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Commentary on June 30 LifeSiteNews - D&P issue a big one, Obama out of the closet on homosexual issue

Dear Readers,

The first June 30 report is an unusually lengthy one. If the subject of the Canadian Bishops' Conference report on Development and Peace and the report's rebuke of LSN is not of interest to you, then please skip to the other stories. For those who are interested, after reading the CCCB report you will likely agree that our detailed response is necessary.

President Obama has come fully out of the closet on the homosexual issue. Some starry eyed social conservative Obama supporters thought the abortion president had begun to listen to the concerns of the people on the homosexual and gay 'marriage' issues. Yet another naivete bubble has been burst.

There has been a lot of response from readers on the Development and Peace controversy which has quite frankly been draining us. In our almost 14 years of existence, few other issues have grown so large, taken up so much of our resources and generated such intense hostility towards our usual reporting of facts. LifeSiteNews is not doing anything different on this issue, but those affected by the revealed facts in this case have proven to be especially annoyed and unwilling to admit there is a problem.

I was recently told by a supporter, "be careful about going after liberal Catholics. They will come after you with a vengeance." Well, we are not going after anyone. We are going after the truth, as always. It does certainly appear, though, that some of those affected by these reports (and we do not include in this most of the bishops) are coming after us with a vengeance.

Please pray for LifeSiteNews. We could use the reinforcement.

Also, pray for the great Msgr. Vincent Foy. http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08072508.html. We learned that the 92-year-old famed Canadian Catholic canon lawyer had a fall today resulting in a serious hip injury. Just a few weeks ago he celebrated his 70th anniversary as a priest and gave a long talk at the event that was just amazing.

Steve Jalsevac
LifeSiteNews.com

 

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LifeSiteNews' Detailed Response to Canadian Bishops' Whitewash Report on Development and Peace

Despite disappointing report, LSN still confident Canada's bishops will correct serious funding problems

Editorial by John-Henry Westen and Steve Jalsevac

OTTAWA, June 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Yesterday, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) released their report concerning the Mexican partners of their international development arm - Development & Peace. Given the very clear and incontrovertible evidence made available by LifeSiteNews.com confirming that the groups have advocated for abortion, it was astonishing that the report whitewashed the matter, saying: "we believe the allegations by Lifesite News … are not founded on the facts."

Distortion of LSN Allegations

The report says that "the allegations by Lifesite News" consisted of the claim "that financial assistance by the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP) aided projects related to the promotion of abortion."  However, LSN never reported that CCODP (D&P) was aiding "projects related to the promotion of abortion." Instead, we provided substantiated evidence that the groups, which received funding for various non-abortion related projects, were also engaged in pro-abortion advocacy. 

Given that three members of D&P led the bishops in their investigations, such distortion is probably not surprising.  It was D&P that began misrepresenting our reports by claiming we were making such allegations.  As early as March 24, only 12 days after LSN broke the story, we were already addressing the misrepresentation and D&P's avoidance of the real issues.  We repeated over and over again that the evidence in our stories confirmed that the funded groups were involved in abortion and contraception advocacy - not that D&P was funding abortion-related projects.

Only Addressed One Piece of Evidence - the Least Significant - and Ignored Rest

The report was limited to evidence regarding the first five groups identified by LSN in Mexico.  However, the CCCB formal investigation was undertaken in the context of dozens of other LSN reports finding incontrovertible evidence - photographic, direct interviews, website materials, and other - on groups involved in abortion and contraceptive advocacy funded by D&P all over Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Moreover, the report did not even address all the evidence provided in LSN's reports on the first five groups.  It took up only one piece of evidence, which was also the least significant of the pieces of evidence of pro-abortion activity on the part of the groups -- the very same "straw-man" tactic that D&P used in attempting to discredit our original reports.

The report focuses on a single pro-abortion UN document signed by three of the groups, a decision that the report admits was "imprudent." Thankfully, the bishops do note that the UN document that the groups "endorsed contains several orientations not in accordance with the teaching of the Catholic Church." However, we have to wonder, if the UN document included advocacy for racism or anti-Semitism, instead of abortion, would the groups' formal endorsements be labeled as merely "imprudent"? 

The CCCB report ignores the irrefutable evidence that one of the five groups, the "All Rights for Everyone Network" (Todos los Derechos Para Todos y Todas) publicly supported Mexico City's abortion-on-demand legislation, which mandates the provision of abortions in the city's public hospitals.

The All Rights for Everyone Network also states in its own "Agenda" that one of its goals is the "putting into effect the right on women who are impregnated as a consequence of rape to interrupt their pregnancy."

Another group, the "Agustin Pro Juarez Center for Human Rights" (Centro de Derechos Humanos Agustín Pro Júarez) signed a public declaration whose only purpose was to denounce a proposed right-to-life amendment to the constitution of the state of Jalisco, which protects life from the moment of conception.

In addition, LSN has revealed that various members of the orginal five groups signed two other "human rights" statements that support the availability of abortion.

No reference is made in the report to subsequent LSN reports providing strong evidence of three more D&P sponsored Mexican groups as being pro-abortion. See "Development and Peace" Funding Sixth Pro-Abortion Organization in Mexico,  Development and Peace "Partner" Admits Helping Women Obtain Abortions, Opposes Vatican UN Status, Advocates Depenalizing Abortion, and Interview Confirms Eighth Mexican Pro-Abortion Organization Being Funded by Development and Peace


Response of Mexican Bishops Not Noted

The report notes that the Canadian delegation met with three bishops and two staff representing the Mexican Episcopal Conference. Nothing is said in the report, however, about what concerns or comments the Mexican bishops may have expressed on the issue. This seems to be a glaring omission.

Surely it would be appropriate to give some indication in the report, which is primarily intended for the rest of Canada's bishops, what the response of their brother bishops in Mexico was to the controversy.

However, on a positive note, the CCCB report does state its regret that "the Mexican organizations have so little or no relation with the Episcopal Conference of their country." It also adds, "We consider it important for Development and Peace to foster good relationships with the Bishops of those countries where groups receive CCODP financial assistance." LSN has also stressed the serious need for such a policy.


CCCB Report Did Hint at Deficiency in CCODP Decision Making

Although the CCCB report does not directly criticize CCODP (as it does LSN) nor accept the validity of the LSN reports, it does include a welcome paragraph indicating that the bishops see that there are indeed problems that demand an improvement in CCODP's decision-making process. The paragraph states,

We hope the present circumstances encourage Development and Peace to be more vigilant in analysing requests for financial assistance and more demanding about receiving information from possible partners. … we would encourage Development and Peace to ensure more thorough consultations with the Bishops of Canada, particularly the two Bishops who are appointed as members of the Development and Peace National Council, especially when there are questions involving moral issues such as abortion and contraception.

