From the Office of Readings for September 3: A sermon of St Gregory the Great

For the love of Christ I do not spare myself in preaching him

‘Son of man, I have appointed you as watchman to the house of Israel.’ Note that Ezekiel, whom the Lord sent to preach his word, is described as a watchman. Now a watchman always takes up his position on the heights so that he can see from a distance whatever approaches. Likewise whoever is appointed watchman to a people should live a life on the heights so that he can help them by taking a wide survey.
 
These words are hard to utter, for when I speak it is myself that I am reproaching. I do not preach as I should nor does my life follow the principles I preach so inadequately.
 
I do not deny that I am guilty, for I see my torpor and my negligence. Perhaps my very recognition of failure will win me pardon from a sympathetic judge. When I lived in a monastic community I was able to keep my tongue from idle topics and to devote my mind almost continually to the discipline of prayer. Since taking on my shoulders the burden of pastoral care, I have been unable to keep steadily recollected because my mind is distracted by many responsibilities.
 
I am forced to consider questions affecting churches and monasteries and often I must judge the lives and actions of individuals; at one moment I am forced to take part in certain civil affairs, next I must worry over the incursions of barbarians and fear the wolves who menace the flock entrusted to my care; now I must accept political responsibility in order to give support to those who preserve the rule of law; now I must bear patiently the villainies of brigands, and then I must confront them, yet in all charity.
 
My mind is sundered and torn to pieces by the many and serious things I have to think about. When I try to concentrate and gather all my intellectual resources for preaching, how can I do justice to the sacred ministry of the word? I am often compelled by the nature of my position to associate with men of the world and sometimes I relax the discipline of my speech. If I preserved the rigorously inflexible mode of utterance that my conscience dictates, I know that the weaker sort of men would recoil from me and that I could never attract them to the goal I desire for them. So I must frequently listen patiently to their aimless chatter. Because I am weak myself I am drawn gradually into idle talk and I find myself saying the kind of thing that I didn’t even care to listen to before. I enjoy lying back where I once was loath to stumble.
 
Who am I — what kind of watchman am I? I do not stand on the pinnacle of achievement, I languish rather in the depths of my weakness. And yet the creator and redeemer of mankind can give me, unworthy though I be, the grace to see life whole and power to speak effectively of it. It is for love of him that I do not spare myself in preaching him.

Pope St. Gregory the Great

Saint of the Day, September 3: Pope St. Gregory the Great

Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-590): Gregory was the well-educated son of a wealthy Roman senator. He was a missionary in England before he was unanimously elected Pope. A Doctor of the Church, he is most well known for collecting the melodies and plain chant now known as Gregorian Chants.

Pope St. Gregory the Great

Daily Reading, September 3

Col 1:21-23

Brethren:

And you, whereas you were some time alienated and enemies in mind in evil works: Yet now he hath reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unspotted, and blameless before him: If so ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and immoveable from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, which is preached in all the creation that is under heaven, whereof I Paul am made a minister.

Ps 54:3-4, 6 and 8

God himself is my help.

Save me, O God, by thy name,
and judge me in thy strength.
O God, hear my prayer:
give ear to the words of my mouth.

God himself is my help.

For behold God is my helper:
and the Lord is the protector of my soul.
I will freely sacrifice to thee,
and will give praise, O God, to thy name, because it is good.

God himself is my help.

Lk 6:1-5

And it came to pass on the second first sabbath, that as he went through the corn fields, his disciples plucked the ears, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. And some of the Pharisees said to them: Why do you that which is not lawful on the sabbath days? And Jesus answering them, said: Have you not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was hungry, and they that were with him: How he went into the house of God, and took and ate the bread of proposition, and gave to them that were with him, which is not lawful to eat but only for the priests? And he said to them: The Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Peters and Lee: Closer

One in 25 bosses 'is a psychopath' but hides it with charm and business-speak

Tell us something we didn't already know.

Business leaders are four times more likely to be psychopaths than the general population, a study has found.

One out of every 25 company high-flyers is believed to have the mental disorder but disguises it through their high status, charm and manipulation in the workplace.

And only favourable environmental factors - such as having had a happy childhood - prevent their psychopathic tendencies turning them into serial killers.

