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Comments on July 10 News

Dear Readers,

It is refreshing to report on the straightforward, unapologetic statements of African Cardinal Tumi on the West's fear of Third World populations and the obligation of Christians to "disturb" consciences. No mushy platitudes, no psychobabble, no fear of hurting feelings or offending political correctness or "diversity" with the truth - all of which have added to the mess we are now in.

The Morgentaler award controversy continues much to the consternation of his rabid, often irrational supporters who grossly exaggerate the statistics of deaths caused by illegal abortions in the past and ignore those of the present under a regime of "safe" legal baby killing.

British Tory leader David Cameron's powerful statements about what really ills British society sound too good to be true. Maybe they are, given some of David's past shenanigans, and then maybe they are not. Regardless, they are spot on, as the British say, and raise hope that just maybe, Britain will save itself from its current social, moral and demographic death spiral. Let's hope for the best.

What is a Catholic? Not an easy question for much of the public to answer given the wildly contradictory behaviour of various Western Catholic institutions and leaders - to the detriment not only of Catholicism but also of the cultures in which this chaos still continues. Many constantly ask, "is anyone in charge or willing to exercise authority as they should?" Really, how bad does it have to get? However, LifeSiteNews has noticed an upswing in solid Catholic leadership and has reported on many such persons. There is still a very long way to go and a need for far more corrective actions. Still, there now appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Your role as readers of LifeSiteNews readers is crucial. Read and then act in whatever way you can with the information that we arm you with. One person here, and then another there, and so on all acting at the same time can lead to great social change for good. Believe it! But remember what Cardinal Tumi says, "Without the spiritual dimension, the world cannot do anything."

Steve Jalsevac
LifeSiteNews.com

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22 MPs and Counting Publicly Voice Disgust at Morgentaler's Appointment to Order of Canada

MPs say majority of constituents oppose decision

By Tim Waggoner

OTTAWA, July 9, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The ever-increasing number of MPs who are speaking out against Dr. Henry Morgentaler's induction into the Order of Canada is up to 22, with eight more having added their names to the list in recent days. 

Mike Allen, MP for Tobique-Mactaquac, addressed the "polarization" of Canadians since the controversial Canada Day announcement.

"It is hard to imagine any person who has polarized Canadians on a particular issue any more than Dr. Morgentaler has, and, as a result, I personally do not support his appointment," said Allen.

Rob Moore, MP for Fundy Royal, NB, said the decision was a mistake that will debase the once honourable Order.

"I believe the panel was wrong to recommend Mr. Morgentaler for the Order of Canada and the Governor General was wrong to accept their recommendation. Mr. Morgentaler's appointment to the Order of Canada will only diminish what should be a prestigious honour".

"I am not supportive of this decision. Henry Morgentaler is a divisive figure who should not receive this honour," finished the MP.

Brad Trost, MP for Saskatoon-Humboldt, said he is "strongly opposed to the abortionist Morgentaler getting the Order of Canada."

"The Order of Canada should only be awarded to individuals whose service to our country is worthy of national recognition and praise. Henry Morgentaler does not deserve the Order of Canada," Trost explained.  "Morgentaler's so-called record of accomplishments is seen as reprehensible by many Canadians."

Like MP Moore, he said the decision will diminish Canada's highest civilian decoration.

Bev Shipley, MP for Lambton Kent Middlesex, said, "As one who firmly believes in the sanctity of human life, I am deeply troubled by the Advisory Council's nomination of Henry Morgentaler for the Order of Canada.

"[The Order of Canada] is our country's highest civilian honour for lifetime achievement...Mr. Morgentaler's activities in Canada are not achievements, and I am certain his nomination will not enjoy the unanimous support of either the House of Commons or the Canadian public that this prestigious award has traditionally had," stated Shipley.

The offices of Canada's MPs are receiving a tremendous volume of phone calls and emails from constituents regarding the decision. Many MPs have made it known that the majority of their constituents are condemning Morgentaler's appointment.

"I am as disappointed as the rest of my constituents to see this type of thing happen," said Gerry Ritz, MP for Battlefords-Lloydminster. "Those Order of Canada situations are to strengthen the fabric of our country, not create division."

Leon Benoit, MP for Vegreville-Wainwright, stated that his constituents are "very upset by it, anybody who talked to me, and I think they should be. Why would they choose someone who causes so much division in the country? Everything else aside it's hard to imagine why they would do that."

"And of course, I personally think it's just a bad appointment," Benoit added.

In a letter responding to a troubled constituent, Conservative MP Colin Carrie for Oshawa said, "Like you, I share your concerns and do not support this decision by the Governor General and her council.  I am greatly disappointed that Canada's highest civilian honour has been politicized and debased by this appointment."

Carol Skelton, Conservative MP for Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar said of the Morgentaler decision, "I was disappointed when I heard it."

She added, "If I was a recipient, I would give it back."

The MPs say they appreciate the feedback from their constituents and are strongly encouraging Canadians to express their concerns to those responsible for the decision.

