Obama dismisses pro-life concerns about health care reform
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5564

President Barack Obama brushed aside pro-life concerns about health care reform legislation during a bipartisan summit devoted to the topic.

Philadelphia abortionist had room full of bottled fetus remains
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5569

FBI and DEA agents who raided a Philadelphia abortionist’s office this week discovered floors stained with blood and a room full of bottled fetus remains.

Janet and I are joining Teresa Tomeo for the Una Fides Conference in Orlando Florida this weekend. Then Janet and jump another flight to Dallas where we will do a parish mission at St. Rita’s Parish on Sunday and Monday

. It is great to be Catholic and spread the good news of the Truth of the Gospel, the Love of God and the beauty of the Scriptures, the Sacred Tradition and the whole teaching of the Catholic Church.

I realize now – that as a Protestant — I misquoted the Bible when challenging Catholics about Purgatory. Catholics taught that there was a “transition” between earth and heaven—a place or state of final purification called Purgatory.

“But how can there be a Purgatory?” I asked. “Doesn’t St. Paul teach that ‘to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord’?  Since ‘absence from the body’ means that we are immediately in ‘the presence of the Lord,’ there can’t be anything called Purgatory. Catholics deny the clear teaching of the Bible!”

Whoa! Slow down! Is this really what the Bible says?

First, that is a misreading of the Bible—a twisting of Scripture to score a point. The Bible does NOT say “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” Rather it says,

“So we are always of good courage; we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Cor 5:6-8).

This is very different from my old argument. Paul would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord, but certainly doesn’t say it the way I twisted it in my old anti-Catholic days.

If I want to be away from Michigan in the winter I might say “In the winter we would rather be away from Michigan and present in Arizona.” It does NOT say that to be away from Michigan that I am instantly or automatically in Arizona. My in-laws go between Arizona and Michigan twice a year and they stop a lot along the way. It usually takes them 3-4 weeks to get from one to the other as the visit and camp along the way.

We understand that this language leaves room for a transition period—especially in an automobile or plane with a possible motel or visit along the way. Paul’s words also leave room for such a transition; it does not exclude Purgatory.

Second, Paul teaches that we will pass through fire. Notice what he says in 1 Corinthians 3:15: On “the Day” if “any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:15, RSVCE). Sounds like Purgatory to me.

Third, Purgatory is not “away from the Lord” strictly speaking. Those in Purgatory—whether it is a place or a state of transition—are not apart from the Lord. In fact, it is the love of God that is purifying them. I have always said that Purgatory is like the front porch of heaven. Those who are in Purgatory know they have arrived! But you can read more about that in my article on Purgatory here.

So, don’t let someone trick you with the old “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” argument. It is fallacious and deceptive. Again, the Catholic Church is correct.

(Piccture: Purgatory is a place of mercy; it is a place of joy for having arrived.)

You can listen to the archived show here. More listening options here.

Nuns can be funny. Don’t know anything about this Sister, but it was amusing.

In honor of the Feast Day of the Great Bishop and Saint Polycarp on February 23, we are doing special shows with Sean Herriott on Morning Air on Relevant Radio and with Teresa Tomeo’s Catholic Connections on Ave Maria Radio.

The name Polycarp sounds funny to our English ears, but in Greek it comes from two words “poly” meaning many or much, and “carp” meaning fruit. Obviously his Christian parents named him Polycarp along with a prayer that he would bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God — which he did.

To learn the whole story of St. Polycarp, on location, watch our new DVD “Apostolic Fathers: Handing on the Faith” along with a 28-page Study Guide.

Download a Free Copy of the
Apostolic Fathers Timeline

This amazing Timeline drives home the point of how close these men were to Jesus and the Apostles.
It demonstrates how Catholic the first Christians really were!

