Patriarch Kirill: by denying God's truth we ruin the world

A somewhat long and wide ranging interview with TASS. Read it all here.

Breaking News: Violence in Ferguson

Multiple sources are reporting gunfire outside the Ferguson Police headquarters where a protest was going on. Unconfirmed reports indicate one or more police officers may have been hit.

Lord have mercy.

Islamic State Obliterates 10th Century Monastery

The Islamic State (Isis) has blown up a 10th century Chaldean Catholic church north of Mosul and bulldozed a nearby graveyard, according to sources.

Nineveh Yakou , Assyrian Archaeologist and Director of Cultural Heritage and Indigenous Affairs at A Demand for Action, exclusively told IBTimes UK that the Mar Gorgis or George (St George or Markourkas) monastery has been "wiped out" by IS militants.

The building, located on the Ba'werah neighbourhood on a hill north of Mosul on the other side of the Tigris river, was founded by the Assyrian Church of the East on the 10th century but rebuilt as a seminary by the Chaldean Catholic Church in 1846.

Read the rest here.

Another Illustration On The Limits of Liberal Tolerance

In their zeal to protect students from any comments or opinions that may hurt their feelings, many professors [in this case at Marquette University] have created “safe spaces” in their classrooms—controlling all conversations in an effort to ensure that no one is ever offended …[Professor Cheryl Abbate]  made it clear that the classroom was not a [place for students doubting] the value of same-sex “marriage.” Such conversations had to be held in secret so as not to offend others … One student in the class decided to pursue this issue with Abbate after class … The student said: “I have to be completely honest with you, I don’t agree with gay marriage …”  Professor Abbate replied: “Ok, there are some opinions that are not appropriate, that are harmful.”

When the student replied: “If I choose to challenge this, it’s my right as an American citizen,” Abbate responded: “Well, actually you don’t have a right in this class … to make homophobic comments, racist comments, sexist comments … I can tell you right now, in this class homophobic comments, racist comments and sexist comments will not be tolerated. If you don’t like that you are more than free to drop this class.”

Read the rest here.

The Orthodox Church is just a cultish knockoff of Catholicism

Who would have thought it?

Leave your comments there.

Standards

An excerpt from the 1891 entrance examination for Cornell University has been posted online (pages 15-17).  (HT: T-19) See also the full entrance exam from 1889 here. (Thanks to a blog reader via email.)

It seems to me that the state of education in this country is largely a product of the egalitarian idiocy that has become predominant in the post World War II era. People wonder why a college education is not worth what a high school education was a half century ago. Standards have fallen so dramatically that it is shocking. In those days if you didn't know the material you were not passed from one grade to the next, and you were not graduated from high school. Of course back then it was not presumed that everyone had a “right” to go to college, or that everyone should. As a general rule, dolts and the otherwise functionally illiterate were not admitted to college.

This may also go hand in hand with the disparagement of honest labor that while not requiring a college education, is not for novices or the unskilled. Once upon a time, being a plumber, electrician, carpenter etc would have been regarded as an honorable and good paying job worthy of some respect. For the record, they still pay pretty well, often better than jobs requiring a four year degree. But today, too many college students seem to look down their nose at that kind of work as being only for those who couldn't cut it. When in fact only a very small percentage of those with supposedly advanced degrees could pass the entrance exam linked above.

The real problem with egalitarianism is that it rarely seems to involve pulling one group of people, or standards, up. It always seems to involve pulling people and standards down.

Journeys

Life is not for the faint of heart. It is a journey with lots of pitfalls, and speed-bumps. And sometimes there are detours. Anyone who has ever made the difficult decision to change their ecclesial affiliation will understand the many special challenges that come with that choice. It can be even more difficult when the switch is from one confession to another that is in the minds of many, so very similar.

And then there are the doubts. I'm not sure if I've ever met a convert to Orthodoxy who hasn't been plagued by them at least occasionally. I certainly have. If your lucky, you work your way through them. If not, you might end up hitting a speed bump or taking one of the aforementioned detours. It happens. One can never judge because each of us wrestles with the demons in our own way. The temptations to this or that sin, passion, or doubt may be different for each of us, but we all fight the same battle. In the end we can only pray and then do what we think is right, as God gives us the light to discern right from wrong and beg God's mercy when we fall.

Tonight, I have been given a very powerful and humbling reminder of that courtesy of Owen White for which I am deeply grateful.

In 1997 Hillary Clinton's staff bought her a book....

"Email for Dummies"

Sometimes it's so like shooting fish in a barrel that it's just not fair.

UCLA Debates Role of Jews on Campus

LOS ANGELES — It seemed like routine business for the student council at the University of California, Los Angeles: confirming the nomination of Rachel Beyda, a second-year economics major who wants to be a lawyer someday, to the council’s Judicial Board.

Until it came time for questions.

“Given that you are a Jewish student and very active in the Jewish community,” Fabienne Roth, a member of the Undergraduate Students Association Council, began, looking at Ms. Beyda at the other end of the room, “how do you see yourself being able to maintain an unbiased view?”

For the next 40 minutes, after Ms. Beyda was dispatched from the room, the council tangled in a debate about whether her faith and affiliation with Jewish organizations, including her sorority and Hillel, a popular student group, meant she would be biased in dealing with sensitive governance questions that come before the board, which is the campus equivalent of the Supreme Court.

The discussion, recorded in written minutes and captured on video, seemed to echo the kind of questions, prejudices and tropes — particularly about divided loyalties — that have plagued Jews across the globe for centuries, students and Jewish leaders said.

Read the rest here.

Things are getting very very bad on our campuses.

ISIS 'bulldozed' ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud

(CNN)ISIS has again destroyed cultural treasures, this time bulldozing the site of the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud in northern Iraq, state-run media said Thursday.

The extent of the destruction wasn't immediately revealed, according to Iraq's state broadcaster Iraqiya TV, which cited the Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism.

Nimrud was a city in the Assyrian kingdom, which flourished between 900 B.C. and 612 B.C. The archaeological site is located south of Mosul in northern Iraq.

Read the rest here.

Fr Peter Heers on Secularism, Church, and Family Life

Don't be intimidated by the video length. The lecture is about 50 minutes. The rest is Q&A.

Another Scandal in the Finnish Orthodox Church

Helsinki: Orthodox Metropolitan Ambrosius of Helsinki of the Finnish Orthodox Church invited Female Evangelical Lutheran bishop Irja Askola to Altar with him during Clergy ordination at the Sunday Divine Liturgy. This has sparked much controversy. He also ordered the Deacons to pray for the Lutheran woman bishop during litany. This has angered several Orthodox faithful. Archbishop Leo- Primate of the Finnish Orthodox Church has condemned the incident and has asked Metropolitan to clarify the issue before considering any measures against him. Major Finnish newspapers have reported the incident. Archbishop Leo have released an official statement on the controversial incident which is available at the official website of the Finnish Church.

From here.
More links can be found at the referring website.

Anaxios!

