Archiocese of Portland : $14 million Lawsuit filed by a Woman Against Retired Priest

Abuse suit names retired priest. 

Woman Files $14 million Lawsuit in Oregon stating abuse by a retired priest.

 The Catholic Sentinel confirms the filing of a lawsuit from a woman stating abuse by a retired priest.  I know this priest and I pray the accusations are false.  The reason why I'm sending this at all is for any other women who suffered from abuse from a cleric or otherwise and have remained silent.  She needs our prayers.  He needs prayers.

As a rape survivor (not involving a cleric) of serial rapists at age 18, I finally spoke to my two friends this year, who were also involved.   It has been since 1966 and we never really talked about it, through the trial and line-ups.

It was told to me by a professional that part of you dies after an attack. All three of us have various demons we live with. It lingers forever and no one should ever go through any abuse alone.

Questions regarding woman who believes she has been violated by a priest.

• What do you think a woman should do in this case? 
• We need to protect all parties involved, but how? 
• What is the priests role? 
• Since he is in most cases a pastor does he need to still be a shepherd. 
• What about the Archdiocese? 
• We have Ember Days to pray for those abused, yet does the Archbishop treat even delusional people with respect?  

Just some food for thought.

Getting Ready for 2012 Election: The Big Three - Abortion, Capital Punishment, War (part one)

Here is hopefully a little light in the confusion some have regarding the BIG THREE Abortion, Capital Punishment, and War.  The 2012 election will have a pro-democrat biased Archdiocese/USCCB trying to confuse us.  Time to brush up on the Catechism...even without bias the road to doing what is right can be confusing. 

It could seem that voting for a candidate that is against abortion, but supports capital punishment and going to war is not being consistent.

What about the candidate that supports abortion, but is against capital punishment and going to war? Equally inconsistent, but upheld as the better option.

All life issues are not equal, but all people are. So, what's up?

WE have to think with a different mind. There are things in our Church that would seem silly: unleavened bread and mere wine becoming the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, True God and True Man. Really a stretch for others, but for us it is the Center of our Faith.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church helps us through this:

ABORTION - Always against Church teaching.

• 2258 "Human life is sacred because from its beginnings it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is it sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: not one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being."

•2322 "From it's conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, is a "criminal" practice gravely contrary to the moral law. The Church imposes the canonical penalty of excommunication for this crime against human life"

Observations
• Abortion is big business. Besides the money generated from the largely unregulated procedures. The body parts of the children are sold for large profits. Even the Eggs from baby girls only twelve weeks old are harvested and sold for use in women.
• Women who have had abortions suffer from depression and fall into drug abuse and promiscuity because of their actions.
• Abortion is against nature. The "fruit" of abortion is that women lose their value as persons and become objects; escalating the downward cultural spiral we are experiencing. Abortion hurts more than women, it effect us all and is NOT just between a woman and her doctor.
  
Capital Punishment/Death Penalty - Allowed by the Church


• 2265 "Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for someone responsible for another's life, the common good of the family or of the state.

 • 2266 Preserving the common good or society requires rendering the aggressor unable to inflict harm.

Observations
• This penalty is performed only on convicted criminals. They have had their day in court.And there is usually an automatic appeal process to correct errors.
• Many sole anti-Capital punishment folks think it should not be used, since there can be errors and innocent people executed. This creates great anxiety that innocent life would be shed, hopefully they feel as strongly about the shedding of innocent unborn life.

NUMBERS - Since 1973 the total number of criminals executed is 3,000 (thousand).

NUMBERS-  Since 1973 the total number of abortions is 53,000,000 (million), 1.3 million each year.       36 abortions in Oregon each day.

Executions in US from 1973 

Abortions Statistics from 1973 - Current

53,000,000 abortions divided by 3,000 executions = 

17,666 times more abortions than executions 

WAR - Is allowed by the Church

• 2309 The Just War theory and ....The evaluations of these conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good.

Observations: Reasons for a strong Military.
• Liberation, self-defense and protection of others.