Strap on your sandals and step back in time to discover the “Apostolic Fathers, Handing on the Faith”

Comprehensive 28-Page Study Guide
Behind the Scenes: The Making of Apostolic Fathers, Handing on the Faith
Bloopers and Outtakes
Conversation with Steve Ray and Fr. Benedict Groeschel
English and Spanish subtitles
Feature running time: 90 minutes, extras 30 minutes

Learn more here;       Buy it NOW here

Link to Eyewitness Account of his martyrdom. Link to Letter he wrote to Philippians. Link to letter St. Ignatius wrote to Polycarp.

Fascinating Quote from St. Irenaeus about St. Polycarp

“When I was a boy . . . I remember the events of that time more clearly than those of recent years. For what boys learn, growing with their mind, becomes joined with it; so that I am able to describe the very place in which the blessed Polycarp sat as he discoursed, and his goings out and his comings in, and the manner of his life, and his physical appearance, and his discourses to the people, and the accounts which he gave of his [interaction] with John and with the others who had seen the Lord.

And as he remembered their words, and what he heard from them concerning the Lord, and concerning his miracles and his teaching, having received them from eyewitnesses of the ‘Word of life,’ Polycarp related all things in harmony with the Scriptures. These things being told me by the mercy of God, I listened to them attentively, noting them down, not on paper, but in my heart. And continually, through God’s grace, I recall them faithfully (Irenaeus quoted in Eusebius, History of the Church 5, 20 in NPNF 2nd, 1:238-139).

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 21, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The number of Catholics, including the number of priests and seminarians, is increasing worldwide, especially in Asia and Africa. These statistics are found in the 2010 “Annuario Pontificio,” or Pontifical Yearbook, presented Saturday to Benedict XVI by his secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and Archbishop Fernando Filoni, who is in charge of general affairs for the Secretariat of State.

In 2008 there were 1.166 billion baptized Catholics worldwide, an increase of 19 million (up 1.7%). Taking into account the increase in the world’s population to 6.7 billion, there is a slight growth in the percentage of Catholics who make up the global population (from 17.33% to 17.40%).

There was also an increase in the number of bishops, from 4,946 in 2007 to 5,002 in 2008 (up 1.13%). The growth in Africa (up 1.83%) and the Americas (up 1.57%) was significant, while in Asia (up 1.09%) and in Europe (up 0.70%) the values are below the overall average. In Oceania during the same period there was a 3% decrease in the number of bishops.

There was also a slight increase (around 1% between 2000 and 2008) for diocesan and religious priests, whose numbers grew from 405,178 in 2000 to 409,166 in 2008.

For the rest of the article, click here.

****************************************************

Worldwide Catholic population rises to 1.166 billion
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5516
The world’s Catholic population is now 1.166 billion, according to the latest Vatican yearbook. The figure shows an increase of 1.7% in 2007: the last year for which full statistics are available.

***************************************************

Robust Growth in Catholic Church in America!

Washington D.C., Feb 21, 2010 / 07:47 am (CNA).- The Catholic Church’s membership in the United States grew at the “robust” rate of about 1.5 percent in 2008, according to National Council of Churches’ (NCC) new 2010 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches.

A slight loss in Catholic membership in the U.S. was reported in the 2009 Yearbook, but the NCC said the latest figure shows “robust growth.” The figures come from 2008 statistics. The growth outpaces the estimated U.S. population growth rate in 2008, listed as 0.9 percent, according to the CIA World Factbook.

There are now an estimated 68.1 million Catholics in the United States.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, whose members are known as Mormons, grew 1.7 percent to almost 5.9 million members. The Assemblies of God grew 1.3 percent to about 2.9 million.

Other denominations lost membership. The Presbyterian Church (USA) shrank 3.3 percent and now has about 2.9 million members. American Baptist Churches in the USA decreased two percent to 1.4 million, while the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America lost 1.9 percent of its membership, which now stands at 4.7 million.

The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest denomination after Catholics, lost 0.24 percent of its membership and now stands at 16.2 million. It also declined in membership in the year prior.

THE SUN, FRIDAY, 19 FEB. 2010
“JESUS was GAY – according to the gospel of SIR ELTON JOHN. The singer makes his controversial claim about the Lord in a new US interview that will enrage America’s bible belt.