We could not agree more. These recommendations do not address nor resolve the overall systemic problem, but they are a step in the right direction.

LSN Not Contacted During Investigation

As already mentioned, the report even gets LSN's assertions wrong.  This leads us to wonder if the two Canadian Bishops who authored the report have read our many investigative reports on the matter - and if not all of them, at least the first 20 which were completed prior to their trip to Mexico.  Since the three-page report addresses LSN numerous times, it is also a wonder that none of our staff were contacted by the investigating bishops or their representatives.


Discuss it With the Bishops? - LSN has Tried to do so From the Beginning

The report appeals directly to LSN leadership asking us to "dialogue" with the Bishops of Canada.  "We also hope there will be a means for frank and transparent dialogue between Lifesite and the Bishops of Canada," says the report.

In fact, this was a process to which LifeSiteNews gave high priority and was engaged in from the beginning of this controversy.

In addition to repeatedly and personally speaking with several bishops on the matter - some of whom were very critical of our reports - we offered to be available to answer questions from bishops at the meeting of the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops - an offer that was politely declined.  Moreover, we attempted to make the same offer to the general secretary of the CCCB but our call was not returned.  And again, the bishops who undertook the investigation did not contact us for their report, perhaps on the advice of others.

The report also makes an "urgent appeal" to LSN "that it establish an open and fruitful dialogue with Canadian Catholic groups."  LSN has however, since its beginnings done just that.  We have worked fruitfully with the CCCB's own Catholic Organization for Life and Family, with the Catholic Civil Rights League of Canada, with Priests for Life Canada, with the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, and Catholic groups all over the world too numerous to mention. We have always been very open to working with Catholic groups - if they are also willing to work with us.

A Counter-Witness to the Gospel?

In a strong rebuke of LSN, the report states: "We are convinced that when a group makes allegations, accusations and denunciations against another, this can bring nothing positive to our Church and is a counter-witness to that Gospel spirit that should guide all Christians. Negative actions of this kind encourage suspicion, scandal and division in the Church."

As for LifeSiteNews making "allegations, accusations and denunciations," that has been the language of Development and Peace in response to our investigative reports. In reality, LifeSiteNews merely presented the readily available evidence that showed pro-abortion advocacy on the part of the groups.

Prior to publishing our first story on the matter, LifeSiteNews directly contacted D&P - an official arm of the CCCB - and we were told by their Director of International Programs that the organization did not concern itself with the abortion stand of the groups funded but merely funded projects of whatever groups that suited D&P's non-abortion related objectives.

Negativity and denunciation only entered the picture when D&P accused LSN of being "dangerously irresponsible and slanderous" and of using "ill-conceived conjecture and hypothesis, to deliberately misinterpret the social justice initiatives of our southern partners in this light."

Rather than responding in kind, we specifically noted that we were assuming "good will on the part of D&P" and that "they were misled about the activities of the pro-abortion groups in Mexico which they fund." 

LifeSiteNews Reports Always Have Positive Intent

We at LSN had every reason to believe that when presented with the facts, the bishops of Canada would be thankful and divert their much-needed development funds to groups more worthy of such funding in the developing world. 

LSN reports always have the intention of bringing positive change. When we report on difficult situations such as this, we do so with the understanding that often, positive change to certain problems can and will only occur if the problems are brought into the light of public scrutiny. Otherwise, in those situations, nothing is likely to happen to correct the errors involved.

In the case of Development & Peace, this is certainly not the first time the organization has been found to be supporting pro-abortion groups, and not the first time it has vigorously resisted correcting the problem. Our latest reports have simply revealed the problem to be systemic in the organization. We have given Canada's bishops much previously unknown information that should help them gain the knowledge and support needed to take the actions necessary to correct the problems.

Just prior to our original reportage, the Obama Administration, to the dismay of the US Bishops and the Vatican struck down the Mexico-City Policy that prohibited US federal funding for groups that perform or even promote abortion. We believe that if a secular government was willing and able to institute such an admirable policy, an official arm of the Canadian bishops should also be willing and able to implement a similar policy.

If the Development & Peace problem is however denied and not corrected, then yes, there will be "suspicion, scandal and division in the Church" - not because of our reports, but because our information was not welcomed as a service to the Church and not acted upon.

This is NOT Over

This story is not over.  Many bishops have withheld funding from D&P over this and the CCCB report has not yet changed that, and we suspect that it won't. 

Because it is a whitewash, the report will cause even greater scandal.  Readers have already told us that the Development and Peace denials and deception are all-too evident and reminiscent of similar tactics employed in previous years with other scandals.

We hope that the report will cause other bishops in the developing world to re-double their efforts to insist that the Canadian bishops halt funding of pro-abortion groups in their countries and re-direct the funding to more faithful and worthy groups.

As a Peruvian Archbishop said in a May 28 letter, in which he "formally" requested that the bishops of Canada cease funding pro-abortion groups in his country: "It is very disturbing to have groups which work against the Bishops of Peru by attempting to undermine legal protection for the right to life of unborn children, be funded by our brother bishops in Canada."

Composition of Investigation Team Raises Questions

The report revealed that the two bishops who undertook the investigation were "assisted" by three D&P officials. Archbishop Martin Currie, of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Bishop François Lapierre of Saint-Hyacinthe were the authors of the report. They were assisted by Msgr. Carlos Quintana, C.S.S., Executive Director of the National Collection for the Church in Latin America of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Msgr. Mario Paquette, P.H., General Secretary of the CCCB; and three persons from Development and Peace who saw to travel arrangements and other organising: Messrs Michael Casey, Executive Director, Paul Cliche, Deputy Director of the International Programs Department, and André Charlebois, Program Officer for Latin
America.

Based on comments LifeSiteNews received from numerous other sources, many of them experienced professionals, the bishops of Canada will only be able to properly assess the Development and Peace controversy by engaging a fully independent, professional agency to investigate the groups named by LifeSiteNews and others. The absence of trained independent investigators, plus the inclusion of three senior CCODP officials in the investigation team, created a situation that could not possibly have resulted in a fully credible report.

LifeSiteNews encourages Canada's bishops to have their staff carefully review all the information in every one of our reports on this issue.  An independent professional audit of CCODP funding policies and groups which are in receipt of its funding is essential.