Below are some posts from years gone by.  With the abortion rate 17,666 times the rate for capital punishment...the abortion issue is not defended 17,666 more times by the US Catholic Church or our archdiocese.

Archdpdx Lobbyist voted to LEGALIZE ABORTION / Sample Letter to Balance the Scales of Justice

The Shepherd Has Landed - Will the Archdpdx Hear and Heed His Voice?

Looking back and Pressing Forward for Christ

Lawsuit to Restore Marriage Between One Man and One Woman‏

Archdpx Appeal Money Promotes Embryonic Stem Cell Research at Capitol

Immediate Action Requested - "John Stephen" Cut Out of Womb Needs Our Voice

"I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act."

G. K. Chesterton, Generally Speaking, Chapter 20, 1929

to be continued.......

Letters to President Clinton: Roe VS Wade "born" by Eugenics Crowd. Part one

These letters were from the "Roe" co-counsel to President-elect Bill Clinton in 1993 twenty years after the 1973 Roe vs Wade decision was made law of the land.

This is pertinent to Oregon Catholics because most of those in position of religious authority are registered Democrats.  These statistics are public record and are being looked into. The Democrat platform is pro-abortion.  Some are ignorant of this fact. 

This election 2012 is already showing the Democratic/Progressive movement to silence the Truth in churches.  They are taking money from collection plates for thinking they are wiser and better equipped to use Christ's offerings for evil.

please click for the whole story.  Democratic Strategy to Limit Population.

Summary

“You can start immediately to eliminate the barely educated, unhealthy and poor segment of our country.  No, I’ m not advocating some sort of mass extermination of these unfortunate people.  Crime, drugs and disease are doing that.  The problems is that their numbers are not only replaced but increased by the birth of millions of babies to people who can’t afford to have babies.

There, I’ve said it. It’s what we all know is true, but we only whisper it, because as liberals who believe in individual rights, we believe any program  which treats the disadvantaged differently as discriminatory, mean-spirited and...well…so Republican.”

 "P.S.I was co-counsel in Roe V Wade, have sired zero children and one fetus, the abortion of which was resented recounted by my ex-wife in her recent book, A Question of Choice  (Grosset/Putnam, 1992).  I had a vasectomy in 1969 and have never one moment of regret.” 

 

Sarah Weddington/Ron Weddington and Linda Coffee were the lawyers for the Defense of Roe V. Wade.  Here is a summary from the book review Sarah Weddington wrote.  It has history of Roe that I was not aware of.


A Question of Choice by Sarah Weddington   Interesting Book Review. Very Liberal and Sad but clarifies "Roe". 

"..The book starts with Weddington’s account of her own illegal, pre-Roe abortion in Mexico. It’s an anecdote that sets the tone of for the book, even though it admittedly does not seem to be the primary reason behind her drive. I love hearing women tell their stories about abortion. That probably sounds perverse, but I don’t think it is. Basically, I love hearing of women who made their own choices, for their own reasons, came out okay and are unashamed. In our culture, an experience with abortion is one of the ultimate taboos that seems to never be discussed unless on an anonymous basis. Seeing women with the bravery to speak out, despite the social consequences that she has to be fully aware of, warms my heart and makes me proud to be a part of the reproductive rights movement.

..I must embarrassingly admit to my ignorance about the details of Roe. Obviously I know that Roe guaranteed the right to a safe and legal abortion, and that it was won on the grounds of a Constitutional right to privacy. After that my previous set of knowledge dropped off considerably.

One of the biggest potential shocks is that “Jane Roe” actually had very little to do with the case at all. It’s the popular imagination that Roe (as she is referred to throughout the book, though her real name is briefly mentioned) was pregnant, sought an abortion, was denied and then sought out a lawyer. That’s not even remotely true.

...they eventually managed to find a woman who was unable to travel to obtain a safe abortion, and was willing to cooperate in the case. Other than collecting Roe’s basic history and having her sign several official forms, her direct participation in the case all but ended. She didn’t even attend the hearings! The case was also eventually turned into a class action suit, turning it into Roe et al. v Wade...

