Should Catholics Give Donations to CAFOD ?

SHOULD CATHOLICS GIVE MONEY TO CAFOD? - PART 1

In a recent article written for the secularised Catholic paper The Tablet, CAFOD's HIV Corporate Strategist, Ann Smith, argues that one line solutions are over-simplistic and will not work. Maybe it is about time she bought a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which she clearly is not familiar with.

 

The CAFOD website also clearly states that “CAFOD welcomes Pope Benedict’s comments on the challenges for people posed by HIV and the possible use of condoms as one aspect of preventing infection”. Pope Benedict never condoned Condom use as part of Church teaching. Simply put, condom use is forbidden in the teaching of the Catholic Church. This is a zero tolerance issue.

Other examples from their website have included

"……. prevalence of HIV infection in much of Africa, Asia and elsewhere where it constitutes a public health emergency which requires immediate responses and urgent measures. CAFOD therefore recognizes that the promotion of harm minimization (i.e. the promotion of condoms) is often a necessary and crucial shorter-term strategy (i.e. condoms are a necessary strategy). Consequently CAFOD asks all partners working in the area of HIV prevention to give individuals full information about all means of HIV prevention (i.e. give individuals information about condoms) and that this advice is scientifically correct. A person must be able to make decisions about preventing HIV transmission that are consistent with their religious convictions (Decisions? There is only one decision which should be promoted if you are a Catholic Agency being funded by Catholics) and based on their knowledge and understanding of the risks of their individual situation."

 ABC

In an article in The Universe, Ann Smith of CAFOD’s AIDS section was quoted as saying: "Abstinence outside marriage and fidelity inside marriage is the ideal. That is what we are journeying towards and CAFOD want to support that ideal. But while wanting to uphold that ideal we may need to look at more practical short term arrangements" (i.e. promote condoms). CAFOD’s HIV corporate strategist, Ann Smith, also assured Tablet (25/09/2004) readers that CAFOD’s "abstinence, be faithful, use a condom" strategy was "based on sound theological principles….."

It does not stop there:

The following items were first highlighted by Catholic and Loving it (click here for all his CAFOD links). On 12th November 2010 CAFOD held its annual Pope Paul VI lecture which was chaired by Jon Snow. Here are some things CAFOD failed to mention to faithful Catholics  who regularly give contributions at the back of church. This is what you need to know about their choice of guest speaker:

• He is pro-abortion and in 2007 he agreed to speak at the Marie Stopes "Global Safe Abortion" conference. He pulled out, but only under massive pressure.
• He supports condom use as an answer to Aids and in 2009 opposite Joanna Bogle on Channel 4 news he stated that "The Pope is condemning many millions of people to death" by opposing condom use”.
• He is in favour of women’s ordination which is against Catholic teaching.
• He does not agree with the authentic version of Catholic marriage - he lived for many years with a woman with whom he fathered two children but never married her..

CAFOD sent people to South Africa to the International Climate Change Conference wasting the donations of faithful Catholics who do not expect their money to be used this way. How can we be so sure that Cafod wasted money from donations?

•  They did not get a paper published from the conference in a peer edited journal. So there would be no lasting record that could be used in future research in to the issue.

• The only serious access point to lobbying they had was with the UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Chris Huhne. They could have done this in London.

CAFOD have got themselves involved campaigning against the building of an airport in London but, are silent about the toxic culture of death. They do not speak out when money is spent on condoms instead of hospitals.

Why are Catholics supporting this organisation in its present anti-Catholic guise. CAFOD does not even try and hide its dissent from Church teaching?

Catholic Home Altars

ALTARISIMO DOMESTICUS

 

 

 

Just some nice photo's of some home altars to get your week off to a good start. Inspired by Richard at Linen on the Hedgerow who highlighted a new Italian blog (click below) which is definitely worth translating. If you haven't got an altar in your home already then it might give you a few ideas for the week ahead.

TRADISMATIC RENEWAL 2

PENTECOST

It is time to reclaim the charisms back for the Church from those in charismatic renewal. They are part of the traditions of our Catholic Church.

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,
they were all in one place together.
And suddenly there came from the sky
a noise like a strong driving wind,
and it filled the entire house in which they were.
Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,
which parted and came to rest on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in different tongues,
as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.
At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd,
but they were confused
because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
They were astounded, and in amazement they asked,
"Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?
Then how does each of us hear them in his native language?

You may be interested in:

TRADISMATIC RENEWAL ARTICLE

A TRADITIONAL HOLY SPIRIT ARTICLE BY Fr. RAY

LIBERAL ENGLISH CATHOLICS LAITY & BISHOPS

WEEKEND THOUGHTS! 

