Thursday 28th March 2024

Home » Our Catholic Faith » Currently Reading:

Catholic Replies

December 5, 2014 Our Catholic Faith No Comments

Editor’s Note: From time to time, we publish bits of wisdom from the weekly columns of Fr. George Rutler, pastor of the Church of St. Michael in New York City. He wrote recently about the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 in which Christian naval forces organized by Pope St. Pius V under the protection of the Blessed Mother and her rosary, though badly outnumbered, saved Christian civilization from Muslim Turks.
“Our civilization,” said Fr. Rutler, “now is threatened not only by the heretical forces that engaged the Christians at Lepanto, but also by the more subtle forces of atheism, euphemistically called ‘secularism,’ that have insinuated themselves into our civil institutions. In 1985, a priest was deeply moved to see St. John Paul II praying the rosary humbly on his knees. He said, ‘I became aware of the density of the words of the Mother of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego: “Don’t be afraid, am I not perhaps your mother?”’ From that moment, the priest has never failed to recite all fifteen decades of the rosary each day, even now that he is Pope Francis.”

Q. We know that people came to John the Baptist for “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mark 1:4). How does John’s baptism differ from the Baptism we experience today? — K.R., Connecticut.
A. John’s baptism was one of repentance, where people showed sorrow for their sins by confessing them to John and undergoing a ritual washing of the body. But that was only a symbolic sign of interior purification, and a foreshadowing of the Baptism that Jesus would give to us (cf. Matt. 28:19). Our Baptism does not just symbolize purification, it actually brings about purification. Only the Christian Sacrament of Baptism washes away original sin, infuses the grace of God in us, and makes us adopted children of God.

Q. A recent issue of our diocesan newspaper carried a report on a three-person panel discussion on climate change held at Marymount University in Arlington, Va. Until I read this article and visited the recommended website, www.catholicclimatecovenant.org, I was not aware that our Church leadership, including the Vatican and the USCCB, seems to have accepted catastrophic climate change as absolute proven fact and that we must therefore make significant changes to our living standards in order to prevent or combat coming worldwide weather catastrophes.
There are many eminent scientists who do not subscribe to the climate change catastrophic scenario and they provide scientific evidence to support their reasoning. I am old enough to remember when certain scientists warned of a coming ice age, and then years later warned of global warming, and now we are being warned of climate change. Therefore, it seems to me that Church leadership is a bit premature in providing a ringing endorsement of what is possibly only an alarmist movement for political purposes.
What are your thoughts on this matter? — D.M., via e-mail.
A. Our thoughts are similar to yours. We, too, remember the wildly exaggerated headlines in the 1970s (cf. stories in Time, Newsweek, Life, and National Geographic) about a coming “ice age.” For example, Stanford University Professor Paul Ehrlich, author in 1968 of the grossly false book The Population Bomb, stated in 1971 that “global cooling” would cause the United Kingdom to become “a small group of impoverished islands, inhabited by some 70 million hungry people.” He said, “I would take even money that England will not exist in the year 2000.” England, of course, still exists in the year 2014.
The most bizarre thing about Ehrlich, and his like-minded climate cronies, is that no matter how wrong they have proven to be in the past, they are still accepted as experts today when they make fantastical predictions about the impact of “global warming” on the planet.
Consider former Vice President Al Gore, who has become a multimillionaire spreading global warming propaganda and whose film An Inconvenient Truth has been used to frighten children all across the world about an impending environmental apocalypse. From 2007 to 2009, Gore predicted that the North Pole would be “ice-free” in the summer by mid-2013 because of alleged “man-made global warming.” In point of fact, however, satellite data showed that the volume of ice in the Arctic in the summer of 2013 had actually expanded more than 50 percent over the volume in 2012.
The same is true at the South Pole, where the volume of ice in Antarctica is at the highest point since record-keeping began. This led to an embarrassing episode (if anything can embarrass these folks) in December 2013, when a ship carrying a bunch of alarmists looking to study how “global warming” was melting Antarctic ice got trapped there in a record-setting thickness of ice. They had to be rescued by helicopters.
When records showed that there had been no global warming over the past 17 or 18 years, and that in fact much of the United States had suffered from bitter cold last winter, White House Science Adviser John Holdren nevertheless blamed the cold weather on global warming! He said that “a growing body of evidence suggests that the kind of extreme cold being experienced by much of the United States as we speak is a pattern we can expect to see with increasing frequency as global warming continues.”
The other major falsehood about “global warming” is that it is, in the words of President Obama, “settled science.” On the contrary, there are literally hundreds of scientists who dispute the conventional wisdom.
One of these is Dr. Judith Curry, professor of climatology at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Once known as the “high priestess of global warming,” Dr. Curry now calls herself a “heretic” because she no longer believes in the so-called evidence presented to support this theory. “I am mystified as to why President Obama and John Kerry are making such strong statements about climate change,” she said. “Particularly with regard to extreme weather events, their case is very weak.”
No doubt some of the climate change promoters believe that they are in the right, but it should be pointed out that others in the movement have a different agenda. Some are in it for the money (about a billion dollars a day is spent on climate change initiatives), and some are in it for the opportunity it provides for bringing about “a complete transformation of the economic structure of the world,” in the words of Christiana Figueres, executive director of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is working on a new climate treaty for a summit in Paris in 2015.
She said that “this is a centralized transformation that is taking place because governments have decided that they need to listen to science. So it’s a very, very different transformation and one that is going to make the life of everyone on the planet very different.”
For more evidence questioning the global warming scenario, see articles by Alex Newman and William F. Jasper in the August 25, 2014 issue of The New American magazine (www.TheNewAmerican.com).
Now there is nothing wrong in expressing concern for the environment and seeking ways to curb pollution and to improve the living conditions of those in poverty; that is a sign of our solidarity with our less fortunate brothers and sisters. “In the beginning,” says the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 2402), “God entrusted the earth and its resources to the common stewardship of mankind to take care of them, master them by labor, and enjoy their fruits. The goods of creation are designed for the whole human race” (cf. Gen 1:26-29).
Problems arise, however, when those in leadership roles in the Church move beyond the general principles mentioned above and endorse specific policies that, as also noted above, have no basis in fact but will surely lead to “a complete transformation of the economic structure of the world.” If such a transformation is brought about, say, through more national climate laws or through international climate treaties, it will be at the expense of the individual freedom and economic well-being of those hardworking persons who already contribute much to the common good.
Sacrificing these people on the altar of climate change will not improve the environment or guarantee social justice for the needy. What it will do is reduce their living standards and increase the number of people in need as all are subjected to socialistic schemes that have never worked in all of human history. One cannot raise up the poor by knocking down those who have traditionally helped the poor.

