. McCarrick, who took over as head of the Catholic Church in Washington Jan. 5, greeted President George W. Bush at the prayer service the day after Mr. Bush's inauguration as the 43rd U.S. president.
Cardinal-designate McCarrick gave the Gospel reading at the hour-long prayer service and helped to lead the subsequent responsorial prayer, to which the congregation replied by asking God to "keep this nation under your care."
The Catholic leader's prayer asked that all governmental leaders show "wisdom and grace in the exercise of their duties." Others prayed for all those who work for peace and gave thanks for the "wonderful diversity of God's children."
Among those attending the 8:30 a.m. prayer service were Mr. Bush and first lady Laura Bush; Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne; Mr. Bush's twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna; former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara; Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and his wife, Columba, who are Catholics; and several members of the Bush Cabinet, including the new secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell.
THE CATHOLIC REVIEW - JANUARY 25, 2001
A METHODIST MOMENT IN WASHINGTON
The first Methodist president in a hundred years, whose vice president is also a Methodist, along with a Congress that has increased numbers of Methodists, point to an unusual opportunity for the 8.4 million member United Methodist Church, according to the United Methodist Director at the Institute on Religion and Democracy.
George W. Bush and Laura Bush are United Methodist. So too are Richard and Lynne Cheney. President Bush's chief of staff, Andrew Card, is United Methodist and his wife, Kathleene, is a United Methodist pastor. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans, who served as Bush's campaign chairman, is United Methodist and belongs to the Midland, Texas church where Bush first became an active churchman. The new head of the Republican National Committee, Governor James Gilmore of Virginia, is United Methodist. So too is Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, a Democrat who served as Commerce Secretary under President Clinton.
The Institute on Religion and Democracy - January 30, 2001
" Just imagine for a moment that in the preceding news release the word 'Methodist' is replaced with the word 'Catholic'…How long do you think it would take for all hell to break loose among the fanatic anti-Catholic bigots of which there are still plenty in our allegedly broadminded country,…and not just among the newsmedia?" -- Father Gommar A. DE PAUW, Febr. 1, 2001.
'In Tough Places'
Archbishop McCarrick receives Roosevelt human rights award at White House
Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick of Newark, N.J., was one of five recipients of the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights given at a White House ceremony Dec. 6.
"In tough places, where civilians are struggling to get out, chances are you will find Archbishop Theodore McCarrick working hard to get in and to help them," said President Clinton in presenting the award.
Archbishop McCarrick, who is to be installed as Archbishop of Washington, D.C., in January, is a founding member of the U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom, has represented the White House in meetings on religious freedom in China and most recently was a key player in passage of a bill to set aside $345 million for debt relief for poor countries.
The Eleanor Roosevelt awards were created by President Clinton in 1998 to recognize people for their achievements in human rights leadership. They were established on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and were named for the former first lady, who was considered a driving force behind the document's adoption. -CNS
Catholic New York - December 14, 2000
'Interfaith Bridges'
Catholics and Jews celebrate relationship
By CLAUDIA McDONNELL
Catholics and Jews celebrated their friendship, cooperation and respect for each other's traditions at the fifth annual Nostra Aetate Awards ceremony in Manhattan Dec. 5.
The honorees were Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick of Newark, a New Yorker who recently was appointed Archbishop of Washington, D.C., and Rabbi David H. Lincoln of Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan, where the ceremony took place before 500 people.
The award is given by the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU) at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. Named for the groundbreaking Vatican II document that helped to revolutionize Catholic-Jewish relations, it honors individuals for commitment to interreligious dialogue, understanding and reconciliation.
The keynoter was Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, the Democratic candidate for vice president and a member of the awards committee.
The archbishop spoke of addressing a small Jewish community at their rabbi's request during a worship service in Shanghai. He said he told them, "Be faithful to your Jewish roots, to the Scriptures, to prayers…It's so important that you don't lose this."