"I find it interesting because of how things have progressed in recent years. It seems that Weddington and Coffee– completely unintentionally, and perhaps even necessarily– gave anti-choice activists the blueprint to overturn the case. We’ve all heard the stories of laws that seek to grant the fetus legal status as a person, who can be a victim of murder, abuse and even have its mother locked in jail for doing drugs. Everyone knows that this is a direct attempt to undermine abortion laws, but I had no idea that it was a part of Roe itself. Really interesting stuff." 

What’s most shocking, I think, is that Justice Blackmun, one of the most pro-choice Supreme Court justices to ever sit on the bench, wrote the decision. And yet, he still took it upon himself to determine (alongside consultation from experts who had nothing to do with the case) the laws that would and would not be appropriate regarding abortions at different stages of pregnancy."  

 

Fifty-three million lives lost in almost 40 years.  The Catholic Church cannot be part of that.  "Jane Roe" never had an abortion but how many people know that or how they are part of the Eugenics movement.  No matter how much they say they're not racist...just look at how many minorities are encouraged to abort. 

“Excommunication for procured abortion constitutes a gesture of maternal love,” Tettamanzi wrote. “It expresses and puts into action the love of Mother Church, who comes to the defense of the defenseless unborn child, and who recalls and supports the one who has erred so that it doesn’t happen again.”

Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi of Milan, a key adviser to John Paul II on bioethical issues and a front-runner to be the next pope, defended the imposition of excommunication for abortion in his 2000 book Nuova Bioetica Cristiana.

East Meets West, Two Become One: Our Heavenly Catholic Church

It’s interesting to learn about other religions, but what about the different “rites” of our own Catholic Church.  Below is information, taken in part, from Our Lady of Fatima Byzantine Catholic Church in San Francisco.  We have acres of diamonds in our own backyard.

Although it is not widely known in our Western world, the Catholic Church is actually a communion of Churches. The Catholic Church is understood to be "a corporate body of Churches," united with the Pope of Rome, who serves as the guardian of unity. 

At present there are 22 Churches that comprise the Catholic Church. Each Church has its own hierarchy, spirituality, and theological perspective. Because of the particularities of history, there is only one Western Catholic Church, while there are 22 Eastern Catholic Churches. 

The Western Church, known officially as the Latin Church, is the largest of the Catholic Churches. It is immediately subject to the Roman Pontiff as Patriarch of the West. 

The Eastern Catholic Churches are each led by a Patriarch, Major Archbishop, or Metropolitan, who governs their Church together with a synod of bishops. Through the Congregation for Oriental (Eastern) Churches, the Roman Pontiff works to assure the health and well-being of the Eastern Catholic Churches. 

While this diversity within the one Catholic Church can appear confusing at first, it in no way compromises the Church's unity. In a certain sense, it is a reflection of the mystery of the Trinity. Just as God is three Persons, yet one God, so the Church is 22 Churches, yet one Church.

"From the beginning, this one Church has been marked by a great diversity which comes from both the variety of God's gifts and the diversity of those who receive them... Holding a rightful place in the communion of the Church there are also particular Churches that retain their own traditions. The great richness of such diversity is not opposed to the Church's unity" (CCC no. 814). 

Although there are 22 Churches, there are only eight "Rites" that are used among them. A Rite is a "liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony," (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, canon 28). "Rite" best refers to the liturgical and disciplinary traditions used in celebrating the sacraments.

The Western Rite and Eastern Rites are sometimes referred to as the “two lungs” of the Catholic Church.

The Vatican II Council declared that "all should realize it is of supreme importance to understand, venerate, preserve, and foster the exceedingly rich liturgical and spiritual heritage of the Eastern churches, in order faithfully to preserve the fullness of Christian tradition" (Unitatis Redintegrato, 15). 

A Roman rite Catholic may attend any Eastern Catholic Rite Liturgy and fulfill Sunday obligation.  We have three choices to learn about our other half.  In Portland, St. Sharbel Maronite Rite, 503-231-3853 & St. Irene Byzantine Catholic, 503-543-2188. In Springfield, Nativity of the Mother of God, 541-726-7309.  It can make old things new.

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