Important contact information can be found here:

List of Who to Call, E-Mail, Write to Get the Morgentaler Appointment Revoked
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08070715.html

The following is a list of MPs who are known to have publicly spoken out against the decision to award the Order of Canada to Dr. Henry Morgentaler:

Conservative MP Jason Kenney, Calgary Southeast, Alberta
Conservative MP Andrew Scheer, Regina-Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan
Conservative MP Ken Epp, Sherwood Park, Edmonton
Conservative MP Rod Bruinooge, Winnipeg South, Manitoba
Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott, Saskatoon-Wanuskewin, Saskatchewan
Liberal MP Dan McTeague, Pickering-Scarborough East, Ontario
Liberal MP Paul Steckle, Huron-Bruce, Ontario
Conservative MP Art Hanger, Calgary Northeast, Alberta
Conservative MP Jeff Watson, Essex, Ontario
Conservative MP Dr. James Lunney, Nanaimo-Alberni, B.C
Conservative MP Pierre Lemieux, Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, Ontario
Conservative MP David Anderson, Cypress Hills - Grasslands, Saskatchewan
Conservative MP Rona Ambrose, Spruce Grove, Edmonton
Conservative MP Norm Doyle, St. John's East, Newfoundland
Conservative MP, Mike Allen, Tobique-Mactaquac, New Brunswick
Conservative MP Rob Moore, Fundy Royal, New Brunswick
Conservative MP Brad Trost, Saskatoon-Humboldt, Saskatchewan
Conservative MP Bev Shipley, Lambton Kent Middlesex, Ontario
Conservative MP Leon Benoit, Vegreville-Wainwright, Alberta
Conservative MP Gerry Ritz, Battlefords-Lloydminster, Saskatchewan
Conservative MP Colin Carrie, Oshawa, Ontario
Conservative MP Carol Skelton, Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar

Sign the On Line Petition: "Rescind Order of Canada From Morgentaler"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08070702.html

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African Cardinal Says West is Afraid of Being Overrun by Third World Populations

"The West is panicking because their population is becoming old"

By Steve Jalsevac

QUEBEC CITY, Quebec, July 9, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi, Archbishop of Douala, Cameroon, in an interview with LifeSiteNews at the Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City on June 21 said the West is afraid of population growth in Third World nations.

LifeSiteNews asked the Cardinal, who earlier in the day gave a Congress catechesis talk, what his views were on the fact that Africa has been a major target for population controllers. The Cardinal responded with little hesitation, "I think the West is afraid." When asked, "afraid of what", he stated, "of the Third World becoming more populous."

He continued, referring to North American society, "And since the families here have two or three children that already is (considered) much. In our Third World we have families with 12, 13, 14, 15 children and these are young men and women growing up. So, I have the impression that the West is panicking because their population is becoming old." And the reason for that panic, explained the Cardinal, is that "they are afraid that other countries might invade the West and reduce their standard of living."

Earlier that day Tumi, a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of the Peoples and the Pontifical Council for the Family, gave a passionate and at times humorous catechesis talk at the Pepsi Coliseum that received much applause and endeared him to the crowd. His main theme was that Eucharistic worship can only be genuine if the worshippers follow through in their daily lives with loving and serving others, especially those who may not love them or are not in any way related to them.

Although the Cardinal did not mention abortion, euthanasia or related issues, likely because they are not a significant factor in Cameroon society, some of his statements were still seen as definitely related to the obligations of North American Catholics regarding those crucial issues.

Tumi intimated that while "the Church cannot remain aloof from the struggle for justice in the world," those who attempt to bring about such justice often fail because of a secular attitude. "Without the spiritual dimension, the world cannot do anything," he proclaimed to applause.

With the spiritual dimension, he indicated, true seekers of justice can have a substantial positive affect. He stated, "The Eucharistic person is a dangerous person, burning with the fire of the spirit and whose only purpose is to extend that fire and to become fire for others. This person is a person of daring, a person of confrontation, a person of radicalism, gospel radicalism, and of the absolute."

That last word addresses what many leaders of faithful Christian and pro-life, pro-family organizations have found severely undermining their efforts to restore the Judeo/Christian social and moral culture  - persistent complicity in the anti-Christian culture by weak, compromising and corrupt Christians.

Tumi, announced, to the applause of his listeners, "The person of the Eucharist is a person who never compromises - who only opts for God, opts for humans."

Such a person, he emphasized, is not welcomed by those who do not want to hear his message, but nevertheless has a Christian obligation of charity to live and speak the truth.

Tumi stated, "The person of the Eucharist who loves, disturbs everybody, shakes everybody and might even give them a bad conscience or the feeling of a bad conscience. Our vocation as witnesses to the gospel is to give others a bad conscience so that the other person knows how to distinguish bad from good, evil from good and when a person does evil their conscience accuses them."

Cardinal Tumi received a standing ovation from the crowd of over 10,000 listeners that morning.

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A Return to "Public Morality" and "Personal Responsibility" will Turn Around Britain's Social Collapse: Tory Leader

In order to avoid injury to people's feelings, in order to avoid appearing judgemental, we have failed to say what needs to be said.