LifeSiteNews Still Confident That Canadian Bishops Will Correct CCODP Problems

LifeSiteNews still expresses confidence that at least some of Canada's bishops will take the needed action to correct the serious problems with CCODP funding. We believe that this now public controversy will in the end be of substantial benefit for the Church and especially for the good of the people in the developing world who dearly need the support of Canadian Catholics.


The Truly Great Social Justice Issue of our Day

And finally, we believe that our series of investigative reports will benefit the protection of a true culture of life and family in the developing world which is currently under relentless assault by wealthy anti-life, anti-family international forces. The Church and other genuinely pro-life minded groups in these nations desperately need financial and other support from sympathetic organizations for this battle.

This is the truly great social justice issue of our day. Nothing else comes close to it in importance and degree of influence upon these vulnerable nations, their people and cultures.

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Obama Assures Homosexualist Leaders He's a "Champion" of Their Cause at Private White House Reception

By Peter J. Smith

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - President Barack Obama reassured homosexual advocates gathered at the White House yesterday that he was not dragging his heels on implementing their agenda, but merely patiently biding his time in order to ensure success in the long run.

Obama hosted hundreds of homosexual activists at the White House on Monday in the East Room, in order to celebrate LGBT Pride Month as well as the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots that are regarded as the inception of the homosexual rights movement.

The President specifically recognized several special guests, including New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson and Frank Kameny, whom the President paid special attention to, hailing him a "civil rights pioneer."

Kameny is credited with successfully lobbying the American Psychiatric Association into declassifying homosexuality as a mental disorder, and the octogenarian has recently devoted himself to promoting hard-core pornography and the acceptance of bestiality as part of what he calls "Americanism in action."

Obama stated that Kameny had been fired as an astronomer for the federal government for his homosexuality, and asserted that his public protest in 1965 was "both an act of conscience but also an act of extraordinary courage." The President then added, "And so we are proud of you, Frank, and we are grateful to you for your leadership."
 
The celebration has been widely perceived as an attempt to mollify the anger of homosexual groups that have accused Obama of failing to fulfill campaign promises to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy, which prohibits homosexuals from serving in the armed forces.

The President acknowledged that many of the homosexualist leaders in the room were unhappy with his administration's current pace of progress, but urged them instead to suspend their present discontent for promise of the coming social transformation.

"I know that many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough, and I understand that," Obama said. "It's not for me to tell you to be patient anymore than it was for others to counsel patience to African-Americans who were petitioning for equal rights a half-century ago."

"But I say this: We have made progress," the president continued. "And we will make more."We have made progress and we will make more. And I want you to know that I expect and hope to be judged not by words, not by promises I've made, but by the promises that my administration keeps."

"We've been in office six months now.  I suspect that by the time this administration is over, I think you guys will have pretty good feelings about the Obama administration."

The President then recommitted himself to pledges to overturn DOMA, the military ban on homosexuals serving in the military (DADT), passing the employment non-discrimination act (ENDA), new federal hate crimes legislation, and rescinding a travel ban to the United States for HIV-infected persons, which Obama called "discriminatory."

The President also stated that sexually transmitted HIV/AIDS, which continues to ravage and spread in the homosexual community through the practice of multiple sex partners, "continues to be a public health threat in many communities," including the District of Columbia. 

"That's why this past Saturday, on National HIV Testing Day, I was proud once again to encourage all Americans to know their status and get tested the way Michelle and I know our status and got tested," Obama stated.

However, Obama made clear that the ultimate victory for the homosexual movement would not come merely by legislative fiat from Washington, but through persistent persuasion on all levels.

"We are all witnesses to monumental changes in this country.  That should give us hope, but we cannot rest.  We must continue to do our part to make progress - step by step, law by law, mind by changing mind," asserted Obama.

"And I want you to know that in this task I will not only be your friend, I will continue to be an ally and a champion and a President who fights with you and for you."

See related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:

54% of U.S. HIV Infections Caused by Homosexual Activity Among Men, 13-29
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jun/09061813.html

Obama to Give Benefits to Homosexual Partners of Federal Employees
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jun/09061704.html

President Obama Declares June 2009 'LGBT Pride Month'
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jun/09060208.html

Foul-Mouthed Homosexual Activist and Anti-Christian Bigot Appointed to Obama Administration
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jun/09060212.html

White House Drops Obama Opposition to Defense of Marriage Act from Website
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/may/09051505.html

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Planned Parenthood Employee in Alabama Admits 'Bending the Rules' of Mandatory Reporting for Sexual Abuse

BIRMINGHAM, June 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Planned Parenthood counselor in Birmingham was caught on hidden camera telling an alleged 14-year-old statutory rape victim that the clinic "does sometimes bend the rules a little bit" rather than report sexual abuse to state authorities. This is the seventh Planned Parenthood clinic implicated in a multi-state child abuse scandal involving the deliberate and unlawful suppression of evidence of statutory rape. (View video here)

Lila Rose, 20-year-old UCLA student and president of the non-profit Live Action, went undercover at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Birmingham and told a counselor that she was 14-years-old, pregnant by her 31-year-old "boyfriend." Rose said she needed a secret abortion so her parents would not find out about her sexual relationship with the older man.

After telling the counselor that her "boyfriend" is 31, Rose asks, "Is it a problem about my boyfriend?" The counselor, identified as "Tanisha" in the video, responds, "As long as you consented to having sex with him, there's nothing we can truly do about that." Rose then says that her boyfriend "said he could get in big trouble," and Tanisha acknowledges that "he could, especially if your parents find out that he's 31." She then tells Rose that the clinic manager, OB/GYN Dr. Desiree Bates, "sometimes does bend the rules a little bit" and states that "whatever you tell us stays within these walls" and "we can't disclose any information to anybody."

However, Alabama code 26-14-3 requires health professionals to disclose suspected cases of sexual abuse to state officials immediately.

"The law is explicit about a healthcare provider's duty to report, yet Planned Parenthood pretends they cannot say anything," Rose said about the investigation. "Planned Parenthood increases its business and influence by circumventing state reporting laws, but inflicts terrible harm upon the vulnerable young girls sent back to statutory rapists."

In the video, Tanisha also seems to tell Rose that a signature from an "older sister that's over the age of 18" or someone "with the same last name" could function as a substitute for parental consent so Planned Parenthood could perform an abortion on a minor. Alabama law, however, specifies that the written permission of either a parent or legal guardian is necessary before a minor may obtain an abortion.

The new video is the sixth in Live Action's "Mona Lisa Project," a nationwide undercover investigation that documents Planned Parenthood's repeated noncompliance with state mandatory reporting laws for sexual abuse of minors. Alabama is the fourth state to be implicated in the controversy, along with Arizona, Indiana, and Tennessee. Recently, the investigation of a clinic in Memphis, TN assisted state legislators in their effort to successfully divert nearly $1 million in taxpayer subsidies from Planned Parenthood to law-abiding local health clinics.

