Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches in Topeka hold "Fellowship in Faith" event

Yet another one, as reported by Phil Anderson of the Topeka Journal-Capital, April 27, 2018:

A Catholic church and a Lutheran church that are separated by a parking lot in west Topeka will hold a special event that will bring the congregations together this weekend.

Members of Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church and Faith Lutheran Church will gather for an event called “Fellowship in Faith” from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, April 29. The event will take place in the parking lot of Faith Lutheran Church, just east of S.W. 17th and Gage.

Barb Chamberlain, a member of Most Pure Heart of Mary and a coordinator of the event, said the idea for the event was hatched this past fall when pastors of the two churches were visiting.

The Rev. Greg Hammes, pastor of Most Pure Heart of Mary Church, and the Rev. Jim Bender, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, “felt we should celebrate being neighbors and friends in Christ,” Chamberlain said.

The fellowship event on Sunday was one of the outcomes of the pastors’ conversation, Chamberlain noted, and is designed to signify the two churches “are neighbors as well as members of the one body of Christ.”

The event will feature a free hamburger and hot dog cookout with sides and desserts; entertainment by the Doug Cafer Band; a children’s activity area hosted by Faith Lutheran’s youth group; and a beer and wine garden “for those who would like to toast to friendships old and new.”

Committee members from both churches have worked on this project since last fall, and are hopeful the event will become an annual celebration.

U.S. cross-country exhibition of Padre Pio's relics shows that Roman Catholicism is still a religion of idolatry and superstition

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; I Timothy 2:5

As reported by Katherine Burgess of the Wichita Eagle, April 9, 2018:

A fingerless glove. Cotton gauze stained with blood. A lock of hair.

An estimated 500,000 Catholics will flock to see these items as they travel across the country.

Last year, the relics of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, known as Padre Pio, toured 18 dioceses throughout the United States.

This year, the six relics will visit 40 dioceses, including one in Canada and one in Mexico. One stop will be at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the Diocese of Wichita this Friday.

Relics are physical objects associated with a saint. They can include part of the saint’s body (a first-class relic), a piece of the saint’s clothing or something used by the saint (second-class) or an object touched by a first-class relic (third-class). The relics visiting Wichita include first- and second-class relics.

“We do hope indeed that when the people come to venerate the relics, they might take Padre Pio’s life as an example, the way he endured suffering and cared for the sick and the poor,” said Luciano Lamonarca, president of the Saint Pio Foundation. “My hope is that through this tour, people will find an inspiration in living their lives with humbleness and really with the faith. If Padre Pio himself was able to bear all this suffering for 50 years, surely we can do so as well.”

Born in Italy in 1887, Padre Pio was baptized Francesco Forgione, but took the name Pio when he entered the Capuchin order at 15. He was ordained a priest at 23.

Pio is widely known as the first stigmatized priest in the history of the Catholic Church. Catholics believe the stigmata — wounds that correspond with those Christ received at the crucifixion — appeared on Pio’s hands, feet and side in 1918.

Because Pio identified with Christ’s suffering in such a physical way, people see in him someone who understands their own suffering, said the Rev. Adam Keiter, rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

“Our Lord himself said if you wish to be my disciple you must deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me,” Keiter said. “Padre Pio demonstrated that in a tremendous way, the value of redemptive suffering.”

Pio is known for spending long hours praying and taking confessions as well as starting a Home for the Relief of Suffering, which still exists.

Pio did many good things in his lifetime, but also said he would do even more good after his death, Keiter said.

“People really do feel that Padre Pio intercedes for them, that if they have a prayer, a request, Padre Pio goes to our Lord and presents that request on behalf of the people who’ve been asking,” Keiter said.

Lamonarca said Catholics will often travel from out of state to see the relics. Last year, the first time the relics toured the United States, at least 60 percent of those who came to venerate them said they were unable to go to Italy, where Pio’s body is on view.

The Diocese of Wichita has received inquiries from Nebraska and Oklahoma as well as across Kansas, Keiter said. They expect thousands to show up Friday.

Veneration of a saint’s relic is similar to carrying a photo of a loved one who has died, Lamonarca said.

“We want to have a reminder to us that the person is watching us, that we’d like to have the picture to remind us of the love we had and respect of the person when they were alive,” he said.

The relics will be available for public veneration at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 430 N. Broadway, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, April 13.

Mr. Lamonarca's comment that veneration of a saint's relics is similar to carrying a photo of a loved one who has died is nonsense. I don't know anyone who believes that photos of dead loved ones possess spiritual power, or that one can ask the dead loved one to intercede to God on our behalf. Padre Pio's followers believe that he intercedes with God for them, which is contrary to the clear Biblical statement that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and men. In fact, the whole cult around Padre Pio is blasphemous; it's part of a variety of Catholicism that believes that the Lord Jesus Christ didn't accomplish everything necessary for our salvation on the cross--contrary to His statement, "It is finished" (John 19:30)--but that additional physical suffering is required on the part of those such as Padre Pio.

July 29, 2018 update: In a related item, a relic of St. Francis Xavier has been on a tour of Canada, as reported by BBC News, February 1, 2018

(Photograph)

Thousands across Canada have attended public veneration for the right forearm of St Francis Xavier. The relic has made a rare trip outside of Rome to visit more than a dozen cities.

50 years ago: Presbyterian Church in Canada ordains its first female minister

Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law.
And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. I Corinthians 14:34-35

Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression...
...This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife,... I Timothy 2:12, 3:1-2a

On May 29, 1968, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, one of the oldest mainline denominations in the country, ordained its first female minister, Shirley Jeffery, in Appin, Ontario, two years after the church's general assembly had approved the ordination of women. The PCC is an excellent example of this blogger's contention that the decision to ordain women isn't evidence that a denomination is starting to move in a more apostate direction, but is an indication of the extent to which the apostasy is already present within the denomination. The Presbyterian Church in Canada was a charter member of both the Canadian Council of Churches (1944) and World Council of Churches (1948), which were founded as apostate organizations.

While the decision to ordain women isn't an indication that a denomination is beginning to slide into apostasy (an earlier indication is the relaxation of standards on divorce and remarriage, especially for those in positions of leadership), it is an indication that the denomination will slide further into apostasy and further away from the Bible as an objective standard of faith and practice. In the years since the Presbyterian Church in Canada decided to ordain women, the PCC has had a female moderator. As late as 1998, the PCC prohibited sodomite and lesbian ministers and refused to license them; that ban was lifted at the church's 2012 assembly. The issue of supporting same sex unions and clergy with same-sex partners was referred to a committee in 2017, but the PCC will inevitably cave in to the demands of the alphabet perverts.

So-called Evangelical churches such as the Christian & Missionary Alliances are now ordaining women, and allowing them to preach and to become senior pastors under certain circumstances (one of these days I'll do a long-overdue post on this). When you're heading in the same direction as the liberals, you're going to end up in the same place, and it won't end well.

90 years ago: An apocalyptic prediction derived from the Great Pyramid proves false

Apocalyptic predictions for particular dates are not just a recent phenomenon. Belief in the supernatural properties of Egypt's Great Pyramid were popular from the late 19th century through the 1920s. The idea was popular with believers in British Israelism (the teaching that today's British and American people are descendants of the lost tribes of Israel), and was part of Jehovah's Witnesses teaching from 1881-1928.

Two "experts" who wrote much in the 1920s on the subject of the Great Pyramid were David Davidson and "Discipulus," whose real name was Basil Stewart (a search for both authors at Advanced Book Exchange turns up works by both authors, especially Mr. Stewart). One of the apocalyptic predictions of this period, supposedly deriving from the Great Pyramid, was that Weymouth, England would be destroyed by a tidal wave at 3:53 P.M. on May 29, 1928. 20,000 people gathered at the sands in Weymouth at the appointed time to see whether the prediction would come true; it didn’t. 20 minutes before the time set for the tidal wave, a stunting machine fell into the sea, and the pilot, A. G. Cooper, drowned in the cockpit before he could be reached.

I don't feel like spending any time on my own critique of "Christian" pyramidology when I can recommend the anonymous article The Pyramid Prophecies, originally published in Bible League Quarterly. I found it reprinted in, of all places, the Seventh Day Adventist publication The Present Truth, May 24, 1928 (pp. 8-11, 13), and the reader can download it free by clicking on the link. I don't agree with Seventh Day Adventist doctrine, but they were correct in their criticism of "Christian" pyramidology.

