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Contents © 1999
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

September 1996

"Remember that, at the time of the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Church, Saint John Fisher was the only bishop in England who was faithful to the Church. The celebration of his feast is paired with Saint Thomas More -- a layman, a father, a husband, an educator -- who gave his life equally generously in the cause of God's truth, in the cause of orthodoxy. So please understand your role in religious education."


STRAWS IN THE WIND. The August/September issue of Catholic World Report heralds the dawn of the "new liturgical movement," a push to return to the original intentions of the Vatican II liturgical renewal and "reform the reform." CWR editor Philip Lawler notes signs, including approval from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and increasing numbers (membership and donations) for Adoremus, an organization devoted to true liturgical renewal. Lawler notes, "[I]n June, Pope John Paul appointed Archbishop Jorge Medina Estevez to the key position as prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship. The Chilean prelate is known for his deep love for the liturgy, and his keen interest in preserving the heritage of the Church. As one knowledgeable Vatican observer put it, "the only possible way to interpret this appointment is to say that the Pope has decided to get serious about liturgical reform."


IN THE SAME ISSUE of Catholic World Report historian James Hitchcock writes about San Francisco ex-Archbishop John Quinn's call at Oxford University on June 29 for more collegiality from Rome: "Archbishop Quinn seems to represent a kind of bishop who has bcome familiar since the Council: one who is not fully comfortable governing his diocese but thrives in the world of the national episcopal conferences, the international synod of bishops, and the academic world of seminars, position papers, and elite conferences. He proposes that councils be held frequently, even though such gatherings require bishops to be away from their dioceses for long periods of time. It is a mode of the episcopacy which, whatever might be said for it, is the exact opposite of pastoral. Local problems are neglected, and the illusion of renewal is maintained by constant meetings, endless streams of public statements, and continued tinkering with the machinery of the Church."


A MONTH LATER, also in Catholic New York, this item appeared: "Any person considering an abortion or assisted suicide can call upon the Archdiocese of Detroit to help find an alternative, Cardinal Adam J. Maida of Detroit pledged July 9. 'To those struggling with such situations, I want you to know that you have an option -- and that option is Project Life,' Cardinal Maida said at the conclusion of the July 9 ordination ceremony for new Auxiliary Bishops John C. Nienstedt and Allen H. Vigneron at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral."


NERVE RE-GAINED. "I woke up to find my parish Protestant," said Elkhart, Indiana pastor Father John Acrea in his article in the August-September issue of Homiletic and Pastoral Review. Outlining his plan to remedy the situation, the priest vowed, "I am refusing to enable modern Catholics to continue in their Protestant way without a protest from me. My preaching was growing weak and has been losing its nerve. I have been afraid to preach the whole and entire Gospel and the whole and entire teaching of the Church. I'm pledging to read the Scriptures and sound more like the Old Testament prophets, and Jesus, and Paul.... My parish might have turned Protestant, but I haven't. I pray to God that I can run the race I have begun, finish the fight that needs to be fought."


"FOR THE FIRST TIME in political life, I am a person without a candidate," lamented union leader John T. Joyce in the July 12 issue of Commonweal magazine. The head of the 100,000-member International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers has withdrawn support for Clinton because of his veto of the partial-birth abortion ban. "At the most fundamental level, the future depends on the value that society places on every human person."


"JOHN PAUL II IS THE GREATEST THINKER ever to occupy the papal throne," asserts James Hitchcock in the July-August issue of Catholic Dossier devoted to JP II's papacy. But the question raised by Hitchcock is why the present Pope does not bear out his reputation as "tough." Theories considered by Hitchcock:

-- "His (JP II's) philosophical orientation, as in part a phenomenologist, makes him reject authoritative approaches to truth....

-- "His experience in Poland gave him a permanent aversion to playing a role which might be mistaken for that of a commisar...

-- "In Poland itself it was Cardinal Wyszynski who confronted the Communist regime, while Cardinal Wojtyla was more willing to work within the restrictions the regime imposed.

-- "The defeat of Communism was the principal aim of John Paul's pontificate, in which he succeeded beyond all expectations. Thus he could not risk an openly divided, even schismatic, Church.

-- "He regards schism as the worst possible evil which could befall the Church....

-- "As an intellectual he is also not altogether comfortable in the world of bureaucratic power and governance....

-- "The idea of collegiality as taught by the Second Vatican Council, is a constraint on his actions which he believes he must accept."


NORPLANT BATTLE. The July/August '96 newsletter for Pharmacists for Life International outlines efforts by pro-life and consumer advocacy groups to fight Norplant: "An advocacy group petitioned the FDA on June 27 to halt sales of the abortifacient implant Norplant, saying the progestin-only long-acting compound is 'seriously flawed,' PFLI has learned. Over 12,000 cases filed as over 200 lawsuits involving some 50,000 women have now been filed against Norplant maker Wyeth-Ayerst....

"The Population Research Institute, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, told the FDA that it should pull the abortifacient off the U.S. market in light of the severe side effects. At the hearing, PRI played a November, 1995 BBC broadcast -- blacked out of the US media -- that accused international studies of coercing women into using Norplant, many times refusing to remove the chemical implant when side effects set in. It also charged Norplant may make women more vulnerable to the AIDS virus."


PRO-ABORTION MARCH OF DIMES. The August-September Family Resources Center News from Illinois: "While March of Dimes claims not to support abortion of unborn children with 'defects,' its continued promotion of second-trimester amniocentesis belies this claim. No condition diagnosed in the second trimester can be treated until the third trimester. The only purpose of doing this testing earlier in pregnancy is so that an abortion can be done before the child gets too far along in development....

"The Michael Fund was established to be an international spokesman in stemming and reversing the tide of eugenic abortion as well as the euthanasia of defective children and adults. The Michael Fund raises money for research on chromosomal causes and enzymatic therapy in Trisomy 21, the most common and non-inherited form of Down's syndrome,...creates awareness of the benefits to the family and community of rearing a disabled child." The Michael Fund may be reached at 400 Penn Center Blvd., Pittsburgh PA 15235, phone 412-823-6380.


THE BULLET. The Spring '96 edition of Life Dynamics' newsletter included a report from the March National Abortion Federation conference in San Francisco: "In four days of this conference the only pro-life group regularly mentioned by name was Life Dynamics -- and in no flattering terms. One woman said, `They have the bullet, and they're using it.'

"The 'bullet' she was referring to was our Abortion Malpractice (ABMAL) program designed to hold their members accountable for their often pathetic medical practices. NAF's abortionists clearly know their own behavior is destroying them, but they refuse to do anything about it. They know they should take the time to develop rapport with their patients, they know what procedures will minimize risks, and they know they should provide better follow-up care. But they come up with lame excuses for cutting corners, ranging from blaming the women for their own injuries to sullenly admitting that they just don't feel like doing what they need to do.

"While openly admitting to problems within their membership, there was never a suggestion that they expel members who injure and kill patients because of sloppy and careless practices. They did, however, consider a motion to expel one member who has kept his nose clean for over 20 years and now publicly insists that the rest of his colleagues do the same."

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