Should We Defend Ourselves against Defamation and Slander?

Dr. Hitchcock, take note! Slander is
a serious sin against the 8th
Commandment that requires repair.

  The post following this introduction is an email I received from friend and Wanderer journalist Dexter Duggan. Dexter wrote to me responding to yesterday's Sunday meditation on slander and righteous anger. He's experienced slander first hand from a Catholic historian who, by all common sense standards, should be an ally. Some readers may recall my posts relating the story of Dexter's abuse by Dr. James Hitchcock in his book, Abortion, Religious Freedom, and Catholic Politics. (See here and here.)

Indeed, Dexter knows what it is to be falsely accused, slandered, and vilified. He knows what it is to have your reputation continuously damaged by falsehoods published in a book used on Catholic college campuses across the country. He knows what it is to be defamed over and over on EWTN and in Catholic interview shows promoting the slanderous book. Hitchcock's refusal to correct the mistakes and defamation reflects more on him than on Dexter. And what it says about him is anything but complimentary to a man professing to be a faithful Catholic.

What possessed Dr. Hitchcock to attack Dexter and The Wanderer in the first place is beyond me. That he refuses to correct his errors and apologize for the slander certainly doesn't demonstrate a humble Catholic mind and heart (that the Lord "will not spurn"). It shows a pride and arrogance that is rather frightening to see in an aged man on the cusp of eternity.

Sunday Meditation: Righteous Anger and the Slandering of Good Priests!

What would Jesus do in the face of evil and injustice?

I've was walking around my house a few days ago so angry I couldn't sit down. If I could spit fire, it would have spewed out of my mouth white-hot -- lighting up every combustable item nearby! Ever since childhood I've hated injustice, and too many times I've seen the liars and demons go after good priests and kill their vocations.

Want a Sure Litmus Test to Measure Your Bishop? Is He Forcing Communion in the Hand?

Archbishop Wester "presided" at the
2018 Assembly Mass of AUSCP.

US archbishop bans Communion on tongue, claims it’s ‘not crucial’ how Catholics receive

How many liberal bishops like Wester will use the coronavirus as a pretext to ban Communion on the tongue and demand parishioners receive in the hand?

Well...how many bishops enabled the sex abuse scandal with coverups and moved abusers around? I expect to see more liberal bishops follow Wester.

One good thing is that he can hardly ban Communion in the hand without banning Communion under both species. How can he claim putting the host on the tongue is a risk while allowing a communal cup to be passed from mouth to mouth? I wish that practice would disappear forever! Intinction yes, communal cup with hordes of LEMs (lay extraordinary ministers) NO!

Guest Post: Prayer and the Coronavirus

By James M. Thunder

Vice President Pence and his Coronavirus Task Force are taking some flak for beginning a meeting of the Task Force on February 26 with prayer.

Coronavirus Task Force, Feb, 26, 2020

Some Common Sense about the Coronavirus and Holy Communion

How many germs are passed around
during the sign of peace.

Goodness, a bishop is showing some common sense about the risk of contracting the coronavirus from the reception of Holy Communion on the tongue.

Portland archdiocese: Coronavirus or no, Communion can be received on the tongue

As the article points out, the risk of contracting the virus is equal regardless of how the communicant receives and actually the hands are more likely to be germ ridden. I have no intention of changing my practice and will receive on the tongue when I go to Mass. 

Topsy and Tuptim Discuss Querida Amazonia Part III

Topsy and Tuptim just finished planting three dozen daffodil bulbs in random spots at Sacred Heart of Jesus cemetery. They stack all their gardening implements in a bin and stow it in the back of Topsy's Yukon. Topsy retrieves a picnic basket with a thermos, cups, and sandwiches which they take to a bench in the baby garden.

Topsy: (Filling a cup with coffee and handing it to Tuptim...) I love to sit in this section of the cemetery with all the little baby saints. They died in their innocence. What powerful intercessors they must be for all of us, such humble little ones resting in the arms of Our Lady. One of my grandchildren who died before birth is buried here. A precious little one I look forward to meeting some day.

The Coronavirus Postpones the Latest Vatican Scheme, the Global Education Compact

Remember the old adage, "Every grey cloud has a silver lining." I thought of that this morning when I read this headline:

Coronavirus makes Vatican postpone Global Education Pact promoting Pope’s ‘new humanism’

Abp. Vincenzo Zani, secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, is organizing the Global Compact on Education, originally scheduled for May, but now delayed until October because of the virus.  He says the meeting was initiated "also" by the other monotheistic religions, Judaism and Islam, but will include participation of other religions and groups like the U.N.'s UNESCO. UNESCO's goals, advertised on Twitter, include gender equality, clean water, sustainable cities, and climate action.

The (Vatican) Empire Strikes Back! Cardinal Zen in the Cross Hairs!

Update: 10:00 a.m. Cardinal Zen Responds to Cardinal Re. -- Back to the Catacombs!
              Archbishop Vigano supports Cardinal Zen against the "ignominious and shameful" letter.

Cardinal Zen greets the pope. Which of these men defends the flock?

God help us when we have a Vatican committed to worldly values, that attacks those who act like St. John the Baptist while they support Herod! (Cardinal Zen actually compared the Sino-Vatican agreement to an attempt by St. Joseph to make an agreement with Herod!)

Where Would You Rather Be if You Get the Coronavirus? China or the U.S.

“The condition upon which
God hath given liberty to man
 is eternal vigilance,”
John Philpot Curran 

READ THIS!

Birth of a Virus   

My husband and I listened to a dystopian novel on our recent trip to Surry, VA. Reading the article above about China's reaction to the coronavirus reminded me of the book: the draconian treatment of the people by "the authorities," the complete lack of respect for individual rights, the abject cruelty.

The article linked above tells the story of a man who went with his wife to China to adopt a baby. He describes the filth they saw and the way they saw people live -- children in split pants urinating in the street creating puddles, people spitting on the floor in restaurants, the markets with raw skinned and bloody chickens lying on the floor waiting to be thrown on the grill. Here's a bit from their experience:

...my wife and I had to rush our newly adopted, 8-month-old daughter to the public hospital…and suddenly it all started making sense.

Sunday Meditation: Live Below Your Means!

Take a walk in God's woods and
stop to smell God's flowers! 

Do you "window shop" on the internet? Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it "surfing the web." At any rate, in my meanderings this morning I came across a short article about a psychologist's one piece of advice to his colleagues. That advice was "live below your means." The title stopped me short. What are the benefits of "living below your means?" There are two big ones that are worth thinking about during Lent.

1.) More Time