RU 45/2008 - USA, FRANCE

- USA: The Catholic bishops of the United States who met this week for their annual assembly at Baltimore (Maryland), decreed a « Blessing of a child in the womb ». Here is the text : “May almighty God, who has created new life now bless the child in your womb. The Lord has brought you the joy of motherhood: may He now bless you with a safe and healthy pregnancy. You thank the Lord today for the figt of your chil: may He bring you and your child one day to share in the unending joys of heaven”. Achbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville called the blessing “a very tangible way to witness pastorally and sacramentally to the life of the unborn child, and cardinal Francis George of Chicago called it a “very moving blessing”. After approval from the Vatican, the blessing will be available in English and Spanish, and will later be incorporated into the book of blessings of the Church. - After the storm of the presidential elections, with a president who is the most marked in history by the culture of death (Obama wants to “free completely the abortion”, and this by the first law which he would sign!), the bishops seem happy top have found a way to repurchase themselves by this liturgical innovation in the Church in favour of the unborn children. To repurchase? Yes, because it’s because of their lack of courage that 53% of the Catholics, according to the first post-electoral polls, voted for the super-abortionist Obama, badly informed by their pastors. Even today, many bishops persist in their cowardice, by giving holy communion to politicians who are openly pro-abortion, in spite of the binding contrary instructions of the Vatican. Thus Mgr W. Francis Malooly, bishop of Wilmington, explained this week to the news agency AP that he will not refuse communion to the new vice-president of the United States, Joe Biden, parishioner in his diocese, in spite of his pro-abortion stance: “I won’t policize the Eucharist; I don’t want to alienate people, I want to change their hearts and minds.” However his colleague, bishop Joseph F. Martino of Scranton (Pennsylvania) where Joe Biden was born, is doing the opposite. He sends Biden back from the communion bench. These facts prove that abortion is not an American problem, but an inter-catholic one. The day when the Church, even and especially when it is politically incorrect, will be faithful to her Master – Who not only creates and loves life, but Who is Life, which makes abortion a kind of deicide -, the wound of the abortion will cease on the major part of the globe. - (ru; cf LNC Nov. 11th)

- France:  Another good news, this time from the country of the ‘oldest daughter of Church’, where, in the middle of the morose spectacle of closings, abandonments and demolitions of churches, The Priests Society St Pius X develops a strong dynamism, based on the eternal holy mass of the Church to which the FSPX remains entirely faithful, only possible explanation of this promptness of faith still able to make emerge faith from stones, and stones from faith. Thus the FSPX builds new churches or chapels (Rouen in November 2008, Reims, Vannes, Rennes etc), restores them or takes part in their restoration (Bergerac, Saintes, Thouars), removes them for rebuilding them at another place, stone by stone (Noisy-le-Grand), saves them from demolition, purchases them from religious communities who are selling them… The FSPX, established by Monseigneur Lefèbvre in 1970 and present on the five continents, will exceed in 2009 the number of 500 priests. It counts several hundreds of seminarists, monks and nuns. It ensures the direction of 6 international seminars, 14 districts, 3 autonomous houses, 159 priories, 725 centers of mass and 90 schools and universities. In addition, it gathers many other religious communities which are firmly attached to Tradition. In France, there are 140 priests of the Society, in some 200 mass centers. Let’s say it aloud: DEO GRATIAS! Also let us pray that our pope Benedict XVI find the courage to lift the unjust excommunication of Mgr Lefebvre and the 4 bishops ordained by him for saving the Church from the “smoke of Satan” (Paul VI). - (ru; cf FSSPX Nov. 11^th)