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

Message from Johnny Cash for OC Bishop Tod Brown

Contempt citation against O.C. bishop dropped

By David Haldane, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer



A contempt-of-court citation against the Roman Catholic bishop Tod Brown of Orange County has been dropped as part of a nearly $7-million sexual abuse settlement, attorneys said Wednesday. But the opposing sides disagreed over what led to the action. Lawyers for the four women allegedly molested by Catholic school and parish employees said the diocese forced them to drop their bid for the citation.

"The diocese insisted that it be done this way or they would have refused to pay our clients," said John Manly, a spokesman for the women. But Peter Callahan, an attorney for the diocese, said the contempt case was dismissed by the court because it lacked merit. "I would have welcomed the opportunity to present our case in open court," he said. "It was a totally malicious and non-meritorious claim. "The plaintiffs' lawsuits said they were molested by two Mater Dei High School faculty members, a Santa Margarita Catholic High School teacher and a choir director at St. Timothy's and St. Edward's parishes. The contempt citation had been requested by the accusers' attorneys after Brown sent an associate, Msgr. John Urell, to Canada for medical treatment before he could complete a deposition in one of the cases.

Manly and the other plaintiffs' attorneys had planned to call Urell as a witness because he had handled allegations of abuse against the diocese. Attorneys for the diocese and Urell, on the other hand, maintained that he suffered from an acute anxiety disorder that prevented him from testifying. The judge had begun contempt proceedings against the bishop last month, but then postponed the hearing until Dec. 3.On Nov. 20, meanwhile, the two sides reached a settlement agreement in which the diocese paid the plaintiffs nearly $7 million. It was not until Wednesday that attorneys announced that the contempt citation had been dropped.

"Removal of the citation was not a prerequisite for settlement," the diocese insisted in a statement. "Diocesan legal counsel were fully prepared to respond to [the] attempt to besmirch Bishop Brown's character. . . ."Manly's office shot back a statement of its own. "This is simply untrue," it said. "The victims wish to express shock and disbelief that Bishop Tod Brown . . . would attempt to mislead the public once again. . . ."At least one person, Brown himself, was apparently expressing relief. "Our faith is in large measure founded on the concept of forgiveness," he said in the diocesan statement.

"The recent settlements are but one measure of our sincere regret for the events of the past. "Diocese spokesman Ryan Lilyengren added: "We are pleased that all this is over and behind us. Now the victims can move forward with their healing and the diocese can focus on its pastoral mission."

david.haldane@latimes.com

$50 million for Alaskan abuse plaintiffs

PAYING RESPECTS: Thomas Cheemuk visits the grave of his brother John, who killed himself in 1999, in a cemetery overlooking the Alaska village of St. Michael in February.

By William Lobdell and Stuart Silverstein
Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

The Jesuit order of the Roman Catholic Church has agreed to pay $50 million to 110 Eskimos to settle claims of sexual abuse by priests and missionaries in some of the world's most remote villages.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs announced the settlement Sunday, calling it a record payout by a Catholic religious order. However, officials for the Jesuits -- formally called the Society of Jesus -- said there were "still many issues that need to be finalized."

"We are disappointed by today's actions by the plaintiff's attorneys, which we see as premature and detrimental to the work of healing about which we are all concerned," said John D. Whitney, the provincial superior of Society of Jesus, Oregon Province, in a written statement.

E-mail between the Jesuits' and victims' attorneys indicated a deal was in place, though some details needed to be worked out.

"This e-mail will confirm that a settlement has been reached," wrote Richard K. Hansen, attorney for the Jesuits, to the Eskimos' lead attorney, Ken Roosa, on Friday. "The settlement calls for $50 million to be paid to the plaintiffs/claimants in exchange for releases of all claims against the Jesuit defendants."

The settlement does not require the order to admit fault, Roosa said. None of the priests was ever criminally charged.

A dozen priests and three missionaries were accused of sexually abusing Eskimo children in 15 villages and Nome from 1961 to 1987. The flood of allegations led to accusations that the Eskimo communities were a dumping ground for abusive priests and lay workers affiliated with the Jesuit order, which supplied bishops, priests and lay missionaries to the Fairbanks diocese.