A Defiant Alabama Supreme Court Tells Feds to Mind Their Own Business on Gay Marriage

The Alabama Supreme Court ordered a halt Tuesday to same-sex marriages in the state despite a U.S. Supreme Court order allowing them to proceed. The ruling capped a wild month of confusion and resistance in Alabama following a January decision by a U.S. district court invalidating Alabama’s ban on gay marriage. 

The Alabama justices were defiant. “As it has done for approximately two centuries,” the court said, “Alabama law allows for ‘marriage’ between only one man and one woman.” Alabama judges have a duty “not to issue any marriage license contrary to this law. Nothing in the United States Constitution alters or overrides this duty.”

Read the rest here

First Church Dedicated to Tsar Nicholas II and His Family Opens in Moscow

The construction of a church in honour of Tsar Nicholas II and his family has been completed in Moscow. 

The ground breaking and initial construction began three years ago, in March of 2012. On March 8, 2013 the Head of the Russian Imperial House, HIH Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna visited the site of the new church during an official visit to Moscow. The grand duchess lit a candle in memory of the Holy Royal Martyrs, and then took the time to speak and have tea with local parishers.

The first liturgy was held on July 17, 2014 in a temporary chapel situated immediately adjacent to the site of the main church. Since that time, regular worship and liturgies continued to be held in the temporary chapel. 

A temporary iconostasis has now been installed in the church. The final phase of construction, which includes finishing touches on the church’s facades, and landscaping will be carried in the Spring. A church bell is currently being made in the Tutaev plant.

The church is part of an ambitious plan by the Russian Orthodox Church to construct 200 new churches in the nation’s capital.

The Church of the Holy Royal Martyrs is situated at 6th Novopodmoskovny lane. d.7., in the northwest suburbs of Moscow, it can accommodate up to 200 worshipers. 

 

From Royal Russia

Hostis Humani Generis

Islamic State brutes fed a distraught woman searching for her kidnapped son some meat and rice – and then told her she had just eaten her son, according to a British man who joined the fight against ISIS.

From here.

Memory Eternal! Tragic News From Boston

Word is spreading that Fr. Matthew Baker of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis was killed in a weather related car accident tonight. Thank God his children were not injured.

In a blessed repose, grant, O Lord, eternal rest unto Thy departed servant Matthew and make his memory to be eternal!

Details.

The Triumph of Orthodoxy

The Service of Great Vespers and the Synodikon of Orthodoxy including the anathemas of the Seventh Great and Holy Ecumenical Council against Iconoclasm and all heresies.

Are we alone? Do we want to know?

It was near Green Bank, W.Va., in 1960 that a young radio astronomer named Frank Drake conducted the first extensive search for alien civilizations in deep space. He aimed the 85-foot dish of a radio telescope at two nearby, sun-like stars, tuning to a frequency he thought an alien civilization might use for interstellar communication.

But the stars had nothing to say.

So began SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, a form of astronomical inquiry that has captured the imaginations of people around the planet but has so far failed to detect a single “hello.” Pick your explanation: They’re not there; they’re too far away; they’re insular and aloof; they’re zoned out on computer games; they’re watching us in mild bemusement and wondering when we’ll grow up.

Now some SETI researchers are pushing a more aggressive agenda: Instead of just listening, we would transmit messages, targeting newly discovered planets orbiting distant stars. Through “active SETI,” we’d boldly announce our presence and try to get the conversation started.

Naturally this is controversial, because of . . . well, the Klingons. The bad aliens.

Read the rest here.

Actually it's not the Klingons I'm worried about. You can reason with Klingons. Klingons aren't usually genocidal in their conquests. I'm more concerned with... the Borg.

On a serious note, this is actually a legitimate concern. Let's assume for the sake of argument that we are not the only intelligent species in the universe. This seems pretty likely when you think about it. And let's further assume ad argumentum that one or more species have unlocked the secret to interstellar space travel. This proposition is much more problematic since it would require that most everything we think we know about the laws of physics is wrong. But again for the sake of discussion...

Anyone who is capable of hopping from one solar system to another is going to be so far beyond us in technological development, that we might as well still be living in caves. Add to this the extremely unlikely proposition that we are the only intelligent and predatorially aggressive species around and well... you get the picture.

At the very least I think this deserves some discussion at higher levels and some consensus before we start posting interstellar coming out announcements. What these people are doing is rather akin to sending out an invitation to everyone on the block to a party at your place, except you're not the only one who lives there, AND you don't know any of the neighbors. These "scientists" seem to be assuming that we are living in a high quality neighborhood, maybe the Upper East Side of the Milkyway. When in fact we might be living in the galactic projects of Spanish Harlem.

In short, I'd like to know a little more about the neighbors before we invite them over for dinner. If for no other reason than to be sure that we aren't likely to end up as the main course.

Russian Orthodox Church on the Discipline for Receiving Holy Communion

On February 3 2015 (NS) the Holy Synod approved the below linked document which lays out the current discipline for the reception of the Holy Mysteries of the Altar by the lay faithful. The executive summary is that it cautiously encourages the faithful to commune more frequently than the old custom of once or twice a year, while reiterating the necessity of approaching the chalice with great reverence. This means observing the pre-communion fasts, recent confession and prayerful participation in the services of the church. Details of which may be found in the document

To many the discipline described in the document may seem somewhat strict and it may not fully reflect the practice in their own parish, diocese or jurisdiction. Your mileage will vary. The final authority on participation in the Holy Sacraments is your spiritual father (confessor) under the authority of your bishop.

The document may be read here.
HT: An anonymous blog reader

Behold Islam

For those who may have missed it, ISIS was kind enough to record their destruction of the museum in Mosul and its priceless collection of antiquities.

Reports: ISIS has begun killing Christian prisoners

I am unsure of the reliability of the reports, but given their track record there is no reason to believe that anything other than martyrdom awaits these tragic victims. Through the prayers of the Great and Holy New Martyrs, may God give them the strength to endure their Calvary.

HT: Blog reader John L.

RIP: Leonard Nimoy

Very sad news. May his memory be eternal.

The terrifying rate at which smokers die from smoking

Two-thirds of smokers will die early from cigarette-triggered illness -- unless they choose to kick the habit, according to new research from Australia.

The study of more than 200,000 people, published this week in BMC medicine, found about 67 percent of smokers perished from smoking-related illness. That rate is higher than doctors previously estimated.

Tobacco smoke can boost the risk for least 13 types of cancer. The earlier you quit, the better.  “The relative risks of adverse health effects increase with increasing intensity of smoking,” the study states, “measured by the amount of tobacco smoked per day, and with increasing duration of smoking.”

Read the rest here.

It's been roughly twenty years since I smoked with any degree of regularity. It's probably been three or four years since I've smoked at all. But I still miss it. There's just nothing like sitting on the front porch after a nice dinner with a good quality cigar. Why is it that everything fun in life is likely to kill you?

Is Washington Ready for the Death of Obamacare?

The possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court will soon eliminate federal subsidies for people buying health insurance through the Affordable Care Act is the biggest story in politics and economics that no one wants to talk about. But the stakes in King v. Burwell, which the court will hear on March 4, could scarcely be higher: If the plaintiffs prevail, millions of people in 34 states who bought insurance on federal exchanges would suddenly lose the subsidies that make it affordable. Consequently, most would lose their coverage. A Rand study pegged the number at 9.6 million people, with premiums soaring 47 percent for those still able to afford them. “Everyone agrees this would be a cataclysmic hit to the insurance market,” Michael Kolber, a health-care attorney at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, said at a Feb. 13 Bloomberg Intelligence panel on King v. Burwell.

The immediate effect of a ruling against the ACA would be to hurl the political system, and no small part of the economy, into chaos. Yet there’s little sign that Washington is preparing for that scenario. Democrats won’t talk about what they would do because they don’t want the court to believe they could contain the fallout. Republicans don’t want to talk because they’re loath to admit that, even after voting 67 times to repeal or defund the ACA, they have no plan to help the millions who would be affected. (But they’d sure love the court to kill the law anyway.) Hospitals and insurers understand that bewailing their financial plight might not help their cause. Instead, they’ve channeled their warnings into amicus briefs.

Read the rest here.

Illinois: Can the most corrupt and dysfunctional state be fixed?

The most portentous election of 2014, which gave the worst-governed state its first Republican governor in 12 years, has initiated this century’s most intriguing political experiment. Illinois has favored Democratic presidential candidates by an average of 16 points in the past six elections. But by electing businessman Bruce Rauner it initiated a process that might dismantle a form of governance that afflicts many states and municipalities.

Rauner, 58, won his first elective office by promising to change Illinois’s political culture of one-party rule by entrenched politicians subservient to public-sector unions. This culture’s consequences include:

After more than a dozen credit-rating downgrades in five years, Illinois has the lowest rating among the states. Unfunded public employees’ pension liabilities are estimated, perhaps conservatively, at $111 billion, the nation’s largest such deficit as a percentage of state revenue. Currently, public pensions consume nearly 25 percent of general state revenues. The state owes vendors $6.4 billion in unpaid bills, and more than 1 million people have left Illinois for less dysfunctional states in the last 15 years. Debt per resident is about $24,989, compared with $7,094 in neighboring Indiana.

Read the rest here.

Let my prayer arise...

Scenes from the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts at Optina Monastery on the First Wednesday of Great Lent.

Poll: Over a quarter of British Muslims have sympathy for the Charlie Hebdo terrorists.

This morning the BBC published details of a major poll of the attitudes of Britain’s Muslims. The headline on the front of the BBC website linking to the research states: “Muslims ‘oppose cartoon reprisals’”. This of course relates to attitudes within the Muslim community towards the recent Charlie Hebdo attacks.

It’s a reassuring headline. It’s also wrong. Many Muslims - a majority - do indeed utterly oppose the murderous killings in Paris. But a very, very large number of Muslims don’t. Presented with the statement “I have some sympathy for the motives behind the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris”, 27 seven percent agreed with the statement. A further 2 per cent refused to answer the question. And an additional eight percent said they were unsure whether they had some sympathy or not. 

Read the rest here.

ISIS Burns 8000 Rare Books and Manuscripts

While the world was watching the Academy Awards ceremony, the people of Mosul were watching a different show. They were horrified to see ISIS members burn the Mosul public library. Among the many thousands of books it housed, more than 8,000 rare old books and manuscripts were burned.

Read the rest here.

When compared to their other barbarous crimes the book burning looks pretty trivial. But I have to admit that there is something deep inside me that reacts with visceral horror to the deliberate destruction of books, artifacts and cultural heirlooms.

Chicago Police Running "Black Site" Detention Facility

Chicago's police department is detaining US citizens for days on end in a secret compound where suspects have no contact with the outside world, the Guardian reports today.

Lawyers have compared the off-the-books interrogation warehouse in Chicago's Homan Square neighborhood to the CIA's so-called black sites offshore that are used to interrogate terrorists.

Police at the site in Chicago reportedly carry heavy military gear, and huge armored tanks are parked outside.

"There are usually questions about whether these arrests are justifiable or constitutional," Anthony Hill, a criminal defense attorney, told Business Insider. "Suspected criminals are just picked up and thrown into the back of unmarked cars by police officers wielding assault rifles and wearing bulletproof vests. Describing the process as highly militarized would be fair."

"It's a black hole," Hill added.

Read the rest here.
HT:  Pugchief

I really wanted to keep the first few days of Lent somewhat edifying on the blog. But this just needs to be shouted from the rooftops.

The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete

Pope Francis Proclaims Oriental Orthodox Saint a "Doctor of the Church"

Did Pope Francis just declare a non-Chalcedonian (Oriental Orthodox) monk and saint to be a Doctor of the Church?

Details.

On the Eve of the Great Fast

Please forgive me for any offense or injury I may have caused, especially on this blog.

Limited posting for the next few days.

Venezuelans' long waits yield soap, and intelligence agents

Caracas (AFP) - With long, everyday waits in line to buy milk or toilet paper, Venezuela's economic crisis is proving ever more painful, as President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government struggles with the inflation-wracked, collapsing economy.

"This country never was like this. Before, we had the freedom to buy, invest, to grow," said a man who only gave his first name Hernando, perched on a lawn chair to soften the hours-long wait expected outside a Caracas market.

Read the rest here.

Liberté, égalité, fraternité

Former film star Brigitte Bardot, France’s iconic blonde bombshell and “sex kitten” who reigned supreme from 1952 – 1973, has been on trial five times for insulting Muslims and “inciting racial hatred.”

The prosecutor in her fifth trial, Anne de Fontette, wants a heftier fine and a tougher sentence: the equivalent of $24,000 and a two month (hopefully) suspended jail term.

What crimes has Bardot committed in the land without a First Amendment, in the land of Hate Speech laws that are being slickly exploited by non-persecuted Muslims?

Bardot has written: “I am fed up with being under the thumb of this population which is destroying us, destroying our country.”

Read the rest here.

Not usually a big fan of Breitbart, but in this case they pretty much have it nailed. 

Coptic Orthodox Pope Canonizes the 21 New Martyrs of Egypt & Libya

The Coptic Orthodox Church has announced that the murder of the 21 Egyptian Christians killed by the so-called Islamic State in Libya will be commemorated in its Church calendar.

Pope Tawadros II announced that the names of the martyrs will be inserted into the Coptic Synaxarium, the Oriental Church’s equivalent to the Roman Martyrology. This procedure is also equivalent to canonization in the Latin Church.
 
According to terrasanta.net, the martyrdom of the 21 Christians will be commemorated on the 8th Amshir of the Coptic calendar, or February 15th of the Gregorian calendar. The commemoration falls on the feast day of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.

Read the rest here.

Well that was quick. But honestly, sometimes there is just no need for prolonged hearings and investigations. Great New Martyrs of Egypt and Libya pray for us!

Episcopal Church is sharply rebuked by court

Apparently there are limits to the amount of bad faith legal maneuvering the courts will put up with.