"When to 'bend the rules a little' means hiding a case of statutory rape from Child Protective Services and looking for ways around the parental consent requirement, Planned Parenthood becomes directly responsible for ensuring that statutory rapists can continue their abuse of young girls," Rose said.

(The video can be viewed online here)

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New Technology Lets Parents Hold Life-Size Model of Unborn Child

By Kathleen Gilbert

LONDON, June 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A London art student has developed a revolutionary new step in prenatal imagery that allows parents to hold a life-size model of their unborn baby.

Jorge Lopez, a Brazilian student at the Royal College of Art in London, pioneered the new use of technology to utilize 4D ultrasound images and MRI scans to construct plaster models that can delineate the unique form of each child.

"It's amazing to see the faces of the mothers. They can see the full scale of their baby, really understand the size of it," said Lopes.

Stuart Campbell, the head of obstetrics and gynecology at King's College in London and a pioneer of ultrasound diagnosis in the 1980s, called the breakthrough "a fantastic development" for doctors. 

Campbell said he wishes to use the technology as an educational tool for expectant parents and to help mothers who have difficulty bonding with their babies.

Hilary French, the Head of the School of Architecture & Design at the Royal College of Art, noted that the technology, known as rapid prototyping, "can be also be used as an emotional tool for parents whose foetus might be deformed or need treatment."

The technology is regularly used at the College to construct architectural models, jewelry, and other new devices.  The fetal modeling is currently undergoing trial use at a Rio de Janeiro clinic.

The Times reports that Dr. Lopes is currently working on simplifying the software so that doctors can use it independently at any given clinic.

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Famed Fr. Corapi Calls Canadian Bishops' Dissent from Humanae Vitae "Catastrophic"

“The majority of Canadian bishops signed the infamous Winnipeg Statement that just categorically rejected Humane Vitae. That kind of rebellion is catastrophic.”

By Patrick B. Craine

June 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In an interview with Legatus Magazine, to be published in the July/August issue, Fr. John Corapi criticizes the Canadian bishops for their rejection of Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae in their signing of the "infamous Winnipeg Statement." The statement, released shortly after the release of the pope's encylical, undercut Paul VI's unambiguous denunciation of all use of artificial contraception, indicating that Catholic couples might be able to use contraception in good conscience.

"One can recall what happened during the tenure of Pope Paul VI," says Fr. Corapi in the interview, "when he came out with his landmark and prophetic encyclical Humanae Vitae. Significant numbers of bishops, priests, theologians and others rejected it. They absolutely rejected it. The majority of Canadian bishops signed the infamous Winnipeg Statement that just categorically rejected Humanae Vitae. That kind of rebellion is catastrophic."

On September 27th, 1968, two months after Humanae Vitae was put out, the Canadian Catholic Bishops released their controversial Winnipeg Statement.  The most infamous passage, paragraph 26, opens the door for the moral use of contraception, in contradiction to the pope's encyclical, saying that if a couple has "tried sincerely but without success to pursue a line of conduct in keeping with the given directives, they may be safely assured that, whoever honestly chooses that course which seems right to him does so in good conscience."

Last September, at their annual Plenary Assembly, the Canadian Bishops released a pastoral letter entitled Liberating Potential, encouraging faithfulness to Humanae Vitae. This letter appeared to reverse the former position of the bishops, as some critics of the Winnipeg Statement have said; however, it makes no mention of the statement, and the bishops have never officially retracted the document.

The long-term effects of rejecting the papal encyclical are "profound," says Fr. Corapi.  "The argument can be strongly made that the proliferation of abortion can pretty much be traced to artificial contraception," he said.  "It's almost a cause-and-effect kind of thing, and Paul VI warned about that. But large numbers [of] Church leaders rejected it and were so bold as to even reject it in writing, and that's not without consequences. There were profound consequences not only in the Church but in the United States, Canada and the whole world. It's had a profound effect on de-Christianizing the culture."

In the interview, Fr. Corapi says he blames the leadership of the Church, namely the bishops, priests, and theologians, for the large numbers of Catholics currently not attending Mass.  "You have to ask yourself why people have drifted away," he says.  "We have control over the reasons inside the Church. You can start with the top."

He says that he traces the problem to unfaithfulness. In the Old Testament, he says, "leadership was removed from the people of God, the chosen people, because of infidelity to the covenant." 

To see the full interview click here:

For related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Canadian Bishops Issue Pastoral Letter Encouraging Faithfulness to Anti-Contraception Encyclical Humanae Vitae 

Canadian Catholics Ask Bishops to Retract Winnipeg Statement - Recommit to Humanae Vitae

Ottawa Archbishop Thanks Canadian Catholics who Promoted Humanae Vitae in the Last 40 Years

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Suit Filed Challenging Distribution of Morning After Pill to Minors Over-the-Counter

BROOKLYN, New York, June 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Alliance Defense Fund attorneys together with a Mineola attorney filed a motion to intervene Thursday to challenge a federal court order requiring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow the abortifacient Plan B drug to be sold over the counter to minors. 

The FDA announced in April that it would not appeal a New York district judge's decision in favor of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which sued the federal agency for requiring 17-year-olds to get a prescription for Plan B.  The FDA was also asked to reconsider allowing girls of all ages free access to the pill.

The Center first sued the FDA in 2005 to force it to make Plan B available over the counter, and the agency agreed the following year to make it available without a prescription to adult women. 

The motion to intervene in Tummino v. Hamburg was filed Thursday with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

The motion was filed on behalf of Concerned Women for America, the Christian Medical and Dental Association, and Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International, who contend that the order disregards parental rights and the safety of minors.

"The life and health of women, especially minors, is more important than the political agenda of pro-abortion activist groups," said ADF Legal Counsel Matt Bowman. 

"Minors are least of all in a position to make an informed decision about the life or death of a child, or even about their own safety.  It is a lie that over-the-counter sales of this drug increase safety for women, including minors."

Bowman said the organizations seeking to intervene "represent thousands of medical personnel that will not only be affected by the court's order but believe strongly that it will result in both parents and doctors being left out of the loop in a child's care."

"The order allows minors to bypass being seen by a doctor who can check for sexually transmitted diseases and other potentially serious medical conditions," he explained.  "Our motion argues that the case should be dismissed because, under the law, the plaintiffs have not established sufficient reason that they can even ask for an order like this."

