Why do Americans need guns?

I raised this question in a group, just as a private individual, stressing I do not pretend to hold an official Church view, and people were very quick to uphold the right to bear arms. Indeed, on one blog somewhere it was commented that had there been someone in the Aurora CO theater bearing a legally concealed weapon, perhaps the loss of life might have been much reduced.

But, seriously, how did the suspect legally obtain so much weaponry?

Gun control is anathema to many Americans. Guns don't kill people, it's people who kill! Yes, I know, but should anyone whomsoever be allowed to bear arms?

Self-defence? That is an admission that American society is violent.

He who lives by the sword dies by the sword.

If Americans gave up the right to bear arms, fewer would have them. And those who obtained them would either have to quizzed: why? what for? Or they would obtain them illegally.

Naturally, weapons used for hunting are another matter and some provision would need to be made for them.

But I think a big question needs to be asked: how did Holmes manage to get hold of such a quantity of armaments without any alarms being raised?

I know when we had some horrible killings in Great Britain, gun laws were gradually tightened amidst howls of protest from the gun rights lobby. I would consider myself a libertarian, in principle, but on this one I am on the side of disarmament.

Just my questions, as a foreigner and a guest in this great land, humbly and respectfully submitted.

Colorado massacre: “Evil ruled his heart last night, only Jesus Christ can overcome the darkness of such evil.” Denver Bishops.

Archbishop Aquila and Bishop Conley of Denver "mourned with the Denver community after a gunman opened fire in a local movie theater on July 20, killing 12 and wounding 50."

More at Catholic News Agency.

We have been remembering them at Masses here and will continue to do so this weekend.

Corpus Christi Procession, Gwinn

I hope you enjoy this slideshow of our parish Corpus Christi Procession yesterday. It kicked off a week of celebration of the centennial of the first Mass celebrated in the basement of the still uncompleted church and was followed by Benediction in the Peter Nordeen Park and luncheon.

There seems to be a problem with creating a slideshow on picasa currently. Click on the image below to view the photographs.

Corpus Christi Procession June 2012

Tolerance, Diversity. But the "post-gay", "ex-gay" may not be publicly acknowledged

Some Orwellian quotations from today's London Daily Mail

 The ASA [Advertising Standards Authority] said the Core Issues Trust campaign 'does not infringe any advertising rules in the UK'.

yet

Mr [Boris, former London Mayor] Johnson, who is chair of Tfl (Transport for London), was described as being 'very strongly of the view that the Core Issues' advert shouldn't run'. He said: 'London is one of the most tolerant cities in the world and intolerant of intolerance.

Andy Wasley, from Stonewall, [leading homosexual rights lobby organisation] said: 'We are delighted by TfL's clear commitment to diversity.

TfL's spokeswoman said: '... We do not believe these specific ads are consistent with TfL's commitment to a tolerant and inclusive London.'

Much needed shake up of Caritas underway

Cardinal Sarah (left), President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum,
visiting Tsunami devastated Japan

Some headlines:

Vatican bans Fr Timothy Radcliffe from speaking at Caritas meeting (Protect the Pope)

Cardinal Robert Sarah, President of Pontifical Council Cor Unum, calls for renewal as Caritas Internationalis celebrates 60 years (EF Pastor Emeritus)

As Caritas’ identity is refined, new slogan called unrealistic (Catholic News Agency)

It seems that there are concerns at the highest level about a liberalising tendency within Caritas, the charitable arm of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, and said Pontifical Council is setting about putting things right.

In his social encyclical Deus Caritas est, Pope Benedict reminded the Church that:

it is very important that the Church's charitable activity maintains all of its splendour and does not become just another form of social assistance...

Christian charitable activity must be independent of parties and ideologies. It is not a means of changing the world ideologically, and it is not at the service of worldly stratagems, but it is a way of making present here and now the love which man always needs.(n.31)

He also reminds us that personnel working for these agencies must be inspired by love of Christ and the Church, and should always work in union with the Bishops and that prayer should take priority over activism.

Here are some interesting excerpts from the CNS report:

The goal of a new slogan adopted by the Vatican’s official charity is being called “unrealistic” by the Church official charged with overseeing the organization.