HT: The Archer of the Forest

Not liberal enough (Anglicans)

Window celebrating former Archbishop and champion of womyn's ordination to be removed after students brand him ‘homophobic’

Once again, liberals demonstrating that they are among the most illiberal people around.

And now for a word from the other side (Russia and the US)

Via the Young Fogey and Dr. Tighe...

...Russia, which is portrayed as radically nationalist and religiously extremist, particularly in the American Conservative article, has not executed a single person in 20 years, while the United States… well, you know. Saudi Arabia still beheads people in front of Western spectators and jails bloggers for not being religiously devout or "respectful" enough, whereas the West focused on the "persecution" of a group of punk rock feminists who rushed into a church to insult Putin and and the faith of 85% of the country. 

Unlike in Western countries, Russian anti-hate laws are primarily designed to protect the Russian majority. Pussy Riot violated the hate-speech laws in Russia, which are extremely comparable to the laws in the United Kingdom, where the slur "Faggot" posted on Facebook by one of High Right’s founders got him imprisoned for 17 hours while his wife and children sat outside freezing on a bench waiting for him to be released. 

Countless stories show that people all through Western Europe are arrested on hate-speech violations every year, when they hardly do something as extreme as running into a place of religious worship to insult the faith itself. Usually, hate-speech laws are used to suppress European-descended ethnic majorities and Christians..

 

... We constantly hear about how Westerners should condemn Mr Putin for his "anti-gay laws," which really only ban public displays of ‘non-traditional’ sexual relations. We are told to think this is the worst evil on planet earth, to not allow these cheerfulsexuals to display their deviancy for the public. In any normal culture, this display would be considered at best abnormal behavior, and at worst considered what it is, degenerate. We are told, this is "repression," even though the majority of Americans are Christians, even if only superficially, and we do not appreciate such public displays for the most part. Instead, to be truly progressive, one should make sure that their nation allows Christians to be sued for not making birthday cakes for people who violate what they consider to be an intrinsic religious belief. Essentially, repression is only OK if it is Christians and Europeans who are being repressed...

 

...Americans believe that they can create a utopia, that they can overcome any sense of "bigotry," that cultures do not have to matter, that endless swarms of immigrants can be just like us. Americans do not see their country’s failings as the result of a deeply flawed worldview, they see it as the result of bad management. Thus, they eagerly hope for a change in their managers, and look towards the next cycle of elections. The American mindset in addition is also often obsessed with the superficial, the easy to placate, the carnal, the expression of excess. Combine this with extreme optimism and unrestrained idealism and it isn’t hard to see why liberalism imposed with force took hold: most of us accepted it because we wanted it to be true. 

 

Read the rest here.

This strikes me as a somewhat rose colored look at Russia, with a lot of very fair criticism of the United States thrown in. Russia is no paradise and Putin really is a thug (albeit very politically skilled). But it's not Nazi Germany, North Korea or Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, much, though not all, of the criticism of the United States seems especially stinging. Perhaps because it has the ring of truth to it.

Too Big to Fail - Too Big to Jail

“We have never hesitated to investigate and prosecute any individual, institution or organization that attempted to exploit our markets and take advantage of the American people,” Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. proclaimed this month when the Justice Department announced that Standard & Poor’s, the ratings agency, had agreed to pay $1.375 billion to settle civil charges that it inflated ratings on mortgage-backed securities at the heart of the financial crisis.

And this week, he pledged a renewed effort to bring cases against individuals responsible for financial fraud, calling on federal prosecutors to “try to develop cases against individuals and to report back in 90 days.”

Forgive me if I don’t hold my breath.

Read the rest here.

I have been beating this horse for at least six years. Nice to see some people agreeing with me.

Pope Francis has married clergy "in my agenda"

Details at Rorate.

This is an internal disciplinary issue for the Latin Church and  can mostly be filed under the heading "none of our business." I just hope they don't invoke Orthodox discipline in promotion of a decidedly non-Orthodox innovation as some have with the idea of giving Communion to the divorced and civilly remarried. If I hear one more idiot say that this is what the Orthodox Church does I am likely to respond in a very un-Lenten manner. For clarification, I refer to the fact that we do NOT allow for already ordained priests to marry, and our bishops must be celibate (almost always monastics).

German Army Said to be Dangerously ill-Equipped

The German army has faced a shortage of equipment for years, but the situation has recently become so precarious that some soldiers took matters into their own hands.

On Tuesday, German broadcaster ARD revealed that German soldiers tried to hide the lack of arms by replacing heavy machine guns with broomsticks during a NATO exercise last year. After painting the wooden sticks black, the German soldiers swiftly attached them to the top of armored vehicles, according to a confidential army report which was leaked to ARD.

A defense ministry spokesperson said the use of broomsticks was not a common practice, and that the decision of the involved soldiers was "hard to comprehend." According to the ministry, the armored vehicles were furthermore not supposed to be armed. It remains unclear how many broomsticks were substituted for machine guns.

The awkward revelation on Tuesday came at the worst possible moment for Germany's defense ministry. The same day, Ukraine's army was about to suffer a defeat in the town of Debaltseve, putting a renewed focus on the question whether Europe's NATO allies would be able to manage the crisis militarily – without an American intervention, if necessary.

Read the rest here.

NATO had been effectively a two country military alliance (the US and Britain) since the end of the Cold War with the rest of its member states tripping over each other in a mad rush to disarm themselves. Over the last five years that trend has been extended even to Great Britain which has gutted its armed forces as part of national austerity.

Currently the US covers more than 75% of the NATO budget. It's time to tell our "allies" to step up and start pulling their weight or  alternatively to reconsider our mutual security arrangements altogether.

Ash Wednesday

Wishing a blessed fast to those beginning Lent today.

DC Paralyzed By Winter Storm (3") - Boston Sneers

Another piddling snowfall. Another huge shutdown. Another round of merciless mocking.

This is Washington’s winter weather cycle, as predictable as partisanship and twice as bruising.

The Monday night storm, a powderball that delivered two to six inches of snow to the area, shuttered schools, stuttered Metro, halted bus service and brought the federal government to its knees.

Then the eye-rolling began. Nowhere more so than among those with Boston ties.

Read the rest here.

Most of the beltway got around 3" of snow. When I was growing up in the Northeast normally that would not even rate a mention on the local news. The weather report would read "flurries or light snow." My first year of Grad School in Albany we got 111" of snow with no intervening melt off. I couldn't tell where I was a lot of times when driving because the snow banks were so high you could not see the houses on the other side and the street signs were all buried. I would have to pull over and climb a snow bank to get my bearings.

Islamic State 'planning to use Libya as gateway to Europe'

Islamic State militants are planning a takeover of Libya as a "gateway" to wage war across the whole of southern Europe, letters written by the group's supporters have revealed.

The jihadists hope to flood the north African state with militiamen from Syria and Iraq, who will then sail across the Mediterranean posing as migrants on people trafficking vessels, according to plans seen by Quilliam, the British anti-extremist group.

The fighters would then run amok in southern European cities and also try to attack maritime shipping. 

Read the rest here.

Good morning Europe, this is your wake up call. May I suggest you skip the De-Caf and take you coffee straight this morning. I think you are going to need it.