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

FDA Caves, Makes Plan B Available to 17-Year-Olds without Prescription  http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09042305.html

Judge Demands FDA Allow Abortifacient Morning After Pill for Minors 
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/mar/09032405.html

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First Clinical Trials Completed of Adult Cardiac Stem Cell Repair

By Hilary White

LOS ANGELES, June 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Doctors at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles have announced the successful completion of the first human trials in growing new heart tissue from adult cardiac stem cells, which the researchers hope will be successful in repairing damage due to heart attacks.

In a cutting edge procedure the patient's own heart tissue is used to grow specialized heart stem cells that are then injected back into the patient. The first patient to actually receive the infusion of cells is heart attack victim Ken Milles, who underwent the procedure on Friday.

Milles is part of a 24-patient clinical trial that is the first test in using adult stem cells from a patient's own heart to attempt to heal injured heart muscle.

Dr. Eduardo Marbán, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute who developed the technique, said, "Five years ago, we didn't even know the heart had its own distinct type of stem cells. Now we are exploring how to harness such stem cells to help patients heal their own damaged hearts."

"We seek to actually reverse the injury that has been caused by the heart attack, by re-growing new heart muscle to at least partially replace the scar that's formed."

Healthy heart cells are collected from the patients and coaxed to form up to 25,000,000 stem cells. These cells then create complex cardiospheres which can actually start beating in the lab. The doctors inject these back into the patients and expect to report results within six months. 

The Cedars-Sinai treatment follows years of work in using adult stem cells from various parts of the body to treat heart tissue damage. In the UK in 2006, researchers reported that a procedure that was introduced at University College London Hospital in which patients suffering a heart attack will undergo regular treatment of an angioplasty, followed by an injection of stem cells harvested from the bone marrow to help re-grow damaged tissue.

In 2007, Rush University Medical Center reported on the development of Provacel, an intravenous preparation of adult stem cells that has been shown in preclinical animal models to prevent scar formation in the area of the heart after heart attacks.

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Adult Stem Cells Used to Treat Emergency Heart Attack Patients
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/nov/06110809.html

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Homosexual Duke U. Director Charged with Offering Adopted 5-Year-Old for Sex

By Kathleen Gilbert

DURHAM, North Carolina, June 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An openly homosexual Duke University official has been charged with delivering up his 5-year-old adopted African American son to sexual predators online.

Frank Lombard, the 42-year-old associate director of the Center for Health Policy and a licensed clinical social worker, was arrested Wednesday after he invited an undercover police officer to take advantage of one of his two sons, whom he had adopted with his male partner.  

The Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI conducted the sting operation.

Investigators were tipped off to Lombard's criminal activity by an informant who said he had seen Lombard molest an African-American child four times over an Internet video chat service called ICUii.  The informant said Lombardi described himself on his profile as "perv dad for fun."

According to the arrest warrant filed by D.C. Metropolitan Det. Timothy Palchak, Lombard told the undercover detective that he had raped his son on several occasions since infancy, and that "the abuse of the child was easier when the child was too young to talk or know what was happening, but that he had drugged the child with Benadryl during the molestation."

The FBI stated that two children have been taken from Lombard's home and put into protective custody by the North Carolina Department of Social Services.

Lombard will be transferred to Washington, D.C. this week to face federal charges, and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Duke University spokesman Michael Schoenfeld told ABC News that Lombard, a Duke employee since 1999, has been placed on unpaid leave.

Family Research Institute Chairman Dr. Paul Cameron has said that the case appears to coincide with a pattern of abuse established in a recent review of the literature describing the impact of homosexual fathers on their children. The review by Dr. Cameron, published in the peer-reviewed Psychological Reports, noted that such children were more frequently exposed to parental molestation.

"While every gay parent does not molest his child, the scientific literature records a much higher incidence of molestation by gay parents or foster parents," said Cameron.  Cameron, an expert in homosexual foster parenting and adoption, also said it is likely the child victim "developed interest in gay sex through these activities." 

Cameron cited a 1978 Kinsey Institute study that found 23% of surveyed homosexual men admitting to having had sex with boys.

"The cant that 'gay parents are no more likely to molest' is not based on evidence but liberal ideology," said Cameron.

"By endorsing gay adoption, President Obama, the state of North Carolina, and Duke University share blame for this tragedy.  These policy makers let dogma blind them to evidence that has been in the literature for years."

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Co-Discoverer of Natural Selection Believed in "Overruling Intelligence" Guiding Evolution: New Book

By Hilary White

June 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The life work of Alfred Russel Wallace, a contemporary of Charles Darwin and the unsung scientist who "co-discovered" evolution, suggests that there is no necessary conflict between the theory and religious belief in a divine intelligence, a new book has said. In fact, the book proposes, it was Wallace's lifetime of objective investigations that led him in the end to a belief in an "overruling intelligence" guiding the development of life, a belief similar to that of contemporary supporters of Intelligent Design theory.

Michael A. Flannery, author of the book "Alfred Russel Wallace's Theory of Intelligent Evolution: How Wallace's World of Life Challenged Darwinism," points to the history of the evolutionary theory to demonstrate that Darwin's materialistic ideas excluding the possibility of a divine intelligence, were already well entrenched in his mind long before the publication of his book "On the Origin of Species."

Flannery said that his book is an effort to "recast" the current dispute between materialist Darwinians and Intelligent Design proponents by examining the history of evolutionary theory. He holds that the "science" versus "creationism" conflict are "popular caricatures" that are "unhistorical and inaccurate."

He points to Wallace, a naturalist, anthropologist and biologist, who had independently developed a theory of natural selection when Darwin published his book. The two parted company in a dispute over the role of natural selection in the development of human intelligence. After years of research into this question, Wallace came to the conclusion that the processes of natural selection were guided by a higher intelligence, whereas Darwin held to the concept of "randomness" in evolution. The difference, Flannery says, is one of metaphysics, which, for Darwin, was already a settled question.

Writing in Forbes magazine, Flannery explained, "Darwin's own theory could hardly be called objectively scientific. Early influences on Darwin's youth established his predisposition to materialism and a dogmatic methodological naturalism long before his voyage on the Beagle."

"In short, Darwin's metaphysic compelled his science. Wallace, on the other hand, was a tireless investigator who increasingly discerned design in nature. Unlike Darwin, Wallace's science compelled his metaphysics."

To buy "Alfred Russel Wallace's Theory of Intelligent Evolution" go here.

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Catholic College Leaders Delete Paragraph Calling for Withdrawal of USCCB "Catholics in Political Life"

By Kathleen Gilbert

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A portion of the Association of Catholic Colleges and University's latest newsletter, which called for the withdrawal of the U.S. Bishops' document prohibiting pro-abortion politicians from being honored at Catholic schools, has now been deleted.