Jesuit officials have denied transferring molesting priests to Alaska, saying that it was a prestigious assignment for the most courageous and faithful. In Jesuit fundraising literature, Eskimo villages were called "the world's most difficult mission field."

Many plaintiffs said their once devoutly Catholic villages -- cut off from the world and without law enforcement -- offered a perfect setting for a molesting priest. In 2005, The Times published a story about Joseph Lundowski, a Jesuit deacon who allegedly sexually abused nearly every boy in two small villages on St. Michael Island between 1968 and 1975.

Lundowski's accusers -- now in their 40s and 50s -- said the abuse led to alcoholism, violence, emotional problems and suicide attempts. They kept their secret -- not even talking about it among themselves -- until the Catholic Church sex scandal erupted in 2002.

That year, Roosa filed the first civil suit against the Jesuits and the Diocese of Fairbanks. The cases against the diocese are still pending.

Roosa said he spent Sunday on the phone, relaying the news of the settlement to his clients who were scattered across western Alaska: "I'm tired but I'm able to call clients today with good news."

This year, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles paid $660 million to settle with 508 claimants, and the Diocese of San Diego paid $198 million to settle with 144 alleged victims.

In Orange County, the Diocese of Orange two years ago paid out $100 million to 90 people who alleged they were victims of clergy sexual abuse.

In Alaska, the average payout of $554,000 was far below those in Southern California, but comparisons can't yet be made because the Fairbanks diocese hasn't agreed to a settlement.

Fr. Chris Heath is proud to not be "green"

A reader sent in this link of Fr. Chris Heath's new car.

"No I'm not "green" I just wanted to save some money". Amen brother, I hear ya!

Taken directly from the OC Dioceses handbook on it's policy regarding handling sex abuse cases. No, we aren't guilty, we just wanted to save some money on litigation.

Shouldn't the OC mascot, Monsignor John Urell, be returning soon? Please come home for Christmas, John.

Get thee to a nunnery

MILWAUKEE — A 79-year-old Roman Catholic nun pleaded no contest Monday to two counts of indecent behavior with a child for alleged sexual encounters with two male students at a church convent and school where she was principal during the 1960s.

The nun, Norma Giannini, and her attorney left the courthouse without comment after entering the pleas in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

Giannini faces a maximum 10 years on each count when sentenced Feb. 1.

According to the criminal complaint, the two men told authorities they had dozens of sexual encounters with Giannini, including intercourse, while attending St. Patrick's School.

One man said the nun told him in 1965, when he was 13, to open the buttons of her habit, but he was shaking so badly he could not do so. He said she then unbuttoned her clothing and had him touch her breasts, the complaint said.

The first incident was followed by 60 to 80 others, including two involving sexual intercourse, it said.

The other man said he had sexual contact with the nun more than 100 times, beginning when he was in seventh grade. At least one incident involved sexual intercourse, the complaint said.

Giannini went on to work in Illinois from 1970 to 1994.

Sister Betty Smith, regional president for the Sisters of Mercy in Chicago, has said the nun received extensive counseling at a St. Louis treatment facility after the order "learned of the situation" during the 1990s.

Giannini, listed in online court records as living in Oak Lawn, Ill., has been closely monitored and separated from minors since then, Smith said. The nun has been retired from active work for five years because of failing health, she said.

Catholic priests past compels some members to renounce the church

By Meera Pal, STAFF WRITER

PLEASANTON — After a lifetime as a devout Catholic, Theresa Aimar is renouncing the church.
Aimar and her husband made the difficult decision to leave their faith after learning the Rev. Padraig Greene, the pastor-in-waiting at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Pleasanton, was arrested several years ago on lewdness allegations.

Greene, who will be named parish priest for the Catholic Community of Pleasanton, still has the support of the Rev. Dan Danielson and Bishop Allen Vigneron of the Diocese of Oakland.

Shocked, angry and feeling betrayed, Aimar said she felt sick to her stomach upon hearing of the 1999 incident in which Greene was arrested on suspicion of committing a lewd act in a public restroom at an Oakland hills park.

