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CLEVELAND (AP) -- The rest helped LeBron James. The replay aided the Cavaliers....
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A Ku Klux Klan leader who was injured when his small group of demonstrators brawled with counter-protesters in a Southern California park this weekend said Monday that he called police beforehand asking for security and was told, "We don't do that."...
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -- Interrupted by jeers from observers, one of Pope Francis' top advisers on Tuesday denied an accusation that his testimony to an inquiry into child sex abuse was an attempt to deflect blame for the Catholic Church transferring Australia's worst pedophile priest from parish to parish....
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Community members gathered Monday night to remember a Raleigh man fatally shot by a police officer during a foot chase as he was trying to arrest him on drug charges....
A federal judge in Indianapolis on Monday blocked Republican Gov. Mike Pence's order that barred state agencies from helping Syrian refugees resettle in Indiana, saying the governor's directive "clearly discriminates" against refugees from the war-torn country....
HEMEIMEEM AIR BASE, Syria (AP) -- Dozens of Russian warplanes sat idle Tuesday on the tarmac at this Russian air base in Syria on the fourth day of a cease-fire brokered by Moscow and Washington....
NEW YORK (AP) -- A federal judge ruled Monday that the U.S. Justice Department cannot use a 227-year-old law to force Apple to provide the FBI with access to locked iPhone data, dealing a blow to the government in its battle with the company over privacy and public safety....
WASHINGTON-Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York called on everyone "concerned about the tragedy of abortion" to recommit to a "vision of life and love, a vision that excludes no one" on January 14. His statement marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Cardinal Dolan chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops."Most Americans oppose a policy allowing legal abortion for virtually any reason - though many still do not realize that this is what the Supreme Court gave us," wrote Cardinal Dolan. "Most want to protect unborn children at later stages of pregnancy, to regulate or limit the practice of abortion, and to stop the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of unborn children. Yet many who support important goals of the pro-life movement do not identify as 'pro-life,' a fact which should lead us to examine how we present our pro-life vision to others.""Even as Americans rema...
WASHINGTON-Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York called on everyone "concerned about the tragedy of abortion" to recommit to a "vision of life and love, a vision that excludes no one" on January 14. His statement marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Cardinal Dolan chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"Most Americans oppose a policy allowing legal abortion for virtually any reason - though many still do not realize that this is what the Supreme Court gave us," wrote Cardinal Dolan. "Most want to protect unborn children at later stages of pregnancy, to regulate or limit the practice of abortion, and to stop the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of unborn children. Yet many who support important goals of the pro-life movement do not identify as 'pro-life,' a fact which should lead us to examine how we present our pro-life vision to others."
"Even as Americans remain troubled by abortion," wrote Cardinal Dolan, a powerful and well-funded lobby holds "that abortion must be celebrated as a positive good for women and society, and those who cannot in conscience provide it are to be condemned for practicing substandard medicine and waging a 'war on women'." He said this trend was seen recently when President Obama and other Democratic leaders prevented passage of the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act, "a modest measure to provide for effective enforcement" of conscience laws.
"While this is disturbing," said Cardinal Dolan, "it is also an opportunity." Pro-life Americans should reach out to "the great majority of Americans" who are "open to hearing a message of reverence for life." He added that "we who present the pro-life message must always strive to be better messengers. A cause that teaches the inexpressibly great value of each and every human being cannot show disdain or disrespect for any fellow human being." He encouraged Catholics to take part, through prayer and action, in the upcoming "9 Days for Life" campaign, January 16-24. More information on the campaign is available online: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxJwfcefUiU
He also cited the Year of Mercy called by Pope Francis as a time for women and men to find healing through the Church's Project Rachel post-abortion ministry.
The full text of Cardinal Dolan's message is available online.
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Keywords: Roe v. Wade, anniversary, Pro-Life, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, 9 Days for Life, USCCB, U.S. bishops, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Year of Mercy, Project Rachel, Pope Francis
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MEDIA CONTACT
Don Clemmer
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WASHINGTON-The Office of General Counsel of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) filed an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court, February 1, on behalf of USCCB, the Texas Catholic Conference and several Christian partners in support of a Texas law mandating health and safety standards protecting women who undergo abortions. Other groups joining the brief include the National Association of Evangelicals, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. The case is Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, currently before the U.S. Supreme Court."There is ample evidence in this case that hospital admitting privileges and ambulatory surgical center requirements protect women's lives and health," said the brief. "When such requirements are not enforced, abuses detrimental to women's lives and health arise."The brief noted that some abortion clinics have decla...
"There is ample evidence in this case that hospital admitting privileges and ambulatory surgical center requirements protect women's lives and health," said the brief. "When such requirements are not enforced, abuses detrimental to women's lives and health arise."
The brief noted that some abortion clinics have declared the standards too strict, although the standards are similar to those issued by the abortion industry. It added that abortion providers "should not be allowed to rely upon their own failure to comply with health and safety laws" as a reason to strike such laws down. The brief said the providers' resistance to such regulations is not in the best interests of women's health and safety. It also noted that over 40 years of precedent, including the Court's 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, reaffirms that states may regulate abortion to protect maternal life and health.