Belief in the supernatural prophecies of the Great Pyramid remains popular with some New Agers. Southwest Radio Church has long taught that the Great Pyramid is "God's Bible in stone," which has led them over the years to make some foolish and erroneous predictions, which is the natural result of going beyond "that which is written" (I Corinthians 4:6) and adding extrabilblical sources to the Bible in order to obtain information about the future. It should be kept in mind that the oracles of God were committed to the Jews (Romans 3:2), not to pagan Egyptians, and there's no evidence that the Great Pyramid or any other pyramids were built by anyone other than pagans as part of the worship of pagan gods. For further reading, I recommend Soothsayers of the Second Advent (1989) (pp. 173-187) by William M. Alnor and Witnesses of Jehovah (1988) by Leonard & Marjorie Chretien (pp. 29-31).

60 years ago: Two liberal denominations combine to form the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come...
...Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. II Timothy 3:1,5

On May 28, 1958, the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) and United Presbyterian Church of North America (UPCNA) concluded meetings in Pittsburgh by combining to form the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (UPCUSA). The merger came 30 years to the day after the Presbyterian General Assembly at Tulsa, Oklahoma had refused to consider union with the Christian, Universalist, and Congregational churches, but had authorized a committee to meet the Methodists and consider a union with them.

The 1958 merger was a joining of two denominations that were becoming increasingly liberal, and the liberalism continued in succeeding years, culminating in the Confession of 1967, which led Presbyterian fundamentalist Dr. Carl McIntire, President of both the American Council of Christian Churches and the International Council of Christian Churches, to denounce the UPCUSA as "officially, judicially apostate."

This blogger hasn't the time to go into depth on the apostasy of the aforementioned denominations. A quick glance at the Wikipedia entries should give the reader a clue. For those who do want more in-depth information, Dr. McIntire's books The Death of a Church and Outside the Gate, both published in 1967, are worth seeking and reading. The Death of a Church is particularly about the Confession of 1967, while Outside the Gate goes into detail about developments in ecumenism that were current in the 1960s, but are still relevant today. Outside the Gate contains a chapter reproducing the United Church Observer's 1966 interview with Billy Graham, and Rev. Graham's answers to the questions posed, with Dr. McIntire's comments after each, are worth the price of the book, and may come as something of a shock and/or disappointment to Rev. Graham's admirers.

Alex Malarkey, "The Boy Who Didn't Come Came Back from Heaven," is suing Tyndale House

Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren. I Corinthians 6:1-8

I hope this situation gets resolved before it gets to court. Neither side looks very good so far, and it's unlikely that it will end well. I wonder how long it will be before Heaven is for Real, the alleged visit to Heaven of Colton Burpo, is similarly revealed to be untrue, despite it being believed by some people who should know better. As reported by Kyle Swenson of The Washington Post, April 13, 2018 (links in original):

On Nov. 14, 2004, as 6-year-old Alex Malarkey drove home with his father Kevin in rural Ohio, a left turn nearly took his life. As Kevin turned the car it collided with another vehicle, and the boy’s skull became completely detached from his spinal cord.

But Alex did not die — and that’s the central fact behind a long-running controversy that has now led to a lawsuit.

Two months after the crash, Alex emerged from a coma as a quadriplegic. The injured boy also began telling family and friends about traveling to heaven and meeting Jesus and Satan.

In July 2010, Kevin and Alex Malarkey penned an account of the boy’s religious experience, “The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven.” The book was published by Tyndale House, a publisher of Christian books. It went on to reportedly move more than 1 million copies and spent months on the New York Times bestseller’s list. The book was part of a bumper crop of similarly geared narratives — tales of near-death experiences and brushes with the Almighty published by religious imprints.

Then it all fell apart. In January 2015, Alex, now paralyzed from the neck down, admitted he had fabricated the story.

“I did not die,” he wrote in a blog post. “I did not go to Heaven. I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention.”

The admission created a firestorm within the worlds of evangelical faith and Christian publishing. The controversy was revived this week when Alex — now 20 years old and living off Social Security — filed a lawsuit against Tyndale House in Illinois’s DuPage County, where the publisher is located. The complaint alleges Kevin Malarkey was the main actor behind the fabrication.

“Kevin Malarkey … concocted a story that, during the time Alex was in a coma, he had gone to Heaven, communicated with God the Father, Jesus, angels, and the devil, and then returned,” the complaint says. “Kevin Malarkey sold the concocted story, allegedly about Alex’s life and what Alex allegedly experienced, to one of the largest Christian publishers in the country.”

Alex has also not received any of the revenue related to his story, the lawsuit alleges.

When reached for comment, a Tyndale House representative told The Washington Post the publisher had just learned of the lawsuit on Tuesday and planned to release a response on Wednesday.

After the publication of “The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven,” behind the scenes of the tremendous success, Alex’s distaste for the project was building. According to a 2015 report by the Guardian, Alex’s mother Beth had begun posting on a personal blog (now taken down) about inaccuracies in the book since at least 2011. The paper also cited emails showing the family had also told the publisher.

“Alex’s name and identity are being used against his wishes. … How can this be going on???” Beth wrote in April 2014 blog, The Washington Post reported at the time. “Great question. … How did it get this far? … another great question.”

Following Alex’s blog post recanting his story, Tyndale House decided to “take the book and related ancillary products out of print,” a company spokesman told the Post.

“For the past couple of years we have known that Beth Malarkey, Kevin’s wife and Alex’s mother, was unhappy with the book and believed it contained inaccuracies,” another Tyndale representative told The Post. “On more than one occasion we asked for a meeting with Kevin, Beth, Alex and their agent to discuss and correct any inaccuracies, but Beth would not agree to such a meeting.”

According to his new lawsuit against the company, the legal action is a way of finally settling the matter.

“Now that he is an adult, Alex desires to have his name completely disassociated from the book and seeks a permanent injunction against Tyndale House requiring it to do everything within reason to disassociate his name from the book,” the complaint states. “Alex is not affiliated with the book. Alex is not connected to the book. Alex wants and has no association with the book.”

The lawsuit reaffirms that Alex’s holy sojourn was fantasy. “The portrayal of Alex’s near-death experience contained in the book is entirely false, because Alex remembers absolutely nothing from the time he was in a coma. The core of the story is entirely false.”

But the complaint also alleges Tyndale House has not cooperated with Alex as he tries to solve the complicated legacy behind the book. Only Kevin Malarkey signed a publishing agreement for the book. This January, Alex’s attorneys wrote to Tyndale House asking for an “accounting of all revenue earned from, all expenses associated with, and all disbursements made in association with the publication of and sale of the book.”

The publisher, however, only agreed to do so if Alex agreed the publishing agreement was “in effect and binding,” the lawsuit says.

“Alex has never been permitted to read the contract, nor to review any accountings provided under the contract, he refuses to acknowledge that the contract ‘is in effect and binding,’ now that he has reached the age of majority,” the suit states.

Alex is suing the publisher on the grounds of defamation, financial exploitation, and publicity placing a person in a false light, among others.

“Despite the fact that Tyndale House has made millions of dollars off Alex’s identity and an alleged autobiographical story of his life, Tyndale House paid Alex, a paralyzed young man, nothing,” the lawsuit states.

Israeli Knesset Finance Committee approves a bill calling for microchipping of camels

Even camels aren't safe from intrusive technology; as usual, the measure is justified on the basis of safety. As reported by Jewish News Syndicate, May 22, 2018:

The legislation dictates that camel owners bear criminal responsibility for accidents and damages caused by their animals. Camels will also be required to have a subcutaneous digital microchip with owners’ details.

The Knesset Finance Committee approved the Camel Law on Tuesday, initiated by Regavim and Knesset member Bezalel Smotrich, for its second and third readings in the Knesset plenum. Regulations requiring identification and registration of camels by subcutaneous microchip were approved, as well as criminal responsibility for camel owners.

The law, which is scheduled for its final Knesset plenum hearing (“second and third reading”) next week, was drafted jointly by Regavim, Smotrich (a resident of the Negev community Retamim) and other Knesset members.

Under the new legislation, camel owners will bear criminal responsibility for accidents and damages caused by their animals. Camels will be required to have a subcutaneous digital microchip recording the owner’s details—similar to the microchips with which dogs and other pets are currently registered. Additionally, the new Camel Law will require owners to officially register the sale or transfer of ownership of all camels in a Ministry of Agriculture database.

Meir Deutsch, director of policy and parliamentary affairs at Regavim, explains that the law began to take shape almost three years ago, after the death of David Cohen of Retamim in a collision with a camel near the entrance to his home town.

“Since the legislative process began, three more people lost their lives in tragic, but avoidable, camel accidents,” said Deutsch. “After the most recent accident, in which 13-year old Liel Almakias was killed, Knesset Finance Committee Chairman MK Eitan Cabel took up the cause and expedited the legislation’s progress. We hope these new regulations will reduce the problem of wandering camels and help save lives.”