Queen’s soldier No2 arrested in paedophile hunt

A pedophilia scandal in the Queen's Household Cavalry keeps getting worse:

A SECOND member of the elite Household Cavalry regiment has been arrested by cops probing an alleged paedophile ring.

Detectives swooped on the home of married Lance Corporal Mark Neal, 28 — who has guarded the Queen.

Buckingham Palace

Le Figaro: Worsening economic and social crisis in Greece

A very, very rough translation:

The Greek economy will shrink 5% in 2011, more severe than expected, resulting in the public deficit soaring to 8.8% of GDP. The experts of the IMF, the European Central Bank and the European Commission left Athens hastily on Friday.

The Greek debt crisis is by turns a psychodrama and a tragedy. Tuesday evening, an expert commission of Parliament revealed in an official report that the countries indebtedness was "out of control." The next day, denial and criticism poured forth. Evangelos Venizélos, the finance minister, not mincing his words, declared that these expert accountants had "neither the knowledge, nor the experience, nor the position necessary to judge the debt"; a few hours later, the director of the Parliamentary commission so incriminated resigned.

Stock market collapses

Friday, the crisis advanced into a new stage with the surprise announcement of the suspension, for ten days, of the mission inaugurated at the beginning of the week in Athens by the troika (the European Union, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund). This precipitous departure provoked an outcry in the country and the stock market collapsed on opening, dragging the European markets along in its wake. The finance minister attempted to minimize the event: "There has not been a rupture in discussions between the country and the troika," he assured. But Evangelos Venizélos' attempts at reassurance failed, which even he admitted, saying shortly thereafter that "Greece has not attained its objectives for reducing the public deficit in 2011, on account to the worsening of the recession in the country." GDP is likely to decline by 5% this year, the government now forecasts, which leads mechanically to an anticipated deficit of 8.8% of GDP at the end of 2011, contrary to an earlier estimation of 7.4%.

It is a fact, nearly a year and a half after putting in place its austerity plan, that Greece again has its back against the wall. The austerity measures engendered a strong recession and weighed against growth, competitiveness, and economic output. The unemployment rate reached 16.6% last month. "The Parliamentary commission was right. The debt is truly out of control, as it is constantly increasing and it will continue to grow," is the analysis of Stefanos Manos, a former finance minister. "It has been irritating to watch the government do nothing these last several months. No reform of the state sector, no privatization, but only increased taxes and wage cuts! There is more public spending then in 2009, before the crisis," he underlines. "Now, it is urgent, bankruptcy is just around the corner. The international powers must be firm. They should refuse to grant the sixth tranche of loans worth 110 billion euros that was accorded to Greece if these measures are not applied." This was probably the thinking behind the departure of the troika, which meant by this dramatic gesture to put pressure on the government.

But this game of liars poker wearies the Greeks who suffer the full force of austerity. The last measure taken was to increase the VAT (Value Added Tax) from 13% to 23%. "A step too far," according to Giorgos Delastik, a political analyst. "Greeks are exhausted. They think above all that the austerity plan which was applied is not the right solution to save their country in this crisis, just as in Ireland and Portugal."

Strikes and demonstrations were not long in coming. First came strikes among teachers and employees of the Athens subway, and now the aggrieved have called for a grand protest this evening before the Parliament. For Ilias Iliopoulos, secretary-general of the state employees union, everything is currently at risk in Greece. "We are on the verge of a social explosion," he affirms. "In 2010, in order to reduce the deficit 5%, the Greek people made enormous sacrifices. Today, they cannot accept other austerity measures or new cuts in their wages." However, the troika requests 2.5 billion euros in savings by the end of the year. The authorities fear henceforth to be unable to contain the rage of the Greek people, who have been radicalized after the summer break.

Read the article in the original French here.

Greek protest in 2010.

Aid to the Church in Need: A growing Church in India

Upon its founding in 1997, the Diocese of Asansol numbered around 15,000 Catholics. Today its numbers have nearly doubled, while the number of priests has tripled, reports Aid to the Church in Need in a profile of this growing diocese. "We are a growing Church, and each year around 1000 people find their way to the Faith," says Bishop Cyprian Monis. Catholics in Asansol do not face the hostility that troubles Catholics in other parts of India, the report states. Read the full article here.