By Hilary White

GLASGOW, July 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com ) - In a seminal speech on Monday, David Cameron, the leader of Britain's opposition Conservative Party, laid out a new direction in Tory policy towards addressing the ongoing moral breakdown of society, which he said is a cause of its social breakdown.

"I want a mandate for restoring responsibility to our society. A mandate to call time on the twisted values that have eaten away at our social fabric. A mandate for tough action to repair our broken society."

Cameron, speaking to a Conservative party audience in Glasgow, said the deeper cause of Britain's "family breakdown, welfare dependency, debt, drugs, poverty, poor policing, inadequate housing, and failing schools"  is a "society that is in danger of losing its sense of personal responsibility, social responsibility, common decency and, yes, even public morality."

Cameron's Tories would put an end to the prevailing political trend of "moral neutrality," he indicated. While politicians themselves may be fallible, he said, this is no reason to abandon the concept of moral life and "social virtue" in political life.

"We as a society have been far too sensitive. In order to avoid injury to people's feelings, in order to avoid appearing judgemental, we have failed to say what needs to be said. We have seen a decades-long erosion of responsibility, of social virtue, of self-discipline, respect for others, and deferring gratification instead of instant gratification."

"Instead we prefer moral neutrality, a refusal to make judgments about what is good and bad behaviour, right and wrong behaviour. Bad. Good. Right. Wrong. These are words that our political system and our public sector scarcely dare use any more."

"Poverty, crime, social disorder and deprivation...are steadily making this country a grim and joyless place to live for far too many people."

Cameron said that the Glasgow East by-election, which he called the "broken society" by-election, was the time to decisively call for an end to Labour's socialist policies.

Glasgow East is a riding where, Cameron said, "welfare dependency is so bad, half the adults are on out of work benefits," which, he said, is merely "an extreme version of what you can see everywhere." As such, it is a fitting place for his announcement that a Tory government would work to reverse the trend by bringing back the idea of personal responsibility and self-reliance on a national level.

"Welfare dependency," he said "is now a crisis for the whole country."

Families, Cameron said, are the "most important area of all" in the fight against poverty. He said that the Tories will "take action not just to support marriage and family stability, but on business too, to make Britain more family-friendly."

A Tory government would reorient welfare to aim at getting people back to work. "We need to end the idea that the state gives you money for nothing," he said. "If you can work, you must work. We will insist on it, and believe me, we will stick to our guns when the going gets tough."

Information released recently from the government showed that the current system of welfare, or "benefits," pays more if the father is not present, leading to accusations that the system itself tends to break up families and leave children without fathers.

Reactions from the pundits have been cautiously positive and some have said that Cameron's appeal to such "recently unfashionable" themes as personal responsibility and morality will "strike a chord" with British voters who are connecting the rise in crime and social and moral disorder with the ten years of Labour party rule.

Reaction on the left was predictable. Kevin Maguire, writing for the Daily Mirror, the only newspaper in Britain known to have supported the Labour party throughout its history, called Cameron's call for greater personal responsibility in British life "grotesque."

That Cameron chose economically depressed Glasgow East - a by-election the Tories cannot possibly win - as the test for his call merely proved, Maguire said, that "he has a callous brass neck in flying into one of the most deprived parts of Britain to accuse locals of creating social problems that have existed for decades."

But the Independent called the choice of location "a smart move" and said that "David Cameron knew exactly what he was doing".

"The gritty urban backdrop of Monday's speech provided the most graphic illustration to date of how successfully Mr. Cameron has managed to seize the initiative on social policy from Labour."

Melanie Philips, writing on her weblog at the Spectator website, said that Cameron has successfully "decontaminated the Tory brand." The party can no longer be "painted as hatchet-faced bigots who would starve the feckless while kicking them into the gutter."

Cameron, she said, "is picking up on a change in the public mood - one of widespread utter dismay at the prevailing amorality and nihilism" that has been promoted by the militantly hard left Labour party.

James MacMillan, writing for the Daily Telegraph, said that Cameron's appeal to traditional morality had also hit the right notes to lure away the Labour party's own traditional voter base, especially in Scotland. "Lifestyle liberalism has never played particularly well with the moral and social conservatives who make up a large section of Labour's traditional working-class and urban voters," he said.

"The recent parliamentary votes that defeated amendments to ban human-animal embryos, the creation of 'saviour siblings', and to reduce the abortion time limit did not go down well in places such as Glasgow East."

It remains to be seen, however, if Cameron's statements represent his real views and whether he can be counted on to follow through and actually implement and vote for pro-family and pro-morality measures. Last year the Tory leader spectacularly contradicted his previous pro-family statements by voting for the deadly Sexual Orientation Regulations and seemed then to have made commitments to the powerful gay lobby in exchange for their political support.

