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Re: Criticism of LifeSiteNews

Hello there. I write in haste. Please do not get down… in time the truth will be seen for what it is—- and until then, you just must do the best you can.

You are in Germany in 1937… and people did not get it until sept 39.

I post your stuff on anglican-mainstream.net, so anglicans around the globe read you!

Lisa Nolland
Bristol, UK

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Battle of the Catholic Stations: Salt and Light's Fr. Rosica Rips EWTN's Raymond Arroyo over Kennedy Funeral
 
I read your recent article pertaining to Fr. Rosica and Raymond Arroyo with a sad heart. I know this is a larger political game but I am perplexed when it comes to the Church and state/media funerals.

I was thinking this morning of the late Pope John Paul II when he stated that the evils of the mafia needed to be stopped. As a response, the mafia killed two priests and caused considerable damage to a Church. The reason why I am bringing this up, is due to the fact that the mob bosses have perhaps been 'unfairly treated' by the hierachy of the Church. A few years ago in Hamilton, Johnnie Pop's Papillia a known mobster and Catholic, was not given a full mass in a Church but only a service. Funny how 'politicians' seem to be treated with a different stroke.

I don't want to keep this rift going on but I sure see the hypocrisy of the Church burying state officials 'who have followed the fundamentals of the Church' but don't necessarily agree with the Church's position on abortion, embryonic stem cell research or gay marriage. Perhaps these mobsters, too, didn't agree with the Church on extortion, prostitution or illegal drug running but I am positive many of them agree with the fundamentals of the Church.

I only hope Fr. Rosica doesn't find himself in this predictament some day and I will be curious to know how he handles the situation. 

Peter Michtics
Canada

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We have had 40 years of unopposed abortion in this country precisely because church leaders, like Father Rosica, have taken the position of accepting and tolerating the views of people like Ted Kennedy.  As long as the clergy continue to condone such people and their beliefs in the public arena, without calling them to account for those views to the church, we will continue to have confusion amongst the faithful. 

Julie Culshaw
Canada

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Dear God, where will all this horror end?  A few years ago, would we have thought that in 2009 we would have pro-life priests villifying other pro-lifers, bishops and cardinals expressing admiration for a public sinner and reviling those who are appalled by this, and so-called “good” Catholics  openly disobeying the teachings of the Church?

Indeed, where are the saints today?

Claudine Goller
Toronto, Ontario

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Cardinal Lashes out at Pro-Lifers, Soft-Pedals Criticism of Kennedy Abortion Support

Dear Editor, Lifesite News                
 
Boston’s Sean Cardinal O’Malley issued a Blog explaining his reasons for his involvement in Senator Ted Kennedy’s Public televised funeral.  The following is our response to that Blog.

Inspired by Canon Law 21232, “the right and obligation of the Laity to express opinions on Church matters,” but still with respect for Cardinal O'Malley, we offer our disagreements to his Blog, “On Senator Kennedy's Funeral.”
 
Sen. Kennedy's wake and funeral were not “controversial” just because of “the fact that he did not publicly support Catholic teachings and advocacy on behalf of the unborn.” Senator Kennedy actively and publicly supported legalized Abortion. He did not share the pro-Life views of some other Kennedys, so he can't be included in any of their “Pro-life”, “Pro-Church” records.
 
Since Cardinal O'Malley considers the “greatest satisfaction in his ministry” to be “helping to overturn the Abortion laws in Honduras,” how can he not realize the dire need and urgency of overturning Abortion laws here in the U.S. ?
 
This won't be accomplished by trivializing the seriousness of supporting legalized Abortion which was done by honoring, with a publicly televised elaborate funeral Mass, an active proponent and public supporter of Abortion, who totally defied Pope John Paul II's Encyclical, “Evangelium Vitae.” This document affirmed that:
1. Abortion takes precedence over all other social issues.
2. All laws legalizing Abortion are unjust and contrary to Natural Law, and are not to be obeyed.
3. All Catholics, especially Catholic politicians, have the moral obligation to oppose and work to change all laws legalizing Abortion.
 
Ted Kennedy viciously attacked the nomination of Robert Bork to the U.S. Supreme Court, because he feared Bork would work to overturn Roe v. Wade, the decision legalizing Abortion throughout the U.S. Kennedy was consistent as an active, public proponent of legalized Abortion and Embryonic Stem Cell Research.
 
It may have been fitting that the most Pro-Abortion U.S. President ever, gave the Eulogy for the most Pro-Abortion U.S. Senator. But it was a disgrace and a matter of Public Scandal, that it took place in a Catholic Church. Kennedy's “Pomp and Circumstances” funeral and burial were affronts to the pro-life movement, gave scandal to other pro-choice/abortion politicians and caused confusion and possible scandal to many members of Catholic laity and clergy.
 
Edwina and Gene Cosgriff
Public Relations Representatives for Staten Island Right to Life
Staten Island, NY 10309

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Dear Editor,
 
I am reeling from reading both sides of the arguments for and against Sen. Kennedy's public funeral. I am a housewife, I am pro-Life, I want to be loyal to bishops and priests.  I am very shocked by the willingness of apparently pro-life churchmen to grant this public funeral to someone who has definitely brought harm to great numbers of individuals who considered him a role model by his decisions to go against Church teaching in his political activities. A private funeral would have let the world know what the Church teaches.  It would have had nothing to do with “judging” the eternal life of the man, but simply judging his actions.  Only the refusal of a Catholic funeral altogether would have been judging and would have been wrong.
 
Yours sincerely,
Mrs M Marinoni

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Dear Editor;

While the funeral of Ted Kennedy may not have been appropriate, the real scandal is the in fighting that is taking place publicly about how the Catholic hierarchy should have responded. The Church should have addressed the abortion issue with Senator Kennedy before he died. To do so afterwards would have sent mixed messages regarding Catholics supporting abortion while in office who are not being disciplined.

Ted Kennedy's funeral offered the opportunity for all of us to pray for his soul and should not have been politicized with arguments over the Church's response to abortion and politics. One hopes that the conflict between faithful Catholics regarding Kennedy's funeral will result in a more pro-active approach to Catholic politician's who support abortion. However, the early results are simply that a wedge is dividing pro-life Catholics who differ on the appropriateness of the Kennedy funeral. In my view, the train left the station when Sen. Kennedy died for any sort of corrective Church discipline. We need to unite as pro-lifers rather than amplifying ways in which we differ with fellow advocates of life.

Let us hope that the harsh statements that have been made by pro-lifers on both sides of the issue will not leave any lasting injuries to the cause of life.

Sincerely,

David MacDonald
Ottawa, Ontario

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Pro-Life Champion Bishop Martino Retires

Thank you so much for reporting the TRUTH! After reading what happened to Bishop Martino, I decided to support you financially. We must support those who are truly doing the right thing. I pray that God will give your writers strong conviction and not be afraid to write the facts and the truth.

Kathryn L'esperance