Share Button

2019 The Wanderer Printing Co.

Vatican and USCCB leave transgender policy texts unpublished

While U.S. bishops have made headlines for releasing policies addressing gender identity and pastoral ministry, guidelines on the subject have been drafted but not published by both the U.S. bishops’ conference and the Vatican’s doctrinal office, leaving diocesan bishops to…Continue Reading

Biden says Pope Francis told him to continue receiving communion, amid scrutiny over pro-abortion policies

President Biden said that Pope Francis, during their meeting Friday in Vatican City, told him that he should continue to receive communion, amid heightened scrutiny of the Catholic president’s pro-abortion policies.  The president, following the approximately 90-minute-long meeting, a key…Continue Reading

Federal judge rules in favor of Gov. DeSantis’ mask mandate ban

MIAMI (LifeSiteNews) – A federal judge this week handed Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis another legal victory on his mask mandate ban for schools. On Wednesday, Judge K. Michael Moore of the Southern District of Florida denied a petition from…Continue Reading

The Eucharist should not be received unworthily, says Nigerian cardinal

Priests have a duty to remind Catholics not to receive the Eucharist in a state of serious sin and to make confession easily available, a Nigerian cardinal said at the International Eucharistic Congress on Thursday. “It is still the doctrine…Continue Reading

Donald Trump takes a swipe at Catholics and Jews who did not vote for him

Donald Trump complained about Catholics and Jews who did not vote for him in 2020. The former president made the comments in a conference call featuring religious leaders. The move could be seen to shore up his religious conservative base…Continue Reading

Y Gov. Kathy Hochul Admits Andrew Cuomo Covered Up COVID Deaths, 12,000 More Died Than Reported

When it comes to protecting people from COVID, Andrew Cuomo is already the worst governor in America. New York has the second highest death rate per capita, in part because he signed an executive order putting COVID patients in nursing…Continue Reading

Prayers For Cardinal Burke . . . U.S. Cardinal Burke says he has tested positive for COVID-19

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke said he has tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. In an Aug. 10 tweet, he wrote: “Praised be Jesus Christ! I wish to inform you that I have recently…Continue Reading

Democrats Block Amendment Banning Late-Term Abortions, Stopping Abortions Up to Birth

Senate Democrats have blocked an amendment that would ban abortions on babies older than 20 weeks. During consideration of the multi-trillion spending package, pro-life Louisiana Senator John Kennedy filed an amendment to ban late-term abortions, but Democrats steadfastly support killing…Continue Reading