For Aimar, it brought back memories of her brothers childhood abuse by a Catholic priest.

We will still be Christians, but the Catholic priests have lost all credibility with us and, unfortunately, all respect, she said.

While Danielson is saddened by news that a family has left the parish, he said most of the 5,000 parishioners still support Greene and understand the concept of forgiveness.

(Greene) did something wrong, but he has atoned for it and gone on, he said.

Danielson also said he has told Greene not to talk to the media about this controversy.

Joey Piscitelli, director of the Northern California chapterof Survival Network of Those Abused by Priests, disagrees. He handed out fliers Sunday warning parishioners of Greene's past — something he said the church should have done.
"Whether or not he was convicted is not the issue," Piscitelli said. "The issue is that he makes poor choices and he's lucky he wasn't convicted. However, his behavior is a problem for kids."

Later this week, Danielson will issue a statement about "what really happened" in 1999. He said Greene was never convicted, nor were any children involved in the incident. Danielson said he considers Piscitelli's fliers misleading and inaccurate.

"If it was a present danger he would not be here in the first place ... If there was a history of being with children, he wouldn't be serving as a priest anywhere," Danielson said.

According to an Oakland Police report, an undercover officer investigating complaints of sex in the rest rooms at the North Oakland Regional Sports Center on Broadway said he saw Greene engaging in a sex act by himself.

Greene spent two days in custody and charges were eventually dismissed by the Alameda County District Attorney after he agreed to undergo sexual counseling at St. Michael's Center in St. Louis. St. Michael's Center, run by the Servants of the Paraclete, a Catholic religious order, treats priests, nuns and brothers who suffer from alcoholism, depression and other disorders.

"History has proved to us in California (that) priests who go to sexual therapy most often are repeat offenders," Piscitelli said.

That the church still plans to name Greene pastor of the Pleasanton congregations spotlights what Piscitelli considers an ongoing problem with the Catholic hierarchy.

"This is what got the Catholic Church in trouble," Piscitelli said. "This attitude that a man who has committed a sexual offense is fine to go back and oversee a ministry."

But the past is the past, said parishioner Michael Gallagher. The chairman of the pastor transitional team said over the past five years, Greene has done great work in Pleasanton.

"He has a very humble heart and is very caring," said Gallagher, who also believes the anti-Greene fliers inaccurate. "The incident took place in 1999 ... and he is still being put through the wringer."

Aimar, on the other hand, said the church needs to stop sweeping allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug.

"If my mother had had a flier like this one, she may have not let the pastor pull my brother out of his faith formation class to see how well he knew his Rosary," Aimar said.


Meera Pal covers Pleasanton. Reach her at 925-847-2120 or mpal@bayareanewsgroup.com. Staff writer Scott Marshall contributed to this story.

John Urell fan clubs popping up all over

Last night a SJ photographer captured on film a vigil for a Catholic priest from Orange County, John Urell.

As the heads of the online fanclubs and myspace maintainers planned a picket at the boarder, local chapters made signs and lit candles.

Oh Toronto, let my people go.

Monsigner John Urell could be planning this guy's going away party.

By David Haldane, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 10, 2007
A Stanton pastor about to go on trial on charges of having unlawful sex with a 16-year-old parishioner has been rearrested on suspicion of violating a court protective order by seeing her twice while out on bail, authorities said Friday.

Ronald Hernandez Tova, 57, is accused of meeting the girl, now 17, at a bus stop in July and in a church parking lot earlier this week, said Drew Haughton, a deputy district attorney prosecuting the case.

"It's pretty outrageous conduct," Haughton said. "He continues to show complete disregard for the authority of law."

Tova, a pastor at Shadow of the Almighty church, is scheduled to begin trial Dec. 24 on suspicion of having unlawful sex with the girl on multiple occasions, including his church office, between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31, 2006. He was released in October of last year after posting $100,000 bail.

In July, Haughton said, a friend of the victim's mother saw Tova, who is married, and the girl at a bus stop. She told police, who put him under surveillance. On Tuesday, authorities said, officers followed Tova to a church parking lot in Montclair, where he allegedly met the girl and drove her home.