He told the Jewish members of the audience at the ceremony, "I truly believe you are the chosen people, and the Lord never makes a choice by mistake."
In an interview, Archbishop McCarrick said that the award was a "very special" honor, and that the document for which it is named "ushered in an era of greater understanding, cooperation and affection between the Jewish community and the Catholic Church."
Catholic New York - December 14, 2000
President Saw Vintage Lewis Leading Service
By Hamil R Harris
Washington Post Staff Writer
As congregants of Lincoln Park United Methodist Church sang "He'll Welcome Me Home," deacons rolled the gray casket containing the Rev. Harold Lewis into the Capitol Hill church's sanctuary 18 months ago.
Dressed in a black tuxedo, Lewis was lifted out of the coffin. Then his rigid body came to life. He sprinted into the pulpit and began preaching a sermon titled "Are You Ready to Die?"
Fast forward to two Sundays ago. President Bush, trying to build bridges to the black community, attended the church. While not as dramatic as some Lewis has delivered, the service was vintage Lewis.
"I just try to bring scripture to life," said Lewis, 39, who was appointed to Lincoln Park three years ago. He has used several spiritual gimmicks to make his point. Besides arriving in a coffin, he has painted himself with fake blood and hung from a cross, dressed like a shepherd and dressed like the devil, then used a special microphone that made his voice sound very scary.
"When I dress up like a devil or come out of a casket, people can relate to that, " Lewis said. "In these days and time, people want you to keep it real. They want you to put the sermon in the context of their lives."
While most ministers preach from a pulpit, Lewis delivers sermons while walking the aisles and holding a black leather Bible. On the day the Bushes came, Lewis stood just a few feet from the president and boomed from the 16th chapter of Matthew, "And I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
Accompanied by his parents, President Bush and the first lady were quickly consumed by the service, according to Lewis's wife, Janet, who sat next to the president. During the opening prayer, worship leader Norma Belt called on God to give Bush a special blessing and to "put Your hand around him and his family."
By the end of the service, which was filled with shouts of "Praise the Lord" and "Hallelujah," all of the Bushes were on their feet and rocking to an old gospel tune: "I've Got a Feeling That Everything's Going to Be All Right."
As a member of the United Methodist Church, Bush has more than 400 to choose from in this area, said Dean Snyder, spokesman for the Baltimore Washington Conference of the church.
"There are many United Methodist congregations within a short drive of the White House where the president can attend," he said. "In Northern Virginia, from Alexandria to Winchester, there are more than 200 churches. In the District and up to Columbia, there are 65 churches. In Prince George's County down and in southern Maryland, there are 72 churches, and in the Montgomery County area, there are 77 churches."
Bush attended Lincoln Park in part at the suggestion of Mark Tooley, director of the Institute for Religion and Democracy, a conservative think tank in the District. He wrote to Bush and suggested that he go to a predominantly black District church because black churches tend to be theologically conservative and more like churches Bush attended in Texas.
As Bush entered Lincoln Park, he was asked why he decided to visit. His only response was, "It's a good one." During the service, he did not address the congregation. Janet Lewis said Bush was so animated that "I even asked him to join the choir and he said, 'I can't sing.' And I said, 'We will teach you.'"
Rev. Lewis's 15 minutes of fame is translating into telephone calls from media organizations and invitations for speaking engagements. He has not been as prominent in the news since last June when he clashed with neighborhood residents about a lighted sign advertising his sermons.
One Sunday, he decided to preach against homosexuality in a sermon advertised as "Was It Adam and Eve or Adam and Steve?"
Soon afterward, Lewis said, D.C. Council member Sharon Ambrose (D-Ward 6) called. "She gave me two hours to take the words off the sign," he recalled. "They said my sign didn't meet historic preservation guidelines."
After Lewis refused to take down the sign, a work crew from the D.C. Department of Public Works dismantled it and carted it away. Ambrose now praises Lewis and she said she was glad that Bush attended his church. "He is a dynamic preacher, and I am sure the president heard a sermon that he will remember," she said. "Rev. Lewis had to take the sign down not because of what it said but because he didn't have the proper permits. He is a good neighbor."
