Papal Exorcism?

Sure looks like it. Vatican officials are downplaying the mysterious encounter (don't know why), but I'm not convinced it was simply a customary blessing. Satan is real, and his power is immense.

From the Associated Press:

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Is Pope Francis an exorcist? 

The question has bubbled up ever since Francis laid his hands on the head of a young man in a wheelchair after celebrating Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square. The young man heaved deeply a half-dozen times, shook, then slumped in his wheelchair as Francis prayed over him. 

The television station of the Italian bishops' conference reported Monday that it had surveyed exorcists, who agreed there was "no doubt" that Francis either performed an exorcism or a prayer to free the man from the devil. ... 

'Nation of Slobs'

Weak Shepherds, Weak Flock

Commenting on the stunning decline in Christian affiliation in the U.K., the Telegraph's Damian Thompson takes the leadership of the Anglican and Catholic communities to task for providing ZERO leadership for younger people. I think much of his point can be applied to the U.S. Here's an excerpt:

Take a bow, Anglican and Catholic bishops. I don’t know if the British Humanist Association hands out awards, but you certainly deserve one – a statuette of Polly Toynbee, say, for untiring efforts to water down the Christian message to the point where it’s not worth believing in.

Consider the following story from this week’s Daily Telegraph. A five-year-old boy at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Wimbledon called another pupil’s shoes “gay”. The head, Sarah Crouch, called in Stonewall. Whether she was doing this to protect miniature footwear from homophobic abuse or as part of a wider programme of thought reform is not clear. But we do know that Stonewall conducted a “training day” at the school – with the blessing of the Archbishop of Southwark, Peter Smith, who apparently chose to gloss over the fact that Stonewall is 100 per cent opposed to Catholic teaching on homosexuality. ... 

The internal secularisation of the Churches may be only an element in the collapse of religious belief among young people, but it’s an important one. If RE lessons are all about turning kids into “climate change ambassadors”, no wonder they find it so easy to brush aside the supernatural claims of faith when they grow up.

Picture Perfect

As we gear up for Pentecost...

Fiend Gosnell GUILTY

From CBS News:

(CBS/AP) PHILADELPHIA - Dr. Kermit Gosnell, the 72-year-old abortion doctor accused of murdering four babies after they were allegedly born alive during abortion procedures at his Philadelphia clinic, was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder Monday. 

Gosnell was also found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of a patient who came to him for a later-term abortion procedure.

A small bit of justice today for the unspeakable atrocities Gosnell committed. Possibly facing the death penalty for these crimes, his reckoning has only just begun.

_______

Update: Will face life in prison. Lots of time to reflect in silence and solitude on his deeds.

Mother's Day Question

Is there something unique about mothers? Is there something special that they alone contribute to the life of their children? Most people would answer in the affirmative. But what is the point of celebrating Mother's Day if we can deny children the right to a mother? If two men adopt a child, are we not denying that child the right to those gifts that only a mother, a woman, can provide? The same goes for Father's Day. If you think about it, once we've embraced the redefinition of marriage, why go on celebrating the uniqueness of a mother and father? Why celebrate Mother's Day, Father's Day? Are not these days simply old-fashioned holidays from a bygone era when gender differences actually mattered? We've gone beyond gender. In fact, we could argue that Mother's Day and Father's Day are offensive, sexist, repressive, judgmental, unfair, mean, intolerant.

We can't have it both ways. We can't single out the irreplaceable role that a mother and a father have in the development of their children and, at the same time, deny those children the right to a mother or father with the promotion of gay 'marriage'.

813 Martyrs Canonized Today

Martyrs of Otranto

From the Associated Press:

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Francis on Sunday gave the Catholic church new saints, including hundreds of 15th-century martyrs who were beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam, as he led his first canonization ceremony Sunday in a packed St. Peter's Square. 

The "Martyrs of Otranto" were 813 Italians who were slain in the southern Italian city in 1480 for defying demands by Turkish invaders who overran the citadel to renounce Christianity. 

Their approval for sainthood was decided upon by Francis' predecessor, Benedict XVI, in a decree read at the ceremony in February where the former pontiff announced his retirement. 

Shortly after his election in March, Francis called for more dialogue with Islam, and it was unclear how the granting of sainthood to the martyrs would be received. Islam is a sensitive subject for the church, and Benedict stumbled significantly in his relations with Muslims.

This is a magnificent day for the Church. Over 800 Saints! Let's ask these holy martyrs to pray for the Church in these difficult times.

Just an aside: "Islam is a sensitive subject for the church." Yeah, I wonder why. The audacity of this reporting... Let's review: the story is about how Muslims beheaded over 800 Catholics in their attempt to conquer all of Europe with the sword, and it is Benedict XVI who has a P.R. problem! Incredible. These media people are so predictable.

Democrats in Decline

From Politico:

One of the Democrats’ most veteran strategists warns that the party is “in decline” and “at considerable risk” when President Barack Obama is no longer on the scene. 

“Since Obama was elected President, the Democrats have lost nine governorships, 56 members of the House and two Senate seats,” Doug Sosnik, the political director in Bill Clinton’s White House, writes in a new memo. 

While Republican branding problems get the lion’s share of attention, the Democratic Party’s favorability rating has declined by 15 points since Obama took power. 

A Pew Research Center survey this January showed that the Democratic Party was viewed favorably by 47 percent of Americans, down from 62 percent in Jan. 2009.

I have suspected this for some time. Obama has basically become the Democratic Party. Once he's off the scene, the Dems will be out of gas. They have invested everything in one man. There's no one who can replicate what was a once-in-a-generation phenomenon. Even now, people are getting Obama fatigue. Benghazi will take Hillary out. And Biden? Seriously?