News and Follow-up, Both Good and Odd

Helen Thomas. After a week of near universal recrimination for her blatantly anti-Semitic remarks, Helen Thomas made the right decision and retired. Read more here. Rabbi David Nesenoff (RabbiLive.com) today released the complete video of Thomas' comments. The rabbi spotted her on the White House Lawn while attending a celebration of American Jewish Heritage Day and conducted the impromptu interview. I'd like to be able to claim that Ms. Thomas' retirement decision was the direct result of my advice of three days ago, but I think I can safely say that she's never read this blog. Heck, almost no one reads this blog, including me.

Nancy Pelosi. Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), is one very strange Catholic. Despite all the lip-service, all the self-serving comments about her status as a believing Catholic, she obviously doesn't have a clue when it comes to the magisterial teachings of the Catholic Church. And so she continues to be not only an embarrassment to actual believing Catholics, but also a source of scandal to others. Last month, during an address to the Catholic Community Conference in Washington, DC, she said the following:

"They ask me all the time, ‘What is your favorite this? What is your favorite that? What is your favorite that?’ And one time, ‘What is your favorite word?’ And I said, ‘My favorite word? That is really easy. My favorite word is the Word, is the Word. And that is everything. It says it all for us. And you know the biblical reference, you know the Gospel reference of the Word.

“And that Word is, we have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the Word. The Word. Isn’t it a beautiful word when you think of it? It just covers everything. The Word.

“Fill it in with anything you want. But, of course, we know it means: ‘The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us.’ And that’s the great mystery of our faith. He will come again. He will come again. So, we have to make sure we’re prepared to answer in this life, or otherwise, as to how we have measured up.”

You can listen and watch her yourself...



Sadly, Speaker Pelosi's actions run contrary to her own words, not to mention The Word. She claims to be a faithful Catholic and yet completely disregards Church teaching on virtually all life issues. She is pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage in the extreme. One simply cannot be a faithful Catholic and do what she has done in direct conflict with the Church's continual teaching on these moral issues.

Yes, Ms. Pelosi, "and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us" first in Mary's womb. The Incarnate Word was an unborn child. Did you ever think about that? I suspect you have. Perhaps that's why you're never very articulate when you address the subject of your faith.

Pope Benedict XVI at Fatima. A few days after Speaker Pelosi's odd comments, the Holy Father, during a visit to Fatima, Portugal, spoke to a group of Catholic social workers and health care providers. In his comments Pope Benedict said he appreciated their efforts fighting abortion and promoting the family based on the "indissoluble marriage between a man and woman." He then said that their work will "help respond to some of the most insidious and dangerous threats to the common good today." (Read more about the pope's comments here.)

Too bad Ms. Pelosi didn't make the trip to Fatima. Maybe she would have learned something about her faith.

Fr. David O'Connell named Coadjutor Bishop of Trenton, New Jersey. Father O'Connell, 55, a Vincentian priest and the retiring president of Catholic University in Washington, DC, was named by Pope Benedict XVI to be the next bishop of the Diocese of Trenton. The current bishop of Trenton, Bishop John M. Smith, will turn 75 this month and is required by canon law to submit his letter of retirement to the pope. The assignment of Fr. O'Connell is terrific news. As president of Catholic University he has been a strong defender of the faith and worked hard to ensure Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Constitution on Catholic Universities -- Ex Corde Ecclesiae  -- was implemented at the university he led so well. The university will miss his leadership, but the people of the Diocese of Trenton are fortunate to receive so faithful a shepherd. Read more here.

More on Bishop's Murder. On Sunday I posted some comments on the murder of Bishop Padovese in Turkey. As reported earlier, he was killed by his driver, a young Muslim named Murat Altun who told the police he killed the bishop as the result of a "divine revelation" he had received. The murder, however, was even more brutal than previously reported. The bishop was not only stabbed multiple times but was also beheaded. And those who heard his cries for help also heard his assailant shout, "I killed the great Satan! Allah Akbar!" The killer apparently shouted this from the roof of the building. These words and the type of murder (beheading) are in keeping with the approach used by ultranationalist groups and Islamic fundamentalists that have the goal of eliminating Christians from Turkey. The Turkish authorities, who have stated publicly that there was no political or religious motivation behind the killing, may now have to change their tune. We'll see.

How did the old Chinese curse go? "May you live in interesting times..."