See related LifeSiteNews.com articles:

UK Tory Leader’s Support for New Gay Law Contradicts Previous Statements on Family
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/mar/07032006.html

UK: Religious Schools May Not Teach Christian Sexual Morals "As if They Were Objectively True"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/mar/07030504.html

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UK Tribunal Rules that Christian Cannot be Forced to Conduct Gay Partnership Ceremony

By Hilary White

LONDON, July 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Islington Council, by trying to force a civil marriage registrar to participate in homosexual domestic partnership ceremonies, perpetrated a "violation" of her dignity and "created an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment."

In unexpectedly strong language, the Central London Employment Tribunal has ruled that Lillian Ladele, a Christian civil marriage registrar, cannot be forced to act contrary to her conscience in conducting homosexual domestic partnership ceremonies.

The panel ruled, "Islington Council rightly considered the importance of the right of the gay community not to be discriminated against but did not consider the right of Miss Ladele as a member of a religious group."

"[The Council] decided that the service it provided was secular and that the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community must be protected. In so acting, Islington Council took no notice of the rights of Miss Ladele by virtue of her orthodox Christian beliefs."

Miss Ladele said, "I am delighted at this decision. It is a victory for religious liberty, not just for myself but for others in a similar position to mine. Gay rights should not be used as an excuse to bully and harass people over their religious beliefs."

When Ladele was asked to participate in same-sex ceremonies, she would personally refuse, while arranging with colleagues to handle such cases. But complaints were made and when the Islington Council threatened to fire her if she did not conduct a same-sex ceremony, Ladele took them to the Employment Tribunal with a complaint of discrimination based on her religious beliefs.

The ruling confirmed, in a unanimous judgment, that Islington Council had directly discriminated against Miss Ladele for her religious beliefs when they refused to consider her for promotion, disciplined and threatened her with dismissal and accused her of gross misconduct. The Council was also found to have failed to redress allegations that she was "homophobic" and had labelled and treated her as "homophobic." The Employment Tribunal also found that the Council had disregarded Ladele's concerns about her treatment and failed to apply its anti-discrimination policies to homosexual colleagues who were mistreating her.

Ladele said she had been treated as a "pariah" by co-workers at the Islington Council, after she made it clear that her religious beliefs precluded her participating in civil partnership arrangements. The ruling concurred and found that the Council's behaviour towards Ladele had amounted to unlawful harassment.

Miss Ladele's Tribunal case was financed and represented by lawyers from the Christian Institute, a non-denominational Christian lobby group.

The Institute's head of communications, Mike Judge, said the ruling says "enough is enough."

"This important ruling confirms that gay rights should not be treated as trumping religious rights. The law clearly recognises this. If we really believe in equality before the law, that means respecting people who have sincerely held religious beliefs on sexual ethics.

"The witch hunt against those who disagree with homosexual practice has to stop."

In May this year, another marriage registrar from Kent in south east England, testified to the Employment Tribunal that since the introduction of civil ceremonies for registered same-sex partnerships in December 2005, a "climate of fear" has grown among Christians working as marriage registrars.

Earlier this year, a Christian magistrate, Andrew McClintock, lost his final appeal to his suit in which he claimed conscientious objection based on his religious beliefs. McClintock, after 18 years experience on the South Yorkshire bench, was forced to resign from the family courts panel when he could not in conscience place children with homosexual partners for adoption.

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

"Climate of Fear" Growing in Britain for Christian Civil Marriage Registrars
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08052204.html

Christian Magistrate Loses Conscientious Objection Appeal: Accuses Britain of "Totalitarianism"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/feb/08022508.html

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State's Most Pro-Abortion Judge on the Board of Catholic University

By Tim Waggoner

MINNEAPOLIS, July 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - LifeSiteNews has learned that a notorious abortion advocate and Appeals Court Judge is holding an executive position at a large Catholic university in Minneapolis.

Judge Diana Murphy is the chairwoman of the Executive Committee for the Board of Trustees of the Catholic University of St. Thomas. However, throughout her tenure as a judge with the Eight Circuit U. S. Court of Appeals, she has consistently overturned legislation seeking to further the Culture of Life.

On September 11, 2000, the appeals court judge ruled against multiple legislators, pro-life groups, physicians and citizens, who objected to the State of Minnesota paying for abortions with their tax dollars. The federal government had banned such use of taxpayer funds and so had the Minnesota legislature. Murphy and the State Supreme Court, however, found the State ban on funding to be unconstitutional and ruled the plaintiffs had no standing, preventing the case from being reviewed at higher levels.

On October 25, 2006, Judge Murphy ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood, striking down legislation that would have required doctors to inform women that an abortion will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being.

Judge Murphy is also a donor and Vice Chair of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB), which, according to Dr. David Pence of the DocSociety, is intent on severing the university's ties with the Church. According to its website, DocSociety is "a brotherhood of Catholic men working to restore fatherhood and fraternity among Catholic priests and laymen."

Dr. Pence and the DocSociety have been for years closely monitoring the questionable happenings at St. Thomas University.

"Why is a notorious pro-abortionist judge holding a executive position at a Catholic University?" asked Pence in a LifeSiteNews interview.