Federal Judge Blocks Obama Immigration Order

A federal judge in Texas has ordered a halt, at least temporarily, to President Obama’s executive actions on immigration, siding with Texas and 25 other states that filed a lawsuit opposing the initiatives.

In an order filed on Monday, the judge, Andrew S. Hanen of Federal District Court in Brownsville, prohibited the Obama administration from carrying out programs the president announced in November that would offer protection from deportation and work permits to as many as five million undocumented immigrants. The first of those programs was scheduled to start receiving applications on Wednesday.

Read the rest here.

Best news I've had in weeks.

The New Martyrs: Time for a little ecumenism?

Long time readers will know that I am bit less warm and fuzzy than some when the subject is ecumenism. But Fr. Hunwicke has  pointed out an area where I think we Orthodox could take a visible stand with the separated churches of Rome and the non-Chalcedonian Orthodox. Without adding any names to our respective lists of saints and martyrs, would it not be a great gesture if the Patriarchs of Old and New Rome stood with the Coptic Pope when the 21 New Martyrs of the Islamic Persecution are canonized, as surely they will be?

RIP: Louis Jourdan

"Spend the money quickly Mr. Bond."

Sunday of the Last Judgement (Meatfare)

Yep, it's that time of year again. I have a nice meat lovers lasagna cooling on the counter as I type.

Maureen Dowd Doesn't Like the Clintons

WASHINGTON — I’LL pay for this column.

The Rottweilers will be unleashed.

Once the Clintons had a War Room. Now they have a Slime Room.

Once they had the sly James Carville, fondly known as “serpenthead.” Now they have the slippery David Brock, accurately known as a snake.

Brock fits into the Clinton tradition of opportunistic knife-fighters like Dick Morris and Mark Penn.

Read the rest here.

Normally I have about as much use for anything emanating from Maureen Dowd as I would for a nice relaxing case of shingles. But this article is actually rather enlightening on a number of levels. If nothing else, it shows that there actually are some on the left who can't stand the Clintons and who are unlikely to willingly serve as cheer leaders for the much anticipated Restoration.

That's a start.

ISIS Kills 21 Christian Copts

Twenty-one Egyptian Christians kidnapped by Isis [sic] in Libya around New Year's are feared dead, after Twitter accounts linked to the Libyan branch of the so-called "Islamic State" announced they had been slaughtered. There is no official confirmation yet but Egyptian media believe the news to be reliable and two pictures released by the same Twitter sources show what they describe as "the Islamic State carrying out the execution of Coptic prisoners in the province of Tripoli". In the first picture five men wearing the notorious orange jumpsuit are kneeling while hooded hangmen armed with knives stand behind them.

Read the rest here.

Holy New Martyrs of the Islamic Persecution pray for us.

Open letter from ELCA Bishop to LGBT Community

Dear friends,
You are welcome in congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

We are a church that believes it is wrong to discriminate against anyone based on sexual orientation. All are welcome. We celebrate diversity.

While Lutherans in the U.S. are not of one mind about sexual orientation, the ELCA, the largest Lutheran denomination in North America, has taken a stand as an open, affirming church where all are welcome.

Read the rest here if you must.

It seems like all of the mainline Protestant churches have jumped off of a tall building, and are racing each other to the sidewalk below. See also this related piece.

Google's Vint Cerf warns of 'digital Dark Age'

He fears that future generations will have little or no record of the 21st Century as we enter what he describes as a "digital Dark Age".

Our life, our memories, our most cherished family photographs increasingly exist as bits of information - on our hard drives or in "the cloud". But as technology moves on, they risk being lost in the wake of an accelerating digital revolution.

"I worry a great deal about that," Mr Cerf told me. "You and I are experiencing things like this. Old formats of documents that we've created or presentations may not be readable by the latest version of the software because backwards compatibility is not always guaranteed. 

"And so what can happen over time is that even if we accumulate vast archives of digital content, we may not actually know what it is."

Read the rest here.

Just a quick reminder...

Summer will return.

OK; who didn't see this one coming?

Minister of education of Greece: “We are launching the process of separation of Church and state”

Memo to the Greek people... Elections have consequences.

The Annexation of Crimea to Russia. Opinion Poll

A few days ago an interesting study, “The Socio-Political Sentiments in Crimea,” was released by the Ukrainian branch of GfK, the well-known German social research organization, as part of the Free Crimea initiative. Intriguingly, the primary objectives of this project, launched with the support of the governmental Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, were to “debunk aggressive Russian propaganda” and to “reintegrate Crimea into Ukraine.” Thus the researchers can hardly be suspected of being Russian sympathizers. So let’s take a look at the results.

The attitudes of Crimeans were studied in January 2015. This representative sample included 800 respondents living on the peninsula, from all age and social categories. The poll had an error margin of 3.5%.

In answer to the most important question: “Do you endorse Russia’s annexation of Crimea?” 82% of the respondents answered “yes, definitely,” and another 11% – “yes, for the most part.” Only 2% gave an unambiguously negative response, and another 2% offered a relatively negative assessment. Three percent did not specify their position.

Read the rest here.

I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for this to get any coverage in the mainstream press/media.

Some Sanity From a Highly Unexpected Source

Speaking of the Anti-Gnostic, he has some astonishing quotes from Mr. Lefty himself, Howard Kuntzler. Do have a look.

IRS to pay refunds to illegal immigrants who didn’t pay taxes

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told Congress on Wednesday that even illegal immigrants who didn’t pay taxes will be able to claim back-refunds once they get Social Security numbers under President Obama’s temporary deportation amnesty.

Read the rest here.

Contrary to possible appearances, given the last several days' postings,  I am not trying to give the Anti-Gnostic a stroke. It is purely coincidental that the idiocy has been gaining momentum of late and is being duly passed along here.

Greece threatens tilt to Russia and China unless Europe yields

Greece's radical new government has threatened to seek money from Russia and China to avert a financial crisis rather than yield to austerity demands from Europe, risking a dangerous political rift with the leading EU powers and a full-blown NATO crisis. 

Read the rest here.

People with too much free time

Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Committee may ask Vatican to revoke Papal Bulls of Discovery

Seriously, we need a universal statute of limitations. If somebody did something bad and it was more than 100 years ago, then let's confine the discussion to history or some other branch of academia.

Judge sides with government in lawsuit over surveillance

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- A federal judge on Tuesday sided with the government in a lawsuit alleging the National Security Agency is illegally engaging in the bulk collection of Internet and telephone records in the hunt for potential terrorists.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in Oakland said the plaintiffs in the case - AT&T customers - had not shown that all AT&T customers' Internet communications were currently the subject of a "dragnet seizure and search program, controlled by or at the direction of the Government," and they therefore did not have standing to file a lawsuit under the Fourth Amendment, which protects against warrantless searches and seizures.

Read the rest here.

EU Catholic bishops call for greater political will to solve refugee crisis

(Vatican Radio) European Bishops have deplored the “unacceptable loss of life” of at least 29 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea and and are calling for “greater clarity and greater political will among all of the EU member states on an acceptable resolution of the refugee crisis”.