Clock tower; Asansol, India

Dealing with the Austrian “Priest's Initiative”

At CatholicCulture.org, Jeff Mirus comments on the call for open disobedience emanating from the Priests' Initiative of Austria, a group that unilaterally threatens to allow laity to lead Communion services and preach, to ordain women, to end priestly celibacy, and to institute open communion: and of course they are only getting warmed up, bet on that.

Mirus says that Cardinal Schönborn of Vienna must be resolute. He says, in part:

There is only one way to resolve situations like this without completely disrespecting the rights of the faithful, and we may pray—in fact, we ought to pray—that Cardinal Schönborn will have the courage to do what needs to be done, and that he will enjoy the full support of both the Vatican and his brother bishops.

In my previous essay, I emphasized the need for bishops to rule if they are to restore order in Catholic theology; the same thing applies to restoring order in the ministry, and in particular those aspects of the ministry which ought to reflect a sound Catholic theology firmly rooted in the teachings of the Church. It may, then, be fortuitous that a group of clearly Modernist priests is finally threatening to defy both Church doctrine and Church discipline openly, which saves a bishop the painful and arduous task of sifting through various complaints to try to determine which of his priests defy the authority of the Church only when he is not around.

The welcome clarity of this situation consists in the fact that it cannot be papered over without immense and obvious harm to the faithful. That doesn’t mean it won’t be, but in general internal Modernist dissent has been characterized by a strategy of avoiding the contradiction of one’s own bishop to his face. When a priest actually directly challenges his bishop, and does so publicly, it is much harder for a bishop to pretend that things are really not all that bad.

In the present case, barring public repentance, it is impossible to retain any of these priests in active service without signaling to the entire Church that Catholics may believe and do whatever they want. That’s why the only way to resolve the problem is to give the priests who support the Initiative a direct and personal choice of either taking an oath of obedience which repudiates the Initiative or being excommunicated (or, at the least, removed from active ministry). Anything less is a victory for those who wish to overthrow the Church herself.

Catholic News Service: Revised Roman Missal binds Catholics across a 2,000-year history

Dennis Sadowski has a fascinating article in the Catholic News Service on the historical tradition of the Church and how the updated English missal fits within that history. A summary can't do his reporting justice, but I'll pull a few quotes:

When the third edition of the English-language version of the Roman Missal is implemented at Advent, it will mark the continuing evolution of the eucharistic liturgy that began in the earliest days of the church.

[. . .]

"It's not the changing that's abnormal. It's not changing that's abnormal," said Jesuit Father John Baldovin, professor of historical and liturgical theology at Boston College, who explores the history of the missal and the new English translation in a video series on the National Jesuit News website.

The translation that began being implemented in English-speaking countries in 2010 has been openly criticized by some clergy and liturgy experts for its structurally complicated language that they believe strays from the intent of Vatican II's liturgical reforms. But other liturgists responsible for catechesis on the missal are reminding the faithful that the translation helps bind modern-day Catholics with early Christians through its more authentic language.

"People may find it interesting that this has developed over centuries. It isn't something dropped out of the sky at Vatican II, but it has a history," said Christina Ronzio, director of the Office for Worship in the Cleveland Diocese.

"What it does is it establishes continuity of that tradition of the church," she said.

[. . .]

Diocesan-based liturgists Ronzio and Thiron both have included a discussion of liturgical history in their workshops on implementing the translation after initially hearing from people who perceived the translation as betraying Vatican II's promise. With knowledge of history, the anger has largely disappeared, they said.

"One of the things (people) appreciate most about the Catholic faith is tradition," Thiron said. "When they see tradition is being preserved, they're comfortable with that."

If it looks like I've quoted a lot, know that I haven't even scratched the surface. I left out all of the history because there was no  reasonable way to pull that aspect apart and preserve continuity. It's a wonderfully written article and definitely worth a read, for history buffs and for those interested in the new missal.

Photo: CNS/Nancy Wiechek

Catholic News Agency:US bishops say contraception mandate coerces religious groups

[Anthony] Picarello [general counsel for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops] and bishops’ conference associate general counsel Michael Moses submitted an August 31 comment to the Department of Health and Human Services criticizing its requirement that insurers provide sterilization and contraception, including some drugs like Ella which can cause abortions.

It is “an unprecedented attack on religious liberty” to require that religious people and groups sell, broker or purchase services to which they have religious or moral objections, the attorneys said.