Said Smotrich: “We approved an important piece of legislation today, after intensive efforts. Residents of the Negev deserve to be protected by the state, and those who should be held responsible will be forced to take responsibility. With God’s help, the danger to life and limb and the fatal collisions caused by wandering camels will soon be a thing of the past. Today, we took an important step towards this goal—better late than never.”

Irish referendum results in removal of right to life of unborn from the constitution

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: Deuteronomy 30:19

Ireland seems determined to follow the rest of the West in its societal suicide, as reported by Catholic News Service, May 26, 2018 (links in original):

DUBLIN – Voters in Ireland have opted to remove the right to life of the unborn from the country's constitution, paving the way for abortion on demand up to 12 weeks.

With votes counted from 30 of Ireland's 40 constituencies, results from the nationwide referendum showed that 67.3 per cent of citizens opted to remove the Eighth Amendment from the constitution, while 32.7 per cent voted to retain it. Turnout was 64.5 per cent.

Voters inserted the original amendment in the constitution in 1983 by a margin of 2-1, and it "acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right."

That text will now be deleted and replaced with an article stating that "provision may be made by law for the regulation of termination of pregnancy."

Minister for Health Simon Harris has said he would introduce legislation that would allow abortion on demand up to 12 weeks, up to 24 weeks on unspecified grounds for the health of the mother, and up to birth where the child is diagnosed with a life-limiting condition that means he or she may not live long after birth.

An exit poll conducted by the Ireland's national broadcaster RTE asked voters what motivated them to opt for either "yes" or "no." Among "yes" voters, the most important issues were the right to choose (84 per cent), the health or life of the woman (69 per cent), and pregnancy as a result of rape (52 per cent).

Among "no" voters, they cited the right to life of the unborn (76 per cent), the right to live of those with Down syndrome or other disabilities (36 per cent), and religious views (28 per cent).

John McGuirk, spokesman for Save the Eighth, which campaigned for a "no" vote, described the outcome as "a tragedy of historic proportions."

"The Eighth Amendment did not create a right to life for the unborn child – it merely acknowledged that such a right exists, has always existed and will always exist," he said, insisting that "a wrong does not become right simply because a majority support it."

"We are so proud of all of those who stood with us in this campaign – our supporters, our donors, our families and our loved ones," he said. "This campaign took a huge personal toll on all of us who were involved, and we have been so grateful for their support."

Insisting that pro-life campaigners will continue their efforts, McGuirk told Catholic News Service: "Shortly, legislation will be introduced that will allow babies to be killed in our country. We will oppose that legislation. If and when abortion clinics are opened in Ireland, because of the inability of the government to keep their promise about a (general-practitioner-led health) service, we will oppose that as well.

"Abortion was wrong yesterday. It remains wrong today. The constitution has changed, but the facts have not," he said.

Ruth Cullen of the LoveBoth campaign insisted that the organization will try to ensure that the Irish prime minister, or Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, is true to his pledge that the government will work to ensure that abortions are rare.

No matter what happens in the coming days, weeks and months, our work will continue to protect unborn babies and their mothers #LoveBoth #WeWillOvercome
— LoveBoth (Official) (@loveboth8) May 26, 2018

"We will hold the Taoiseach to his promise that repeal would only lead to abortion in very restrictive circumstances. He gave his word on this, now he must deliver on it. No doubt many people voted for repeal based on the Taoiseach's promises in this regard," she said.

Commenting on the campaign, Cullen said: "We are immensely proud and grateful to all our volunteers throughout the country who worked tirelessly over recent months to ensure unborn babies would not be deprived of legal protections.

"The campaign to protect unborn babies will endure," she said.

Eamonn Conway, a theologian at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, told Catholic News Service he was "greatly saddened" by the result. However, he pointed out that "the truth is that the Irish Constitution merely recognized the right to life that is antecedent to all law. This most fundamental of all human rights is not extinguished or diminished because our constitution no longer acknowledges it. What is diminished is our constitution," he said.

Conway said he believes "the task facing the Catholic Church now is to ensure that it makes every effort to accompany with the healing compassion of Christ everyone caught up in the tragic circumstances that surround an abortion ... from grieving parents to medical practitioners."

Archbishop Eamon Martin, primate of All-Ireland, was expected to address the referendum outcome during a homily at the country's national Marian shrine at Knock, County Mayo, May 27.

The final results, as reported by the Irish Times, May 27, 2018, showed the "Yes" (pro-abortion) side winning 66.4% to 33.6%.

Australian Roman Catholic archbishop convicted of covering up child sexual abuse allegations

As reported by Catholic News Service, May 23, 2018:

ADELAIDE, Australia – Archbishop Philip Wilson of Adelaide, who faces a maximum penalty of two years in jail for failing to inform police about child sexual abuse allegations, said he will stand aside from his duties as archbishop while he considers how to proceed legally.

In a statement May 23, the archbishop said he was arranging for management of archdiocesan affairs and would step aside as of May 25.

"If at any point in time it becomes necessary or appropriate for me to take more formal steps, including by resigning as archbishop, then I will do so," Archbishop Wilson said.

"In the meantime, while the remainder of the legal process runs its course, I want to assure the Catholic faithful in the archdiocese of my continued prayers and best wishes and assure everyone that the affairs of the archdiocese will be appropriately managed in my absence."

The local court in Newcastle found that, in 1976, then-Father Wilson had been told by a 15-year-old boy that he had been indecently assaulted by a priest who later died in prison, but that Father Wilson chose not to go to the authorities despite believing the allegations were true.

In a statement May 22, Archbishop Wilson, 67, said, "I will now have to consider the reasons (for the conviction) and consult closely with my lawyers to determine the next steps."

The sentencing is expected in June.

"Archbishop Wilson maintained his innocence throughout this long judicial process," Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane, president of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference, said in a statement.

Archbishop Wilson is the highest-ranking church official to be convicted of covering up abuse charges. He recently was diagnosed with early stages of Alzheimer's disease, and throughout the magistrate's hearing he testified that he had no memory of the conversation.

However, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Magistrate Robert Stone said the weight of multiple prosecution witnesses, "solid, church-going people," helped convince him.

In February 2017, in testimony before a government commission wrapping up more than three years of investigation into the Australian Catholic Church's response to child sexual abuse, Archbishop Wilson said: "Part of the difficulty that we've had in responding to this crisis about sexual abuse was simply based on the fact that people just didn't know and understand what they were dealing with. ... I don't think they really understood the nature of sexual abuse of children and the effect that it had on the children."

The Royal Commission of Inquiry Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, announced in 2012 and launched in 2013, investigated allegations of sexual and physical abuse across dozens of institutions, including schools, sports clubs and several religious organizations.

In his May 22 statement, Archbishop Coleridge said: "The Catholic Church, like other institutions, has learned a great deal about the tragedy of child sexual abuse and has implemented stronger programs, policies and procedures to protect children and vulnerable adults."

"The safety of children and vulnerable adults is paramount for the church and its ministries," he said.

On May 1, after a monthlong pretrial hearing, an Australian judge ordered Cardinal George Pell, on leave as head of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy, to stand trial on multiple charges of sexual abuse of minors, charges the cardinal consistently has denied.

Now that the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide has been convicted of failing to inform police of allegations of child sexual abuse, dare we hope that a more notorious Australian clergyman, namely Brian Houston, will face similar charges? Search the blog Hillsong Church Watch for information on Brian Houston's refusal to report the crimes of his father Frank.

Canadian Jesuit archbishop opposes German Catholic practice of intercommunion with some Protestants

It seems as though ecumenism only goes so far. As reported by Deborah Gyapong of Canadian Catholic News, May 23, 2018 (links in original):

Even a consensus among German Catholic bishops allowing intercommunion with Protestants cannot change Catholic teaching, says a Canadian archbishop.

“Even more important is the challenge to remain faithful to Catholic doctrine and not to propose practices that undermine the faith, and the need to foster loyalty and communion with the universal Church,” said Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, SJ, of Ottawa in an interview. “It is puzzling to learn that the Holy Father told the bishops that whatever they determine is acceptable as long as they all agree.”

A majority of German bishops would like to offer communion to Protestant spouses of Catholics under some circumstances. A minority disagrees. After a meeting May 3 at the Vatican of representatives of both sides of the debate, the prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith told them Pope Francis wanted the German bishops to find consensus on the matter.

Dutch Cardinal Willem Eijk, Archbishop of Utrecht, in an open letter May 5, urged the Pope to provide clarity, explaining both the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Canon Law do not permit intercommunion with Protestants.

“Pope Francis is right when he says that not every theological debate needs to be settled by authoritative interventions of the papal magisterium,” Prendergast said. “And Cardinal Eijk is right when he says that the question of intercommunion is a doctrinal matter that cannot be settled by an isolated decision of a national conference of bishops.”

