CVSTOS FIDEI EVENING EDITION Selling Obama as a Pro-Life Candidate - Deal W. Hudson, Inside Catholic Arts & Sciences: God Need Not Apply - Patrick Archbold, Creative Minority Report Deacon Fournier Puts Smack Down on Prof. Kmiec - Jay Anderson, Pro Ecclesia Victory! YouTube Removes Desecration of Eucharist Videos - LifeSiteNews Franciscan U. Students Attend a Catholics for Obama Event - Deal Hudson, TIB ...Franciscan University of Steubenville Responds... The Mystery of Cormac's Successor - Damian Thompson, Holy Smoke Elevations At The Papal Mass - Gregor Kollmorgen, New Liturgical Movement The Bishop Of Scranton, Hear Him Roar! - Fr. John Zuhlsdorf, WDTPRS Communism's Christian Martyrs - Ricardo Estarriol, H2O News The Regime of Science - Joseph K. Woodard, First Things Bonus Commentary: Catholic Mag Calls For Defeat & Removal Of Canadian Leader - LifeSiteNews What Benedict Sowed in April, Bishops Are Reaping Today - Fr. Z, WDTPRS Star Trek Or Religion - Matthew Archbold, Creative Minority Report The Car Seat Culture - Jay Anderson, Pro Ecclesia Courting For The 21st Century Catholic - Tito, Custos Fidei Bonus News: SF Catholic Charities Out Of Adoption Business - Jeff Miller, The Curt Jester Dallas Reversal, Allows Rosaries at School - Dan McGraw, Dallas Morning News Opus Dei Founder Gets Mini-Series In Italy - CathNews Boston Faithful See Virgin Mary’s Image - Jessica Fargen, Boston Herald (Biretta Tips: Kevin Knight & PewSitter)

CVSTOS FIDEI EVENING EDITION Writing to the CDWDS & Remaining Anonymous - Fr. Z, WDTPRS? Police: Muslim Area Gospel Free Zone - Damian Thompson, Hly Smk Pope avoids Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - Malcom Moore, Tlgrph Jindal the "Christian Right" & the "Catholic Issue" - Austin Hill, Th Women Cannot be Priests is Infallible - Christopher Zehnder, CCC Pews You Can Lose - Mark Steyn, The Corner Made by God to believe... - Fr. Philip Powell, Domine First Friday Devotion Comics - Eric Pavlat, The Inside Blog Variety Hates Religious Theme of Movie - Warner Huston, NwsBstrs Video Commentary: Fr. Neuhaus: Do People Change After Marriage - Jean Heimann, CF Religious Commentary: UK Muslim Mother who defied Islamists Gunned Down - Observer Bonus News: The Curt Jester blog back online - Jeff Miller, The Curt Jester Bonus Obama & Church Commentary: Stupid Is As Stupid Does: Obama - Patrick Archbold, Crtv Mnrty Rprt Decision to Leave Church 'Not Political' - Mark Finkelstein, NwsBstrs Obama Finally Quits his church - About Time? - Rick Moran, AT Reuters Gives Another Christ-like Obama Photo - Warner Huston, NB Obama's Double-Talk on Leaving Church - Jennifer Rubin, Cntntns Obama's Character Shines Through - Tito, Custos Fidei Father Pfleger Bashed Clintons...Again - Jake Tapper, Pltcl Pnch (Biretta Tip: Lucianne)

CVSTOS FIDEI EVENING EDITION KS Gov Honored Tiller 'the Killer' - Tim Waggonner, LifeSiteNews Excommunication for Ordination of Women - Fr. Z, WDTPRS Getting Past Clericalism - Mark Shea, Inside Catholic What's Old is New Again - Walter, Gloria Tibe Domine Pope Peter? - BFHU, The Black Cordelias Atheist Summer Camp - Matthew Archbold, Creative Minority Report NBC's Doc: Just Say No to Abstinence - Colleen Raezler, NewsBusters A Bit of Politics - Amy Welborn, Charlotte was Both Priest Steps Into the Obama/Wright Mess - Elizabeth Scalia, Insd Blg Religion Important as 20th Century Ideologies - Tom Heneghan, FW Bonus Commentary: What is Schism? Look to St. Louis' Example - Fr. Zuhlsdorf, WDTPRS Slavery and the Catholic Church - A Simple Sinner, Black Cordelias The Politics of Beer - Jeff Miller, The Curt Jester If the Election were held Today... - California Catholic Daily 'Gay' Marriage to Spark Lawsuits Nationwide - Sterling Meyers, WND Clergy Abuse: The Third Level - Editorial, National Catholic Register Bonus News: Pope's World Youth Day Itinerary Released - Catholic News Agency Anti-abortion measure OK'd for Colo. Ballot - Associated Press (Biretta Tips: National Catholic Register & PewSitter)