Lewis said his sign was not meant to bash gays. "Gays are welcome at our church," he said. "I have got to present the gospel to everyone."
If Bush returns to Lincoln Park, Janet Lewis said she might have to admonish the president that no talking is allowed during the service. He kept talking and asking questions, she said.
"Even though the pastor doesn't like people talking during service, I wasn't going to tell the president to shut up," she said.
Rev. Lewis said the Bushes appeared to enjoy the service and that it meant a lot to the congregation. "It says a lot about his honest intentions to reach out to the black community," he said, adding that even if Bush came strictly for political reasons, "faith comes by hearing the word of God. This is one institution you want to stay away from if you are trying to play games."
Harold and Janet Lewis moved to the area from Greenwood, Miss., three years ago when the church had about 300 members. Today there are 600, they said.
The pastor and his wife, 34, are passionate about the ministry and about family. They have six children and are expecting a seventh.
THE WASHINGTON POST - Thursday, February 8, 2001
IRD NEWS RELEASE
The Institute on Religion and Democracy
Wednesday, February 7, 2001
Contact: Luke Herche (202) 969-8430
NEW UNITED METHODIST SONG BOOK
SUBTLY PROMOTES GODDESS THEOLOGY
A new United Methodist hymnal supplement contains several hymns that refer to God as "Mother" and refer to Her divine womb. Called The Faith We Sing, the song booklet subtly introduces some of the radical feminist theology of the controversial Re-Imagining Community. That movement seeks to replace the "patriarchal" God of the Scriptures with feminine deities, according to Mark Tooley, director of the IRD's United Methodist committee.
"Unfortunately, this publication, with its questionable theology, will be purchased by thousands of unsuspecting United Methodist churches," Tooley noted. "It was published without the broad public discussion that preceded the 1989 United Methodist Hymnal," he said. If it has been, the questionable hymns almost certainly would not have been included.
One hymn in the new supplement, "Womb of Life," refers to God as "Mother, Brother, Holy Partner, Father, Spirit, Only Son." In reference to the hymn's title, it asks God to "aid the birthing of the new world yet to be."
Another hymn, "Bring Many Names," refers to "strong Mother God." It also refers to "old aching God" and "young, growing God," in references that seem to deny the timeless, eternal nature of the God of the Bible, who has no age.
The hymn "Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth" refers to "Mothering God," "Mothering Christ" and "Mothering Spirit," who "gave me birth in the bright morning of this world."
The hymn "She Comes Sailing on the Wind" refers to the Holy Spirit in feminine terms, saying, "She comes sailing on the wind, her wings flashing in the sun; on a journey just begun, she flies on…full of laughter, full of light."
The hymn "I Am Your Mother" is a self-described "earth song" that refers to the planet as a "Mother" pleading not to be neglected or abused.
"The God of the Bible does not claim a gender or sexual identity," Tooley said. "But the God of the Bible identifies Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He may have maternal qualities, but there are no references to "Mother God" in the Bible."
Tooley said descriptions of God's "womb" or of God giving "birth" to creation are not appropriate. Pagan deities procreated and gave birth to creation. The God of Christians and Jews, in contrast, created by simply speaking His Word. The Bible never describes God, even metaphorically, as having reproductive organs, either male or female.
"The problems in these several hymns may seem minor to some," Tooley acknowledged. "The vast majority of hymns in The Faith We Sing are orthodox. But the church of Jesus Christ has no higher responsibility than to accurately transmit the identity and character of God. Inclusion of even a few hymns that inaccurately describe God and defy settled Christian doctrine is unacceptable." Tooley asked the church's Publishing House and the Board of Discipleship to republish the hymnal supplement without the questionable hymns. "Followers of John and Charles Wesley must surely understand the power of hymns to teach theology," he concluded.