“This is, in fact, a classical situation of discerning between things that are changeable — or possible — and others that are not,” the Jesuit archbishop said. “It seems clear by now that many bishops and Catholics in the world consider ill-advised and doctrinally impossible what a number of bishops in Germany have proposed.”

The intercommunion debate reaches the limit on pastoral diversity, he said.

“Receiving the Eucharist is intrinsically linked to the faith, my personal faith and the faith of the community to which I belong,” Prendergast said. “What the majority of bishops in Germany proposes means that a person who does not belong to the Catholic Church routinely, perhaps every Sunday, receives the Eucharist in the Catholic Church.

“This kind of open communion is against Catholic teaching and from what I can see in non-Catholic congregations that follow a discipline of ‘open communion,’ it is also spiritually and pastorally unfruitful.”

The archbishop said he cannot ignore the German intercommunion debate because “the church is a close-knit network” and people of Ottawa are asking about it.

“Catholics in Canada generally know that receiving communion requires belonging to the Church, among other things,” he said. “This discipline is well-known and widely appreciated in our parishes.”

The intercommunion debate offers an opportunity for Catholics in Canada to reconsider their own Eucharistic practices, he said, noting often Catholics who come to church after years of not attending receive communion “as a matter of course.”

More needs to be taught concerning the benefits of attending Mass without receiving communion as well as what it means “to be properly disposed and in the state of grace,” the archbishop said. “I feel we need to invest more in receiving the sacraments worthily and fruitfully. This is true for the Eucharist, but also for Baptism and Confirmation.”

“Formalism and cultural routine alone will not cut it,” he said. “Receiving communion has to make a difference in our lives, and be meaningful. Otherwise we are deceiving ourselves, and as pastors we are deceiving others.

“In Holy Communion we receive the Lord, and so, to receiving worthily, we need to be fully open to Him and connected to His Church, visibly and invisibly, institutionally and internally. That and nothing less is Catholic teaching.”

On a personal note, the Archbishop had some words for Pope Francis as a fellow Jesuit.

“I would say thanks for reminding us that accompanying people through their lives, especially in dark times, is essential for being a priest,” he said. “And thanks for resisting much media hysteria. We Jesuits always have to remember that most Catholics are not Jesuits — a fact we tend to overlook sometimes. Our spirituality is not for everyone — perhaps hard to say, but so true.

“For me, becoming a bishop was a real change, for then I had to recognize the whole spectrum of theologies, spiritualties, ministries and charisms present in the diocese entrusted to me,” he said. “Through this I came to realize what a great gift doctrine is for the Church, enabling it to be one, holy, and catholic.”

Pope Francis affirms baptismal regeneration

One receives eternal life by trusting in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross in paying the penalty of sin by shedding His blood. The ordinance of baptism is the believer's public identification with the Lord Jesus Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. There's not a single example in Scripture of people being baptized who weren't capable of placing conscious faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He had done for them on the cross.

To say that baptism gives one new life in Christ is heresy. To teach that someone who has been baptized has been given new life by that act and is therefore a Christian even if there's no evidence that such a person has saving faith will result in churches filled with unregenerate members who have a false sense of security in regard to their eternity--a very serious matter indeed. Anyone who doubts that this is the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church should read the following, as reported by Catholic News Service, May 9, 2018:

VATICAN – The baptismal font is a tomb in which a person dies to sin, and it is a womb through which a person is born to new life in Christ, Pope Francis said.

"Just as our parents generated us to earthly life, the church has regenerated us to eternal life through baptism," the Pope said May 9 at his weekly general audience.

Continuing a series of audience talks about baptism, Pope Francis said that from the time a person is baptized, God's voice repeats what God said at Jesus' baptism, "You are my beloved son. You are my beloved daughter."

"God loves us so much," the Pope told the crowd in St. Peter's Square.

"Reborn as children of God, that is what we'll be forever," he said. "Baptism, in fact, is never repeated because it imposes an indelible spiritual seal. No sin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation. This baptismal mark will never disappear."

Pope Francis said he could imagine someone objecting, "But, Father, if someone becomes a criminal -- one of those infamous ones who kills people, who commits injustices -- won't the mark be gone?"

"No," the Pope responded. Although a person has sinned and turned from God, "God never disowns his children. Do you understand? God never disowns his children."

Baptism is a sacrament that purifies, sanctifies and justifies people, giving them the grace to conform themselves to Christ, he said. "Here lies the Christian vocation: to live united to Christ in his holy church," sharing its mission.

Consecrated to Christ in baptism, the Pope said, Christians are called "to make themselves an offering pleasing to God, giving witness to him through a life of faith and charity, putting oneself at the service of others following the example of the Lord Jesus."

5th century amulet from Turkey has been deciphered: It's in Aramaic, and cites Balaam as a hex against chariot racers

And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. Numbers 22:23-27

Antioch tablet

As reported by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz of Breaking Israel News, May 22, 2018:

A scroll from the fifth century made of thin lead and discovered in the 1930’s in Turkey has finally been deciphered, and its message is shocking: An amulet written in Aramaic, it refers to the Biblical story of Balaam, and researchers believe it was used by a Jew to curse opposition chariot racers.

The scroll made of thin lead was discovered buried in the Hippodrome in the city of Antioch some 70 years ago by researchers from Princeton University. It remained rolled up, its message hidden away, until two years ago when a project from Cologne university unrolled it thinking it was a Greek-language amulet, a fairly common practice of the time.

Upon closer inspection, the researchers discovered that the 3.5-inch x .8-inch sheet of metal was inscribed with Hebrew letters. They turned the project over to Tel Aviv University doctoral student Rivka Elitzur-Leiman who is studying Jewish magical amulets from the 4th-7th centuries for her dissertation. Using Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), a technology which takes images in different lighting and from different angles, Elitzur-Leiman was able to decipher the inscriptions.

She identified the inscription as an Aramaic dialect written with Hebrew letters and used by Jews. The content, dealing with the Biblical story of Balaam and containing the Hebrew name of God (YHWH), seemed to confirm her theory.

“The curse calls upon the angel who stands before Balaam’s donkey to block the horses of the opposing team,” Elitzur-Leiman told Breaking Israel News. The hex also calls on God to cause the “Blue Team” horses to “drown in the mud.”

Many such scrolls from that period exist, and cursing chariot races and scrolls used for hexing horse races were fairly common since it was a popular sport in the Byzantine era. But to-date, such scrolls have only been found inscribed in Latin or Greek. This is the only example found of such a hex scroll that can be attributed to Jews.

Parts of the inscription were indecipherable as a nail had been driven through the metal to intensify the effects of the curse. Elitzur-Leiman explained that lead was used for hexing. The metal scroll was then buried in the soil where the race was being held, and the horses passing over it would activate it. Gold, silver or brass were used for amulets that generated blessings.

“The amulets were generally placed in cloth containers and worn on the body,” Elitzur-Leiman explained.

“Love amulets were also made from lead as they were considered a hex since they were particularly aggressive,” she said. “For example, the hex might try to prevent a woman from eating or drinking until she fell in love with a certain man.”

Many people think these types of amulets and hexes would not be used by religious Jews, but these types of amulets and hexes were actually very common, even among the Jews.

“Even though many rabbis object, they are still used by some Jews to this day,” Elitzur-Leiman said, citing examples of amulets from the Talmud. The phenomenon is so common to Judaism that is the subject of Elitzur-Leiman’s doctoral thesis. “They were used for many purposes including protection from the ‘evil-eye’, chasing away spirits and even success in court cases. They frequently contained verses from the Bible or Psalms.”

“Chariot races were very much like modern sporting events with fans getting very emotionally involved,” Elitzur-Leiman said. “Just as modern sports fans go to great lengths using good luck charms and other superstitions to help their team, chariot fans did the same in ancient times.”

“It seems clear that the Torah sages frowned upon such hexes and charms, and horse racing in particular, was censured,” Elitzur-Leiman said. “But here we have proof that even Jewish fans used curses against their competition.”

Rare 4th century B.C. Jewish coins found in Temple Mount excavation

Workers at the archeological site, the Mount Antiquities Salvage Operation in Emek Tzurim, on the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem’s Old City, Oct. 6, 2016. Photo by Miriam Alster/Flash90.

As reported by Jewish News Syndicate, May 22, 2018:

Five exceptionally rare ancient coins from among the very first ever minted by Jews were discovered on the Temple Mount, evidence of Jewish activity at the disputed site.

The small coins – three in pristine condition and two showing signs of wear – were discovered as part of the Temple Mount Sifting Project, an archaeological initiative started in order to sift thousands of tons of dirt illegally excavated and dumped in the Kidron Valley by the Islamic Waqf in 1999. The Waqf excavations compromised the archaeological integrity of the Temple Mount and sparked outrage in Israel, leading many to suggest that the Waqf was intentionally attempting to eradicate evidence of two Jewish Temples which stood on the Mount for over 800 years.