Transgender student wins as U.S. Supreme Court rebuffs bathroom appeal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to a transgender former public high school student who waged a six-year legal battle against a Virginia county school board that had barred him from using the bathroom corresponding…Continue Reading

New York priest accused by security guard of assault confirms charges have now been dropped

NEW YORK, June 17, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — A New York priest has made his first public statement regarding the dismissal of charges against him.  Today Father George W. Rutler reached out to LifeSiteNews and other media today with the following…Continue Reading

21,000 sign petition protesting US Catholic bishops vote on Biden, abortion

More than 21,000 people have signed a letter calling for U.S. Catholic bishops to cancel a planned vote on whether President Biden should receive communion.  Biden, a Catholic, supports abortion rights and has long come under attack from some Catholics over that…Continue Reading

Bishop Gorman seeks candidates to fill two full time AP level teaching positions for the 2021-2022 school year in the subject areas of Calculus/Statistics and Physics

Bishop Thomas K. Gorman Regional Catholic School is a college preparatory school located in Tyler, Texas. It is an educational ministry of the Catholic Diocese of Tyler led by Bishop Joseph Strickland. The sixth through twelfth grade school provides a…Continue Reading

Untitled 5 Untitled 2

Attention Readers:

  Welcome to our website. Readers who are familiar with The Wanderer know we have been providing Catholic news and orthodox commentary for 150 years in our weekly print edition.


  Our daily version offers only some of what we publish weekly in print. To take advantage of everything The Wanderer publishes, we encourage you to su
bscribe to our flagship weekly print edition, which is mailed every Friday or, if you want to view it in its entirety online, you can subscribe to the E-edition, which is a replica of the print edition.
 
  Our daily edition includes: a selection of material from recent issues of our print edition, news stories updated daily from renowned news sources, access to archives from The Wanderer from the past 10 years, available at a minimum charge (this will be expanded as time goes on). Also: regularly updated features where we go back in time and highlight various columns and news items covered in The Wanderer over the past 150 years. And: a comments section in which your remarks are encouraged, both good and bad, including suggestions.
 
  We encourage you to become a daily visitor to our site. If you appreciate our site, tell your friends. As Catholics we must band together to rediscover our faith and share it with the world if we are to effectively counter a society whose moral culture seems to have no boundaries and a government whose rapidly extending reach threatens to extinguish the rights of people of faith to practice their religion (witness the HHS mandate). Now more than ever, vehicles like The Wanderer are needed for clarification and guidance on the issues of the day.

Catholic, conservative, orthodox, and loyal to the Magisterium have been this journal’s hallmarks for five generations. God willing, our message will continue well into this century and beyond.

Joseph Matt
President, The Wanderer Printing Co.

Untitled 1

Catechism

Today . . .

Abortion Advocates No Longer Consider It “A Necessary Evil,” They Celebrate Killing Babies

Last week, Kamala Harris became the first vice president in U.S. history to make a public visit to an abortion clinic. Though the Democratic party’s support for abortion is nothing new, Harris’ Planned Parenthood appearance does illustrate how that support has become a flagrant celebration of abortion as a public and personal good, essential to both “freedom” and to “healthcare.” At the appearance, Harris proclaimed,  It is only right and fair that people have access…Continue Reading

Wisconsin Supreme Court says Catholic charity group cannot claim religious tax exemption

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that a major Catholic charity group’s activities were not “primarily” religious under state law, stripping the group of a key tax break and ordering it to pay into the state unemployment system. Catholic Charities Bureau (CCB) last year argued that the state had improperly removed its designation as a religious organization.  The charity filed a lawsuit after the state said it did not qualify to be considered as an organization…Continue Reading

Walgreens and CVS Will Start Selling Abortion Pills That Kill Babies

The two largest pharmacies in America will start selling abortion pills this month that end the lives of unborn children by starting them to death. Walgreens and CVS will both sell the abortion pills despite the fact that they kill a developing human being and have killed at least dozens of women and injured tens of thousands more. They plan to initially roll out abortion drug sales in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, California…Continue Reading

Cardinal Burke announces novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for ‘crises of our age’

VATICAN CITY (PerMariam) — Raymond Cardinal Burke has announced the start of a global, nine-month novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, calling on Catholics to beseech Mary’s intercession on the Church and the world in the face of the “crises of our age.” In a new endeavour published online over the weekend, Cardinal Burke announced a novena beginning in March, and culminating on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12.