Pence said that one might expect that given that the chairman and vice-chairman of the university Board of Trustees are the former Catholic bishop of the diocese, Archbishop Flynn, and former Vicar General of the diocese, Rev. Kevin McDonough, the board of the Catholic university would be composed of members who preserve Catholic teachings. 

But considering the track record of Archbishop Flynn and Rev. McDonough, Pence said he is not surprised that pro-abortion Judge Murphy is chairing the Executive Committee for the Board.

Archbishop Flynn retired from the diocese after years of complaints by faithful Catholics over his handling of a host of scandals involving homosexual activists both within and without the archdiocesan administration.
 
Under his rule, a notoriously pro-homosexual parish, St. Joan of Arc, was allowed to continue openly supporting the Gay Pride parades and the homosexual lifestyle. The parish's opposition to Catholic teaching was so brazen that it resulted in a 2004 rare direct intervention by the Vatican.
 
Flynn was named by homosexual political activists as one of the US's four most "gay friendly" bishops.

McDonough came under fire in 2006 after he attempted to brush off the rampant homosexuality in the diocese, stating, "I don't believe in this archdiocese there has ever been an active subculture of homosexual priests who were sexually active and justifying their behavior."

McDonough's public assertion was surprising, especially since his own brother William McDonough, a priest (active as such at least until 1998) in the diocese, is on public record going against Church teaching on homosexuality.

To add to the controversy, LifeSiteNews covered a story in November of 2007 that saw the board vote unanimously to remove a 125 year-old bylaw that declared the chairman and vice-chairman of the board should be the sitting Bishop and Vicar General of the Diocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis.  The board, headed by Flynn and McDonough, made this strategic move just five months before Archbishop Nienstedt was to be installed as the new archbishop of the Minneapolis diocese, thereby preventing him from assuming the position of chairman of the Board of Trustees of St. Thomas University.

The board of directors also voted to re-install Flynn and McDonough as chairman and vice-chairman for an extended five year term. The move was feared to be an effort by the university to override the authority of and possible reforms by Archbishop Nienstedt, Flynn's more orthodox Catholic coadjutor bishop who has since succeeded him as head of the archdiocese. 

The vote thereby extended the contracts of chairman Flynn and vice-chairman McDonough for five more years, after which the board could vote in whomever they desire to fulfill the roles - essentially eliminating the Church's and, more specifically, Nienstedt's role in the university.

Archbishop Nienstedt's authentic Catholicity was not welcomed by the Board of Trustees after he said he would not accept a proposed plan by one of the board members that sought to merge the school with a medical association, because the move would involve teaching abortion procedures as part of the curriculum.  This happened only weeks before the vote was cast that saw the removal of the bylaw.

The spokesperson for St. Thomas University did not respond to calls by press time.

See the following DocSociety coverage on Judge Diana Murphy:
http://www.docsociety.org/documents/Abortion%27s_Handmaid.pdf

See the DocSociety's full coverage on the controversies surrounding St. Thomas University and the Diocese of Minneapolis.
http://www.docsociety.org/

Please see related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Catholic St. Thomas University Votes to Sever Historic Ties with St. Paul Archdiocese
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07112103.html

Archdiocese of St. Paul claims no "Subculture of Homosexual Priests" Here
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/mar/06032801.html

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Catholic University of San Diego Honors Radical Non-Christian Feminist With Theology Chair

By Peter J. Smith

SAN DIEGO, July 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - This year the University of San Diego (USD) has awarded an honorary chair in its Catholic theology department to a radical eco-feminist theologian, who calls God "Gaia," supports abortion and contraception, and a host of other views that put her in conflict with essential Catholic and Christian beliefs. The selection comes just months after the Pope's April visit to the United States in which he told Catholic educators to be faithful to Church teachings.

The USD Department of Theology and Religious Studies says Professor Rosemary Radford Ruether is a "leading Church historian and pioneering figure in Christian feminist theology" and will accept the honorary Monsignor John R. Portman Chair in Roman Catholic Theology for 2009-2010 academic year.

A USD press release says Ruether will be teaching one undergraduate course in the fall semester of 2009 and will also deliver the annual Portman Lecture on a date to be determined to USD students.

When the Portman Chair was established in 2000, USD President Alice Hayes said, "It will be a strong and palpable symbol of the depth of the university's commitment to Catholic theology as an academic discipline and another sign of the Catholic character of the university."

Oddly enough, however, Ruether has a rather undisguised rejection of and antipathy toward Christianity, especially the Catholic Faith.

A regular columnist for the National Catholic Reporter, Ruether boasts multiple professorships, twelve honorary doctorates, and an extensive list of books, including The Church Against Itself (1967), Sexism And God-talk: Toward a Feminist Theology (1983), Gaia and God: An Ecofeminist Theology of Earth Healing (1992), Goddesses and the Divine Feminine: A Western Religious History (2005), Integrating Ecofeminism, Globalization, and World Religions (January 2005)and America, Amerikkka: Elect Nation and Imperial Violence (2007).