CVSTOS FIDEI EVENING EDITION Bp Farrell Promotes Notorious Homosexual Priest - M. Baggot, LSN Media Engineer - Tim Drake, National Catholic Register Signs of Progress - Patrick Archbold, Creative Minority Report America Magazine Attacks Deal Hudson - Deal Hudson, Inside Blog John Hagee Apologizes - Jay Anderson, Pro Eclessia RIP: Bernardin Cardinal Gantin - Rocco Palmo, Whispers Salesian Greed - California Catholic Daily On Race & Class, Libs Need History Lesson - Mark Sticherz, Insd Cth End the Welfare Marriage Penalty - Brownback/Blankenhorn, WSJ St. Pius X, Bad Pope? No... - Sandro Magister, Chiesa Relics - Stuff Catholics Like How Long Can Hosts Stay in the Tabernacle - Fr. Z, WDTPRS? Bonus Commentary: In Defense of Discrimination - Alice von Hildebrand, Inside Catholic Why are Atheists Obsessed with Religion? - Matthew Archbold, CMR "Obama and Abortion" - Jay Anderson, Pro Eclessia Obama vs. Right to Life - Editors, National Catholic Register Ironman the "Catholic Batman" - Steve Skojec, The Inside Blog Article Gets University Employee Fired - Warner Huston, NwsBstrs (Biretta Tip: Pro Eclessia)

CVSTOS FIDEI AFTERNOON EDITION Myth 1: Atheists Are Smarter – Fr. Williams, Ntnl Cthlc Rgstr Vatican’s Conciliatory Note to the Jews – Fr. Z, WDTPRS Religion ‘Linked to Happy Life’ – BBC News Vatican to Speak on Tibet? – CWNews Belleville’s 60%??? – A Simple Sinner, Per Christum Mob of Hindu Radicals Attacks Carmelite Nuns – CNA CNN: Wright Scandal = Catholic Sex Scandal – Matt Balan, NB Barack Obama’s Excuses Speech – Tito, Custos Fidei TCU Divinity School to Award Racist Jeremiah Wright – AP 33 Errors of Protestantism - Bob Stanley, Cth Treasure Chest Popemobile Routes for Visit Revealed – Thomas Peters, AmP Vatican Plans to Open Church in Saudi Arabia - Tito, Csts Fd Secular News Item of the Day: Crush Tibet: China's only path By Rosemary Righter of The Times of London Last Three Catholic News Postings: For Holy Tuesday Morning, March 18, click here. For Holy Monday, March 17, click here. For Palm Sunday Evening, March 16, click here. (Biretta Tips: Catholic Report, Inside Catholic, Kevin Knight, & LifeSiteNews)

CVSTOS FIDEI POLITICS EDITION"Not All Issues Are Equal" - California Catholic Daily "No'bama for Me, Thanks" - Jay Anderson, Pro Ecclesia Obama to Dedicate Presidency to Homosexuals - Cth Nws Agncy Bad Ideologue Hidden by a Feel-Good Image - Rick Santorum, PI When There's a Lot of Religion in Politics - Deal Hudson, Insd Cth School Cancels Pro-Abortion Speech - Cal Catholic Daily Pro-Abort Politics Not Welcome Here - Patrick Reilly, Insd Cthlc McCain and Pro-Lifers - Editors, National Catholic Register Hagee Endorsement of McCain Has Risks - Libby Quaid, AP ...McCain Rejects Hagee's bigotry... ...Catholic League responds to McCain's tepid rejection... McCain Learns His Lesson - Deal W. Hudson, Inside Catholic (Biretta Tip: LifeSiteNews)

CVSTOS FIDEI EVENING EDITION BBC: Jesus Is A '*******'(sic) - Jason Lewis, Daily Mail The Politics Of God - Mark Lilla, New York Times Bill Moyers: Rove Used Religion For Ill - N. Shepherd, NB NY Recognizes Canadian Gay Marriage - K. Patterson, OC The Simpsons, Christian Film? - Baehr/Snyder, DM Register St. Theresa Church in Kekaha, Kauai - Tito, Custos Fidei St. George Church in Waimanalo, Oahu - Tito, C. Fidei Blog Entry: Muslims, errr, Danes Sorry For Looting & Pillaging - Tito Last Three Catholic News Postings: For Saturday, August 18, click here. For Friday, August 17, click here. For Thursday, August 16, click here. (Hat Tips: PewSitter.com, RealClearPolitcis, & Lucianne)