Authorities said they have no evidence of any new sexual contact between the girl and Tova, who was arrested at the scene. On Friday, authorities charged him with violating the court order, a misdemeanor, and raised his bail to $750,000.

If convicted of all the charges, Tova would face nearly six years in jail.

david.haldane@latimes.com

Are your brothels full oh babylon with merry middlemen?

LONDON (Reuters) - A Roman Catholic bishop in the southern English port city of Portsmouth is backing a campaign to legalize brothels without in any way condoning them.

The Right Reverend Crispian Hollis supported the local branch of the Women's Institute which wants to license brothels.

"If you are going to take a pragmatic view and say prostitution happens, I think there is a need to make sure it's as well regulated as possible for the health of people involved and for the safety of the ladies themselves," Hollis said.

"That's not to say I approve of prostitution in any way. I would be very much happier if there was no prostitution in Portsmouth," he told The Portsmouth News.

"But it's going to be there whatever we do and it has been from time immemorial. So I think that is something we have to be realistic about."

His comments won praise from Rachel Frost, from the International Union for Sex Workers.

"The bishop should be commended for having the guts to come out and say that," she said.

Catholic Priest Stalks Conan O'Brian

NOVEMBER 8–A Boston Catholic priest was arrested last week for stalking Conan O’Brien over a 14-month-period. According to New York police, Rev. David Ajemian, 46, was nabbed November 2 outside the NBC studios in Rockefeller Center as he tried to enter the building for a taping of O’Brien’s late-night talk show. A criminal complaint filed against Ajemian charges that the priest sent O’Brien threatening notes written on his parish’s letterhead and contacted the parents of the 44-year-old comedian, who grew up in Brookline, a Boston suburb. In his notes to O’Brien, Ajemian allegedly referred to himself as “your priest stalker,” and when he was denied entry to a taping, Ajemian wrote, “Is this the way you treat your most dangerous fans?” In his bizarre letters, Ajemian refers to John McEnroe as his “childhood nemesis,” claiming that the tennis star once assaulted him while they were seventh grade classmates at a Manhattan private school. Ajemian added that he “once went after” McEnroe and was “still waiting for his confession as well.” Ajemian, who is facing aggravated stalking and harassment counts, allegedly began contacting O’Brien last September. He is currently being held on Rikers Island and, if convicted, faces up to a year in jail.

Filed Under: Who Would Jesus Shoot

Oh for pete's sake people...

A Roman Catholic priest who smashed a wine bottle over a woman's head in a church office attack was sentenced Thursday to four to 12 years in state prison.

The Rev. George Chaanine, 53, had pleaded guilty Sept. 20 to felony battery with a deadly weapon and faced a possible two to 15 years in prison in a plea deal that avoided trial. Prosecutors dropped other charges, including attempted murder, sexual assault and kidnapping, that could have resulted in a sentence of life in prison with parole.

The duration of his sentence hinges on whether he is approved for parole.In court Thursday, Chaanine denied he sexually assaulted the woman and offered an apology and a rambling statement about his feelings for her before he was led from the courtroom in handcuffs, court information officer Michael Sommermeyer said."He loved her," Chaanine's court-appointed lawyer, Jeff Banks, said later. "His emotions got the better of him. It was the biggest mistake of his life, and he's going to have to come to grips with it."

The woman, then 54, said Chaanine hit her in the head with a wine bottle, stomped on her hand, groped her and choked her until she began praying Jan. 26.She said he suddenly stopped and fled.Chaanine was arrested almost a week later near Phoenix.The woman was treated for a broken hand and a gash on the head, authorities said.

The victim and her adult daughter gave long statements about the effect the attack had on them. The victim told Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt that the attack caused her to lose her faith in the church and that she didn't want to live anymore. She sang in the Our Lady of Las Vegas Catholic Church choir and had been hired by Chaanine as the parish event coordinator. Both sides have said Chaanine's relationship with the woman was more than priest and parishioner. The woman testified at Chaanine's preliminary hearing that he gave her money to help pay her bills and mortgage and treated her to lunch daily. But she said they were not romantically involved. The church did not pay for his defense. Bishop Joseph Pepe, the head of the Las Vegas Diocese, issued a statement saying Chaanine remained suspended from his "priestly ministry."