The paragraph, originally appearing in the Summer 2009 version of the newsletter "Update" and coinciding with the bishops' meeting in San Antonio, read:

"ACCU's directors informally concluded that it would be desirable for the USCCB to withdraw 'Catholics in Political Life' ... A successor document, if any, should distinguish between 'honors' and 'platforms' and should acknowledge more clearly the differing roles of campus authorities and bishops. In addition, ACCU's directors suggested that juridical expressions of bishops' or universities' responsibilities should be kept to a minimum, lest they inhibit the 'mutual trust, close and consistent collaboration, and continuing dialogue' to which Ex corde Ecclesiae calls Church and university authorities."

"Catholics in Political Life," which was cited by many of the 80 active U.S. bishops who condemned the University of Notre Dame's honor of President Obama May 17, reads in part: "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

The Cardinal Newman Society reported on the controversial statement earlier this month, and the now-missing paragraph was also noted by John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter.

The bishops at their recent national conference did not retract the document, but instead issued a statement of support for Notre Dame's Bishop John D'Arcy, who strongly objected to Obama's invitation and boycotted the commencement ceremony at which the President appeared.

"We can only hope that the disappearance of the paragraph means that it was untrue," said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society.  "Evading standards for Catholic higher education is not an appropriate response to the Notre Dame scandal."

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Catholic College Leaders Lobby Bishops to Withdraw 2004 Policy Banning Pro-Abortion Speakers 
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jun/09061708.html

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New Documentary Exposes Link Between Failing Global Economy and Demographic Winter

By Peter J. Smith

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A newly released documentary claims that the current global economic crisis is in part symptomatic of a global population crisis that the documentarians call a "demographic winter."

SRB Documentaries has announced the release of "Demographic Bomb: demography is destiny," the sequel to 2008 documentary "Demographic Winter: the decline of the human family." (see coverage here)

The phrase "demographic winter" refers to the contemporary phenomenon of a worldwide rapid decline in birthrates. The new documentary makes a forceful case that the loss of millions due to population control efforts has meant an irreplaceable loss of millions of producers and consumers who otherwise would be participating and supporting today's global economy.

"Like 'Demographic Winter,' 'The Demographic Bomb' deals with rapidly falling birth rates and their consequences for humanity in the 21st century," said Barry McLerran, producer of both documentaries. McLerran pointed out that demographic winter in turn has economic ramifications, as fewer and fewer workers will be available to support massive populations of the elderly.

"'Demographic Winter' predicted the financial crash of 2008 to within 12 months. 'Demographic Bomb' reveals how this is just the beginning," warned McLerran.

"'Demographic Bomb' shows what happens when countries comprising 80 percent of the world's economy have plummeting numbers of workers, consumers and innovators - leading to falling consumer spending, and too few workers to support the elderly."

The documentary interviews demographers, sociologists, economists, and historians that make clear the reasons why the demographic decline and economic decline are related.

The film begins with an interview with Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University, the 1968 author of "The Population Bomb," which convinced the popular mind that overpopulation was the world's greatest threat. Ehrlich has also gone on record as saying that two billion persons is the Earth's optimal population limit.

The documentary also features Mathew Connelly of Columbia University, author of "Fatal Misconception: The Struggle To Control World Population," who explains how a coalition of organizations, institutions, governments, and the United Nations have manipulated families and violated basic human rights in the process to achieve their goals of population reduction.

Also featured are former Yale Professor of Economics Jennifer Roback Morse, USC Professor of Urban Planning and Demography Dowell Myers, Harvard PhD Nick Eberstadt, Harvard MBA Harry Dent, the author of "The Great Depression Ahead," and Nobel Prize winning economist Gary Becker.

For more information on the documentaries "Demographic Winter" and "Demographic Bomb" click here.

See related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:

Researcher: Economic Impact of Abortion in U.S. Since 1970 - $35 to $70 Trillion
"No matter how you slice it, aggressive 'population control' exacts a huge price in future economic growth "

New Stats: Europe Facing Demographic Winter, Growing Political, Economic Tensions 
By 2015, European deaths will be greater than births; Russian population declining by 750,000/year

New Documentary Explores Global Demographic Crisis 

Demographic Winter: "Schools will be turned into nursing homes. Playgrounds will become graveyards."

Commentary: World's Elite Make Population Control #1 Priority against Backdrop of Underpopulation Threat 

Pope Against Population Control: "Population Is Proving To Be An Asset, Not A Factor That Contributes To Poverty"

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Is Pro-Choice the New Pro-Life?

Commentary by Colin Mason

June 30, 2009 (PRI) - Is pro-choice the new pro-life? According to the New York Times, it doesn't really matter, because you probably don't understand the terms anyway.

According to the Times the recent Gallup Poll showing that a majority of Americans are pro-life is faulty at best, and downright sinister at worst.

The poll, conducted May 7-10, found that 51% of Americans are now "calling themselves 'pro-life' on the issue of abortion and 42% 'pro-choice.' According to Gallup, this is "the first time a majority of U.S. adults have identified themselves as pro-life since Gallup began asking this question in 1995."

Not only did Gallup find these results to be consistent in two other surveys (the details can be found on Gallup's web site here), they also gave a rather forthright opinion as to why they thought this shift was occurring. President Obama's radical policies, Gallup said, are actually alienating many Americans who would consider themselves to be "pro-choice," causing them to shift over toward the pro-life position:

"It is possible that, through his abortion policies, Obama has pushed the public's understanding of what it means to be 'pro-choice' slightly to the left, politically. While Democrats may support that, as they generally support everything Obama is doing as president, it may be driving others in the opposite direction."

This sounds quite reasonable to me. Having a president who is radically pro-abortion might well cause the significant shift in opinions concerning abortion that Gallup detected.

Liberal opinion leaders, however, have been quick to condemn the poll as faulty, irrelevant, or simplistic.

"Young people are not suddenly turning prolife," scoffs Ruth Coniff of The Progressive. "They just view the abortion issue differently. The fact that we grew up in the era of safe, legal abortion makes women under the age of 50 a bit complacent about the issue."

Mark Mellman of The Hill agrees, saying that "typically, after some useless result escapes into the ether, reporters and interest groups proceed to spin some new theory of public opinion based on faulty analysis of a meaningless question."

Dalia Sussman of the New York Times goes even further. She first says that it "does not necessarily indicate a marked shift in Americans' views on this highly complicated issue." Then she cites other polling data done by different agencies to show how the numbers vary. She concludes by insulting the people Gallup polled, saying that "there is no way of knowing whether people being asked the question even know what the two labels mean."

