Monsignor John Urell's bulletin announcement was read at Mass last night.

Monsignor John Urell, the world is outraged at your complacency.

telephone, call home.

Naughty Stephen Lynch.. very naughty

Ask TSJ: Pope John Paul I

Question: I don't remember a lot about him except that he seemed like a very nice man. Why would the Vatican have wanted him out, assuming there's something to the assassination rumors? Was he theologically liberal?

Answer: Hey got old, sick and died Nobody knocked him off.

Better now?

Tony Blair converts to Catholicism

LONDON (Reuters) - Former British prime minister Tony Blair has converted from Britain's established church, Anglicanism, to Roman Catholicism, the head of Britain's Catholics said on Saturday.Blair, whose wife and four children are Catholic, was received into the Catholic Church by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor on Friday in a move that had been widely expected after he stepped down from power in June.

"I am very glad to welcome Tony Blair into the Catholic Church," Murphy-O'Connor said in a statement, adding the conversion took place in private at a chapel at the cardinal's residence in central London.

"For a long time he has been a regular worshipper at Mass with his family and in recent months he has been following a program of formation to prepare for his reception into full communion.

"My prayers are with him, his wife and family at this joyful moment in their journey of faith together."

Blair, now the Middle East peace envoy, had private talks with Pope Benedict at the Vatican in June and his conversion had been predicted.

He has been receiving spiritual preparation for the conversion from Mark O'Toole, Murphy-O'Connor's private secretary. Blair's spokesman declined to comment on the announcement, saying it was a private matter.

Last month Blair, who was reticent about his faith during his 10 years in power, said religion was "hugely important" for him.

"You know you can't have a religious faith and it be an insignificant aspect because it's, it's profound about you and about you as a human being," he said in a BBC documentary.

But he added that, while politicians could speak about religious faith in the United States, it was difficult to do so in Britain because "frankly people do think you are a nutter (crazy)."

When once pressed in an interview about his beliefs, his then press spokesman Alastair Campbell famously interrupted and said: "We don't do God."

Political commentators have also suggested Blair had been unwilling to make the move while he was still in power because some lawyers believed that 19th century laws could actually prevent a Catholic from becoming prime minister.

It was also thought a conversion could have provoked a conflict with his role in appointing Anglican bishops and he might have also felt the need to tread carefully while mediating in the Northern Ireland peace process between the province's Catholic and Protestant communities.

European Union Trade Commissioner and political confidant Peter Mandelson said Blair was "not an exhibitionist" about religion but was "a man who takes a Bible with him wherever he goes and last thing at night he will read from the Bible."

However Ann Widdecombe, an opposition Conservative member of parliament who converted to Catholicism herself, said Blair would have had to have changed his mind on a number of issues such as abortion and civil partnerships for gay couples.

"If you look at Tony Blair's voting record in the House of Commons, he's gone against church teaching on more than one occasion on things for example like abortion," she told the BBC.

"Unless Tony Blair actually says (he had it wrong before) then I think a lot of people are going to feel exceptions have been made because of who he is."

Ask TSJ: The Trinity

Can someone please explain to me the difference between these three? Are they the same being? Or are they distinct? WTF?

Father Peter answers: I would first forward you to the Athanasian Creed which I'm not gonna print here because its long but just to be clear, the word 'trinity' never appears in the Bible anywhere, nor is it ever mentioned or discussed directly. The "Trinity" concept was invented because Jesus is rather specific in saying He is not God Almighty in several places in the Gospels.

This, of course, presented a problem to former Jews who like to think they only worship one god.

So, God and Jesus were amalgamated.

This, however, led to unfortunate consequences like when Jesus is depicted as praying to Himself, an undertaking that suggests appalling mental health.

Think of it like the Supremes:
The Father - Diana Ross, always the most important
The Son - Flo Ballard, the one that was sacrificed
The Spirit - Mary Wilson, the one still with us

Look, christianity is a mish mash of judaism and paganism. They borrowed from various mythologies including egyptian, greek, persian, etc. added a dollop of judaism and came up with the gobbledy-gook people call christianity. The unwashed masses were basically illiterate and uneducated so they weren't too interested in asking too many questions about this nonsense. If you ask them to explain it to you they'll usually say 'it's a mystery', which really means 'I've got no fucking clue'. Don't try and make sense of nonsense.

