Christian Persecution

As you can probably guess by reading this blog, I am no fan of the mainstream media here in the United States. This is due to the obvious bias and distortion of facts in journalism today. What I am about to post here is probably one of the worst examples of this poor reporting that I have ever seen. Take a look at these stories from MSNBC and  CNN below:

Elected president's forces storm Gbagbo's residence in Ivory Coast

Gbagbo negotiating surrender, Ivory Coast foreign minister says

Please keep in mind this last line of the last paragraph in the CNN article above:

In one of the bloodiest incidents yet, the International Committee of the Red Cross reported the killings of 800 people last week in the western cocoa-producing town of Duekoue.

Now please take a look at some of the stories in the links below:

Reprisals rock Ivory Coast after strongman deposed

MASSACRE: MUSLIM TROOPS SLAUGHTER 1,000 CHRISTIANS IN IVORY COAST

Rebel Forces Target Catholic Priests in Ivory Coast – Church Facilities Destroyed

Atrocities at Catholic mission in Ivory Coast a sign of things to come

More Than 1,000 Shot and Hacked to Death in Ivory Coast Town

Massacre of 800 to 1,000 Catholics in Ivory Coast likely work of Islamists

The next Rwanda? ‘In all districts of Abidjan there is gunfire’

The difference between the CNN/MSNBC report and these stories from alternative sources is that CNN and MSNBC, in their politically correct blindness, neglect to mention that this massacre of 800 to 1000 civilians in the Ivory Coast occurred in a Catholic mission. These victims were predominantly Catholics and Christians, and the murders responsible were mainly from Muslim tribes. In their rush to support the Obama backed new leader of the Ivory Coast, these so-called journalist willingly ignored the fact that these tribes are using the political turmoil to cover their motivations for an ethnic and religious war in the Ivory Coast. 

It disgusts me that the news media of this country either don't care or don't find it news worthy when Catholics and Christians are being forced from their homes and raped and murdered by Muslim tribes. Now I am not condemning all Muslims or all of Islam. I realize those responsible for inciting these horrific acts are only interested in spreading their radical views of Islam. My point is that the media is quick to condemn anyone who portrays Islam in an unflattering light, such as the preacher burning the Koran recently. Our media is leading this insane charge to coddle and protect anything remotely tied to Islam, while attacking and completely disrespecting anything Christian. This goes far beyond the tragic events of the Ivory Coast. While heralding the regime changes and new goverments in countries like Egypt, again these journalists completely ignore the fact that Catholics and Coptic Christians are being forced from their homes, attacked, jailed and their chruches bombed by this aggressive radical Muslim element that is now gaining control of these governments. Just look at the articles below for examples of this. When was the last time that CNN, MSNBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, NBC, or the New York Times reported these truths?

Egyptian Army Attacks Coptic Monastery

Iraqi Christians search for havens

This negligence and distortion of truth by the mainstream media is criminal in my opinion. There is no excuse for this deplorable behavior by these journalists. To ignore the persecution of thousands of Christians in Africa and the Middle East all in the name of ratings and political correctness, makes these news organizations complicit in these horrible crimes against these innocent civilians. By suppressing the truth, these reporters are helping these crimes go unnoticed and unpunished.

Please pray for our Christian and Catholic brothers and sisters in these regions of Africa and the Middle East. Pray for God's comfort, strength, and healing for these victims. Pray also for God's mercy for the conversion of those that allow these crimes to happen.

Two Awesome Videos

Here are two videos I came across recently that are targeted to college students. The first is by the Cardinal Newman Society as part of thier campaign called AdorationU.com. It is focused on encouraging young adults in college to spend time in Eucharistic Adoration. It conveys a very powerful message. I was really moved by the scene in the video (at 2:02 in the video) when you hear the narrator speaking as Christ calling out to the students:

"Talk to me. Listen. Pray. I may not take away every burden, but I will carry them with you."

The second video below is from Students for Life of America. It is a rapidly growing pro-life movement among college students in the United States. This powerful video gives hope in two ways. First, we can see that the tide may be finally turning in the war against abortion in this country as more of the young are becoming very pro-life. Secondly it also demonstrates that even in the liberal anti-Christian cultures that are in many colleges and universities, students are still being touched by God and called to build this culture of life.

May God continue to bless the organizations behind both these awesome videos!

Public Schools Undermining Our Role As Parents

Please read the following opinion piece from the March 24 edition of the Boston Herald.

Sex Ed Wrong Rite of Spring

This article was written by a mother of 2 who is criticizing the mandatory sex education in public schools in Massachusetts. I completely agree with her concerns about teaching sexual topics to children as young as kindergarten. These children are far too young for this subject matter and all it does is erode their innocence.