Just over two months have gone by since Pope Francis appealed to European policy-makers not to allow the Mediterranean to become a vast graveyard. But migrants continue to die during the dangerous crossing as they seek to flee poverty and conflict. 

Read the rest here.
HT: T-19

Anti Gnostic arriving in com box in 5-4-3-2-1... ;-)

Cardinal Marx on Francis, the Synod, Women in the Church and Gay Relationships

Two issues at the present synod are divorced and remarried Catholics and gay Catholics, especially those in relationships. Do you have opportunities to listen directly to these Catholics in your present ministry?

I have been a priest for 35 years. This problem is not new. I have the impression that we have a lot of work to do in the theological field, not only related to the question of divorce, but also the theology of marriage. I am astonished that some can say, “Everything is clear” on this topic. Things are not clear. It is not about church doctrine being determined by modern times. It is a question of aggiornamento, to say it in a way that the people can understand, and to always adapt our doctrine to the Gospel, to theology, in order to find in a new way the sense of what Jesus said, the meaning of the tradition of the church and of theology and so on. There is a lot to do.

I speak with many experts—canon lawyers and theologians—who recognize many questions related to the sacramentality and validity of marriages. One question is: What can we do when a person marries, divorces and later finds a new partner? There are different positions. Some bishops at the synod said, “They are living in sin.” But others said, “You cannot say that somebody is in sin every day. That is not possible.” You see, there are questions we must speak about. We opened a discussion on this topic in the German bishops’ conference. Now the text is published. I think it is a very good text and a good contribution for the discussion of the synod.

It is very important that the synod does not have the spirit of “all or nothing.” It is not a good way. The synod cannot have winners and losers. That is not the spirit of the synod. The spirit of the synod is to find a way together, not to say, “How can I find a way to bring my position through?” Rather: “How can I understand the other position, and how can we together find a new position?” That is the spirit of the synod.

Therefore it is very important that we are working on these questions. I hope that the pope will inspire this synod. The synod cannot decide; only a council or pope can decide. These questions must also be understood in a broader context. The task is to help the people to live. It is not, according to “Evangelii Gaudium,” about how we can defend the truth. It is about helping people to find the truth. That is important.

The Eucharist and reconciliation are necessary for people. We say to some people, “You will never be reconciled until your death.” That is impossible to believe when you see the situations. I could give examples. In the spirit of “Evangelii Gaudium,” we have to see how the Eucharist is medicine for the people, to help the people. We must look for ways for people to receive the Eucharist. It is not about finding ways to keep them out! We must find ways to welcome them. We have to use our imagination in asking, “Can we do something?” Perhaps it is not possible in some situations. That is not the question. The focus must be on how to welcome people.

Read the rest here.

There is a crisis building in the Catholic Church and I suspect that after decades of building pressure things may be approaching the boiling point.

Met. Hilarion: Is There A Future For Ecumenism? (This is a must read)

...The dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Anglican communion began to experience serious difficulties from the second half of the twentieth century with the decision by the Episcopalian Church of the USA in 1976 to allow the ordination of women to the priesthood. At the session of the International Commission for Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue in 1978 in Athens the Orthodox side declared that meaningful dialogue with the goal of achieving Christian unity was under threat if women’s ordinations were to continue. Nevertheless, at the end of the 1980s the Episcopalian Church of the USA began the practice of ordaining women as bishops, once more underlining the divergences in views of our Churches on the issue of apostolic succession.

In 1993 the decision of the priestly ordination of women was taken by the General Synod of the Church of England. After the introduction of women priests there then followed discussions on the introduction of a female episcopate. At present, these discussions, which have divided the Anglican communion, may be considered to be over. Only a few days ago the first female bishop was consecrated in the Church of England. Many perceived this to be a significant achievement, while others regarded the event as cause for great disenchantment. It has had a negative effect not only on the ecumenical contacts of the Church of England but also on the situation within the Anglican communion, many members of which remain firm adherents to Christian tradition in the sphere of morality and the teaching on the Church.

I remember well the heated discussions on the issue of the elevation of women to the dignity of bishop at the last Lambeth Conference. I was present at the conference as an Orthodox observer and had the opportunity to talk to many Anglican bishops and to participate in heated discussions on the topic. At one such discussion I was asked: ‘Is there, from the point of view of the Orthodox Church, a principle difference between the female priesthood and the female episcopate? After all, you did not abandon dialogue with the Anglican Church after the decision on female priesthood, why then are you worried about the possibility of a female episcopate?’ Until then I had never thought about the question of the difference between the two things, but as I was asked the question directly I had to come up with some answer on the spot.

It is true, I replied, that we did not cease dialogue with the Anglican Church after the introduction of women priests, but not because we were in agreement with this. The issue is that even then we did not recognize the legitimacy of the Anglican hierarchy. However, for more than a hundred years discussions had been held between Anglicans and Orthodox regarding the possible recognition by the latter of the Anglican hierarchy. Now that possibility, even theoretically, has been removed. Why? Because hitherto we viewed the ordination of women to the priesthood as erroneous actions of individual bishops. Now women have been given the right to become bishops. For us this signifies a very simple fact – discussion on the recognition of the Anglican hierarchy is closed (emphasis mine A/O)...

...From my point of view the most promising dialogue today is between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church. Like the Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church has never thought of herself as separate from Tradition, she aims to teach and live in accordance with the tradition that has been handed down to us through the ages. The significant improvement in relations between our Churches seen in recent years is tied to a greater realization that we are united by a common heritage, thanks to which both Orthodox and Catholics can and must bear witness together to the world to the never changing values of the Gospel of Christ.

Read the rest here.

This is a wide ranging commentary that among other things, is sharply critical of Anglicanism and liberal Protestantism.

Alabama sees widespread defiance of gay marriage ruling

MOBILE, Ala. — Amid legal showdowns and high-level defiance, Alabama was buffeted by feuds over same-sex marriage Monday after courts cleared the way but some judges resisted issuing licenses to gay and lesbian couples.

The discord appeared to throw Alabama — for the moment at least — into a patchwork of rules, with at least eight of the state’s 67 counties blocking licenses.

The opposition included either outright rejection or simply closing up shop for the day — leaving some hopeful couples waiting in vain.

Read the rest here.

Cardinal Burke Draws a Line

Cardinal Burke: I cannot accept that Communion can be given to a person in an irregular union because it is adultery. On the question of people of the same sex, this has nothing to do with marriage. This is an affliction suffered by some people whereby they are attracted against nature sexually to people of the same sex.

Question: If perchance the pope will persist in this direction, what will you do?

Cardinal Burke: I shall resist, I can do nothing else. There is no doubt that it is a difficult time; this is clear, this is clear.

Read the rest here.

Note: The source is a French television interview via a website affiliated with the SSPX. Still, unless the Cardinal was seriously misquoted, I can see no way to interpret this other than as a direct warning to the Pope.

See also Fr.Z's take.