It's fun to stay at the YMCA

oh the humanity...

Ask The Smoking Jesus

Jesus, why is California burning to the ground?


Answer: I'm surprised that California hasn't voted to ban fires from smoking outdoors yet.

Babylon is Burning

So I hear Southern California is on fire. Performed by the Brothers Rut. True prophets.

You want the truth? You cant handle the truth.

THIS POST HAS BEEN DELETED BY THE SITE ADMIN.

It's a wicked little town

thank you Tommy Gnosis

Good news for Catholic stoners

Pope Benedict XVI has reviewed the annulment practices of the Vatican judges. He has warned them to stop being so willing to annul Catholic marriages.

The Pope ordered the clampdown after figures showed that the church’s appeals court allowed 69 annulments in 2005 for reasons which included husbands being too attached to their mothers.

The court, known as the Sacra Rota, considers petitions from couples claiming their marriages were never truly valid.

Apart from the get-out clause for women married to “mummy’s boys”, an “inability to assume conjugal obligations”, usually due to a childhood trauma, appears among the successful reasons for annulment in 2005, as do alcoholism, use of cannabis, infidelity and a serious lack of “moderation in judgment” by a partner.

Whether or not cannabis use will be accepted as a justification for future annulments has not been announced.

Leonard Cohen: Hallelujah

final iPod suggestion.. oh, and let heaven and nature sing.

Would someone tell John Urell he can come home now

WHO IS LAUGHING NOW !!!

Happy days are here again for a certain John Urell.

AP NEWSWIRE: SANTA ANA, Oct. 5, 2007 - The Diocese of Orange said late Friday it has settled four clergy abuse cases, including a case that had threatened to expose the bishop to a contempt of court hearing next week.

"The settlement of these civil cases represents the moral obligation for the church for such behavior by adults in positions of responsibility," Bishop Tod D. Brown said in a statement.

Deliver Us From Evil

Ask The Smoking Jesus

Who would Jesus shoot?


Answer:

Not much of a hunter, more of a gatherer.

(WTB) What's The Buzz: tell me whats a happenin'

Since folks have been asking about it for so long, My friend John Cameron has put the answer to song. Thank you brother John.

Ask The Smoking Jesus

This sent in by Jennifer-


Answer:

To quote Bishop Tod Brown's ex-PR man... "If we got rid of all the homosexuals, there would be no one left to run the church."

To quote Kurt Cobain - "everyone is gay"


So, Song number two for John Urell's iPod is :

ALL APOLOGIES

Worried about Sister Amy

I've been texting you all day but you wont return my call.

Craigslist is for getting chores done

The Smoking Jesus cannot condone such activity on Craigslist.

"Craig Newmark, who started craigslist in San Francisco in 1995, has said the site aims to make it easier for people to get everyday chores done."

3 arrests in prostitution case
Women accused of using Craigslist.org to lure customers to their Irvine apartment.
By SONYA SMITH
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

IRVINE – Three women were arrested Tuesday on suspicion that they set up a prostitution ring via Craigslist.org, and advertised sex for $160 on the Web site, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Help Save John Urell

The Priest Whisperer

At what point does a priest decide it's time to get his own lawyer?
What if what's best for the Catholic Church isn't the best for say, uh... someone like John Urell. I really don't know, I'm just asking.
Something has gone terribly wrong here, and John Urell is in a heap of trouble and needs some help and I don't mean Southdown Institute help.
What we need here folks is a Priest Whisperer so maybe then John Urell could tell us what the problem is. Blink once for yes and twice for no John.

It aint no big thang...

500 Irish priests 'having regular sex with women
By Tom Peterkin, Ireland Correspondent

At least 500 women in Ireland are conducting clandestine affairs with Roman Catholic priests, according to the leader of a support group set up to look after those in forbidden relationships.