“Elton, 62, declares as he pours out his heart to a magazine: ‘I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems.’

“He adds: ‘Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. I don’t know what makes people so cruel. Try being a gay woman in the Middle East – you’re as good as dead.’”

I have nothing but contempt for a guy like this and would no more buy his music or promote his career than I would that of a pornographer. How do “guys” like this become cultural heroes and icons?

I wrote this about two years ago while in Adana Turkey and thought it worthy to post again.

Europe is full of magnificent churches—Gothic, Baroque and even modern. Their steeples and crosses still dominate much of the skyline. They stand as impressive monuments to the Christian faith that built the free world and brought beauty and justice out of a pagan, barbarian wilderness.

Today the churches in Europe are becoming museum pieces recalling the lost faith and  collapsing backbone of Europe. (Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral to left)

Paganism is on the rise – and along with it something just as alarming. The skyline will soon change, not only for Europe but for the whole Western World, including the United States. You will soon see new structures piercing the sky!

But before I tell you how your view of today’s horizon will change, let me tell you about what happened to Turkey. Then you will see that it can happen—and if we don’t move quickly, it will happen again.

Janet and I are now in Turkey with our Skyline Productions video crew working on our next documentary Apostolic Fathers for the Footprints of God series. We are driving/flying with our crew from one Christian site to another. This country is often called the Second Holy Land—why? Because it contains more Christian sites than anywhere other than Israel.

For a few examples: Antioch is where we were first called Christians, Tarsus was the home town of St. Paul, and Lystra the home city of St. Timothy.

But, Turkey is also home to the Seven Church of Revelation. The Blessed Virgin Mary lived here with the Apostle St. John. Selçuk still boasts the tomb of St. John (see picture to right). Istanbul (Constantinople) was once a proud patriarchate of the Catholic Church and home to Ecumenical Councils.

Actually, the first Seven Ecumenical Councils were held here, including Constantinople, Chalcedon, and Nicea—from which we got Nicene Creed recited each Sunday. And don’t forget the Council of Ephesus which defined Mary as the Theotokos, the Mother of God.

And if you remember your New Testament, you will recognize cities that were in today’s Turkey: Galatians, Ephesians and Colossians. Turkey is also the land of martyrs, Fathers and Doctors of the Church like Sts. Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, and Basil the Great to name just a few.

So, when I look out over the horizon from my hotel room window, do I see the beautiful churches that once marked the skyline of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey)?

Nope. Sorry. I see something else.

From my window just now, I counted no less than nineteen minarets! What are minarets? They are the tall slender towers above an Islamic mosque from which the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer (Notice two pictures from my hotel window–one wide shot with no less than five minarets; the second at the bottom of this blog showing a large mosque across the river. There is only one Catholic Church within a hundred miles of where I am now).

What happened to the churches? Let’s go to Istanbul together and I will show you! I have frequently visited the Hagia Sophia—the Church of Holy Wisdom. It was the glory of Christendom and for over a thousand years it had the largest dome — until St. Peter’s was built in Rome. Many people thought the dome stayed up by a direct miracle of God. How else could something so expansive stay up without crashing down?

But when the Muslims conquered Contantinople they defaced the church, painted over the golden icons of our Blessed Mother and turned the spectacular church into a mosque. The crosses came down and the minarets went up.

Today the Hagia Sophia is a museum! (picture of modern Hagia Sophia to left)

It has been predicted that within fifty years Europe’s skyline will change. It will become a Muslim empire. Steeples will come down and minarets will go up. No longer will you hear bells – you will hear muezzin wailing from the balconies of slender minarets.

And America? We are losing our faith too, and our backbone. Will we be far behind Europe? I don’t think so. Islam has 1 billion followers, many of who will stop at nothing short of world domination. They won’t call it that, of course. They will say the world is now as Allah willed it.