What You Learned About the Middle Ages Was Wrong

Medieval Christianity is in the news. That’s exciting for me as I have a PhD in medieval theology and I teach Ancient and Medieval Church History at Covenant Seminary. Thus I have a little “skin in the game,” as the saying goes.

Earlier this week our President made some comments at the national prayer breakfast. In the spirit of hospitality and inclusion he wished to address the recent horrifically evil actions by ISIS by saying that we Christians also have also perpetrated evil in the name of our religion. He gave three examples, two of which I want to make comments on here.

Read the rest here.
HT: Dr. Tighe

Email Problems

I have received several reports from correspondents that they have gotten SPAM emails from my address within the last 24hrs. I am working on the issue but in the meantime if you get anything from that doesn't sound right, or contains suspicious links, please check with me, or just delete it.

Pope Francis decries "inhuman" conditions for illegal immigrants on US-Mexico border

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis has decried the "inhuman" conditions facing migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and has encouraged communities there not to judge people by stereotypes but welcome migrants and work to end discrimination.

Francis made the appeal in a letter to a Jesuit priest who helps organize Catholic teens in Nogales, Arizona, to support the Kino Border Initiative, which advocates a more humane solution to migration. The letter was dated Dec. 19 but was made public on Kino's website recently.

"These young people - who have come to learn how to strive against the propagation of stereotypes, from people who only see in immigration a source of illegality, social conflict and violence - can contribute much to show the world a church without borders," Francis wrote.

Read the rest here.

China is main suspect in massive hack

Investigators suspect Chinese hackers may be responsible for a breach of health insurer Anthem, one of the largest medical-related cyberattacks in history and a harbinger of a growing threat facing the health care industry, said an individual briefed on some aspects of the probe. 

Anthem, the country’s second largest health insurer, said hackers gained access to the sensitive data of 80 million former and current members and employees, including Social Security numbers, income data, birthdays, street and e-mail addresses. 

There are some indications that other health care companies may have been targeted, said the individual said, who declined to be named because the investigation is ongoing.

Read the rest here.

Ex-NATO Chief Warns of Possible Russian Aggression in Baltic States

Vladimir Putin has dangerous ambitions beyond Ukraine and aims to test Western resolve in the Baltic states, the former head of Nato has warned.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former secretary-general of the Atlantic alliance, said the Kremlin’s true goal is to shatter Nato solidarity and reassert Russian dominance over Eastern Europe.

“This is not about Ukraine. Putin wants to restore Russia to its former position as a great power,” he told The Telegraph.

“There is a high probability that he will intervene in the Baltics to test Nato’s Article 5,” he said, referring to the solidarity clause that underpins collective security.

Read the rest here.

Good News From South Carolina

The Episcopal Organization took a big hit in court as a judge came down solidly on the side of the local diocese that cut ties with the national "church" over its heresy and outright apostasy.

Pope Francis to Celebrate 50th Anniversary of First Papal Mass in the Vernacular

Color me unimpressed. But in the end, Latin vs Vernacular is less important than the liturgy itself. We Orthodox are all over the map when it comes to liturgical languages. But I think it is pretty hard to argue that the Pauline Missal, concocted by a liturgical committee composed of some pretty dubious individuals, is anything other than grossly inferior to that which it was supposed to replace. As Msgr Pope noted in his excellent piece, linked in an earlier post; when you concede to one man the authority to arbitrarily tinker with, or radically alter the liturgy, you are treading on dangerously thin ice.

Captured Pilot Burned Alive by ISIS

Savages.

No fasting this week.

Jordan threatens to execute all Islamic State prisoners if pilot killed

Jordan has threatened to execute all of its Islamic State prisoners if militants kill Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kaseasbeh.

Government officials warned that Sajida al-Rishawi, a would-be suicide bomber, and other jailed Islamic State commanders would be “quickly judged and sentenced” in retaliation for the pilot’s death, The Daily Mail reported Friday.

The warning comes after a deadline for a possible prisoner swap allegedly set by Islamic State militants passed Thursday with no word on the fate of Mr. al-Kaseasbeh or Japanese hostage Kenji Goto.

Read the rest here.

I have no idea if this will influence ISIS or not. But I suspect it is more likely to get their attention than a threat to lodge a formal complaint with the International Court in the Hague. Before the Great War the laws of war were respected, or not, with the fairly clear understanding that gross breaches by one side were  likely to lead to retaliation by the other. In other words, it was understood that the laws of war were not a one way street and that very real consequences would almost certainly attend any deliberate abuse.

For some odd reason this seems to have been a more effective system than what we have in place today. Namely a court that could not adjudicate a parking ticket in less than decade and one that exercises very little real jurisdiction because most war criminals aren't in custody and don't ever expect that to change.

Obama to Propose Adding $6 Trillion in Debt

WASHINGTON — President Obama will propose a 10-year budget on Monday that stabilizes the federal deficit but does not seek balance, instead focusing on policies to address income inequality as he adds nearly $6 trillion to the debt. 

The budget — $4 trillion in fiscal 2016 — would hit corporations that park profits overseas, raise taxes on the richest of the rich and increase the incomes of the middle class through new spending and tax credits. Mr. Obama will challenge the Republican Congress to answer his emphasis on wage stagnation, according to congressional aides briefed on the details.

Read the rest here.

150 Years Ago Today: The death knell of slavery

On this date in 1865 the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America passed the House of Representatives and was sent to the states where it was swiftly ratified. The Senate had already passed the amendment and there was little doubt that the states (those still in the Union or under Federal military occupation) would ratify it. Only in the House of Representatives was there any doubt, and the battle was fierce with most Democrats strongly opposed.

With the Republican Party having put support for an abolition amendment into its platform in the 1864 general election there was strong GOP support. Most Democrats, especially rebel sympathizers nicknamed  "copperheads," resisted the amendment employing a variety of arguments including deference to State's Rights and Federalism as well as more dramatic rhetoric designed to play on popular fear and prejudice. It was, many warned, the beginning of a revolution that would only end with Negro citizenship, Negro votes and miscegenation. In the end a handful of Northern Democrats saw the writing on the wall and moved to support the amendment. Other votes were procured via backroom deals, political arm twisting and in a few cases, outright bribery. 

Amendment XIII
Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Taking a hard look at the Obama-Netanyahu feud

WASHINGTON — For six years, the pattern has been the same. A dispute between American and Israeli leaders spills out into the open. Analysts declare the relationship in crisis. Then the two sides try to tamp down emotions and argue that the rupture is not as dire as it looks.

In the latest falling-out between President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the first part of the pattern has certainly held — but not the second. This time, senior officials in both Washington and Jerusalem are making little effort to paper over the seriousness of the rift and even less, it seems, to try to repair it.

The diplomatic break touched off by Mr. Netanyahu’s decision to negotiate an address to Congress without first telling Mr. Obama is about much more than a speech. It reflects fundamentally different world views between the leaders of two longtime allies: an American president eager for a historic rapprochement with Iran and an Israeli premier nursing an existential fear of a nuclear-armed enemy.

Read the rest here.

From here.

The 1965 Missal: The Real Mass of Vatican II?