God Hates The World

If by the world, you mean the members of Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka,Kansas.. then yes he does.

The Archbishop of Canterbury said yesterday that the Christmas story of the Three Wise Men was nothing but a 'legend'.

Dr Rowan Williams has claimed there was little evidence that the Magi even existed and there was certainly nothing to prove there were three of them or that they were kings.

Dr Williams argued that the traditional Christmas story was nothing but a 'legend'
He said the only reference to the wise men from the East was in Matthew's gospel and the details were very vague. Dr Williams said: "Matthew's gospel says they are astrologers, wise men, priests from somewhere outside the Roman Empire, that's all we're really told. It works quite well as legend."

Transcript: Archbishop's interview with Simon MayoDamian Thompson: Another of Rowan Williams' own goalsMidnight mass at 8pm to fool drunks

The Archbishop went on to dispel other details of the Christmas story, adding that there were probably no asses or oxen in the stable.

He argued that Christmas cards which showed the Virgin Mary cradling the baby Jesus, flanked by shepherds and wise men, were misleading. As for the scenes that depicted snow falling in Bethlehem, the Archbishop said the chance of this was "very unlikely".
In a final blow to the traditional nativity story, Dr Williams concluded that Jesus was probably not born in December at all. He said: "Christmas was when it was because it fitted well with the winter festival."

His comments came during an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live with Simon Mayo yesterday. Later on in the show, the Archbishop was challenged by fellow guest Ricky Gervais, the comedian, about the credibility of the Christmas story.

Gervais told Dr Williams he was concerned about "brainwashing" of children who are sent to faith schools at an early age, comparing teaching that God exists to belief in Father Christmas.
Dr Williams said faith schools expose children to the full range of human experience and values and he did not believe they indoctrinated people.

A Naked Priest Running Down The Street You Say?

A Catholic priest charged with indecent exposure after being accused of jogging naked in the pre-dawn darkness has pleaded not guilty and asked for a jury trial.

The Rev. Robert Whipkey was arrested June 22 in Frederick, about 25 miles north of Denver, after an officer saw him walking on a street naked at 4:35 a.m. Whipkey told police he jogged naked because he sweats profusely if he wears clothing, according an arrest report.

Whipkey did not speak at a hearing Tuesday, and neither he nor his attorneys would comment afterward. His trial is scheduled for March.

Whipkey served parishes in Frederick, Mead and Erie but was placed on administrative leave by the Archdiocese of Denver in August.

The archdiocese said Whipkey was investigated for "inappropriate personal behavior" more than eight years ago when he was a pastor in Sterling. The archdiocese said that incident did not involve "physical or sexual contact with another individual," but it gave no other details.

From our sister, Saint Dar of the Hudson.

Giving Best Western its props

Ok, so it seems that Best Western is upset with my Travelodge post below, so in solidarity with the ole BW, I give you Saint Richard Shindell, my friend.

"When fascism comes to this country, it’ll be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross."

Jesus lost his remote and is stuck on FOX News forever.

Monsignor John Urell Speaks Via Church Bulletin

Posted by Gustavo Arellano in Ex Cathedra

Whatever happened to Monsignor John Urell, the pastor of St. Norbert's Catholic Church in Orange and the longtime keeper of secrets in the Orange diocese sex-abuse scandal. Today, a St. Norbert's parishioner faxed us an update: Urell spoke to his flock this past weekend through the wonders of a church bulletin*.

In it, Urell thanks his supporters for "the many notes that have come to me, usually just at the right time when encouragement was needed." The Orange County native revealed that he had suffered from "psychological, emotional, physical and spiritual turmoil...the last number of years" and told the faithful to await his return "within the first quarter of the new year." Urell also reveals a spiritual insight: his time at the Southdown Institue for an acute anxiety disorder has reminded the padre to "pray for, in a special way, all those who suffer from anxiety and depression." It's his politically correct way of mentioning what got him sent away in the first place: his role in THE BLOODY SEX ABUSE SCANDAL THAT HE WON'T EVEN MENTION BECAUSE HE'S TOO MUCH OF A *&$#%^ COWARD TO GO AGAINST BISHOP TOD BROWN. Sorry, where were we? Merry Christmas to all, and good night!