Pope John Paul II has said that it is the duty of the parent to protect this innocence in children and that parents should be the primary educator on sexual matters. (See: Familiaris Consorto) Pope Benedict XVI has also spoken out on several occasions about the problem with modern sexual education. (Click here to read the Pope's remarks.)  But these powerful statements by both Popes were either ignored or ridiculed by many.

What's most revealing about the Boston Herald opinion piece are the last few lines. I have pasted them below. Read them carefully and then take a look the the statements of both Popes above. It looks to me that both Benedict and John Paul were accurate in their assessments. The administrators behind the sexual education programs in our schools today are more interested in undermining parents rather than collaborating with them. Here is excerpt from the Boston Herald. 

Indeed, when specifically asked why the school presents lessons on HIV in the third grade, rather than in middle school, one school administrator made this shocking admission:

“The goal is to reach kids before they absorb their parents’s values. By middle school it’s too late.”

May God bless and strengthen us in our duties as parents. St. Joseph pray for us.

Bishop Tobin: "The Sky is Falling! Really?"

I want to share with you this really inspirational column written by Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Diocese of Providence. It was in response to the recent article by the Providence Journal with seemed to gleefully predict the demise of the the Catholic Church. I greatly respect Bishop Tobin because of his orthodox beliefs and his willingness to speak up in defense of the Church.

The Sky is Falling! Really? 

For reasons that will become obvious, I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the parable of the farmer walking down a rural road who came across a tiny sparrow, lying along side the road on his back, with his little feet up in the air. 

“What are you doing?” said the farmer to the sparrow. “I heard that the sky is falling and I want to do my best to hold it up,” responded the little bird. “That’s ridiculous,” declared the farmer. “First of all, the sky isn’t falling . . . And secondly, even if it is, your tiny feet won’t help very much.” “Well,” said the sparrow with determination, “One does what one can.” 

I feel a bit like the sparrow these days, bombarded as I am with the daily reports about the decline and fall of the Catholic Church. “The sky is falling,” reports seem to confirm. 

“Catholic weddings drop 71 percent in R.I.” announces one local headline, with the story not bothering at all to document a similar decline in weddings in other denominations and across the nation. 

A letter from an individual in New York, sent to all the bishops of the United States, proclaims that “No intelligent Catholic can deny that there is a serious crisis in faith and morals in the Church. The lack of faith being shown here is frightening.” To document his argument, the letter writer points to the planned gathering of religious leaders in Assisi in October, “where false gods will be invoked,” and the fact that some priests fail to genuflect during the consecration at the Mass. 

A letter from a friend in Pittsburgh laments the development of a Church that is peopled by, “a large contingent of secretive, sometimes power-hungry, reactionary cardinals and bishops; and a lower clergy increasingly enamored with its own exalted position who with many in the hierarchy are regressing to a former triumphal, controlling, irrelevant, pietistic, fundamentalist state.”

Bishop Tobin concluded his column with this great thought about the past, present and future of the Church and its mission:

A famous theologian wrote this assessment about the Church: “People look upon the Church and say, ‘She is about to die. Soon her very name will disappear. There will be no more Christians; they have had their day.’”

 Now it’s instructive to note that this rather dour prediction came not from the scribes of the “National Catholic Reporter” or the “New York Times.” This description of a dying Church was referenced by St. Augustine, 1600 years ago – a rather compelling reminder, I think, that the Church in every age has known its struggles and failures.

Does the Catholic Church of today have challenges, problems and failures? You bet. But I love this Church, I’m enormously proud of this Church, and despite my own limitations, imperfections and sins I’m going to work very hard to support its mission and ministry for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Why? Well simply because “one does what one can.”

Click here for the rest of the column.

Thank you Bishop Tobin for being a true shepherd to the people of our Diocese. May God bless you and guide you in your ministry.

Bishop Tobin also recently did an interview with The Catholic World Report titled "Rediscovering Courage and Conviction where he discusses the problems of our culture and also the importance of truly living our faith in our daily lives. Below is a brief excerpt where he discusses authentic faith:

 If our faith is authentic, it is effective and makes a difference in our daily lives. We can’t compartmentalize our lives, going to church for an hour on Sunday and then acting like pagans for the rest of the week. If our faith is authentic, then it touches every part of our lives: our work, our family lives, our community involvement, and the activities with which we entertain ourselves.

That has been one of the great failures of many of us in the Church—we do not incorporate our faith into our daily lives. Jesus said Christians are the salt of the earth and light of the world [Mt 5:13, 14]. As the Second Vatican Council taught, our faith is supposed to transform us, and then we move out into the secular world and transform it into the Kingdom of God.

It is an outstanding interview and well worth the time to read it. After reading this interview and his column above, you will understand why shepherds like Bishop Tobin are a blessing to our Church.