Cardinal Robert Sarah said he doesn’t understand Caritas International’s new theme – “One Human Family – Zero Poverty,” which was unveiled at the charity’s annual meeting this week in Rome.

“I think it would be wise not to follow some unrealistic slogans. But, I'm very hesitant to understand what zero poverty means, because Christ said we will always have the poor. So, what is a realistic way we can fight the poverty? But, it's difficult to absolutely cancel out poverty,” he told CNA May 22.

The slogan is both the theme for this week’s conference and for the organization’s strategic document for the next four years.

That must have been embarassing - for Caritas to unveil its slogan and then its Vatican "overseer" criticise it.

The cardinal’s comments come at a difficult time for Caritas. The organization faces criticism from Cardinal Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, and others for a perceived lack of Catholic identity.
...
“I believe it is important to understand that our charitable organizations are located within the Church and not alongside her,” he said.

“A Caritas that wasn’t an ecclesial expression would have no meaning or existence. The Church cannot be considered as a partner of Catholic organizations. They are the organizations that take part in her mission.”

Deacon Nick of Protect the Pope gives his own comment on the banning of Fr Timothy Radcliffe. My own experiece of CAFOD is entirely consonant with the comments he makes and I could not in conscience send parishioners' money to CAFOD. It was for a long time run by an openly homosexual man and ambivalent to say the least on the question of condoms.

Also, when I see campaigns for "justice" and "zero poverty" or "make poverty history", I fear that we are losing the plot. Blessed Mother Teresa never campaigned for an end to poverty or for justice for the oppressed and marginalised. She just helped the poor with love, the greatest gift man can offer man. With this, all sorts of projects for the development of the poor can be achieved, without any of the ideology of slogan.

It's refreshing to see some signs of a shake up in these important areas of the Church's activity.

The Dogmatism of Secular Humanism

Polly Toynbee did not miss the opportunity in yesterday's Any Questions to speak pompously as usual as President of the British Humanist Association and insist on the 'privatisation' of religion. Could we have secularist humanism 'privatised' too? When religion was banned from the public square in the Soviet Union and the satellite states of the USSR, China, Cuba, Cambodia... or in fascist Germany how humane did the society become? How many people died? And in our society today, how many innocent babies are killed in this 'civilised' 'enlightened' western culture of ours? I really get fed up with religion being blamed for the evils of the world. It was completely disingenuous of Ms Toynbee to move from the difficulties caused by religious fanatics to the privatisation of religion. Mind you, Simon Hughes MP gave her the perfect opportunity to do so.

You can listen to it here (19 minutes 43 seconds into the show)

"Can I just add to that (Simon Hughes MP had made reference to fundamentalists of all faiths, not just Moslem, Christian too - fair enough but it gave Toynbee the opportunity to come in with her dogma) because I am president of the British Humanist Association (oh, so you speak with authority and we must all listen up!) that also it's not just about faith; it's about making sure that we keep faith quite separate, quite private and away from the public sphere; that there is a definite distinction between public life, what government does, and what people do in their private life and we don't let the two get mixed up and I think we've given rather too much over emphasis to faith..."

It was rather ironic that she was speaking in the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden, Surrey on the outkirts of London, the largest mosque in Western Europe, the international headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and claimed on the programme to be possibly the most outstanding building of the 21st century. According to the Jonathan Dimbleby's introduction, three thousand people were gathered earlier in the day for Friday prayers, it is a building of this age with outreach programmes and vibrant inter-faith dialogue. They have a 24 hour satellite TV network that transmits its sermons and other events around the globe.

Good luck to them. They have every right to promote their activities and to be present in the community. Maybe the Catholic Church should plan a mega-Church in a London suburb, with satellite TV etc. I hope the planners would welcome it in the same spirit as this mosque is clearly admired and respected.

Jonathan Dimbleby informed listeners that the mosque, opened in 2003, was built at a cost of £15 million, the money raised entirely by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. If the Catholic Church spent £15 million pounds, raised entirely by voluntary contributions of the Catholic faithful, on a 3,000 capacity mega-church, I'm sure it wouldn't be long before complaints about the riches and wealth of the Church would be heard!