CVSTOS FIDEI AFTERNOON EDITION Motu Proprio (Summorum Pontificum) News: Why The Pope Is Boosting Latin Mass - Jeff Israel, TIME Pope Explains Why - Sandro Magister, Chiesa Pope Broadens Access To 1962 Missal - Phil Lawler, CWN Pope Relaxes Restrictions Of Latin Mass - John Thavis, CNS 40-Year Restriction Scraped - Moore/Petre, London Telegraph Pope Ends Latin Mass Restriction - BBC News Pope Frees Up Use Of Old Latin Mass - Nicole Winfield, AP Catholics Debate Latin Mass - Ramirez/Brachear, Chi Tribune SSPX Responds - SSPX (French & English) Letter On 1962 Missal Not Anti-Semitic - ZENIT Media Fear Mongering To Jews - Phil Stewart, Reuters "Body Blow" To Jewish Relations - Anti-Defamation League Motu Proprio (Summorum Pontificum) Blog Roundup: Fr. Z's Comments On Summorum Pontificum - Fr. Z, WDTRS Shawn Tribe's Comments (Part I) - Shawn Tribe, NLM Shawn Tribe's Comments (Part II) - Shawn Tribe, NLM Get Your Motu Running - Jeff Miller, The Curt Jester Pope Reinstates The Latin Mass - Damian Thompson, Holy Smoke A Great Day For The Church - G. Thomas Fitzpatrick, Recta Ratio Motu Proprio Party! - Cathy Of Alex, Recovering Dissident Catholic Summorum SnooPy-ontificum - Dad29, Dad29 The 6 Stages Of Dissenting From The M.P. - Fr. P. Powell, Domine Summorum Pontificum Summary - Matt & Tito, CVSTOS FIDEI Explanatory Letter To Bishops - New Catholic, Rorate Caeli Summorum Pontificum Translation - New Catholic, Rorate Caeli EWTN Special On Motu Proprio - Shawn Tribe, NLM USCCB Translation Error - Diogenes, Off The Record Other Catholic News: Ordination Bonanza In Sacramento - California Catholic Daily Christian Exodus From Middle East - Charles Lewis, National Post Weak Dollar Affected Vatican Finances - ZENIT Contributions Keep Vatican In Black - Victor Simpson, AP Pope Benedict Winning Hearts & Money - staff, Post Chronicle The Ratzinger Effect - Richard Owen, London Times Organ Harvesting Lawsuit - Wesley J. Smith, Secondhand Smoke All Religions Aren't Alike - Stephen Prothero, Newsweek Will Ex-Gays Bring Down 'Big Sodomy'? - Donal Hank, WorldNetDaily Sere Sedevacantism - PJP, Recapturing Our Catholic Patrimony (RCP) Keith Cardinal O'Brien Defends Pro-Life Stance - ZENIT Vatican Reports Smallest Surplus In 3 Years - F. Jackson, Chronicle Byzantine Rite Changes - Karen, Light And Life ACLU Sues City Over Jesus Icon In Lobby - Catholic News Agency Pontifications Blog Folds - Fr. Alvin, Pontifications Deus Caritas Est, Reactions & Commentary - The Benedict Blog ...CF Blog Entries: Prayer Request by Tito Movie Review: Into Great Silence (Die Große Stille) by Tito, Custos Fidei. This movie is still playing in Houston, click here for showtimes. Shameless Blog Plug Of The Day: RORATE CÆLI Last Six Catholic News Postings: For July 6 click here. For July 5 click here. For July 2 click here. For June 29 click here. For June 28 click here. For June 27 click here. (Hat Tips: National Catholic Register, Catholic Report, LifeSite, RORATE CÆLI, & Matt)

...if you’re a liberal still recovering from your pot-smoking days from the 60s you probably think this is true.

The Detroit News wrote an article by Deb Price about how 'gay marriage' is gaining momentum, in their (distorted) point of view.

An elderly Massachusetts woman felt her opposition to gay marriage melt away after "this lovely couple" moved in next door with their children.

