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The Feds Versus The Little Sisters Of The Poor

April 12, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on The Feds Versus The Little Sisters Of The Poor

By JAMES K. FITZPATRICK I don’t know if the Obama administration thought they would be able to put one over on the Little Sisters of the Poor. If so, they were mistaken. The sisters are taking the Obama team to the Supreme Court. The first oral arguments in their case (Zubik v. Burwell) were made on March 23. The 175-year-old religious order that cares for the elderly poor has asked the court for an exemption from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate requiring them to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives and abortifacients in their employees’ health-care plans. The sisters contend the mandate denies them of their freedom of religion. The sisters do not accept that the “opt…Continue Reading

Biden’s “Catholic” Claim . . . D.C. Archdiocese Declines Comment; Practicing Catholics Tackle Veep

April 11, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on Biden’s “Catholic” Claim . . . D.C. Archdiocese Declines Comment; Practicing Catholics Tackle Veep

By DEXTER DUGGAN If prominent U.S. politicians made outlandishly untrue statements about Catholic practices and beliefs, leading prelates presumably would be quick to correct the record. No, the Church in the United States doesn’t, for instance, preach kidnapping non-Catholic children for forced Baptisms, or fund armed bandits to rob banks and enrich Church treasuries. However, when national politicians make demonstrably false statements about their own religious fidelity, it appears that prelates who should set the record straight retreat into mute acquiescence. Why shouldn’t such politicians think they can get away with shoving the Church around on basic faith and morals matters when they encounter no pushback? At the March 30 White House Easter prayer breakfast, Vice President Joe Biden once…Continue Reading

We Must Fight Back Against Homosexual Tyranny

April 10, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on We Must Fight Back Against Homosexual Tyranny

By REY FLORES For those of you who read my column on a weekly basis, you’ll recall that last week in “Virginia Christians Under Attack” I wrote about how Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed a State Senate bill which would have protected Christian churches, businesses, and institutions from being dragged into directly and indirectly participating in culture of death activities like same-sex weddings. Despite what radical pro-abortion and pro-homosexual radical activist politicians have to say about it, religious freedom bills are an absolute necessity and other states are fighting back, but not without blowback from the radical leftists who support homosexuality and abortion. On March 23, 2016, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed the House Bill 2 — Public Facilities…Continue Reading

Looking Back At The Roots

April 9, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on Looking Back At The Roots

By JAMES K. FITZPATRICK It can be difficult to decide what to think about Common Core. Most conservatives are adamantly opposed to this federal attempt to raise standards in our schools. So is Donald Trump, although it is hard not to get the impression that his position is merely the result of an adviser informing him that the opponents to Common Core are an important segment of the voting bloc he is attempting to put together. I would wager serious money that, if some reporter asked Trump what it was that he disliked about Common Core, he would be able to do nothing more than repeat the line that it “takes away local control over education.” Any takers? Not that…Continue Reading

Pope’s Exhortation . . . Creating a Firestorm of Commentary and Concern

April 8, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on Pope’s Exhortation . . . Creating a Firestorm of Commentary and Concern

The following are samples  of some of the commentary around the internet this weekend about the release of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on the family, “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”). The Wanderer will have complete coverage and commentary on this document in the week ahead. Beautiful, Moving, and Divisive Robert Royal  Friday, April 8, 2016 First, the positives. As there were in the Final Report of the 2015 Synod, there are many beautiful passages in the pope’s new Apostolic Exhortation on the Family, Amoris Laetitia (“The Joy of Love”) testifying to: God’s original plan for man and woman; love and marriage; children, siblings, parents, grandparents; the bond between the generations; and the crucial importance . . .  Pope Francis opens…Continue Reading

The Lion And The Fox And Merrick Garland

April 8, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on The Lion And The Fox And Merrick Garland

By JAMES K. FITZPATRICK The famous chapter about the lion and the fox from Machiavelli’s book The Prince came to mind as I listened to the give and take between the conservative and the liberal commentators over President Obama’s selection of Merrick Garland to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Antonin Scalia. (Garland is currently the chief judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, confirmed for that position in 1997 by a 76 to 23 vote, with the majority support of senators from both major parties.) Machiavelli’s point was that a ruler should use open and overpowering force to achieve his goals in certain instances, but rely more on…Continue Reading

The Golden Rule Has Lost Its Glitter

April 7, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on The Golden Rule Has Lost Its Glitter

By DONALD DeMARCO The great moral maxim, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” from a historical perspective, is perhaps the most highly respected of all moral maxims. It did not originate with Christianity, as some may believe, but was a component of Greek philosophy, Judaism, Confucianism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism. Its equally binding corollary is “Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you.” Underlying this honored principle is the notion of human equality. No person should arrogate to himself the right to do something to another person that he would not have that person do to him. Religion reinforces this notion since all human beings are created by…Continue Reading

Notre Dame’s Bad Example . . . How Can A Politician Be Expected To Follow What He Swore To Do?

April 6, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on Notre Dame’s Bad Example . . . How Can A Politician Be Expected To Follow What He Swore To Do?

By DEXTER DUGGAN The difficulty of holding political candidates to honor their promises was illustrated dramatically in an oblique way when even a nationally prominent priest once again violated his sworn fidelity to the fundamental moral teaching of his Roman Catholic Church. If Fr. John Jenkins, CSC, president of the University of Notre Dame, thinks he can laud defiant renegade Catholic Joe Biden as an exemplary member of the Church, what would prevent any politician seeking votes from lying about what he’d be loyal to? Already having deeply honored the recently elected radical pro-abortion President Barack Obama in 2009 at the South Bend Catholic institution, Jenkins decided this year to confer the Laetare Medal, considered the most prestigious medal for…Continue Reading

Excluding Inclusion

April 5, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on Excluding Inclusion

By WAYNE TRYHUK (Editor’s Note: Wayne Tryhuk is a Wisconsin-based journalist whose articles have appeared in The Indianapolis Star, Milwaukee Magazine, and many others.) + + + Political liberals, like those at NARAL Pro-Choice America, often seem to worship the concepts of “inclusiveness” and “diversity.” Yet NARAL would deny a group of Roman Catholic nuns their religious liberty because the sisters serve and employ too inclusive and diverse a group of people. The nuns belong to the Little Sisters of the Poor. Their international organization, for 175 years, has been caring for elderly persons in poverty. Because they see inestimable dignity and value in all human life, the sisters object to a federal health-care mandate generally requiring employers to offer…Continue Reading

Virginia Christians Under Attack

April 4, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on Virginia Christians Under Attack

By REY FLORES Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe on March 30 vetoed Virginia State Senate Bill SB 41, thereby leaving churches, particularly Catholic parishes, vulnerable to being punished by the state for refusing to perform so-called same-sex marriages in our churches. It’s not only churches who are being bullied by the radical homosexual militants and their friends in the state government, but any private businesses that provide wedding services, such as photographers, bakeries, bridal shops, tuxedo wear stores, and caterers, are also now less protected in the state of Virginia. McAuliffe’s veto denies churches our religious freedom to practice our own faith and beliefs. Since so-called same-sex marriage is unfortunately already legal in Virginia, this new development only furthers the cause…Continue Reading