THE FALSEHOODS OF LIBERAL CATHOLICISM

“Liberal Catholic” is clearly an oxymoron, nevertheless, it is the label chosen by those who, too drunk on their own pride to notice that they staggered into the wrong church, insist on continuing to live like parasites on the Body of Christ.  Anonymous

Liberal “Catholics” appear to be aware in some obscure way of the irrationality in their creed and are consequently forced to resort to all sorts of painful mental gymnastics and self deception to paper over the cracks.  They are prone, for example, to clichés such as “moving with the times”.  Quite why a Church that is the guardian of sacred truths revealed by God would want to dump those truths for the latest fashions of the godless is never of course explained. Anonymous

Blessed John Henry Newman in his 1879 

Biglietto speech

Blessed John Henry Newman in his 1879 Biglietto speech described it as the “great apostasia”. Newman defined “the spirit of liberalism in religion” in the following terms:

“Liberalism in religion is the doctrine that there is no positive truth in religion, but that one creed is as good as another. . . . Revealed religion is not a truth, but a sentiment and a taste; not an objective fact, not miraculous; and it is the right of each individual to make it say just what strikes his fancy.”

Catholic RCIA: A Lack of Welcoming & Imagination!

If I hear of yet another episode where a new person walks in to a Catholic Church and is offered RCIA within the first 5 minutes I WILL SCREAM!

What is it with the laity in Catholic Churches? Something which I have been made aware of is people & friends (trying) to join the Catholic church and the unimaginative, uninspiring, and apathetic reception they get. For the record, this is not just a moan for the sake of it*.

What happens next? A gormless look comes over their face when for the first time in years the unthinkable happens. The following thoughts go through their head:

 ‘I’ve got one’, ‘I’ve got them trapped’

‘They can’t get away’

‘This is the moment I have been waiting for’

‘I’m safe inside a Catholic church and it is my duty to evangelise’ 

&

‘yes, I’m going to go for it, I’m actually going to evangelise’…..

“Well, we do have an RCIA course if you wish to become a Catholic”

Aaaaaaaaggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

 Give me strength!

*I have seen many people (including friends) who wish to join the Catholic Church but, keep being bombarded with RCIA, RCIA, RCIA. They have wanted to join what they believe to be the one true Church but, are bemused by the fact that other denominations in the past actually took an interest in whether they lived or breathed, enticed them with mens breakfast prayer groups, and bring a sinner nights - I'm not suggesting that we we put on a song and dance show but, is this the best we can do?

LACK OF CATHOLIC CHURCH HUMAN TRAFFICKING MISSIONARY WORK

LACK OF CATHOLIC CHURCH HUMAN TRAFFICKING MISSIONARY WORK

I really do think that the Catholic Church needs to get up to speed with this issue of human trafficking. The issue has been brought up in the Catholic Herald (click on link below).

It is astonishing how the larger evangelical churches have set up missionary centers abroad where teams are actively rescuing hundreds of people from this disease ridden illegal industry. They are going in with people trained to deal with the issues of those coming out of the industry but, are also going in with hard core intercessory prayer teams. After many have been rescued they become Christians (just as is the case in the best traditions of missionary work). It really is a new form of missionary work for the 21st century. I have to say that the work going in to getting children out of human trafficking is outstanding and the stories are heart wrenching to the extreme.

I know of Catholics who go on prayer crusades to Africa and are extremely successful at getting conversions but, even these people have not started dealing with this issue yet.

The average Catholic seems to be clueless to what is happening on the ground (harsh but, true).

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2012/05/21/british-and-american-investment-firms-team-up-to-fight-trafficking-at-london-olympics/

TRADISMATIC RENEWAL

TRADISMATIC RENEWAL

There is a growing call for the Charisms of the Church to be reclaimed back from those in Charismatic Renewal. Those charisms were once the preserve not only of those in religious orders but, they were once also the preserve of those we would now call traditionalists. Those charisms originally made up the traditions of the Church. We can actually go one step further and say that they are supposed to be spread throughout the whole body of Christ.

The charisms of the Church are scripturally meant for every Catholic. However, when those in charismatic renewal adopted the ridiculed and despised ‘happy clappy’ approach the whole concept and theology behind the charisms of the Church became alienating to vast swathes of Catholics from traditionalists to Latinists (where the charisms had originally existed). Once again the liberals played a destructive role in this arena because the non-scripture believing liberals accepted the ‘happy clappy’ aspects but rejected the theology.

Did you know that a Bishop's Mitre is that shape because it represents the flames above the apostles heads at Pentecost

Around the early 1970's Catholics then started their own separate charismatic renewal group. However, 'the great plan' failed whole sale. Those in charismatic renewal were  supposed to go out from these experiences and their conferences and build up their own spirituality so that:

1) They could take an active role in their own salvation
2) They could help others attain their salvation
3) They could build up God's kingdom
4) They could build up The body of Christ.

However, what happened was that the vast majority became involved in what is now known as the 'charismatic jungle' who chased from one conference to the next, and were only a part of it for what they could get out of it for themselves. There was a recent 'bust up' on this issue on the excellent Fr Ray's Blog. I will leave it to you to pick the story apart. However, there are plenty of others on there that agree with me, including some uber-traditionalists.

Click here for - Fr Ray - There Shall Be Signs

Still No Collection Box at Louth Catholic Church for the On Going Repairs

Still No Collection Box at Louth Catholic Church for the On Going Repairs

Louth Catholic Church must be the first church in the history of Christianity that did not have a permanent collection box for the on going repairs of the church. Yes, there is a collection once in a blue moon but, at some point somebody must surely think......

'How much money has been lost over three years by not having a permanent collection box'. 

All those 20 pences add up you know!