Her change of heart, recounted by the Boston Globe, happened because she came to see the gay men -- among the nearly 10,000 gay couples who've wed in her state since 2004 -- as the neighbors eager to lend a hand.

I had a “nice” neighbor once who was an alcoholic drug dealer. He was there to lend a hand whenever I needed it. He also was a drug dealer with a lot of company going in and out of his house at odd hours of the day. Plus not to mention his ‘friends’ were always staggering TO his house to drink, they were already hammered!

Do I condone their behavior because they were “nice”, no I do not? He has serious disorders and I will not enable him by validating a lifestyle that is morally wrong.

Why then would you want to validate people with homosexual disorders?

"If they can't be married in Massachusetts, they're going to leave -- and then who would help me with my lawn?" she asked, urging her state lawmaker to also change and protect gay couples' right to marry by blocking a referendum designed to abolish that right. That lawmaker did change.

So if my drug dealing alcoholic neighbor were to leave, would I lament the fact that my lawn was no longer going to be mowed? Where do they get this stuff*?

*stuff; referring to the liberal doctrine of MSU*, or, Make Stuff Up™, when unable to push a morally deprived agenda, ie, gay militant lobby for same sex marriage, a precursor to NAMBLA following afterward for legalization of pedophilia, soon to be followed by NAMALA (North American Man-Animal Love Association), you make stuff up like it’s ok to have sex with people of the same gender. Damn the statistics that 95% of all people who are afflicted with AIDS got it from homosexual sex, not to mention that it is an abomination from God.

And so did others, leading to a stunning victory for equality: On June 14, opponents of gay marriage failed to clear a very low hurdle. To put the anti-gay measure on the state's 2008 ballot, they needed just 25 percent of the legislature. They fell 5 votes short.

…failed to clear a ‘very low hurdle’. I guess they forgot to mention that if it were put to a referendum; ‘same-sex’ marriage would have been soundly defeated. So they basically took away the franchise to vote away from the citizens of Massachusetts.

It’s more like a stunning victory for absolutism and tyranny.

The proposal was crushed, 151-45, after Gov. Deval Patrick weighed in against it. Afterward, he declared, "In Massachusetts today, the freedom to marry is secure." Now, a ban couldn't go to voters until 2012, after five more years of lovely married gay couples mowing elderly neighbors' lawns.

Again, I wouldn’t allow my drug dealing alcoholic neighbor to mow my lawn.

June 2007 is the month gay marriage proved it won't always be a "hot button." Massachusetts demonstrated its comfort.

Just days later, the state Assembly in neighboring New York embraced allowing gays to marry, 85-61.

That was the fourth time a state legislative body has voted to open marriage to gay couples. California has done so three times: Nearly two years ago, the Senate and Assembly passed it, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed. The Assembly passed it again on June 5 by 42-34.

Failing to mention that the people haven’t voted in a referendum for any of these. Hey, you want to the US Congress to vote for amnesty against the wishes of a substantial majority of the electorate? Why then are the state legislators so afraid to bring the vote to the people? Why is the gay militant lobby so happy to prevent the ordinary citizen to vote on such a “non-hot button” issue?

Gay leaders find success has key ingredients: Build a statewide coalition that includes clergy, unions and business.

Basically get fringe elements from all elements of society and label them as ‘representative of the people’.

Plus, get gay couples and their allies to describe the pain marriage discrimination causes.

Marriage discrimination? If you define marriage as that between a man and a woman, that has been defined as such for ooohhh, since the dawn of time, then the argument is a non sequitur. Can you say ‘gay subsidiarity’?

Also, a governor's support is hugely helpful. Patrick and New York's Eliot Spitzer both won landslides last November as vocal advocates of gay marriage.

"What politicians are realizing is that the smart money is betting on the future, and the fact that young people support this and that the American people are increasingly open to it," says Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry.

If you define denying the people to vote on referendums as “support” and “increasingly open to it”, so be it. It seems as if soviet style democracy is the only way the gay militant lobby is able to push their amoral agenda.

Support for gay marriage is inching toward a majority -- to 46 percent in the national Gallup poll released May 26. Support is overwhelming -- 62 percent -- among voters under 35.

I can sight similar statistics that says otherwise. It seems the militant gay lobby subscribes to MSU™. Look, 99% of my friends are geniuses! See how easy that is?

Equality has friends of all ages, of course. On June 12, the 40th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Loving v. Virginia ruling that swept away laws against interracial marriage, Mildred Loving spoke up for gay marriage.