The sifting project, which has operated since 2004 in the Emek Tzurim National Park, aims to salvage religious and historical artifacts from the rubble, as well as to educate the public about the veracity of Jewish history on the Mount.

The newly-discovered coins bear the letters “YHD,” or Yehud, the Aramaic name for the biblical kingdom of Judea, and are dated to the end of the 4th century BCE.

According to one of the co-directors of the project, Zachi Dvira, only five other coins of this kind have been found in the 150 years of archaeological digging in ancient Jerusalem sites.

Dvira noted that Jewish pilgrims would bring offerings of first fruits of the season to the Temple around the time of the Shavuot holiday, and would often convert their value to silver in the days of the Second Temple.

He also noted that the Temple was a center of commerce and public administration, making it a prime site for finding coins.

“These were the first coins ever minted by Jews,” Dvira said in an interview with Israel’s Ynet news. “They express the people’s return to their land after the Babylonian exile, and their ability to hold and maintain diplomatic ties with the ruling empire—then Persia—similar to our relations with the United States today.”

He noted that the New Israeli Shekel also bears the letters YHD, exactly as they appear on the newly unearthed coins.

Though state funding for the project halted in 2017, the Temple Mount Sifting Project is now aiming to bring mobile sifting units of Temple Mount dirt to Israeli schools and communities, enabling children to learn about Jewish history in Jerusalem and to participate in the sifting themselves.

More than half a million artifacts have been pulled from the rubble so far by over 200,000 participants, including 6,000 ancient coins.

In May 2017, UNESCO adopted a resolution denying Jewish connection to Jerusalem. In October 2016, the international body said the Jewish people have no ties to the Temple Mount.

A useful resource for information on Christians in Iran

Rather than post items--because there are so many--from this particular site, I'll just post the link to the Iranian Christian site Mohabat News, which readers can search for themselves. To see the site in Farsi, go here.

70 years ago: The death of Buzz Beurling

On May 20, 1948, George Frederick "Buzz" Beurling was killed in a plane crash at the age of 26. A native of Verdun, Quebec, Flight Lieutenant George Frederick Beurling dropped out of high school in order to fly planes, but was rejected by the Royal Canadian Air Force at the outset of World War II. He joined the U.K. Royal Air Force in September 1940, and became the greatest Canadian ace of World War II, recording 31 (or 31 1/3) kills, 27 over Malta during a two-week period in 1942, earning him the Distinguished Flying Cross, Distinguished Service Order, Distinguished Flying Medal, and Bar.

Buzz Beurling grew up in a Christian home where God's word was believed. A love for the Jewish people and a belief that Jews were God's chosen people was taught. Accordingly, Flt. Lt. Beurling turned down an offer to join the Egyptian Air Force during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and joined the Israeli Air Force instead. At the conclusion of a test flight of a Noorduyn Norseman transport aircraft which was to be delivered to Israel, he and co-pilot Leonard Cohen were killed when the plane crashed while landing at Aeroporto dell'Urbe in Rome. Flt. Lt. Beurling's remains were eventually flown to Israel and buried in a military cemetery in Haifa.

The legacy of the Beurling family's love for the Jewish people continues today, as Buzz's niece Janice Beurling is a longtime leader in communications with Chosen People Ministries (Canada).

Mormon Church and NAACP reach historic agreement

Why any Negroes would want to either join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or join with them in activities for the alleged betterment of society is beyond the ability of this blogger to understand. The reader should keep in mind that Mormonism claims to be restoring the "true" gospel of Jesus Christ that was supposedly lost hundreds of years ago. The teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young are claimed to be direct revelations from God. However, Mormon leaders since then have shown themselves willing to abandon these "restored" truths in the face of strong criticism from outsiders. When Utah was being denied statehood in the 19th century because polygamy was a central Mormon practice, the Latter-day Saints received a revelation that polygamy was now to be outlawed, thereby paving the way for Utah's admission to the Union. When the Latter-day Saints were being criticized for refusing to admit Negroes to their priesthood, they received a revelation in June 1978 reversing their practice of the previous hundred years and more. When the content of Mormon temple rituals was revealed in documentary films such as The God Makers (1982) and books such as The God Makers (1984, 1997) by Ed Decker & Dave Hunt and What's Going on in There? (1988) by Chuck Sackett, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints received a revelation in 1990 removing some parts of the rituals that some found offensive; the excised parts included those that said that Christian pastors were hirelings of Satan. If the teachings of Mormonism are restored truths, how can the church leaders be willing to abandon them just because they become inconvenient and politically incorrect?

Among those teachings are those concerning black people. The Mormon explanation for the origin of the black race is that the angels who remained neutral in the dispute between Jesus and Lucifer were cursed by being born into human bodies with black skin. The Mormon doctrine of blood atonement is that there are certain sins which must be paid for by having the sinner shed his own blood. One such sin is that of marrying a black person; according to Journal of Discourses, which is among Mormon scriptural writings, the penalty for this "under the law of God is death on the spot. This will always be so." (Volume 10, p. 110, cited in The God Makers, p. 232 (1984), p. 249 (1997)). I'm not aware that the 1978 decision admitting Negroes to the Mormon priesthood has changed that "sin" or its penalty.

For those unaware of what the acronym stands for, it's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, founded in 1909. As reported by Peggy Fletcher Stack of the Salt Lake Tribune, May 17, 2018 (updated May 19, 2018) (links in original):

In a dramatic gesture on the 64th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, Mormon church President Russell M. Nelson strolled decisively into a news conference Thursday at the LDS Administration Building in downtown Salt Lake City arm in arm with top NAACP officers.

Creating a powerful image, Nelson and NAACP President Derrick Johnson called on the world to “demonstrate greater civility, racial and ethnic harmony, and mutual respect” while eliminating “prejudice of all kinds.”

The mutual respect was palpable as the two sets of white and black leaders described plans for future joint efforts.
“In meetings this morning,” Nelson said, “we have begun to explore ways — such as education and humanitarian service — in which our respective members and others can serve and move forward together.”

Johnson said his historic civil rights organization looked forward to many collaborative activities.

“President Nelson, the statement you just made expresses the very core of our beliefs and mission at the NAACP,” he said. “We admire and share your optimism that all peoples can work together in harmony and should collaborate more on areas of common interest.”

Nelson, considered a “prophet, seer and revelator” by millions of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the globe, reiterated the church’s “fundamental doctrine — and our heartfelt conviction — that all people are God’s precious children and are therefore our brothers and sisters.”

“All human beings — male and female — are created in the image of God,” he added. “Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.”

Johnson said the ties being established between the Utah-based faith and the NAACP should serve as a model for how groups can unite to achieve common goals.

“Like the Latter-day Saints, we believe all people, organizations and government representatives should come together to work to secure peace and happiness for all God’s children,” Johnson said. “We are clear that it is our job to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. And we do so in an advocacy voice, but now with a partner who seeks to pursue harmony and civility within our community.”

Several invited black Mormons — including LDS icons Darius Gray, Don Harwell and Cathy Stokes — filled front rows as the statements were read and exulted at the unity between the groups. Jeanetta Williams, president of the Salt Lake branch of the NAACP, also was on hand.

“This is unprecedented,” said Thom Reed, a black Mormon and an LDS Church employee. “It speaks to the openness of the new [governing] First Presidency and their willingness to engage with people all over the world.”

Then he added: “It’s the start of something big.”

Tracy Browning, another black Mormon and church employee, views the LDS-NAACP alliance as “an amazing opportunity for us to come together and see our commonalities, to be peaceful and respectful.”

NAACP officials described the meeting as cordial.

“It was like being on a first date,” said Leon W. Russell, chairman of the board. “We find out who you are, and you find out who we are.”

The most “concrete” idea that came from the summit, Russell said, was “the need to continue the dialogue.”

Zandra Vranes, co-author of “Diary of Two Mad Black Mormons,” applauds the exchange but was hoping for more.

“I want us, as Latter-day Saints, to engage in what the church has called us to do, which is to have more civility and racial harmony in our communities,” said Vranes, one of the blogging “Sistas in Zion.” “But I also want us to do that within our own Mormon organization as well.”

It is hard to “call out the world,” she said, “when we have a [church] that doesn’t have racial harmony. The best way for us to be at the forefront of showing the world how to do it is to do it ourselves.”

The NAACP can tell LDS leaders what blacks face in general, such as police brutality, but they don’t know, Vranes said, “what we face in the ward.”

For many, Thursday’s watershed meeting and statements seem particularly potent, given the previous tension between the two organizations.