*We'd post the bulletin, but Gustavo doesn't know how to link in any .pdf's...

T.G.I.F. Saint Gregory, TGIF

ROME (Reuters) - An Italian court has ruled that a couple could not name their son "Friday" and ordered that he instead be called Gregory after the saint whose feast day he was born on.

"I think it is ridiculous they even opened a case about it," the family's lawyer, Paola Rossi, told Reuters by telephone from the northern city of Genoa Tuesday.

Friday/Gregory Germano was born in Genoa 15 months ago. The parents registered him as Friday in the city hall and a priest even baptized him as Friday -- unusual in Italy since many priests insist that first names be of Christian origin.

"We named him Friday because we like the sound of the name. Even if it would have been a girl, we would have named her Friday," the boy's mother, Mara Germano, told Reuters.

When the boy was about five months old, a city hall clerk brought the odd name to the attention of a tribunal, which informed the couple of an administrative norm which bars parents from giving "ridiculous or shameful" first names to children.

The tribunal said it was protecting the child from being the butt of jokes and added that it believed the name would hinder him from developing "serene interpersonal relationships."

The Germano family appealed but lost their case this month and the story was carried on the front page of a national newspaper Tuesday.

When ordered to change the name, the parents refused and the court ruled the boy would be legally registered as Gregory because he was born on that saint's feast day.

"I really doubt this would have happened to the child of parents who are rich and famous," the boy's mother told Reuters, recalling that some famous Italians had given their children unorthodox names such as "Ocean" or "Chanel."

The appeals court ruled against Friday because it recalled the servile savage in Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe and because superstitious Italians consider Friday an unlucky day.

"I am livid about this," the boy's mother said. "A court should not waste its time with things like this when there is so much more to worry about."

"My son was born Friday, baptized Friday, will call himself Friday, we will call him Friday but when he gets older he will have to sign his name Gregory," she said.

Talking Jesus Action Figure Sells Out At Walmart (empty tomb sold seperately)

If you were planning on getting a Talking Jesus Action Figure this Christmas (or whatever) you're almost out of luck. Walmart has completely sold out of the toy and Target.com has "very limited supply," according to the manufacturer's spokesperson, Joshua Livingston.

"We feel blessed that the toys are now in the hands of thousands of children, teaching them the word of God. We knew that the toys would make great Christmas gifts, but to see them sell so well before the Christmas buying season begins proves that parents want alternatives in the toy aisle," says Livingston.

It may also prove that goth kids still buy gag gifts, but we don't want to hurt Mr. Livingston's feelings or anything.

Bye Bye Ike

Ike Turner has passed away.

He died in his sleep on Tuesday night.

He will best be remembered as a wife beater and a drug addict.

Jesus switches to the Travelodge

I used to be a Best Western kinda guy, but I ain't no mo! A hotel chain Tuesday said it was offering couples called Joseph and Mary in Britain, Ireland and Spain free accommodation this Christmas on proof of marriage and name.

Hotel chain Travelodge said husbands and wives matching their criteria would get a night's stay on the house, but with more home comforts than the humble stable of the Christian Nativity story.

The offer, appropriately, runs between Christmas Eve (December 24) to Twelfth Night (January 5, 2008).

"The phrase 'no room at the inn' is something that resonates with us in the hotel business," said Travelodge operations director Jason Cotta.

"Therefore this year we have decided to evoke the true spirit of Christmas and invite Mary and Joseph couples as our guests."

A Travelodge spokeswoman told AFP couples will have to be married and provide proof of identity and register their names at a special e-mail address.

Where is John Urell you ask?

Saint Gustavo of Orange County asks a concerning question, "where for art thou, John Urell"
in his recent blog post in the OC Weekly.

Well, the truth is that he's a televangelist on Channel 40 in Toronto now, broadcasting from a corner of his room at Southdown. Anyone get their Southdown Christmas card yet?

.. touch the screen damn it. TOUCH THE SCREEN!