And like the Hagia Sophia—your church, and the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC and St. Patrick’s in New York will still pierce the skyline, but no longer as steeples. They will sport the latest in minarets. And our grandchildren’s’ children will wonder why we caved in so easily—why we lost our faith and our backbone.

Oh, so you don’t believe it can happen to us? Neither did the Byzantine Empire, the powerhouse of Christianity in the East! But, the East fell to Islam and the West may fall as well. Maybe not by military might, but by religious indifference, population control, and secularism. Islam can overtake us by persistence, population growth, and religious fervor.

What was once part of a powerful Christian Empire is now 99% Muslim. Out of a population of about 75 million, there are only 60,000 Christians (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestants, etc.). The past screams to us but will we listen.

Prepare to see the new skyline; prepare to be awakened at 4 AM with the wail of the muezzin.

St. Ignatius, pray for us. Sts. Polycarp, Irenaeus and John Chysostom, pray for us!

The names of eighteen books of the English Bible are hidden in the text of the following paragraph. Can you find all sixteen of them? Remember, some names are found in parts of more than one word. For the answer, click here.

I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible. It was a lulu. Kept people looking so hard for facts and for others it was a revelation. Some were in a jam, especially since the names of the books were not capitalized. But the truth finally struck home to numbers of readers. To others, it was a real job. We want it to be a most fascinating few moments for you. Yes, there will be some really easy ones to spot. Others may require judges to help them. I will quickly admit it usually takes a minister to find one of them, and there will be loud lamentations when it is found. One little lady says she brews a cup of tea, so she can concentrate better. See how well you can compete. Relax now for there are really sixteen names of books of the Bible in this story.

L’Osservatore Romano ranks the top hits of rock music
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5465
The Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano has offered its list of the top 10 albums in this history of rock music. The list begins with the Beatles’ Revolver, followed by David Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Other artists included on the Vatican newspaper’s list are Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Michael Jackson, Paul Simon, U2, Carlos Santana, and Oasis.

I might agree with some, but definitely disagree with others. Good thing neither I nor the L’Osservatore Romano are considered infallible :-)

Another good article on this here.

Thought I’d pass this along. A friend sent this to me saying, ” A few S.J. friends of mine have started a blog for Lent using the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius. It could be a handy resource. http://sedaily.wordpress.com/

Read the two articles below and realize this is not just an Iraqi or Pakistani phenomenon. Islam acts the same in any country in which is has the opportunity, the freedom or the majority. Wake up America! Wake up Europe! Wake up Catholic Church! Wake up world!

Read my article PREPARE FOR THE SKYLINE OF THE FUTURE and this video from Muslim dominated Dearborn Michigan.

Organized violence driving Iraqi Christians out of Mosul
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5463
In Mosul, Iraq, two Christian merchants have been killed this week, one wounded, and a fourth taken hostage by kidnappers demanding a heavy ransom. The violence against the Christian minority, carried out by organized armed gangs, continues unabated. Iraqi Christians have complained repeatedly about the failure of police to respond to the campaign of violence and intimidation. The attacks are having the desired effect: driving more and more Christians out of Mosul.

Pakistan: Muslims burn down Catholic home, police ignore incident
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5459
Three Muslim brothers in the eastern Pakistani village of Shadokey burned down the house of a Catholic family after Walayat Masih, the father of the family, refused to sell them the home. The Muslim brothers demanded that Masih and his family “convert to Islam.” Instead of investigating the incident, local police threatened the family as well.

Nice article in Chicago Tribune about the Catholics Come Home program being started in Chicago and other cities after amazing results in Phoenix and other pilot cities.

If you haven’t seen the videos they’ve produced to re-introduce people to the Catholic Church, you really should watch the 2-3 minute videos. Visit here. The website is easy to use and you will enjoy what you find. If you watch the videos you will be greatly inspired.

I am on the Board of Advisers and proud to be associated with Tom Peterson and this great evangelistic effort!

Home 4 days to work non-stop on writing CSS commentary on 1& 2 Corinthians. Check out Catholic Scripture Study CSS at www.cssprogram.net. Pray I get a lot done!