California Catholic Daily reports that Prof. Ruether is an advocate of women's ordination and since 1985 has served as a board member for the pro-abortion dissident Catholics for a Free Choice - now Catholics for Choice (CFC). The group has been described by the US Bishops as "not a Catholic organization, does not speak for the Catholic Church, and in fact promotes positions contrary to the teaching of the Church" and is "an arm of the abortion lobby in the United States and throughout the world."

In 2005 Ruether explained to an audience at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles her view that "Christianity is not necessarily worse than other religions, but it is the vehicle of Western Civilization."

Reuther has stated Christianity is riddled by hierarchy and patriarchy that created a social order in which chaste women on their wedding night "were, in effect, raped by young husbands whose previous sexual experience came from exploitative relationships with servant women and prostitutes."

In the CFC article "Sexual Literacy" from its Summer 2003 Conscience magazine, Ruether continued in this vein saying "The young bride went into marriage without knowledge of how to experience pleasure or prevent pregnancy."

Ruether added, "the Christian Right, Catholic and Protestant, is trying to roll back the sexual revolution by returning to a patriarchal puritanism based on a classist separation of females into 'good' girls and 'bad' girls, exploiting the bad girls while denying the good girls personal freedom."
 
Ruether has also rejected the notion that Man has a higher dignity than the animals in creation.

USD's selection of Reuther to the honorary theology professorship is a rejection of Pope Benedict XVI's admonition given to Catholic educators during his papal visit to the United States to be faithful to the Church and its teachings.

"Any appeal to the principle of academic freedom in order to justify positions that contradict the faith and the teaching of the Church would obstruct or even betray the university's identity and mission," the Pope told Catholic university and college presidents in April.

Benedict also spoke openly about "the scandal given by Catholics who promote an alleged right to abortion."

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Catholic Ontario Premier Supports Abortionist Morgentaler's Order of Canada

"I know it's divisive, but I think it's important"

By Tim Waggoner

TORONTO, July 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Ontario's Catholic premier has come out in support of the decision to grant Henry Morgentaler the Order of Canada.

The National Post reports that McGuinty is aware that Morgentaler's actions are "controversial" among Canadians, but maintained that the appointment recognizes the abortionist's fight to give women the right to make hard choices.

"I know that Dr. Morgentaler's been seen as a controversial figure, but I believe in a woman's right to make a very difficult decision," McGuinty said.

The Ontario premier said he feels the appointment is justified - though he admits it has divided the nation - because the "right" of a mother to kill her baby is "important."

"And if she makes that difficult decision and chooses to have an abortion, I want her to be able to do that in a way that's safe, in a way that's publicly funded. So I know it's divisive, but I think it's important," added the premier.

Already 22 MPs, countless Canadians, and the leaders of several major religions have condemned the divisive decision announced by the Governor General Michaelle Jean on Canada's Day.

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Beverley McLachlin, who heads the Advisory Council responsible for the decision, is under severe criticism for "brutishly" awarding Morgentaler the Order of Canada, despite dissent from several advisory board members and a significant percentage of the Canadian public.

A number of previous recipients of Canada's highest civilian decoration have already returned their awards, not wishing to associate themselves in any way with Morgentaler.

Please see related LifeSiteNews coverage for related coverage:

Former Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick and Others Return Order of Canada
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08070902.html

21 MPs and Counting Publicly Voice Disgust at Morgentaler's Appointment to Order of Canada
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08071001.html

Prominent North American Rabbi Condemns "DisOrder of Canada" Award to Abortionist
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08070903.html

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Study: Despite Greater Social Acceptance Divorce Still Seriously Damages a Child's Prospects in Life

By Tim Waggoner

LONDON, U.K. July 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On the 50th anniversary of a British longitudinal social study, researchers have revealed that the years of collected data indicate that a child whose parents are divorced is more likely to struggle academically, emotionally and in future relationships of their own, reports the Daily Telegraph.

"Divorce has repercussions that reverberate through childhood and into adulthood. Children from disrupted families tend to do less well in school and subsequent careers than their peers. They are also more likely to experience the break-up of their own partnerships," the researchers said.

"The National Child Development Study (NCDS) is a continuing, multi-disciplinary longitudinal study which takes as its subjects all the people born in one week in England, Scotland and Wales in one week in March 1958," reads the website for the Centre for Longitudinal Studies.

The study compares over 17,000 people born in 1958 with several other groups of similar size born in the subsequent decades.

Besides finding an increased divorce rate among couples, the study found that, contrary to the expectations of some, an increased social acceptance of divorce over the years has not reduced the negative effects experienced by the children of divorced parents.

"It might be expected that as divorce has become more commonplace, its effects might have reduced. Yet a comparison with children born in 1970 shows that this is not the case," the researchers said.

"The estimates across cohorts are surprisingly similar in magnitude and not significantly different from one another."

The study found that children from divorced families are less likely to be educated, and are more likely to suffer depression and to be claiming benefits.

Please see study at:

http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/text.asp?section=000100020003

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Philippines Bishop Urges Government to Teach Natural Family Planning

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

MANILA, July 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In his homily during the mass marking the 40th anniversary of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life) at the Manila Cathedral, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), urged the Philippine government to teach natural family planning methods in public hospitals and local health centers.