There is an essay by Msgr Charles Pope that may be of interest to Roman Catholics, particularly those of a traditionalist bent. I am not going to excerpt it. Just go here and read it all.

Catholic archbishop responds to first woman bishop in Church of England

(Vatican Radio) The Catholic archbishop of Birmingham says he wishes the Church of England’s first female bishop well in her ministry and will be remembering her in his prayers. Archbishop Bernard Longley is the Catholic co-chair of ARCIC, the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission. He told Vatican Radio that the consecration of Bishop Libby Lane on Monday was a “historic moment in the life of the Church of England” but noted that there has long been “the presence, the witness and the work of women” as bishops within the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Read the rest here. 

God and Sports

Seems like a lot of people think God takes an active interest in sports teams and events. My take...

As a fan of the New York Metropolitans (What? You thought I’d cheer for the Cardinals?) I view God’s involvement in sports as a testing and strengthening of character in preparation for eventual martyrdom.

Fred Reed: Women in the Military - Fiat Equality

Sigh. I have just read that a young woman named Sage Santangelo has failed the infantry-trainimg course for Marine officers at Quantico, bringing the rate of female failure to 29 out of 29. As an old hand with thirty years covering the military, I can attest that this vu is getting more deja all the time. Women have never succeeded at physical things in the military becauese they can't. More on that in a moment.

Santangelo seems a most impressive woman. Any woman who would attempt the TBE course is necessarily impressive. We are not talking pampered Swarthmore brats in Women' Studies. She reports making her first solo lfight [sic] at fifteen, climbing most of Colorado's highest peaks, playing goalie on a boy's hockey team. She is Marine material, and has my respect.

But she washed out on day one. Even tough, fiercely determined, highly athletic women can't do it. It isn't their fault. We are born with the equipment we are born with.

Read the rest here.

70 Years Ago: The Word Gets a Glimpse of Hell

Seventy years ago today the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp was liberated. About 7,500 inmates were found. The rest had been killed or forced into a death march back to Germany by the SS in an effort to eliminate witnesses to their crimes. Although the exact figure will likely never be known, virtually all reputable historians agree that during its years of operation somewhere around a million people were killed there by a combination of starvation, disease, shootings, hangings, torture and psuedoscientific medical experiments. But the vast majority were systematically murdered by gassing carried out on an industrial scale. The mass killings reached their height during the summer of 1944 with the gassing of around 12,000 men women and children every day as part of the planned liquidation of the Jews of Hungary.

Hungarian Jews waiting to be taken to the gas chambers.

Around 90% of those who died in the camp were Jews, with the rest being a combination of Soviet POWs, non Jewish Poles, Gypsies, political prisoners, criminals, homosexuals and others classified as undesirable or subhuman by the Third Reich. Overall it is estimated that about one in every six Jews killed by the Nazis died at Auschwitz. Today large parts of the camp remain preserved as a permanent memorial to the dead and although only one of many extermination camps, Auschwitz has become a global symbol of Nazi brutality.

Tens of thousands of shoes from those gassed.

Greece: Far left wins election - setting stage for battle with Europe

ATHENS — Greece rejected the punishing economics of austerity on Sunday and sent a warning signal to the rest of Europe as the left-wing Syriza party won a decisive victory in national elections, positioning its tough-talking leader, Alexis Tsipras, to become the next prime minister.

With 60 percent of the vote counted, Syriza had 36 percent, almost eight points ahead of the governing center-right New Democracy Party of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who had conceded defeat. The only uncertainty was whether Syriza would muster an outright parliamentary majority or if it would have to form a coalition.

Appearing before a throng of supporters outside Athens University late Sunday night, Mr. Tsipras, 40, declared that the era of austerity was over and promised to revive the Greek economy. He also said his government would not allow Greece’s creditors to strangle the country.

“Greece will now move ahead with hope, and reach out to Europe, and Europe is going to change,” he said. “The verdict is clear: We will bring an end to the vicious circle of austerity.”

Read the rest here.

Guns and Politics

California Bans Judges From Boy Scouts

California judges will no longer be allowed to participate in the Boy Scouts organization after the state Supreme Court voted this week to eliminate an exception to a rule that bars jurists from being a part of discriminatory organizations.

The Boy Scouts of America continues to bar gay and lesbian adults from serving as leaders in the organization, even after lifting a ban on openly gay youth.

California's judicial code of ethics bars judges from holding "membership in any organization that practices invidious discrimination on the basis of race, sex, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity or sexual orientation."

Read the rest here.

Thomas Cromwell was the Islamic State of his day

Forget Wolf Hall: this pathologically ambitious "ruffian" sent hundreds to the chopping block and destroyed England's religious and artistic heritage.

Read the rest here.

Patriarch Kirill Calls for Ban on Abortion in Speech to Russian Parliament

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has called upon MPs to begin a campaign against abortions, starting with canceling state sponsorship for the procedure and aiming at a total nationwide ban.

“If we manage to cut the number of abortions by 50 percent we would have stable and powerful population growth,” Patriarch Kirill said, speaking before the Lower House on Thursday. This was the first ever speech of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church before the State Duma.

“The argument that a ban would cause an increase in the number of underground abortions is pure nonsense. People have to pay money for these operations and our task is to make the price of a legal infanticide the same as of the illegal one. Taxpayers must not pay for this,” the church leader told the MPs, suggesting the exclusion of abortion from the list of services covered by the obligatory medical insurance program.

Read the rest here.
HT: Ordo Antiquus

Scary Rumors: Pope Francis is Considering a Vatican III

I dislike posting rumors and gossip, but this is all over the internet, and sadly it is not beyond the realm of possibility. Apparently the unconfirmed report from Andrea Gagliarducci, an Italian journalist, is that Pope Francis may be preparing a document that would announce a Third Vatican Council.

I am shuddering at the mere thought. But I stress that as of right now, the journalist himself has stated that there is no confirmation. 

German Priest Suspended for Speaking at anti-Islamic Rally

A Catholic priest in Germany has been banned from giving sermons or representing the church after speaking at a Pegida rally.

Father Paul Spaetling, from the Diocese of Munster, told the rally that Europe had spent over a thousand years fighting against Islam.

He said that he did not agree that Islam had a place in the country, which the German chancellor had said.

Pegida protest against what they call the 'Islamisation' of Europe, and have been accused of xenophobia.

The spokesman for the diocese, Stephan Kronenburg, said Father Paul's simplistic view of history was "not compatible with the Christian message of love, kindness and inclusion".

Source.

Paris Flat Locked Before World War II Opened

A Paris apartment, locked and abandoned on the eve of the war, and somehow left untouched for seven decades, is opened. Think of a giant time capsule giving us a glimpse of a bygone era with a secret love affair dating all the way back to the belle epoch for flavor.

Akathist to the Icon of the Mother of God (Slavonic)

Liberals and "Free"

In my experience when liberals start using the word "free," anyone with a decent job should grab their wallet and hold it tight. It's probably about to be picked.

Rome Creates a New Sui Juris Church

Interesting. See the details here.