Leviathan Turns His Attention to the Church

1. This is a very disturbing story, if true. Austin Ruse reports that the Administration is planning to reach out to the papal nuncio to try to get the Vatican to silence Archbishop Burke, in light of his public comments about Governor Sibelius and her fitness for Holy Communion. Can anyone think of a more dangerous precedent than a powerful government seeking to interfere with the freedom of a Church official to speak out on moral issues and sacramental discipline within his office's area of competence? Will this Chicago-bred sharp-elbows-style politics work? St. Thomas Becket, pray for us.

2. 180,000 and counting.

3. Another challenge to Catholics who supported the President's election. Note especially the Archdiocese from which this article comes.

4. The madness in Europe continues. In an effort to reduce experimentation on animals, they want to turn to embryonic stem cell research. Yes, Fluffy the Cat has more value to them than human beings in the embryonic stage of development.

5. How far has the Reformation come? Now a committee of the "United Church of Christ" is recommending condom distribution at churches. John Calvin is rolling over in his grave.

6. The effort to market Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, is now moving into new territory -- vaccinating boys.

7. When people throw at you the libel that the Church's opposition to condoms is killing people in Africa, ask them to prove it. We can prove that condom distribution is a poor public health policy, and that abstinence is in fact the best way to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. But "there was no correlation between being the sort of African most likely to listen to the Pope about sex and being the sort of African most likely to contract HIV".

8. Speaking of Gov. Sibelius, her pal George Tiller, the notorious late term abortionist, is on trial for violations of Kansas' abortion laws, and the case will go to the jury tomorrow. Please pray that justice will be done.

9. A valuable reminder that, once the sound and fury die down, most Americans still oppose most abortions.

10. The New Evangelization in action. The Diocese of Phoenix has been running a major media campaign to bring back inactive Catholics. The result -- over 92,000 have returned.