"What does Humanae Vitae teach us? It doesn't prohibit family planning. But family planning should be done the right way, not the sinful way," Archbishop Lagdameo said.

"The use of artificial contraceptive methods like birth control pills and condoms lower moral standards and encourage infidelity," the archbishop added.

Humane Vitae, issued by Pope Paul VI on July 25, 1968, sought to give moral guidelines for the faithful on how to value human life from conception.

The encyclical, subtitled "On the Regulation of Birth," re-affirms the traditional teaching of the Roman Catholic Church regarding abortion, contraception and responsible parenthood.

Archbishop Lagdameo said marriage and human sexuality have been devalued, treated both "lightly and with disrespect" and that while population growth and responsible parenthood are linked with the regulation of birth, the church has a "moral objection" to artificial birth control.

"While we consider population growth as a valid concern, which should be addressed more directly with socio-economic methods, all men of goodwill are tasked to promote completely and clearly the teaching of the church concerning the sanctity of marriage and the regulation of birth," he said.

"Direct abortion must be rejected as a means of regulating birth or even for therapeutic reasons," he added.

The Archbishop said that attacks on large families stem from a lack of faith and are the product of a social atmosphere incapable of understanding generosity, and that is trying to conceal selfishness and unmentionable practices under apparently altruistic motives.

"Countries which impose birth control on the other countries, like the Philippines, are now themselves in need of growth in their population and are importing from Asian countries workers and caregivers for their senior citizens," he explained.

Instead of giving condoms and pills to parents, the government should make natural family planning "matters of instructions in hospitals and municipal health centers," the Archbishop concluded.

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Eleven-Year-Old Romanian Girl Receives Late-Term Abortion in London

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

LONDON, July 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An 11 year old girl over 21 weeks pregnant has received an abortion at a London hospital after pro-lifers in Romania lost the struggle to save her child's life.

Abortions are illegal in Romania after the 14th week of gestation, unless physicians rule that the pregnancy is a threat to the mother's health.  A hospital ethics panel in Romania denied permission for an abortion after ruling that the girl and her baby were healthy, and the pregnancy was proceeding without complications.

However, after weeks of media-generated controversy, the Romanian government issued a new legal opinion stating that the girl could receive an abortion, because her "mental health" would be affected, an interpretation of the law that is heavily disputed in Romania.

Despite the fact that officials of the Romanian Orthodox Church refused to condemn the abortion, many Orthodox and secular organizations fought to save the unborn child's life, and warned that if an abortion were carried out, the doctor would be subject to prosecution despite the government ruling in favor of the procedure.

The girl received the abortion in a public hospital in London after running into further legal obstacles in Britain, where abortions for children under the age of 12 require special permission, according to one Romanian media source.  It was also reported that a special anesthesiologist would be required, one that was not available at the private facility. 

As a result, the original abortion provider, Marie Stopes International, refused to carry out the procedure and transferred the girl to London's King's College Hospital, where the unborn child was killed by a special team of physicians.

Abortions can be carried out in Britain until the 24th week of gestation.

Previous LifeSiteNews Coverage:

Romania Capitulates to International Pressure and Approves Abortion for 20-Week-Old Fetus
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08062701.html

Romanian Orthodox Church authorities refuse to condemn abortion in case of pregnant minor
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08062610.html

Romanian Government Officials Seek Abortion for 11 Year Old Girl
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08062408.html

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US Rejects Participation in Danish Campaign to Put Abortion in Millennium Development Goals

By Samantha Singson
    
NEW YORK, NY, July 10, 2008 (C-FAM) - The United States has rejected an invitation to join a new campaign launched by the Danish government that calls on governments "to accelerate implementation of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 3" which calls for "gender equality and women's empowerment." It is believed that the Danish Campaign will go beyond the mandate of the MDG's and be used to promote a new MDG on reproductive health, something that has been rejected by UN member states, yet repeatedly pushed by advocates of abortion.
    
Earlier this year, the Danish government initiated the "Torch Campaign" to encourage governments and civil society to "Do Something Extra" to accelerate achievement of MDG 3. The campaign also calls on governments to ensure women's "sexual and reproductive health and rights," a term that has been interpreted by some to include abortion, claiming that "access to services and information on sexual and reproductive health will empower women to make their own choices about the number of children they have, safe pregnancy and delivery."
    
In 2000, UN member states agreed to adopt eight broad, largely non-controversial Millennium Development Goals which address issues like eradicating poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, and reducing child mortality.  None of the MDGs makes any mention of "reproductive health" and neither does the Millennium Declaration upon which they are based.
    
Since failing to get a new, separate goal on reproductive health at the five-year review of the MDGs in 2005, pro-abortion advocates, including International Planned Parenthood Federation and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), have sought to attach reproductive health to the existing MDGs, with a particular focus on MDG 5 on improving maternal health. 
    