In the 1960s, the NAACP protested Mormonism’s racial ban, excluding men and boys from the faith’s all-male priesthood and women and girls from its temples.

Even after that prohibition ended in June 1978, prejudice and racist attitudes persist to this day among some Mormons, causing continued pain for Latter-day Saints of color — even as membership skyrockets in Africa.

Last year, in the wake of racial clashes in Virginia, the LDS Church issued increasingly strong statements — especially after an alt-right Mormon blogger voiced bigoted views — condemning “white supremacist attitudes” as “morally wrong and sinful.”

But the church’s racial history never came up in this week’s meeting, said the NAACP president.

“We both have an interest in disaster relief and alleviating poverty,” Johnson said. “We want to decrease bigotry and hatred. We want to look to the future.”

Wilbur Colom, an adviser to Johnson, said the group met Wednesday with Clark Gilbert, who shared with the NAACP members information about the church’s Pathway program, an online educational outreach service.

“They gave us everything they had and anything we wanted,” Colom said, who then quoted Gilbert as saying, “And we’ll work with you to take Mormonism out, and put Martin Luther King in.”

On Sunday morning, the remaining NAACP visitors will take their seats in the historic tabernacle on Temple Square for the weekly “Music and the Spoken Word” broadcast, which will include, they say, the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing the black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

As reported by Ms. Stack in the Salt Lake Tribune, May 16, 2018 (updated May 17, 2018) (links in original):

In 1965, the NAACP led an anti-discrimination march in downtown Salt Lake City to protest the LDS Church’s racial policies at the time. A half-century later, national leaders of that historic black civil rights organization are in the Beehive State for a friendly landmark meeting with top Mormon officials.

These two groups — the NAACP and the governing LDS First Presidency — are set to issue an unprecedented joint statement Thursday morning.

And the extraordinary exchange traces its roots to a nearly decadelong friendship between two lawyers — Steve Hill, a white Utah Mormon, and Wilbur Colom, a black Mississippi activist.

Colom, who is acting as an NAACP special counsel, had a fleeting knowledge of Mormonism when he met Hill at a professional conference.

Back in 1975, Colom worked with Mark Cannon, a Mormon administrative assistant to Warren Burger of the United States. When the African-American attorney heard that the LDS Church barred black men and boys from its all-male priesthood and black women and girls from the faith’s temples, he was appalled.

Colom recalls telling Cannon: “If Mormons think God is saying I am inferior, they can’t be talking to God.”

Cannon assured Colom that the priesthood/temple ban would end — and, three years later, it did.

On June 8, 1978, the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced its priesthood would now be open to “all worthy male members.”

Then, in 2009, Colom met Hill through a mutual friend, and the two formed a fast friendship, including traveling to Africa together and with current NAACP President Derrick Johnson.

Colom and Johnson began looking at groups “that were strangers to us, ones we had very little contact with,” Colom says. “Those tended to be mostly conservative — with a flawed history.”

Last summer, an NAACP chapter in Mississippi partnered with an LDS stake (a regional group of congregations) on a service project. It was so successful that Colom wondered about forming a stronger bond with Mormon officialdom, so he called his buddy Hill.

In December, Hill reached out to an LDS general authority, who turned to apostle D. Todd Christofferson, who then invited the NAACP board and subcommittees — up to 100 people — to meet in Salt Lake City for the first time in that black organization’s storied 109-year history.

One problem? They were already scheduled to meet in Tampa.

Without much arm-twisting, the board agreed to forgo the Florida locale and move the meeting to landlocked Utah.

“I thought it would take at least a year to set this up,” Hill says, “but it took less than two weeks.”

In this era of “uncivil communication,” Colom says, “It’s time for two well-established groups to deal with each other civilly, to find areas of commonality.”

To that end, the LDS Church and the NAACP plan to work together in three areas: disaster relief, education and civic projects.

There is much to admire about Mormonism, Colom says. “We are not different people. We are one.”

In fact, “Be One” is the theme of the LDS Church’s June 1 celebration marking the end of the faith’s priesthood/temple prohibition on blacks.

See also my post 40 years ago: Mormons uphold exclusion of Negroes from the priesthood (January 8, 2010).

Methodist church in New Hampshire is cooperating with authorities after arrest of registered sex offender on church's mission board

This may not turn out to be all that scandalous, since the church claims that the offender in question has abided by the terms laid down to him. Time will tell as the matter is decided by the legal system. As reported by Rick Green of the Laconia Daily Sun, May 17, 2018:

GILFORD — The First United Methodist Church was aware that Alger Conger was a registered sex offender when he joined its Missions Committee, Pastor Jim Shook said Wednesday.

Conger agreed to a policy prohibiting unsupervised contact with children and abided by that policy, Shook said. He also said there is no indication Conger acted inappropriately with children.

Police arrested Conger on May 9 after receiving a tip that he is a registered sexual offender who should not be involved with minor children. He is now facing a Class A felony charge.

The tip came after Alger appeared in a photo last month in The Laconia Daily Sun, posing with a group of young people who were sorting items that the church was preparing to donate.

Conger, 80, was convicted in 2004 of aggravated felonious sexual assault of a person under 13 years of age, along with two counts of felonious sexual assault.

State law (RSA 632-A:10) outlines the prohibition from child care service for those convicted of any felonious offense involving child sexual abuse images, physical assault, or sexual assault, if "he or she knowingly undertakes employment or volunteer service involving the care, instruction or guidance of minor children.”

In a statement released Wednesday, the church said Conger has been a member of the church for several years and serves as the co-chair of the Missions Committee and as a sound technician.

"Ensuring the safety of children is a sacred duty, and we have rigorous, long-standing policies to prevent and respond to incidents of sexual misconduct or abuse,” the statement said. "While we deplore the actions of abusers, we affirm that these are persons who are in need of God's redeeming love.”

The statement said Conger abided by church policies against him having unsupervised contact with children, but noted "the legal restrictions on Mr. Conger are a separate issue; one that will be handled through the justice system. We have and will continue to cooperate fully with authorities on this matter.

"We want to assure those in our congregation and in the community that we are committed to making our church a safe space for everyone."

Shook said that the church’s understanding was that it was doing the proper thing by ensuring Conger had no unsupervised contact with children.

Shook said Conger’s role on the Missions Committee did not entail regular contact with children.

“We’ve had strict guidelines that we have followed that have kept him away from ministry involving young people,” Shook said.

New Hampshire college senior resigns campus Knights of Columbus leadership position after bringing male date to formal event

The reader will note the mention in the following article of the proportion of Roman Catholic colleges that are alphabet pervert-friendly. As reported by Mark Hayward of the New Hampshire Union Leader, May 16, 2018:

MANCHESTER — A St. Anselm College senior was pressured to resign his leadership post on the college chapter of Knights of Columbus after he brought a male date to the organization’s formal, according to two publications.

Andrew Keyes, who is scheduled to graduate on Saturday, resigned the position of Grand Knight in March when asked by the Rev. Benedict Guevin, a Benedictine monk who teaches at the college and is chaplain of the Knights chapter, according to an online article in the Jesuit magazine “America.”

“A lot of the seniors knew I was bringing my boyfriend,” Keyes told the magazine.

In an email, Guevin said Keyes was the face of a Catholic association on campus, and as such had the responsibility to uphold the teachings of the Church.

“He knew that this was the expectation but decided to act otherwise,” Guevin wrote. “So it was because of the confusion and doubt regarding Church teaching that I asked for his resignation. To do otherwise would have implicated me in this confusion, something that my conscience could not allow.”

The actions have drawn the notice of Catholic publications, blogs and advocacy groups.

“This is so out of step with what other Catholic colleges are doing,” said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, which promotes justice and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics. For years, he said, St. Anselm College has been on the organization’s list of LGBT-friendly Catholic colleges; two weeks ago the college hosted its first LGBT Day of Visibility.

The Knights of Columbus incident was detailed in a May 11 article in “America” and an April 16 article in “Hilltopper,” an independent publication that covers St. Anselm College.

Keyes told the “Hilltopper” that the formal, which was held on campus in a fellow student’s apartment, was uneventful. But within a few days, he received a text from a fellow student. The student told him to resign, or the student would have him removed.

“It was inappropriate for Mr. Keyes to hold a leadership position for a Catholic organization while being in a relationship that is contrary to the teachings of Holy Mother Church,” the student, Andrew Cilento, told “Hilltopper.”

Keyes said a lunch followed with Guevin when he was asked to resign.

Keyes told “America” that he agreed to resign but said he was surprised at the request because of what he was able to accomplish during his tenure.

He expressed pride in recruiting 12 new Knights, the most that have joined in recent years. He also said the Knights expanded fundraising and engagement with other student organizations this school year.