Under the new mandate, religiously-affiliated employers will be “affirmatively barred” from offering a plan to the public, or even to fellow believers, that excludes objectionable items.

Catholic News Agency: India’s bishops brief Pope on persecution of Christians

Pope Benedict XVI quizzed Indian bishops on the treatment of Christians within their country during the final stage of the Indian bishops' ad limina visit to the Vatican on Thursday.

“The Holy Father was very interested in knowing about the situation of how Indian Christians are treated, our efforts for inter-religious dialogue and also about how we go about our pastoral work,” said Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai in a Vatican Radio interview.

Cardinal Gracias informed the Pope that the treatment of Christians varies by region in the world's largest democracy and second most populous country. “It’s not all over India, it is only in certain pockets, but really, I would not be honest if I did not say that there is violence in parts of the country even today. But it is certainly much, much better than before.”

India has the fourth largest bishops' conference in the Church, and so its ad limina visits have to be spread out over four stages. Today's meeting included bishops from the southwest of the country, where Hindu chauvinists have created a worrying climate for the Christian population: a church was vandalized just last week and its priest threatened. The Hindu fundamentalists want to make it appear that "“the whole of India is in danger because of the activities of the Christians and the missionaries,”  said the bishop, yet, “the Gospel is a message of love and peace and joy and human growth which does not threaten anybody.”

Vatican Insider reported last Friday that the Indian bishops have extended an invitation to Pope Benedict to visit their country; he responded that he would like to go if his health permits him.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias, President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India

US stocks dive after government says that hiring halted in August

Markets slump on flat US jobs report; concerns that US economy on brink of double-dip recession.

US Dow   -2.2%
Germany DAX  -3.4%
France CAC 40  -3.6%
UK FTSE 100    -2.3%

Photo: ALAMY

From the Office of Readings for September 2: St Leo the Great on the Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit

There is no doubt that the poor find it easier than the rich to receive the blessing of humility; for gentleness goes with poverty just as pride more commonly goes with riches. Nevertheless, very many rich people find that their wealth does not swell them up with pride: rather, they do good and benevolent things with it. For these people the greatest treasure is what they spend in relieving the distress and hardship of others.
 
In the virtue of humility men of every kind and every standing meet together, because though they differ in their means they share a common purpose. Their inequality of wealth makes no difference if they are equal in spiritual blessings.
 
What kind of poverty, then, is blessed? The kind that is not in love with earthly things and does not seek worldly riches: the kind that longs to be filled with the blessings of heaven.
 
After our Lord himself, the Apostles have given us the best example of this greatness of heart in poverty. When their Master called, they instantly left behind all that they possessed, and from catching fish they turned swiftly to fishing for men. Their example inspired many to emulate their faith and so become like them: it was at this time that these first sons of the Church were of one heart and there was one spirit among believers. With all their possessions stripped away they received the riches of eternal blessings, and through the Apostles’ preaching they rejoiced at having nothing that the world could give and possessing all things with Christ.
 
So it was that when the blessed apostle Peter was going up into the Temple and the cripple begged him for alms, he replied I have neither silver nor gold, but I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk! What could be higher than this lowliness? What could be richer than this poverty? He cannot give the support of money but he can give the gift of a restored nature. From the womb his mother brought him forth a cripple; by a word Peter raises him up to health. He did not give the image of Caesar stamped on a coin but he restored the image of Christ in the man himself.
 
The man who was given the power to walk was not the only one to receive help from this rich treasure. From the same act of miraculous healing five thousand men received the gift of faith in the Apostle’s teaching. The poor man who could give nothing of what he was asked for restored one lame man to his feet but also healed the hearts of thousands: he found them lame and brought them to be lithe and agile in Christ.

St. Leo the Great

Saints of the Day, September 2: Martyrs of September

The Martyrs of September (1792): A group of 191 martyrs who died in the French Revolution. They were imprisoned in the Abbey of St-Germain-des-Prés, Hôtel des Carmes in the rue de Rennes, Prison de la Force, and Seminaire de Saint-Firmin in Paris, France by the Legislative Assembly for refusing to take the oath to support the civil constitution of the clergy. This act placed priests under the control of the state, and had been condemned by the Vatican.