UNFPA has been claiming over the last year that there is a new reproductive health target under MDG 5 (maternal health) based on a single sentence buried in an annex of a 2007 Secretary General Report, even though delegations like the United States have reminded the organization that UN member states have not agreed to the creation of any new targets.
    
UNFPA has signed onto the Torch Campaign and continues to try to attach reproductive rights to the MDGs. Executive Director Thoraya Obaid stated, "UNFPA is committed to working with partners worldwide to guarantee the right to sexual and reproductive health and to advance women's empowerment and gender equality."
    
UNFPA's Torch Campaign commitment states that the organization will attempt to raise nearly $500 million to improve the lives of women through the Thematic Fund on Maternal Health. Apart from focusing on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and reducing maternal death and disability, the fund will also target "the prevention of unsafe abortion and the management of its complications." According to UNFPA, "addressing these issues will raise the profile of the broader development issue of women's empowerment and gender equality."
    
Other "torch bearers" include the World Health Organization, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), UNICEF and the Danish Family Planning Association.
    
At the UN high level meeting on the MDGs scheduled for September 25, the Danish government will present all Torch Bearer commitments to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

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New Book Exposes Eugenics Mandate in Reproductive Rights Agenda

Part I: Power, Money, and Science Unite to Exterminate the World's Poor

By Susan Yoshihara, Ph.D.

NEW YORK, NY, July 10, 2008 (C-FAM) - A book recently published by Harvard University Press explains how eugenics united some of the richest and most powerful elites of the twentieth century into a movement "to remake humanity by controlling the population of the world," answering to no one and bringing untold misery upon the world's poor.

The book, "Fatal Misconception: The Struggle to Control World Population," was written by Columbia University historian Matthew Connelly and shows why today's reproductive rights advocates are "faithfully reciting a eugenic catechism without the faintest idea where it comes from or where it can lead."  

In 1952, at a secret, invitation-only gathering in Colonial Williamsburg, John D. Rockefeller III brought together what would become the modern population control establishment. Setting the agenda for the following decades were the heads of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, National Academy of Sciences, and top scientists "from embryology to economics," including past and present Nobel Prize winners.
    
From verbatim transcripts of the "Conference on Population Problems," just one of the countless number of such meetings the book exposes, Connelly found that what drove them were the questions of how many people the world could hold along with "whether 'industrial development should be withheld' from poor, agrarian countries like India." By decreasing mortality and encouraging "breeding," development would increase inferior populations and further degrade "the genetic quality of the human race." They decided radical measures to reduce birthrates were justified in order to save "Western Civilization" from being dragged down by the growing humanitarian demands of Third World countries.
      
Thus was born the Population Council, which would in turn become the nexus of the entire population control movement, going on to coordinate the work of the United Nations, the Ford and Rockefeller foundations, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) - founded three weeks later - as well as major pharmaceutical firms.

The founder of IPPF, Margaret Sanger, selected for its first director general the psychologist C. P. Blacker, who called for a strategy of "crypto-eugenics," saying "you seek to fulfill the aims of eugenics without disclosing what you are really aiming at and without mentioning the word."
    
When Nehru presented India's first population-limitation policy in December 1952, the population establishment found a willing government that would allow them to start experimenting on its people to find a cheap contraceptive "to be used in poverty stricken slums, jungles and among the most ignorant people," as Margaret Sanger put it. Years later, Planned Parenthood would import the experiments back into poor neighborhoods in the United States. Sanger said, "I believe that now, immediately there should be national sterilization for certain dysgenic types of our population who are being encouraged to breed and would die out were the government not feeding them."

According to Connelly, it wasn't until President Lyndon Johnson, prodded by a few highly influential advisors, that American funding soared, turning Sanger's vision of forcing birth control on the world's poor into reality in India and beyond. As the initiatives gained unstoppable momentum, the brutal consequences shocked even the most enthusiastic population controllers.

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Pro-Life Group Holds Protest in Newfoundland against Morgentaler Decision

By Tim Waggoner

ST. JOHN'S, NFLD, July 10, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Newfoundland Right to Life Association held a public protest yesterday in opposition to the appointment of Dr. Henry Morgentaler to the Order of Canada.

Over 40 protestors gathered in front of the lieutenant governor's house with signs that read, "abortion kills children" and "God save us and our nation."  They did so in solidarity with the protest that was going on in Ottawa at the same time.

Patrick Hanlon, president of the Right to Life Association, told CBC News that the members of his association are opposed to Morgentaler's induction into the Order of Canada.

"A lot of people will say this is a man that's made abortion safe. Well, actually he's not. He's made abortion legal," Hanlon said. "Before it became legal in this country, they were performed in hospitals and clinics, they were just not discussed."

He also mentioned the divisive nature of the abortionist's appointment.

"Morgentaler is a very divisive person, he's not a unifying person that all Canadians are proud of, and those are the people, the people Canadians are proud of, that get the awards," Hanlon said.

See LifeSiteNews coverage on the Ottawa protest:

1,000 Attend Ottawa Rally Demanding Order of Canada to Abortionist be Revoked
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08070901.html

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