Interesting picture of Jesus. Notice events in his life “hidden” in the drawing.

Climategate U-turn as scientist at centre of row admits: There has been no global warming since 1995.

Read article here:

Another good article here: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/61525

If you want to follow our adventures and travels along with good quotes and information, follow up at www.Twitter.com/JerusalemJones

Montgomery Indiana is a world away from Bombay with 20 million people in a country of 1.2 billion — 3 million of whom are Catholics! That is as many people that live in the USA! It is also a world away from Muslim Dubai which is like the Wild West on steroids.

Here I am in the middle of Amish country to speak at a beautiful, small country church called St. Peters. These are genuine down-to-earth folks who are the backbone of America. I will speak tonight on my Conversion to the Catholic Church and tomorrow on St. Paul.

See the pictures and map of  my run through the countryside and the church where I will speak. Check out my run on EveryTrail here (http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=497027)

Since today we celebrate Mass in Abu Ghosh, at the Church of Mary, Ark of the New Covenant, I thought it would be a good time to respond to an e-mail I received a while ago. It was a questions from a friend wrote to ask me for my take on Mary. He was corresponding with someone that said Catholics worship Mary and got this practice from pagans who had worshiped Artemis in Ephesus. He asked what I thought. Here is my response:

Dear Friend: Catholics are often accused of “worshipping” Mary, the Saints, icons, statues and the like. Your friend mentions several example which he assumes, based on his Protestant tradition, his lack of familiarity with the ancient Christian traditions and customs, and his Protest-ant reading of the Bible, that these actions are inherently acts of worship and therefore idolatry.

“Bowing before a statue must certainly be worship,” says the Evangelical who has not only abandoned the idea of images (only of a certain kind, as we shall see later) and is very inconsistent in his own practice, but has never taken the time to understand Catholic and liturgical Christianity.

Have the vocal opponents of statues, icons and the like ever asked the little old lady in her babushka if she is actually worshiping the statue in front of which she kneels? Does this holy, and wrinkled woman in Poland believe she is worshiping the icon of the Black Madonna? Does the Mexican mother surrounded by her kneeling children consider her veneration of our Lady of Guadalupe the same as her worship of God? Of course not. It would only take a few such questions, should the wondering Protestant care to learn the truth–that these common folks would be shocked at such a thought of worshipping Mary in the place of God.

To read the whole letter, click here.

Here is an interview with Patriarch Twal of Jerusalem. It is an interesting read to understand the Christians in the Holy Land and what can be done to help. We do the most important thing — take pilgrims to this land to encourage and help the Christians. We use only Christian guides and drivers, hotels (whenever possible), restaurants, etc.

The Christian population is dwindling in the Holy Land. If we are not careful the churches could be turned into mosques or museums. We must support the local Christians who are the living stones of the Church built upon the archaeological stones of the biblical times.

Consider going with us in April as we need a few more people to fill the trip. See the information here.

Here is the interview with Patriarch Twal.

This is worth watching. I know the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. These sisters are nine minutes from my house and we know many of them and visit their convent frequently. They do a delightful job of explaining and presenting themselves on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

This is one of many things that make me proud to be Catholic. Where do you find an institution that allows you to live out your calling for God if it is the single life? Jesus mentions those who are gifted to remain celibate, St. Paul lauds the single life of dedication to God. But how does one live out this life? The Catholic Church has made beautiful options for those who are called to such a life of devotion to God.

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Catholic Church runs 25% of world’s health facilities
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5422
As the Catholic Church observes the annual World Day of the Sick, the president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care pointed out that the Church administers more than 25% of all the world’s health-care facilities. Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski cited the “117,000 health care facilities, including hospitals, clinics, orphanages,” around the world.

Cardinal Kasper calls for ecumencial catechism
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5392
Speaking at a Vatican symposium, Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, said that an ecumenical catechism would help Catholics and members of major Protestant communities adhere more faithfully to the foundations of the Christian doctrine. Such a catechism would promote “an ecumenism of basics that identifies, reinforces, and deepens” Christians’ “common foundation in Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity as expressed in our common creed and in the doctrine of the first ecumenical councils.”