Again, when did “marriage between a man and a woman” ever said otherwise? In Sodom? In Gomorrah? Sorry, I meant, San Francisco and New York.

Mrs. Loving, a black woman now in her late 60s, said the case she and her white husband Richard won "can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight, seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving, and loving, are all about."

As well as for pedophilia and bestiality. Oh, can I mention the “slippery slope” theory now?

Freedoms are secured one court case at a time, one legislature at a time, one lawn at a time. That truly is the American way.

As long as the people aren’t allowed to vote, then it is the (gay) American way.

For the article in question click here.

Apparently I can call myself a heterosexual that represents "Heterosexuals of America" with a group membership of 'one' and march in the Gay Pride parade proclaiming that since my group represents heterosexuals in America, that America 'approves' of their political agenda and get quoted on the front page of every newspaper in America that gives me gravitas to the public saying it's 'ok'. Or I could just convert to Reformed Judaism, study the Talmud for several weeks, have de facto gravitas by simply stating a 'politically correct' position of accepting a disordered lifestyle. Either effort seems to be enough for most liberal leaning newspapers, such as the Houston Chronicle, to quote 'any' sort of religious leader and mislead the public by giving the impression that religious leaders across the country approve of this disordered lifestyle. When in fact they don't. You wonder why these newspapers won't name which organizations these so-called 'religious leaders' represent, (with the exception of 'Dignity')? They don't because the public would notice that every one of these 'religious leaders' represents the fringe, or nearly defunct group of extremists, in their respective faith, such as 'Dignity', that carry little or zero support and/or gravitas. What a gross abuse of journalistic reporting. Our fellow brothers and sisters that suffer from the disorder same sex attraction need our love and fraternal correction, not the continued effort to enable someone to sin more and continue in a most dangerous lifestyle. To enable those who suffer from this contributes to a hazardous and dangerous lifestyle that destroys family relationships, ostracizes children, contributes to the AIDS epidemic, and is prone to violence within their own social circles due to serial relationships that create unstable and unhealthy lives? An analogy to this is why would I want to participate in a Drunk Pride parade and support alcoholics in their lifestyle of drinking themselves to death? Why would I want to support someone who passes out to fall asleep? Who will have the strong possibility of dieing from their abusive and detrimental behavior of drinking? That because of their lifestyle are unable to keep long-term relationships, keep a stable job, and probably die from cirrhosis? I'm done. For the Houston Chronicle post on religious approval of homosexuality click here. To read on the Church's teachings on homosexuality click here.

CVSTOS FIDEI EVENING EDITION Bayeux Tapestry - Fidei Defensor, Custos Fidei Day 2 Coverage of Pope Benedict in Brazil - Thomas N. Peters, AmP Baby Hatch Opens to Controversy - staff, Breitbart.com House Passes Criminalizing Christianity Bill - David Freddoso, NCR UCLA Planned Parenthood Rape Cover Up - Steven Ertelt, LifeNews Ohio PP Sued Over Incest Cover Up - Steven Ertelt, LifeNews Oral Sex Linked to Throat Cancer - staff, BBC News Seculars Make Religion a Campaign Issue - Bill Donohue, CL Anti-Semitism at Daily Kos - Noel Sheppard, NewsBusters 'Into Great Silence' Now Playing in Houston - Tito, Custos Fidei Q&A With Convert Francis Beckwith - David Neff, CT More Francis Beckwith - S.M. Hutchens, Mere Comments Evangelicals Respond to Beckwith - Russell D. Moore, MC Doctors & Down Syndrome Children - Dean Barnett, Townhall.com Pope Warns Pro-Choice Catholic Politicians - Philip Pullella, Reuters Vatican Clarification on Excommunication - Jeff Miller, Curt Jester Starbucks Anti-God Campaign - Joe Kovacs, WorldNetDaily Homosexual Narcissism - Diogenes, Off the Record Vivé Sarkozy! - Fidei Defensor, Custos Fidei Joseph Smith vs. Fidei Defensor - Fidei Defensor, Custos Fidei (Hat Tips: RealClearPolitics.) Movie Review: Into Great Silence. Shameless Blog Plug of the Day: ByzFaith. Odd News Item of the Day: Helvetica Font is King - Finlo Rohrer, BBC News