Catholic Navy Chaplain to Plead to Sex Charges

WASHINGTON (AP) - A former Navy chaplain plans to plead guilty to allegations that include forcible sodomy and failing to tell a sex partner he was HIV-positive, his attorney said Wednesday.

Lt. Cmdr. John Thomas Matthew Lee was to enter the plea Thursday at his court-martial at Marine Corps Base Quantico in northern Virginia, his attorney, David Sheldon, said.

Lee, 42, plans to plead guilty to forcible sodomy, aggravated assault and other charges, Sheldon said. Military law defines failing to inform a partner of a person's HIV status as aggravated assault, he said.

"He's extremely apologetic and remorseful, both as a chaplain and as a naval officer," Sheldon said.

Lee was ordained as a priest in 1993 and began serving as a military chaplain in 1996, said Julia Rota, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of the Military Services, which oversees Catholic priests in the military. His faculties to function as a priest were revoked in June, after an accuser came forward, Rota said.

Military officials have not said whether any accusers were infected with HIV.

Lee served at the Naval Academy from September 2003 until November 2006, when he was reassigned to Quantico. He was relieved of his duties in June.

former Catholic priest has been indicted on federal child pornography charges

Bernie Ward, a popular San Francisco radio talk show host and former Catholic priest, has been indicted on federal child pornography charges, authorities said today.

Ward, 56, surrendered to federal authorities earlier today but the specifics of the allegations against him are under seal, officials said.

Ward hosts a nightly news talk program on KGO 810 AM as well as GodTalk on Sundays. He had been a priest with the Society of the Precious Blood order.

The radio station's Web site said that he was indicted on two counts of child pornography using the Internet.

Ward's attorney said today that the charges are based on incidents that occurred more than four years ago and were part of research for a book.

"As everybody knows, Bernie, for over 20 years, has been a progressive, opposed to insensitive authority - he has been a champion of charities, nonprofits for the homeless," said Doron Weinberg, who appeared in federal court today as Ward's lawyer.

"More than three years ago, Bernie was doing research for a book he was doing on hypocrisy in America," Weinberg said.

As part of the research, Ward downloaded "a few images" of child pornography, and, Weinberg said, "it came to the attention of the government in late 2004."

"They investigated and they never found any involvement in child pornography other than this period that he accessed these images," Weinberg said. "The government knows that Bernie was doing this for an investigation he was doing for a book. But the government believes he violated the letter of the law and they have gone ahead and prosecuted him."

Weinberg stressed that "the fact that these events happened three years ago and they are just being prosecuted shows the fact that nobody believes that he is a child predator."

"He is just being prosecuted for a mistake he made (more than) three years ago," the lawyer said.

Federal authorities seized Ward's computer in early 2005 and there was no evidence of child pornography or any other impropriety, Weinberg added.

"We have been trying to convince the government that this is not something they should proceed with. They said, 'He violated the law, sorry.' "

A statement from KGO's operations director said, "Ward has been a valued, long-time employee of KGO Radio. We were just recently made aware of these serious charges and are surprised and concerned by their nature.

"As the matter is currently pending in federal court, we will have no additional comment at this time."

E-mail Jaxon Van Derbeken at jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com.

No Red Bull for baby Jesus

ROME (Reuters) - An angry Italian priest has persuaded soft drinks company Red Bull to withdraw an advertisement setting its product in a nativity scene on the grounds it is disrespectful to Christianity.

Father Marco Damanti, from Sicily, wrote to the makers of the caffeinated energy drink denouncing their commercial as "a blasphemous act" and said on Monday he had received a prompt reply promising to remove it from Italian television.

The advert depicted four wise men, instead of three, visiting Mary and the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem. The fourth wise man bore a can of the soft drink.

"The image of the sacred family has been represented in a sacrilegious way," Father Damanti told Corriere della Sera. "Whatever the ironic intentions of Red Bull, the advert pokes fun at the nativity, and at Christian sensitivity."

The priest also objected to the company's slogan, "Red Bull gives you wings," said by angels in the animated advert.

The commercial is by no means the first to fall foul of Italian religious sensibilities. Sony, fashion house Marithe et Francois Girbaud, and pop singer Madonna are among those whose adverts have been banned on the grounds of religion.