Full text of the brief is available online: www.usccb.org/about/general-counsel/amicus-briefs/upload/Whole-Woman-s-Health-v-Hellerstedt.pdf
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Keywords: General Counsel, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Texas law abortion, amicus curia, National Association of Evangelicals, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, U.S. Supreme Court
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Gary, Ind., Feb 29, 2016 / 04:01 pm (National Catholic Register).- The home that was believed to be a site of demonic activity was demolished last month. The story, as reported in the National Catholic Register, centered on an Indiana family attacked by demons and freed by a Catholic priest through a series of exorcisms.It had attracted international attention after multiple people from various agencies, including a police officer and hospital and social-service employees, gave eyewitness testimonies of unexplained occurrences involving the family who lived there, including levitation of objects and loud footsteps leaving prints. Two hospital personnel reported seeing one of the boys walking backwards up a wall, flipping into the air and landing on his feet while in a hospital room waiting to be examined. In a separate event, the Department of Child Services report stated that the staff at a doctor’s office witnessed one of the boys getting lifted up and thrown into a wal...
Gary, Ind., Feb 29, 2016 / 04:01 pm (National Catholic Register).- The home that was believed to be a site of demonic activity was demolished last month. The story, as reported in the National Catholic Register, centered on an Indiana family attacked by demons and freed by a Catholic priest through a series of exorcisms.
It had attracted international attention after multiple people from various agencies, including a police officer and hospital and social-service employees, gave eyewitness testimonies of unexplained occurrences involving the family who lived there, including levitation of objects and loud footsteps leaving prints. Two hospital personnel reported seeing one of the boys walking backwards up a wall, flipping into the air and landing on his feet while in a hospital room waiting to be examined. In a separate event, the Department of Child Services report stated that the staff at a doctor’s office witnessed one of the boys getting lifted up and thrown into a wall.
Zak Bagans, host and executive producer of the TV show Ghost Adventures, purchased the home in 2014 to film a documentary. Filming wrapped up in late 2015, and the coverage is expected to be released later this year. In an email interview, Bagans, who said he is Catholic, is not revealing much at this time, but he is convinced there was an evil presence in the home.
“I do believe the dark forces in the house were aware of my presence and did interfere with the production in many different ways — some serious,” he said. Bagans added that, immediately after his investigation, he developed an unexplained physical illness from which he continues to suffer.
Priest Adviser to the Film
Father Michael Maginot, pastor of St. Stephen Martyr Church in Merrillville, Ind., and the priest who freed the family through a series of exorcisms in 2013, was present for part of the filming. He is not a designated exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, but since the family originally contacted him, Bishop Dale Melczek allowed Father Maginot to handle the case under supervision of a designated exorcist.
Father Maginot had signed a contract as an adviser to the project and insisted that the promise to be truthful was put into writing.
“The truth makes it fascinating,” he said in an interview with the Register. “The devil looks bad in this. He loses a lot of mystique.” According to him, people will witness evil but will also come away seeing evil vanquished, or at least made ineffective.
Father Maginot explained that the house was boarded up during the winter of 2014, and when it was opened for filming, a hole in the roof had resulted in some damage. “It looked like an animal had scratched through the roof and ceiling, but we could not find it anywhere in the house, and there were no animal droppings around.”
Another mysterious discovery was an odd-looking hand mark made into a dusty table in the living room. “It was a long hand that did not seem human; it had no palm and was around 12-15 inches long,” Father Maginot said.
Since such things can have other explanations, he would give no opinion other than to say he saw those things. Father Maginot pointed out that the way Hollywood typically portrays evil to scare people is not usually the way the devil works.
“Hollywood makes them [demons] like monsters, but, actually, they are very manipulative in how they work,” he said. “For instance, there was a lot of tension between Zak and me in the beginning, until we realized what was going on.”
Father Maginot said he believes that the devil doesn’t want this documentary to get out because it makes him look bad, and, as a result, he suspects that he was behind many of the delays and problems.
“Sometimes, demons cause scary things to happen, but usually only when they are pushed and shoved do they go that way,” Father Maginot said. “The normal way that demons work is through temptation. I think it’s God’s purpose to show evil at times so that we can see what we are truly dealing with.”
Although evil is very real and is something very dangerous to seek out, he said it’s important for people to realize the devil is not God, who is all-powerful. According to him, the devil is very limited in his power because he can never end a life and cannot take away our free will.
After the filming was complete, Father Maginot blessed the house. “I did the biggest blessing I could,” he said. “I used holy water and incense, and I prayed it in Latin.”
Spirits Do Not Occupy Space
Father Vincent Lampert, pastor of St. Malachy Church and the exorcist for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, consulted with Father Maginot during the exorcisms of the home. He explained that houses can be blessed to drive out evil spirits, since spirits don’t live in a location like people do.
“Evil spirits can choose to act at a location, and evil activities might have brought that about, but spirits don’t occupy time and space like we do,” he explained. “Something happened to bring on the evil.”
Given all the public attention to the house, Father Lampert said that it had been attracting a lot of negative attention before the demolition.
“People were going to the house and doing séances,” he said. “Any continuation of evil could have been caused by people bringing it on by their actions,” he said.
Father Lampert warned that a fascination with evil can create serious danger. “There are a lot of people that watch those ghost-hunter shows that don’t have a connection with God,” he said. “Evil plays on a person’s mind and memories. If a person does not have a faith life to deal with evil, then his life can be destroyed by it.” According to him, without God in one’s life, there is no protection from such evil.
Father Lampert said that he personally does not watch such shows since he’s uninterested in giving evil undue attention.
It’s unfortunate, according to him, that if there is a talk on evil, many more people will show up than one on Jesus. “Instead of being fascinated with evil,” he said, “we should all be fascinated with God.”
This story was originally published in the National Catholic Register. Reprinted with permission.
Photo credit: Lario Tus via www.shutterstock.com.