Texas attorney general targets Catholic nonprofit, alleges it facilitates illegal immigration

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 21, 2024 / 21:15 pm Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is trying to shut down a Catholic nonprofit organization in El Paso based on allegations that the group may be facilitating illegal immigration, harboring immigrants who entered the country illegally, and engaging in human smuggling.  Paxton filed a lawsuit against the nonprofit Annunciation House, which has operated in the state for nearly 50 years. The lawsuit asks the District Court of El Paso…Continue Reading

The King of Kings

Cindy Paslawski We are at the end of the Church year. We began with Advent a year ago, commemorating the time awaiting the coming of the Christ and we are ending these weeks later with a vision of the future, a vision of Christ the King of the Universe on His throne before us all.…Continue Reading

7,000 Pro-Lifers March In London

By STEVEN ERTELT LONDON (LifeNews) — Over the weekend, some seven thousand pro-life people in the UK participated in the March for Life in London to protest abortion.They marched to Parliament Square on Saturday, September 2 under the banner of “Freedom to Live” and had to deal with a handful of radical abortion activists.During the…Continue Reading

An Appeal For Prayer For The Armenian People

By RAYMOND LEO CARDINAL BURKE (Editor’s Note: His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke on August 29, 2023, issued this prayer for the Armenian people, noting their unceasing love for Christ, even in the face of persecution.) + + On the Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, having a few days ago celebrated the…Continue Reading

Robert Hickson, Founding Member Of Christendom College, Dies At 80

By MAIKE HICKSON FRONT ROYAL, Va. (LifeSiteNews) — Robert David Hickson, Jr., of Front Royal, Va., died at his home on September 2, 2023, at 21:29 p.m. after several months of suffering and after having received the Last Rites of the Catholic Church. He was surrounded by friends and family.Robert is survived by me —…Continue Reading

The Real Hero Of “Sound of Freedom”… Says The Film Has Strengthened The Fight Against Child Trafficking

By ANA PAULA MORALES (CNA) —Tim Ballard, a former U.S. Homeland Security agent who risked his life to fight child trafficking, discussed the impact of the movie Sound of Freedom, which is based on his work, in an August 29 interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. “I’ve spent more than 20 years helping…Continue Reading

Advertisement

Our Catholic Faith (Section B of print edition)

Catholic Replies

Editor’s Note: This lesson on medical-moral issues is taken from the book Catholicism & Ethics. Please feel free to use the series for high schoolers or adults. We will continue to welcome your questions for the column as well. The email and postal addresses are given at the end of this column. Special Course On Catholicism And Ethics (Pages 53-59)…Continue Reading

Color Politics An Impediment To Faith

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK The USCCB is rightly concerned about racism, as they should be about any sin. In the 2018 statement Open Wide Our Hearts, they affirm the dignity of every human person: “But racism still profoundly affects our culture, and it has no place in the Christian heart. This evil causes great harm to its victims, and…Continue Reading

Trademarks Of The True Messiah

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE (Editor’s Note: Msgr. Charles Pope posted this essay on September 2, and it is reprinted here with permission.) + + In Sunday’s Gospel the Lord firmly sets before us the need for the cross, not as an end in itself, but as the way to glory. Let’s consider the Gospel in three stages.First: The Pattern That…Continue Reading

A Beacon Of Light… The Holy Cross And Jesus’ Unconditional Love

By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON Each year on September 14 the Church celebrates the Feast Day of the Exultation of the Holy Cross. The Feast Day of the Triumph of the Holy Cross commemorates the day St. Helen found the True Cross. It is fitting then, that today we should focus on the final moments of Jesus’ life on the…Continue Reading

Our Ways Must Become More Like God’s Ways

By FR. ROBERT ALTIER Twenty-Fifth Sunday In Ordinary Time (YR A) Readings: Isaiah 55:6-9Phil. 1:20c-24, 27aMatt. 20:1-16a In the first reading today, God tells us through the Prophet Isaiah that His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways. This should not come as a surprise to anyone, especially when we look at what the Lord…Continue Reading

The Devil And The Democrats

By FR. DENIS WILDE, OSA States such as Minnesota, California, Maryland, and others, in all cases with Democrat-controlled legislatures, are on a fast track to not only allow unborn babies to be murdered on demand as a woman’s “constitutional right” but also to allow infanticide.Our nation has gotten so used to the moral evil of killing in the womb that…Continue Reading

Crushed But Unbroken . . . The Martyrdom Of St. Margaret Clitherow

By RAY CAVANAUGH The late-1500s were a tough time for Catholics in England, where the Reformation was in full gear. A 1581 law prohibited Catholic religious ceremonies. And a 1584 Act of Parliament mandated that all Catholic priests leave the country or else face execution. Some chose to remain, however, so they could continue serving the faithful.Also taking huge risks…Continue Reading

Advertisement(2)