(Reporting by Liz Rusbridger; Editing by Sophie Walker)

Calling for boycott... anti-Christian undertones in a film!

Remember what happened with Harry Potter? Well, in order to bypass that whole scene again Christian groups are calling for a boycott of Nicole Kidman’s new film, The Golden Compass.
The movie is based on the book The Northern Lights by British author Philip Pullman, which is anti-religious and against organized faith.

Even though filmmakers are claiming any anti-Christian undertones have been removed from the movie, the Catholic League and others are worried that kids will be inspired to buy the book and are urging parents to keep them away from it.

It will make Nicole Kidman sad, but spread the word anyway.

Attorneys drop request for contempt citation against Bishop Tod Brown, but plaintiffs and diocese disagree on why

“Shock and disbelief”

The Smoking Jesus isn't sure who he should shoot over this. If it is true that Lawyer John Manly decided to not pursue the citation, then I have to pick him as the "WWJS" pick of the week.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys in several sex-abuse cases recently settled out of court by the Diocese of Orange have decided not to pursue a contempt-of-court citation against Bishop Tod Brown, but say the diocese coerced their decision.

Msgr. John Urell, former Orange diocesan chancellor under Bishop Norman McFarland, was deposed in July in one of the cases. He became so upset by questions about his handling of sex-abuse complaints as chancellor that he walked out of his unfinished deposition, crying. Later it was learned that Bishop Brown had agreed to send Urell to the Southdown Institute near Toronto, Canada, for treatment of an emotional condition.

In a Sept. 10 deposition, Brown said that he had decided to send Urell to Southdown at the suggestion of Urell’s doctors and attorney. Brown said he did not know specifically what Urell was being treated for.

The diocese’s lawyer, Peter M. Callahan, has said that even plaintiffs’ lawyers agreed that, after Urell’s breakdown in July, the deposition did not need to continue. Instead, they would rely on what Urell had said thus far and on four days of deposition he had given in an earlier lawsuit. “It was only when a plaintiff’s lawyer learned that Monsignor Urell had gone to Canada for treatment that the priest suddenly became ‘a critical witness,’” Callahan said in the November Orange County Catholic, the diocesan newspaper.

Plaintiffs’ lawyers sought a contempt citation against Brown, alleging that he had sent Urell to Canada to keep him from testifying in the sex-abuse trial. In September, Brown testified that he had no idea Urell would be called as a witness in an upcoming trial.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys had planned to question Urell because, as chancellor, he had handled abuse allegations, said the Nov. 29 Los Angeles Times. Callahan, however, said in the Orange County Catholic that Urell “had no legitimate involvement” in the Mater Dei case at all. In fact, said Callahan, as chancellor, Urell “had very little involvement in claims of wrongdoing involving lay personnel.”

The diocese settled with the four alleged victims for $6.885 million. As part of the settlement, plaintiffs dropped efforts to obtain the contempt-of-court citation against Brown. Proceedings for the citation were to begin last month but had been postponed until Dec. 3.

Plaintiffs’ lawyer John Manly, however, claims the diocese pressured his clients to drop the citation. "The diocese insisted that it be done this way or they would have refused to pay our clients," Manly told the Times. But Callahan said the court dropped the contempt case because “it was a totally malicious and non-meritorious claim.” A statement by the diocese said "removal of the citation was not a prerequisite for settlement.”

Manly’s office replied, "This is simply untrue," the Times reported. "The victims wish to express shock and disbelief that Bishop Tod Brown… would attempt to mislead the public once again…"


READER COMMENTS

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Posted Monday, December 03, 2007 5:24 AM By kurt gladsky
This doesn't suprise me a bit. In Baltimore, Cardinal Keeler sent Fr. A. Joseph Maskell to Ireland just minutes before the Baltimore city police were to arrest Maskell for the first degree murder of Joyce Malecki and Sr. Cathy Cesnick. When I asked cardinal Keeler why he thought he could ignore the law and get away with it Keeler said: " We were after him {Maskell} to change his ways,but he just wouldn't." Kurt Gladsky, Baltimore SNAP