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Boulder, Colo., Feb 6, 2016 / 04:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- An auditorium on the campus of the University of Colorado bustled with hundreds of people as a crowd of students and non-students alike gathered to watch two experts go head-to-head to debate an age old question: Is religion good or bad for society?

“My argument is simply stated: religion is not only good for society, but it is essential to society,” said James Gaston, a professor of history and humanities at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio.

“Religion is good and thus essential to society because of you...Everyone must search for truth, for self-knowledge...for God. We differ in what we think such happiness exists. Nonetheless, we search,” he continued, saying religion is the pursuit of this search.

The Aquinas Institute for Catholic Thought, an intellectual arm of ministry on the campus of CU Boulder, sponsored the Feb. 3 debate, in which two scholars discussed the pros and cons of religion.

Contrary to Gaston stood Michael Huemer, a tenured professor in philosophy at CU Boulder.

Huemer prefaced his opening arguments by saying the question about religion's repercussions on society could not completely be answered. He did acknowledge the “cost that religion imposes” which complicates a number of different societal aspects.

“Religion has a tendency to cause or exacerbate human conflicts,” Professor Huemer noted, pointing to the religious backbone of the Crusades and more contemporary conflicts, such as the rise of the Islamic State.

Among its other faults, religion slows intellectual progress, promotes the acceptance of the implausible, and creates false general conceptions about reality – all of which are harmful to progression in society, Huemer charged.
 
“Some people spend time studying religion that they could have spent studying something else that would be more beneficial,” Huemer said, pointing to physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton.

“Newton's works on science and math includes the best things that have come from the pen of man...If he didn't spend that much time thinking about religion, think about what more progress would've been made,” he said.

According to Huemer, the greatest downfall of religion is that it stifles progression.

“I think intellectual progress requires the opposite values (of religion) on all fronts,” he argued, saying “I suspect the great majority of religions are harmful.”

Gaston opposed this, however, saying religion provides a path towards man’s search for happiness, which everyone in society seeks. This connection makes religion beneficial to society because it offers an outlet of pursuit toward man's ultimate desire.

“Religion is simply a generic name for the search for happiness,” Gaston said.

“The rights, practices and methods of religion constitute the moral way of life, or the means by which we pursue happiness,” Gaston added, saying this gives “direction and the very structure of living to every society.”

Society, according to Gaston, is a permanent union between two or more persons, striving for a common good by cooperative activity.

“In a Christian society, the notion of happiness is common to all. But the manner of pursuing happiness is left to each one of us to adapt our pursuit as we must,” he said.

Huemer argued, however, that this notion of happiness can be found in the material – namely through scientific or intellectual progress.

“Scientific progress is the reason why people today are living vastly better lives than a thousand years ago. Life expectancy is way up, and people are just much happier,” Huemer said.

But Gaston rejected Huemers notion of progress as the ultimate good. Instead, he believes that religion – Roman Catholicism in particular – is beneficial to society because it offers mankind a common end for happiness while respecting the diversity of society.

“I argue that if you give Christianity and spirituality in general an honest review, I think you might find something there that might shock you,” Gaston said.

“There are a lot more things out there beyond the material.”

Photo credit: www.shutterstock.com.

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By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Praying is not like taking an aspirin, something one does just to feel a little better, Pope Francis told thousands of members of Padre Pio Prayer Groups from around the world.

Prayer is not a business negotiation with God, either, the pope told more than 60,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square Feb. 6. Prayer is a "work of spiritual mercy," a time to entrust everything to the heart of God, he said.

The pilgrims were in Rome for the Year of Mercy and a week of special events that included veneration of the relics of St. Padre Pio and St. Leopold Mandic, both Capuchin friars who often spent more than 12 hours a day hearing confessions.

Although many faithful believe the body of Padre Pio, who died in 1968, is incorrupt, church officials have never made such a claim. When his body was exhumed in 2008, church officials said it was in "fair condition." Chemicals were used to ensure its long-term preservation and the face was covered with a silicone mask.

Pushed through the center of Rome Feb. 5 in glass coffins on rolling platforms, the relics of Padre Pio and St. Leopold were escorted by Italian military police, dozens of Capuchin friars and thousands of faithful.

When the procession reached St. Peter's Square -- the boundary of Vatican City State -- the Italian police stood at attention and the Swiss Guard took over the honor-guard duties. Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St. Peter's, welcomed the relics, blessed them with incense and accompanied them into St. Peter's Basilica where they were to stay for veneration until Feb. 11.

At the papal audience, joining members of the Padre Pio Prayer Groups from around the world were staff members of the hospital he founded, the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (House for the Relief of Suffering), whose work is supported by the prayers and donations of the prayer groups.

Pope Francis told them that their devotion to Padre Pio should help them rediscover each day "the beauty of the Lord's forgiveness and mercy."