Sorry I have fallen behind — I will catch up! We have been swamped with talks and meetings. Now we are packing to leave. I still have a big Q & A session at the church in Dubai which will probably attract over 2,000.

As soon as that is over we are whisked away to the airport where we will board the Delta flight from Dubai to Atlanta where we catch a connection to Detroit. We will be on the international flight for 17-18 hours and then 3 hours to Detroit.

As soon as I land in Detroit I am going to St. Anastasia Catholic Church in Troy Michigan to give a talk on the Eucharist. Usually the speaker is worried the audience will fall asleep during his talk; this time the audience can be worried that the speaker might fall asleep during his talk :-)

It has been a marvelous time in Bombay and Dubai and God really blessed the events beyond our expectation! Much fruit was given and it was all recorded so the videos will spread around the whole area to all the Catholics — and the non-Catholics. So, I sign off for now but will keep up with Twitter (on my home page) through my iPhone.

Today we arrived in Abu Dhabi. Along the way we saw the world’s tallest man and tallest building (pictures included in the video). We had a powerful time in the outdoor crusade with 2,000 people in attendance for two hours. It was marvelous!

Today I ran and took pictures and a video of the amazing construction. Then we drove to Al Ain near the border with Oman. I gave two talks to the Catholics there and had a nice meal with the priests and the Family of Faith Foundation team. We were very well received. We then drove back late at night to Dubai and arrived at the apartment of Adolph and Prabha Dias, our marvelous hosts.

Yesterday in one day we saw the world’s tallest building (here too) and just by a fluke accident, the world’s tallest man too. We went into a gas station for the restroom and to get espressos and he walked in.

His name is Sultan Kosen. He is in the Guinness Book of World Records and is 8 feet 1 inch tall.

Quite amazing! (A picture of him with the world’s shortest man.)

On Monday we will visit the world’s tallest building and go up to the 124th floor and take pictures. Stay tuned :-)

Video No. 2 from Dubai. Here you can see it from the ground as I run 5 miles, then I take you to the conferences and you can see bits of my talks — and JANET’S talk!

You will also see these wonderful Catholic people. In the Arab Emirates there are on 17% local people, the Arabs who are from these kingdoms, the remaining 83% are foreign workers, many of who come from India and the Philippines — large numbers of Catholics.

The Vicariate of Arabia is the largest diocese in the world and the bishop is in charge of 3.9 million Catholics in the UAE, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain.

I am speaking at all the churches in the United Arab Emirates and each parish is drawing thousands of Catholics all hungry to learn the faith better and learn how to defend it because there are many sects here who are luring Catholics away.

I will soon put up the video from Abu Dhabi where I gave two talks to 2,000 people and ran around the area. Then tonight I speak in Al Ain and then to Fujaira before speaking again in Dubai. Stay tuned! (A sample of the many comments, below.)

Dear Steve & Janet

Its me again and I was up your blog today and found this very beautifully said short msg..

Attended St. Mary’s talks on Wed and THU and really want to say, this Apologetics seminar was  an important milestone in our faith life…. never before we heard someone telling us how powerful a church we were… told Fr. Varghese that we need to have it once a year or more often.

Hearts are overflowing with gratitude….. started reading your book. Must get it autographed on Wed..

Started getting Noah our 11 year old son into memorizing Scripture at a generous 1 Dh per verse… (started with John 3:16).  That was a wonderful msg / tip for all parents. Thanks so much!!!

God bless

Wilfred and May Franco

Obama appointee to Justice department sought to silence bishops on abortion
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5368
The US Senate judiciary committee has postponed a vote on the nomination of Dawn Johnsen to head the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice department. Johnsen’s nomination by President Obama has encountered opposition from Catholic leaders who point to her involvement in a bid to strip the tax-exempt status of the Catholic Church if bishops continued to voice their opposition to legal abortion.