The shift in polling data - and the liberals' efforts to discredit it - is cast into sharp relief by President Obama's recent address at Notre Dame. The President, in his speech, expressed the hope that pro-life and pro-choice advocates could find "common ground" on the subject of abortion.

"Let's work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, and making adoption more available, and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term," said Obama. "Let's honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded in clear ethics and sound science, as well as respect for the equality of women."

This speech, which is full of such glowing, hopeful rhetoric, rings hollow when compared with Obama's record. What in the world does he mean by a "sensible conscience clause," given that he has already struck down existing conscience provisions?

Obama's rhetorical flourishes are cited ad nauseam by the media as evidence of "bipartisan progress," but they are actually little more than deceptive propaganda.

Pro-lifers have not, and will not, be lulled to sleep by such mouthings. We realize that human life is at stake. We agree that women should have better gynecological care; that there should be fewer teen pregnancies, that there should be more adoption. We agree that women should be happy and safe and free. But we will not willingly allow anyone to take a human life, which is what an abortion does.

It is thus ludicrous to suggest that the two sides "work together" on the issue of abortion. There can be no common ground on the morality of abortion.

I believe that, contra the New York Times, those surveyed by the Gallup poll knew exactly what they were being asked when they were questioned on whether or not they were "pro-life" or "pro-choice." The terms outline positions that have existed on our political landscape for more than 30 years. To suggest that somehow, the idea of the pro-life movement is shifting, becoming more oriented around issues that "really matter," like women's health or reproductive freedom, is naïve.

And to President Obama: it's our movement, you can join us if you like, but the terms of the debate are already well defined, and are not subject to redefinition.
 
 
 
Colin Mason is the Director of Media Production at Population Research Institute.

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Letters to the Editor - Readers Respond to Development and Peace Scandal

Re: Development and Peace, Archbishop Weisgerber statements and Conference of Catholic Bishops Report

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your excellent investigation of the issues surrounding D&P and the funding of groups around the world.
 
Despite how uncomfortable it may be for some in Episcopal authority to hear it, you are doing no more than your duty according to canon law, which instructs the faithful as follows:
 
Can 212 §3 They have the right, indeed at times the duty, in keeping with their knowledge, competence and position, to manifest to the sacred Pastors their views on matters which concern the good of the Church. They have the right also to make their views known to others of Christ's faithful, but in doing so they must always respect the integrity of faith and morals, show due reverence to the Pastors and take into account both the common good and the dignity of individuals.
 
I for one have never felt that your coverage in any way failed to ‘respect the integrity of faith and morals, show due reverence to the Pastors and take into account both the common good and the dignity of individuals.’
 
I hope that however much you may be derided, the intervention of the Peruvian Bishops will be heeded and bear fruit.
 
With every prayer and good wish
 
Rosemary Swords
Ireland

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In regards to the Archbishop's statement on the authority of the Church.

While respecting the position and authority of His Grace on matters of faith, my decision of exactly whom to donate to is my own free will.  The facts can be verified (and were corroborated) independently. Further whether or not to believe D&P's story is not a matter of faith - I would expect that an organization that IS part of the Church would have an official position or would at least have a position on abortion (the CCC and Bible do NOT say I must support D&P).

I will not fund D&P - there are many other groups in need that fully respect life and are careful to not allow others to undermine their efforts at promoting everything the Church stands for. 

In addition, I do not see how Lifesite (whether Catholic or not) is challenging Church teaching.

Kurt Helgoth 
Canada

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To The Editor,

I agree that the CCCB report strains the Bishops' credibility in endeavouring to put the best face possible on its findings in Mexico. However, given that the Bishops must balance many factors, their report is astonishingly "transparent" and self-critical. It is true, they seem to literally deny the obvious truth that D&P was complicit in funding abortion promotion. But even those prevaricating statements, when read with rigorous logic, stop short of absolute falsification. Indeed, the essential truths are admitted.
 
The five organisations studied “were imprudent in signing… orientations not in accord with Catholic Teaching”. The role of D&P in supporting these actions was so much a concern that the Bishops must take action to control D&P “to ensure this situation does not happen again”. D&P are censured for lack of a lack of “vigilance” in disbursing funds without first obtaining “information from possible partners and [without] consulting with the [local] Bishops”. It is stated the D&P was acting without “a good and sound understanding of the social doctrine of the Church”. I think that is pretty strong, given the circumspection and gentleness that rightly modulates the tone of Episcopal pronouncements.

Therefore, I must disagree with the judgement that “the bishops' report is sadly yet another scandal for the Catholic Church in Canada and Development and Peace”. It is, rather, a measured and prudent first step in regaining control of a "Church" organisation that had lost its way morally and been deficient in management of its core mandate.
 
Read in this way, the Report is also a signal recognition and confirmation of the validity of the concerns raised by LifeSiteNews journalists. You can be proud of it as an accomplishment.

Of course, if the Bishops do not maintain vigilance over and conduct regular audits of D&P activities, ensuring they do develop and undergo the doctrinal training courses the Bishops have required, and that they follow protocols, gather information, and exercise due diligence in funding allocations, so that D&P cannot continue to act as irresponsibly as they now definitively have been shown to do, then there might be ground for speaking of scandal. For now, LifeSiteNews should be proud of the huge service done to protect families and unborn children from the Culture of Death.

The statement of Archbishop V. James Weisgerber accompanying the report is quite another thing.

That statement skates much closer to the edge of untruth and reaches that edge spinning in a blinding blur of misdirection. Its tone is ungrateful and insulting to LifeSiteNews and to intelligent readers of the evidence and observers of the events. Particularly odious is the continued attempt to portray LSN’s investigative reporting as “allegations, accusations and denunciations”. Your readers know better.

This is just more of the same kind of arrogant and bullying comments he recently blurted out. I am confident that the overwhelming majority of the Canadian Roman Catholic Bishops are sincere and holy men who must appreciate the unique and wonderful contribution LSN makes to the Culture of Life. I am sure they would welcome an open and amicable relationship with LSN. But plainly Archbishop Weisgerber’s “appeal” can hardly be read any other way than as a bitter snarl “to bite and devour”.

Please maintain your dignity in replying and do not sink to that level of moral immaturity. Maintain your editorial independence and integrity.
 