An indication of the extent of illicit sexual relationships within the church was given after it was disclosed that Fr Maurice "Mossy" Dillane, 73, had fathered a child with his 31-year-old girlfriend.

Bishop Pat Buckley said an extremely conservative estimate was that one in 10 of the 5,000 Catholic priests in Ireland enjoyed regular sex with women and some even referred to their clerical collar as the "bird catcher".

Studies had shown that 80 per cent of priests had broken their vows of celibacy on at least one occasion, he said.

Bishop Buckley runs the Bethany organisation in Larne, Co Antrim, which he set up to provide support to those in love affairs with the clergy.

Described as Ireland's rebel bishop, Bishop Buckley was sidelined by the Catholic church in the mid-1980s when he pursued his own ministry for those who felt alienated by the traditional church.

When the statistics were widened to take in practising homosexuals, Bishop Buckley said up to 40 per cent of the Catholic clergy in Ireland were sexually active.

Counselling sessions organised by Bethany have disclosed that several women were unwittingly having sex with the same priest.

He claimed the church's hierarchy was prepared to turn a blind eye to sexual indiscretion because it was so widespread. "Bishops are caught between Rome and the priests and, of course, some of the bishops are in the same position (i.e. having relationships)," he said.

"From the top down it is hypocritical. We are preaching compulsory celibacy, but very few are living it."

He said he had met 147 women who had joined Bethany in order to share their stories of adultery and priestly promiscuity.

Romances between an understanding man of God and an unloved wife were commonplace, as were priests and their housekeepers secretly living together as man and wife while relationships between priests and nuns were unofficially known as the "third way" by the church.

Bishop Buckley said Fr Dillane and the mother of his child had nothing to be ashamed of and urged them to come out of the safe houses where they have been hiding since news of their relationship swept through Ireland.

The case of Fr Dillane, a sociable and charismatic priest from Co Galway, has been greeted with a tolerance that was absent 14-years ago when Bishop Eamon Casey, the Bishop of Galway, was disclosed as the father of a teenage son by an American divorcee, Annie Murphy. He was forced to apologise when it emerged that he had siphoned £70,000 from the diocese for their upkeep.

Bishop Buckley has been a long-standing campaigner against compulsory celibacy and points to a recent Irish survey suggesting that 90 per cent of the population thought clergy should be allowed to marry. He also believes that enforced celibacy is an unnatural state that could be to blame for the sexual deviancy that led to the child abuse scandal that erupted in Ireland last year.

"Some priests are in the Jack the lad mould and have several relationships in various parishes. I have heard priests refer to their clerical collar as the bird catcher," Bishop Buckley said.

The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland declined to comment on Bishop Buckley's claims.

Did the singing nun commit suicide

Dear Smoking Jesus:

A friend and I were discussing the fate of the "singing nun," popular for a time in the 60s when we were kids. We agreed she left the convent, entered into a lesbian affair and, in a state of despondency over money matters, committed suicide. But neither of us can remember exactly why. Could you possibly help? --Hethryn Haryse (?), Los Angeles

Smoking Jesus replies:

Let's not make this any more lurid than it already is, Hethryn (or whatever your name is--I swear, what this country really needs is a good course in handwriting). It's true that the "singing nun," also known as Janine (spellings vary) Deckers, committed suicide in Belgium in 1985 along with her companion of ten years, Annie Pecher. However, popular belief on this score notwithstanding, Cecil does not know if the two were lovers, and frankly does not feel it is any of his business. Or, if you don't mind my saying so, of yours.

The two women were in despair because the center for autistic children they had founded had gone under for lack of funds. The Belgian government was also dunning Deckers for back taxes of between $47,000 and $63,000, although she said she had given all her music earnings to her convent. Deckers, who had become a Dominican nun in 1959, recorded "Dominique" as a tribute to the founder of her order. In 1963 it made number one in the U.S., selling 1.5 million copies. Deckers left the convent in 1967 before taking final vows, partly to pursue a recording career, but never repeated her earlier success. After her death at 51 or 52 (the two women washed down massive doses of barbiturates with alcohol).