On the college website, St. Anselm said its chapter is one of the strongest of the 140 college Knights of Columbus chapters in North America and does volunteer and fundraising efforts for shelters, kitchens and seminaries. “In short, membership in our organization provides the student with ample opportunities to exercise positions of leadership and responsibility, and most importantly, to serve others in charity,” the site reads.

Keyes told “Hilltopper” that a few Knights may have been disgusted by his bringing a boyfriend to the party, but others have been supportive. Some have resigned in solidarity, and some have suggested the Council should be dissolved, according to Keyes.

DeBernardo said about two-thirds of Catholic colleges are on his list of LGBT-friendly universities; Rivier University in Nashua is the only other New Hampshire college.

St. Anselm College spokesman Michelle Adams O’Regan said the Knights of Columbus Council is not a student-funded or college-funded organization.

“It operates under the authority of the Knights of Columbus headquarters in New Haven, Conn. Saint Anselm College has no authority over action taken by its membership, the chapter chaplain or the organization’s national office,” O’Regan said.

There is some uncertainty in who pushed for the resignation.

“Hilltopper” reported that the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus had urged Guevin to ask for the resignation. But the Supreme Council told America that “it is not our practice to make a determination on someone’s Catholicity” and “the Supreme Council did not direct the local chapter to take action on this issue.”

DeBernardo said Guevin should have dismissed any complaint against Keyes in the spirit of Catholic social justice, which treats all individuals with dignity and respect.

“This individual did not have to cave to the pressure of one complaint,” DeBernardo said.

All Chilean Roman Catholic bishops offer to resign over sex abuse scandal

As reported by Hannah Strange of the London Daily Telegraph, May 18, 2018 (links in original):

Chile’s bishops have tendered an unprecedented mass resignation over a decades-long abuse scandal after Pope Francis accused the country’s church of destroying evidence of sexual crimes and “the gravest negligence” in the protection of minors.

In a damning 10-page report delivered to 34 Chilean bishops who were summoned to the Vatican this week, the pontiff said the Chilean Church was collectively responsible for “serious defects” in the handling of abuse cases.

Priests removed over sexual abuse had been moved to other dioceses where they remained in contact with children, complaints had been dismissed despite convincing evidence, and Church lawyers had been pressured to limit or halt investigations, he said. Prelates had also destroyed “compromising documents”, Pope Francis added.

Accusing the Chilean Church of “becoming self-focused” and falling into “ecclesiastical perversions” of messianism and elitism, the Pope said the depth of abuse in the South American country was a “painful open wound”. While individuals must be removed from their posts, it was not enough to address the problem, which, he declared, lay in “the system”.

Announcing their resignation offer on Friday, the Chilean bishops said they would stay in their roles while they awaited the Pope's decision. In a statement delivered by Bishop Fernando Ramos, they asked "forgiveness for the pain caused to the victims, to the pope, to the people of God and our country for the serious errors and omissions committed by us".

The confidential document, leaked to Chilean TV channel T13, is the result of a Vatican investigation into the case of Father Fernando Karadima, a now 87-year-old former priest who had been accused of abusing minors as early as 1984. The Chilean Church failed to act on the complaints until the early 2000s, and then dismissed the findings of investigators; it was not until 2011, after a group of accusers went public, that he was deemed guilty of sexual and psychological abuse and finally defrocked. However, due to the statute of limitations, criminal prosecution was then impossible.

Three of Karadima’s victims - Juan Carlos Cruz, James Hamilton and José Andrés Murillo - were received at the Vatican two weeks ago and urged the Pope to “stop the epidemic of sexual abuse and cover-ups”. Mr Hamilton explained that he had been first abused by the Santiago priest at the age of 17 in 1983; the abuses had lasted 20 years, he said, with Karadima blackmailing him by threaten to reveal the sexual contacts to his wife.

In a public letter, Pope Francis admitted to making “serious mistakes” in his own handling of the scandal “due to the lack of truthful and balanced information”, and asked for forgiveness “from all those I have offended”.

The pontiff drew outrage in Chile during a visit to the country in January when he defended Bishop Juan Barros, a former protege of Karadima, who is accused of having protected the predatory priest despite allegedly witnessing the abuse. Pope Francis appointed Barros to head the diocese of Osorno in 2015, even though the accusations against the Chilean bishop had been public for at least three years.

See also my post Pope Francis accuses sexual assault victims of slandering Chilean bishop--although the judge who heard the case believed the accusers (January 18, 2018).

Increase in pilgrimages prompts Church of England to send chaplains to Spain

Millennials and other pilgrims are trying to fill their spiritual vacuum with man-made religious exercises instead of the grace of God. They may be travelling through France and Spain now, but eventually they'll end up in Rome. As reported by Olivia Rudgard of the London Daily Telegraph, May 4, 2018 (links in original):

A millennial on a post-university gap year might not fit the obvious profile for a religious pilgrim travelling through Europe.

But growing numbers of of then are following a trend for pilgrimage - prompting the Church of England to send chaplains to fulfil their spiritual needs.

For the first time Anglican priests from England as well as sister churches in Canada and Australia will minister to people who have completed the Camino de Santiago, a voyage of hundreds of miles across France and Spain which is normally undertaken on foot.

The Rev Alasdair Kay, a Church of England priest based in Derbyshire, suggested the project after completing the walk himself during a sabbatical.

Many of the English-speaking pilgrims he encountered were "millennials, post-university" who were searching for spiritual meaning in life and needed guidance, he told the Daily Telegraph.

"'I've got my degree, but I haven't sorted out who I am or what I want to do with my life'", was a common theme, he said, adding that many of those he spoke to were not explicitly Christian but were interested in faith.

They were "finding spirituality in and through nature", and wanted "more dialogue and much less dogma," he said.

"There is a spirituality amongst millennials. They wanted to talk about prayer, they wanted to talk about spiritual experience, they wanted to talk about Jesus."

The Camino de Santiago is a pilgrimage to the burial site of the Apostle St James, whose body is said to have been brought to Santiago de Compostela following his martyrdom in 44 AD.

Pilgrims have travelled to the city since the medieval era. Numbers fell to a few hundred in the 1980s but a boom in popularity has seen them rise to 300,000 by last year.

Figures show that the number of people under 30 who undertake the pilgrimage has more than doubled in a decade, from almost 35,000 in 2007 to 84,000 in 2017, and this age group makes up almost one in three pilgrims on the route.

British pilgrims are also growing in number, from 1,700 in 2007 to 5,768 last year, according to statistics from the Oficina del Peregrino, which welcomes pilgrims who arrive at the journey's end point, the city of Santiago de Compostela in north west Spain.

The Catholic church provides mass and chaplaincy to pilgrims in Santiago de Compostela and is understood to be supportive of the new scheme to provide services and spiritual guidance for Anglicans and English-speaking Christians of other denominations.

A female Canadian priest has already travelled to the city to begin a 12 week pilot, and Mr Kay is due to join her in June.

A group of Church of England priests are then due to pick the role up in the Autumn after a break for the summer, when the hot weather means few English-speaking pilgrims take on the trip.

Each chaplain would be there for around two weeks, celebrating the Eucharist on Sundays and praying with pilgrims.

Many pilgrims are also workers in the financial services industry who were asking "I've got all this wealth, but why am I alive?", Mr Kay added.

"That was a big modern pain that I hadn't been aware of."

Some travellers are also on the cusp of retirement, had lost loved ones, or recently been diagnosed with or recovered from a life-threatening illness.

Archdeacon of Gibraltar Geoff Johnston, who has oversight of the project, said: “Some people are still searching for some spirituality in their lives, and sometimes the traditional church doesn't resonate with them, but other things could help them to become closer to some kind of spiritual life, and to God, and taking part in a pilgrimage makes them think about what life is about."

First female Orthodox Jewish rabbi in Britain is ordained

Orthodox Judaism, at least in the United Kingdom, is showing signs of following the other branches of Judaism into feminism and apostasy. As in Judaism, so in professing Christianity--putting women in positions of leadership isn't just a sign of approaching apostasy, but an indication of the extent to which the apostasy already exists. As reported by Francine Wolfisz of the British publication Jewish News, May 10, 2018:

Dina Brawer this week became Britain’s first female Orthodox rabbi after attaining her semicha (religious ordination).

Brawer, a rabbinical student at the New York-based Yeshivat Maharat, which was founded in 2009 as an Orthodox seminary for female leaders, made the announcement on her Facebook page on Monday.

“After an intense two-hour oral examination, Rabbi Dr Sperber signed my semicha certificate today, 22 Iyar, 37th day of the Omer, in Bloomsbury, London,” she wrote.