Robert C. Gordon PhD MBA
London ON Canada

LifeSiteNews comment: LifeSiteNews appreciates the comments in this letter, but at this point cannot yet agree with some of the letter writer's conclusions. Given the past history of Development and Peace and its behaviour during the current controversy, we do not see how the report's findings can possibly ensure that CCODP will not be allowed to yet again carry on as usual. Unless the LSN reports are accepted as presenting valid evidence, how can there be an expectation of genuine and long-lasting change?

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I sent a message to all the Canadian bishops requesting that they not donate to pro-abortion organizations and I sent the list to a group of my friends to do the same.  Do you have the names and contact information for all the American bishops? I would love to send the same to them.

Rosemary Anderson
Nebraska

LifeSiteNews: the contact information for all US bishops can be found at http://www.usccb.org/dioceses.shtml.

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Who primarily funds Development and Peace?  Canadian archbishops or Catholic laity?
 
Over the years, who has truly and publicly led the pro-life movement in Canada?  Canadian archbishops or laity? 
 
Don’t the laity have a right to expose concerns over the destination of their contributions to a “catholic” organization?
 
There are weeds in every organization.  May Gd expose them and root them out.
 
Christine Majta
Toronto, Ontario

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When one reads about the investigation's apparent whitewash of Development and Peace's financial support for pro-abortion groups in developing countries, it's hard not to feel that some bishops have not drawn the correct lesson from the clergy sex abuse scandals that have inflicted such harm on the Church.

I have to say, though, that I'm not surprised at the blind spot that many so-called Catholic organizations have regarding abortion and their readiness to "shoot the messenger" when problems are brought to their attention.

Several years ago, another Catholic organization appointed as national director of development an ex-politician who was reported to have taken a pro-abortion position in her earlier career. When I wrote to the organization to ask for clarification, I received a reply from the president, a priest, that I was reminded of when I read about the so-called investigation of Development and Peace. The attitude and tactics were similar in both cases. I wrote in response to the reply of that other organization's president:

"The more I think about it, the more distasteful I find [Fr. X's] letter. He says that [the organization] does not support pro-abortion groups, but that's not what is at issue here; [note that this was an evasion similar to that of D&P, which said that they were not funding groups that provided abortion services, when what LifeSite News reported was that they were funding groups that engaged in pro-abortion advocacy] no one has said that they do. He completely evades, however, the question of [the national director of development's] views and background, from which I can only conclude that the LifeSite article referred to in my first message described them correctly. Finally, he goes on the attack, insinuating that in expressing my concern I am as guilty of violating the fifth commandment as someone who kills. This appears to be his standard attack on others who have asked for clarification."

Is there a pattern here or what?

Frank Chow
Vancouver, BC

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The Canadian bishops are sorely in need of your help.  They have invited you and LifeSite News to an open and fruitful dialogue.  Such dialogue would be the very help they need to live the Gospel of Life. 

Instead of publicly embarrassing them further and alienating them more, I suggest that you begin to work with them in dialogue.  For example, they could submit a number of agencies or projects that they are considering funding and you could do the investigation into their suitability.  You could make your findings public and make public recommendations to the bishops and D&P.  You could be part of the system that assures that our money gets used only for the glory of God.  What a wonderful fruit that would be!!!

They have made serious errors and have in some sense admitted it.  Rubbing their faces more in the dirt is not going to contribute any solution.  They have called for your help.  I think it is essential to give it in Christian love. 

How grateful I would be if I could trust that my donations to D&P were given only to projects and organizations overseen by LifeSite News.

If LifeSite News publishes a report that berates and humiliates the bishops even more, the possibility of advancing the Gospel of Life will only be diminished.  I am trusting you to befriend the bishops (in spite of all their most grave failures) and to help them be who Jesus wants them to be.  It is time to end the war, and to become at peace in the heart of Jesus.

Bruce Clark
Ontario, Canada

LifeSiteNews comment: Be assured that LifeSiteNews has absolutely no desire to publicly embarrass, alienate or berate Canada's bishops. That is NEVER our attitude and we strongly advise against such motivation.. We are and have always been very open to dialogue and especially wish to be supportive of good bishops, of which Canada now has a thankfully increased number. All the LifeSiteNews reports have a purpose for the good based on the status of this controversy at the time. If we publish yet more reports revealing more information on the controversy, this is done because it has been determined there is still a need for those additional revelations to convince CCODP, the CCCB and certain bishops that this situation is indeed real and serious enough to justify major and permanent reform.

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Recently some bishops were accused of covering up sex abuse cases by a few priests. Now the C.C.C.B. president wants to cover up D&P`s blatant disregard of catholic teaching on life issues! Will they never learn? 

Dr.J.P.Lukenda
Sault St Marie, Ontario

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I know what Bishops' Conference our family won't be giving to on the 4th Sunday of September.
We have voices that need to be heard. My envelope come the 4th Sunday of September will be filled with prayers for this organization and no money.
 
I am teaching my children about Social Justice issues through the concrete example of being a member of the local St. Vincent de Paul Society but also by attending the March for Life as a family and other events.

We have spoken to our 10 & 12 year old about this situation with Dev. & Peace. My children understand that promoting abortion is as bad as having an abortion.
 
It is a sin and it is an even larger, more heineous sin to allow the promotion of abortion through "the authority in the Catholic Church".
 
Attention Bishop Weisgerber: I trust in my local bishop and many bishops - but I no longer trust or have confidence in the CCCB.
 
I have explained the role of the bishop to my children - so where in the CCCB is the concern for the souls in these other countries where we are assisting in their destruction?
 
If you can't get a fundamental right - like the Right to Life included in a Bishop's Conference mentality - I think there are some serious issues within the the CCCB and maybe we should be getting the Vatican to do a "Visitation".
 
Teresa B.
Orangeville, Ontario

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I'm shocked that Archbishop Weisberger has stated that pro-lifers offended by the D&P scandal are " not Catholic " and " not part of the Church ". Is this a veiled threat of excommunicating us?  If so, he should come out and say it plainly.

Steven G.
Canada

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When Helene Pineau opined in her letter that the only thing she can do is "withhold funds" (Canadian Bishops-Development & Peace) it reminded me of the (only) response I ever received from the US nuncio with regard to complaints to the pope about similar corruptions I had with the Catholic hierarchy at the time.

I told the nuncio the collection basket would be lacking my contribution until legitimate complaints of practicing catholic were properly addressed. The nuncio replied in a FAX, "noted". In other words, the mention of money got his attention when nothing else seemed to work. Sad but obviously true in most cases. And if bishops (including the Bishop of Rome) will not dutifully protect and promote the Faith, the laity must. As Fulton Sheen said:
 
“Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops, like bishops, and your religious act like religious.”
 
Roger A. Kostiha
Rome, Ohio
USA

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