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THE WASHINGTON TIMES
JANUARY 25, 2001
VATICAN CITY
Bush's abortion reversal showcased
VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican, which sharply criticized President Clinton's support of abortion rights, gave prominent attention to President Bush's move to bar U.S. funds to international family-planning groups involved in abortion.
The Vatican daily L'Osservatore Ramono on Tuesday reported on Mr. Bush's action without comment, but made it the top story in the newspaper.
Vatican Radio also carried the report and broadcast comments by a spokeswoman from the U.S. Bishops Conference in Washington saying that Mr. Bush "had the right instincts" and was "going in the right direction" on abortion.
But the spokeswoman, Kathy Cleaver of the conference's Pro-Life Division, distanced herself from Mr. Bush on capital punishment. During his six years as governor of Texas, 152 convicts were executed.
Pope John Paul II has campaigned against the death penalty, including during a 1999 visit to St. Louis.
Miss Cleaver told Vatican Radio that Mr. Bush is "far afield on the issue of the death penalty."
On abortion during the Clinton years, the Vatican used unusually strong language to condemn the administration policy. It called Mr. Clinton's veto of a bill banning certain late-term abortions "shameful" and an "incredibly brutal act of aggression" against human life.
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
JANUARY 5, 2001
Pope's words fell on deaf ears
as Clinton's eyes wandered
ROME - Nearly everyone fortunate enough to get a solo audience with the pope has no trouble paying attention. But not, according to Pope John Paul II, President Clinton.
In an interview published in Italian weekly magazine Oggi, the surgeon who operated on the pope in 1994 said the 80-year-old pontiff had revealed details of some relaxed conversations.
Dr. Gianfranco Fineschi said the pope told him:
"The only leader I did not manage to have a proper conversation with was Clinton. I was speaking and he was looking at one of the walls, admiring the frescoes and the paintings."
"He was not listening to me."
Mr. Clinton had an audience with the pope in June 1994 in the ceremonial library of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, where the pope and his visitors sit in straight-backed mahogany chairs amid ancient books and 15th-century furnishings.
Mr. Clinton's wife did not accompany him to the library, where frescoes depict angels of indeterminate sex wearing little more than angelic expressions.
Catholic New York
January 11, 2001
Pope Gets Medal
More than a dozen members of the U.S. Congress traveled to the Vatican Jan. 8 to present Pope John Paul II with the congressional Gold Medal in honor of his efforts to defend human dignity and promote peace. The bipartisan delegation gave the pope a standing ovation as well as the heavy gold medal and a framed copy of the bill. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., told the pope he was being honored for "preaching the message of love and truth" and for being "a pillar of morality and a voice for the oppressed."
New Cardinals
THE NEW YORK TIMES, MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2001
"Tremble, all you who claim to serve Jesus Christ, but who inwardly worship yourselves.
--Tremble, because the day will come that God will let you fall into the hands of His enemy, with your once holy places corrupt, and many convents and monasteries no longer the home of the Divine, but, instead, the hunting grounds of the devil of impurity.
-- Rome itself will lose the Faith and become the seat of the Antichrist."
-- The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, appearing at La Salette, France, Sept. 19, 1846
"A great tragedy shall fall upon all mankind in the second half of the 20th century. Humanity will not progress as God wants it to. Mankind will become sacrilegious and trample underfoot the gifts it received from God.
Satan will even succeed in infiltrating into the highest positions in the Church. Cardinals will fight cardinals, and bishops will fight bishops. Satan will be right among, and Rome itself will greatly change. The Church will fall into darkness and the entire world plunged into confusion."
The Blessed Mother at Fatima in 1917
HOW cardinals conspired
to bury the awful truth |
THE VATICAN stands accused by scholars and world religious leaders!
They charge Rome with hiding the terrifying visions of the Third Prophecy of Fatima under a "mass of fabrications, half-truths and downright falsehoods."
Now experts are pleading that the facts be released to avert a disaster of global proportions. The story of Fatima…
SUN February 6, 2001
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