Speaking to Jewish News this week, Brawer confirmed she has chosen “rabba” – the feminine term for “rabbi” in Hebrew – as her official title. “I will describe myself as a rabbi, that’s what I’ve trained to do and that’s what I’m qualified to serve as,” she said.

While Brawer – whose husband Naftali is a former rabbi at Northwood and Borehamwood and Elstree United synagogues – does not intend to take up a communal position in the UK, her newly-qualified status means that she is can officially answer halachic questions, officiate at baby blessings, weddings and funerals, provide pastoral care and teach.

Many of these duties were already undertaken by Brawer as a rabbinic student, as well as serving as a scholar-in-residence at Hampstead Synagogue, from 2015 to 2016.

The latter, she said, is a role that “did not exist anywhere in the United Synagogue until then and is a credit to Rabbi Dr Michael Harris’ modern Orthodox vision”.

This year she has additionally served as a rabbinic intern at Netivot Shalom, in Teaneck, New Jersey, where Brawer regularly delivers the sermon and Friday night Dvar Torah.

Speaking about why she decided to pursue a rabbinical qualification, Brawer – who in 2013 founded JOFA (Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance) UK – revealed that she wanted to “expand the realm of what is possible for women and girls in religious pursuit.”

She explained: “Being a rabbi epitomises living a life fully dedicated to Torah study and the intense pursuit of ritual and a Torah-infused life.

“I wanted to be a role model to women and girls in the community, to show this is not something only possible as a man, but definitely possible as a woman and something women should aspire to.

“Young girls should become anything they want. You can be well-educated, you can get a PhD in any topic, but when it comes to Jewish studies and religious studies, there’s a limitation. Well, there’s definitely no limitation.

“My intent was to open it and make it possible so that it’s not an unobtainable goal. I believe there will be many more who will follow.”

Amanda Shechter, executive director of Yeshivat Maharat, said: ‘We are so proud that Dina has passed her semikha examination and now joins the ranks of clergy leadership for the Jewish people.

‘Dina has been a transformational Jewish leader for many years. Her attainment of semikha will enable her to extend her impact even more widely and deeply.’

Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, senior rabbi to Reform Judaism, which ordained Britain’s first female rabbi in 1975, offered her congratulations.

“Mazal tov Rabbi Dina – welcome to the wonderful world of the rabbinate!”

Meanwhile Rabbi Charley Baginsky, Liberal Judaism’s director of strategy and partnerships, said: “We wish Rabba Dina Brawer a hearty mazel tov and welcome her as a colleague. This landmark moment for Orthodox Judaism in the UK is a recognition of all her hard work and dedication to the British Jewish community.

“Through her achievement, Rabba Brawer will have a huge influence on Orthodox Judaism and beyond – giving a generation of young Jewish girls and women another important role model to look up to.”

Brawer is set to leave the UK next month for the United States, where she will complete Hillel’s Office of Innovation Fellowship for Rabbinic Entrepreneurship, while Naftali will take up the position of executive director of Tufts University Hillel.

European Jews are increasingly afraid to wear kippahs (skullcaps) in public

If Jews are feeling increasingly uncomfortable living in Europe, maybe God is leading them to go to Israel, where they belong. As reported by Cnaan Liphshiz of Jewish Telegraphic Agency, April 25, 2018 (links in original):

AMSTERDAM (JTA) — The debate about wearing a kippah in Western Europe returned only a decade or so ago, but it has nonetheless come to follow a rigid pattern even in that short period of time.

The cycle – there have been dozens of such cases — begins with an anti-Semitic assault. It prompts a Jewish community official to warn congregants not to wear the Jewish skullcap in a certain area or at certain periods to avoid inviting further violent attacks.

This triggers a wave of indignation that often exceeds the reaction to the original assault.

International Jewish groups hold up the warning as a sign of how bad Western Europe’s anti-Semitism problem has become. Some of these groups criticize only the relevant authorities. Others also blast the local Jewish official who advised others not to wear the kippah, saying he or she should support a higher community profile, not a lower one. Finally, some local Jews downplay the official’s concerns and the media move on – until the next incident.

That’s exactly how things are playing out this week in Germany, when a non-Jewish man wearing a yarmulke was assaulted on April 17 by an attacker shouting “Jew!” in Arabic. The victim was an Israeli Arab who said he donned the kippah to test whether it had actually become dangerous to wear a yarmulke in Germany.

In response, Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, publicly advised Jews to avoid wearing kippahs in urban settings. (At a rally Wednesday night in Berlin, Schuster emphasized that his statement was that individuals should not go out alone with a kippah. He said he felt misunderstood and wanted to clarify.)

In response, Israel’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi, David Lau, and a Brussels-based Jewish organization called on German Jews to continue to wear kippahs and, in Lau’s words, “be proud of their Jewishness.”

Meanwhile, non-Jews in Germany organized a solidarity protest in which marchers wore kippahs – a gesture that has taken place in Sweden, Denmark, France and Poland in recent years.

In 2016, a community leader in France, Tzvi Amar, provoked a similar debate when he warned Marseille Jews to avoid wearing kippahs.

And in 2014, a Danish Jewish school in Copenhagen urged its students to come to school wearing baseball caps over their yarmulkes.

But to countless Jews across Western Europe, these debates featuring high-profile figures, politicians and Jewish community leaders have little bearing on their own personal choice. Not waiting for anyone’s invitation, hundreds of thousands of them have been hiding their kippahs and other Jewish symbols for years now in Paris, Marseille, Brussels, London, Amsterdam and many other European cities with a large population of Muslim immigrants.

At least a quarter of Europe’s Jews had resolved not to wear their kippahs or any other Jewish symbol publicly before any of the debates even took place, according to a 2013 survey in nine countries. In that European Union poll of 5,100 Jews — the most comprehensive study of its kind — 49 percent of 800 Swedish respondents said they refrained from wearing clothing that identified them as Jewish. In Belgium, whose capital city is the seat of the European Union, the figure was 36 percent.

In France, 40 percent of the approximately 1,200 Jews polled said they avoided wearing such items in public.

“It’s a matter of preserving one’s sanctity of life – an elevated value in Judaism,” said Prosper Abenaim, the only rabbi living in Paris’ poor and heavily Muslim neighborhood of La Courneuve.

On Shabbat, Abenaim wears a hat over his kippah as he takes the miles-long walk from his home in the affluent 17th district to La Couneuve’s dwindling synagogue. He advises his congregants to do the same – and immigrate to Israel, he said.

Jews like Abenaim are not being paranoid. The Fundamental Rights Agency of the European Union in its 2017 overview of anti-Semitism said that “Jewish people wearing visible symbols of their religion are the most likely to be targeted by anti-Semitic incidents.”

In France, most anti-Semitic violence is perpetrated by Muslims, according to the National Bureau of Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism. That category of crime, as well as hate speech, rose sharply in the early 2000s in France and other Western European countries during the wave of terrorist attacks in Israel known as the second intifada and Israel’s actions to stop it. In those years, the number of anti-Semitic incidents reported to authorities soared from a few dozen a year to hundreds, never returning to pre-2000 levels.

Heavily Muslim areas like La Courneuve are considered especially risky, although Jews living in richer areas with fewer Muslims also refrain from wearing kippahs and other Jewish symbols in public.

Philippe Karsenty, a local politician and pro-Israel activist from the upscale Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, a few years ago warned a younger relative not to wear a Star of David pendant. Karsenty remembers telling him: “Nothing good will come to anyone from you wearing it.”

In France today, a Jewish symbol is likely to “escalate a parking dispute to a stabbing,” Karsenty said.

Perhaps ironically, anger and opposition to Muslim extremism in Europe is creating additional problems for Jews who wear kippahs.

Several European countries have banned the wearing of face-covering veils, a Muslim custom. While these recent bans in Belgium, France and the Netherlands clearly target Muslims, they are nonetheless creating an atmosphere that is more restrictive of wearing all and any religious symbols, including the kippah.

In the Netherlands, an employee of the Anne Frank House last year waited for six months in vain for his bosses to decide on whether he could wear a kippah to work. He declined their suggestion that he come to the office wearing a hat and ultimately decided to wear a kippah without permission, forcing them to hammer out a policy on the matter. They finally permitted him to wear the kippah.

The leader of France’s far-right National Front party, Marine Le Pen, has been candid about her plan to ban the wearing of the kippah in public — not because she opposes it, she has said. Rather, she said in an interview last year, French Jews should “sacrifice” the freedom to wear a kippah in public in favor of the fight against radical Islam.

But Le Pen also cited the fear of many French Jews in downplaying the significance of the sacrifice she was asking.

“Honestly, the dangerous situation in which Jews in France live is such that those who walk with a kippah are in any case a minority because they are afraid,” Le Pen said.

See also my post Finland's Jews advised not to wear skullcaps in public for fear of attacks (January 15, 2013)