With his long hours in the confessional, the pope said, "Padre Pio was a servant of mercy and he was fulltime, carrying out the 'apostolate of listening' even to the point of fainting."

"The great river of mercy" that Padre Pio unleashed, he said, should continue through the prayers and, especially, the willingness to listen and to care for others shown by members of the prayer groups.

If prayer were just about finding a little peace of mind or obtaining something specific from God, then it would basically be motivated by selfishness: "I pray to feel good, like I'd take an aspirin," the pope said.

"Prayer, rather, is a work of spiritual mercy that carries everything to the heart of God" and says to him, "You take it, you who are my father."

Padre Pio, he said, used to tell people prayer is "a key that opens God's heart."

"God's heart is not armored with all sorts of security measures," the pope said. "You can open it with a common key -- prayer."

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 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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Rome, Italy, Feb 6, 2016 / 12:00 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Rome is abuzz this week with the arrival of Padre Pio’s body for the Jubilee of Mercy. But many are likely scratching their heads at the arrival of a second, lesser-known saint: Leopold Mandic.

Although St. Leopold is less recognizable than his Capuchin brother St. Pio of Pietrelcina, St. Leopold’s life is a moving testament to perseverance and faith despite lifelong physical ailments.

St. Leopold was born Bogdan in 1866 in Dalmatia, Croatia and he was the youngest of 12 children. From an early age, Bogdan suffered from a severe stutter and strong adnominal pains. Chronic arthritis gave him a stooped frame and gnarled hands. But, what the future saint lacked in physical health, he made up for with spiritual strength.

At 16, Bogdan left Croatia for Italy, where he studied at the Capuchin Seraphic School at Udine. He entered the Capuchin order as a novice in 1884 at Bassano del Grappa and took the religious name Brother Leopold. He made his Profession of Vows one year later and was ordained a priest in Venice in 1890.

After his ordination, St. Leopold yearned to become a missionary in Eastern Europe. At the time, Eastern Europe was ravaged by religious conflict. But, St. Leopold’s superiors denied his request to become a missionary because of his poor health.

Instead, he was stationed at various friaries in the Venetian province and eventually taught about the early Church Fathers at a school in Padua, where he became well known for his devotion to his students and his hours spent in prayer each night.

After a brief exile to southern Italy during World War I, St. Leopold returned to Padua and would remain in the city for the rest of his life.

Bent and increasingly weak with age, St. Leopold spent much of the next three decades hearing confessions and providing spiritual direction from inside his small cell in Padua. The friar would spend up to 15 hours a day hearing confessions from people from every walk of life. He also adopted special sacrifices, prayers and fasts.

Word of the friar’s mercy spread quickly and soon St. Leopold faced accusations of ignorance or excessive leniency in the confessional. To which the holy friar responded, “Should the Crucified blame me for being lenient, I would answer Him: Lord, you gave me this bad example. I have not yet reached the folly of your having died for souls.”

In 1942, St. Leopold fainted while preparing for Mass. He was reportedly weak from spending the previous day hearing nonstop confessions and the entire night in prayer. He died while singing the final words of the Salve Regina. The saint had suffered from esophagus cancer, which is believed to be the cause of his death.

St. Leopold’s example seems to be close to Pope Francis’ heart. The Pope requested the relics of St. Leopold to come to Rome for the Jubilee of Mercy. Pope Francis also offered St. Leopold as an example of a merciful priest in his recent interview with Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli.

Just in: #PopeFrancis prayed at #StPio & St Leopold's relics in St Peter's Basilica today. #Vatican
Pic @oss_romano pic.twitter.com/sD56UxmJy7

— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) February 6, 2016 In the interview, Pope Francis referenced an old homily by Pope John Paul I, who was Cardinal Albino Luciani at the time. Cardinal Luciani used the example of a destitute donkey in order to illustrate St. Leopold’s mercy.

If a donkey is walking along the road and falls on the cobblestones, one must not “go there with a stick to beat it, poor little thing. It’s already unfortunate enough,” then-Cardinal Luciani said.

Instead, a person should take the donkey by the halter and help it up, saying “up, let’s take to the road again,” the Cardinal continued. “Now we will get back on the road, and we will pay more attention next time.”

“This is the system, and Father Leopold applied this system in full.”

The Cardinal also recounted the story of a friend who had gone to confession with Fr. Leopold. After receiving absolution, the friend told the priest, “Father, you are too generous. I am glad to have gone to confession to you, but it seems to me that you are too generous.”

In response, St. Leopold said: “But who has been generous, my son? It was the Lord who was generous; I wasn’t the one who died for our sins, it was the Lord who died for our sins. How could he have been more generous with the thief, with others, than this?”

St. Leopold was beatified in 1976 and canonized in 1983. His feast is celebrated May 12.

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