Where do the secularists think they get the idea of 'do not steal' and other basic (alleged) secular values? It comes from America's religious heritage. To be precise and politically incorrect at the same time, it is properly called America's Judeo-Christian heritage. It can be safely said that today atheists, secularists, and liberal Christians are having anxiety attacks as orthodox Christianity makes a resurgent comeback in the mainstream of American life. Why do these people, eg, secularists to be short, feel that it is absolutely necessary to separate faith from reason? To replace religion with humanism? Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal addresses this in a finely written article today titled, 'Religion in the Modern Age'. Here's snippet:

They may think they represent the alternative: a higher, productive rationality. But they are underestimating their own secular competition--the many, often confused cultures loose in the U.S. now. Hip-hop culture, acquisitive consumerism, fashion, hipsterism, street gangs, mystical evironmentalism, Web-centered "reality" cultures. Where's the higher-level thinking here? And by way, the hobgoblin fear of bioengineered food doesn't reside in the American South but in agnostic Europe.

Yes, what an interesting find that Mr. Henninger has come across. Since the rejection of Christianity in public life around the French riots of 1968, europe has failed to produce a single scientific find or cultural advance at all. Why is that?

Do virtues matter as ballast in a dynamic, complex society? If yes, where will they come from? Do secularists simply expropriate them from religion? Or do they create their own, such as "do not oppress"?

Where will they come from indeed? From a foundationless secular mind that has rejected 5000 years of Judeo-Christian culture?

Atheists and the unchurched undervalue the extent to which they are getting a free ride on the social strength that religious-based virtue provides. It's one thing to write in a book that we don't need them. But I'd rather not run the real-world experiment of navigating without them. And this is why this weekend so many will spend an hour with virtue's originalists.

For the rest of the article click here.

In his speech Pope Benedict XVI argues that we as Christians need to help define what secularism is. That before having a social and political nature, secularism has a moral nature. Thusly we need to combat the post-Christian world in defining secularism as a complete break from God in all aspects of life. The following is a summary of a speech he gave to the Union of Italian Catholic Law Experts.

Catholics cannot accept a vision of secularism "as an exclusion of religion from various society environments and as its exile in the framework of the individual conscience." Benedetto XVI wanted to clarify this in a speech addressed today to the Union of Italian Catholic Law Experts. According to a certain vision, he explained, "secularism would be expressed in the total separation between the Church and State, and the Church would not any role of intervening on topics relating to the life and behaviour of citizens." Plus, he added, "secularism would even bring the exclusion of religious symbols from public places for the carrying out of the political community's functions: from offices, schools, courts, hospitals, prisons." The Pontiff stated, "Today there is talk of secular thought, secular morality, secular science, secular politics." A concept that must be rejected because it is based on "an unreligious vision of life, thought and morality: in other words a vision in which there is no room for God, for a Mystery that transcends pure reason, for a moral law of absolute value that is in effect all the time and in every situation." According to Benedetto XVI, "it is the task of all believers, in particular followers of Christ, to contribute to elaborating a concept of secularism that, on one side, acknowledges to God and its moral law, to Christ and to his Church their place in human life, individual and community, and on the other side, affirms and respects the autonomous legitimacy of worldly situations" that represent "a legitimate need, that not only is postulated by the men of our times, but is also conforming to the wishes of the Creator. In fact, from their condition as creatures, everything receives their consistency, truth, goodness, their own laws and their own order: and everything that men is obligated to respect, by acknowledging the needs of the methods of every single science or art." Ratzinger underlined, "Only if we realize this, we can measure the weight of the problems coming from a term like secularism, which seems to have become almost the qualifying emblem of post-modernity, in particular for modern democracy." To distinguish between secularism and laicism is for Benedetto XVI particularly necessary in "a historic time that is exciting because of the progress that humanity has carried out in many fields of law, culture, communication, sciences and technology. Some people attempt to exclude God from every part of life, presenting him as an antagonist of man." And it is up to Christians "to demonstrate that instead God is love and wants the goodness and happiness of all men," in other words, "to make people understand that the moral law given by God, and that comes to us with the voice of conscience, has the goal of liberating us from evil and making us happy, not to oppress us." The Pope concluded, "We must demonstrate that without God man is lost and that the exclusion of religion from social life, in particular the marginalization of Christianity, ruins the foundations of human coexistence," that "before having a social and political nature it has a moral nature." (AGI)

(Hat Tip: Mirror of Justice) For the original article by AGI online click here.

This is a pretty neat map. It shows the progression of all the major faiths of their growth and retraction. It's 5000 years of history shown in 90 seconds.

(Hat Tip: Hot Air)

To view the original at Maps of War click here.