Daily Reading, September 2

Col 1:15-20

Brethren:

He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of every creature:
For in him were all things created in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible,
whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers:
all things were created by him and in him.
And he is before all,
and by him all things consist.
And he is the head of the body,
the church,
who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things he may hold the primacy:
Because in him, it hath well pleased the Father, that all fullness should dwell;
And through him to reconcile all things unto himself,
making peace through the blood of his cross,
both as to the things that are on earth,
and the things that are in heaven.

Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5

Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Sing joyfully to God, all the earth:
serve ye the Lord with gladness.
Come in before his presence with exceeding great joy.

Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Know ye that the Lord he is God:
he made us, and not we ourselves.
We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Go ye into his gates with praise,
into his courts with hymns:
and give glory to him. Praise ye his name

Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

For the Lord is sweet,
his mercy endureth for ever,
and his truth to generation and generation.

Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Lk 5:33-39

And they said to him: Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees in like manner; but thine eat and drink? To whom he said: Can you make the children of the bridegroom fast, whilst the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, then shall they fast in those days.

And he spoke also a similitude to them: That no man putteth a piece from a new garment upon an old garment; otherwise he both rendeth the new, and the piece taken from the new agreeth not with the old.

And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: otherwise the new wine will break the bottles, and it will be spilled, and the bottles will be lost.  But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. And no man drinking old, hath presently a mind to new: for he saith, The old is better.

Julia Lee and her Boyfriends: Opportunity Knocks Once - Snatch and Grab It

The Daily Mirror: The Facebook first date from hell: Mother, 23, arrested after being tricked into driving getaway car for thief met on site

A mother-of-two had a 'first date from hell' after she was duped into becoming the getaway driver for a thief she met on Facebook.

Leah Gibbs, 23, had planned to spend an evening watching a DVD and getting to know 21-year-old Adam Minton.  

But instead, when she arrived at his home, he asked her to give him a lift - claiming he briefly had to visit a friend.

You can guess the rest. . .

The Sun: School panic over castle ‘paedo’ wife

Can't blame them. This one is going to get uglier:

Mums demand answers after child-rape raid.

PARENTS last night feared their kids may have been abused at school as a Windsor Castle guard and his wife face paedophile charges.

Mums were shocked to learn that teaching assistant Fiona Parsons-Davies, 44, is in custody. . .

Le Monde: Gaddafi vows "no surrender" and calls for a continuation of the fight

A very rough translation:

The ex-strongman of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, in an audio message broadcast by the satellite television network Al-Rai, affirmed Thursday, September 1, that he will not surrender and says that he is ready for a long struggle, even if the country "burns" : "If they want a long battle, then let it be a long battle. If the country goes up in flames, who will be able to govern it? Let it burn."

"Continue the resistance," appealed the colonel in a recording released on the anniversary of the day which put him in power, September 1, 1969. "We won't surrender. We are not women, and we will keep fighting," vowed Muammar Gaddafi, who remains elusive and who is hunted by the rebels ever since the fall of his HQ at Bab Al-Aziziya in Tripoli on August 23.

"Burn the ground under their feet."

In a message released a few hours later on the same television network, the fifth from the former ruler of Libya since the rebel assault began the 20th of August on the capital, Tripoli, Muammar Gaddafi was precise in his threats: "Get ready for a war of gangs, urban warfare, and a popular resistance in each city [. . .] to vanquish the enemy everywhere," he promised.

He also rejected the ultimatum from the new rulers of Libya that he surrender by September 12. "Libya will not surrender and it will not be colonized," declared the former no. 1 of Libya, assuring that, "the resistance is growing in Tripoli, it will be liberated foot by foot." "We will fight everywhere and we will burn the ground under their feet [. . .]. You willl not find sleep nor peace of mind in this land!" he added.

According to the vice-president of the National Transitional Council (NTC), Gaddafi, who has a bounty of $1.7million on his head (2million Libyan dinars), has found refuge in Bani Walid: information to be taken with caution, according to the NTC, because it is not yet confirmed.

This town in the interior of the land, about 150 km southwest of the capital, Tripoli, is one of the fiefs of the Warfalla tribe, which is among the most powerful in the country. According to a person "in whom [the NTC] has confidence", Muammar Gaddafi, his son Saïf Al-Islam, and the chief of the intelligence service arrived in this location three days after the fall of Tripoli last week. However, the British television network Sky News, citing a bodyguard for the Gaddafi clan, reported Tuesday that the dictator had left Tripoli last Friday and took refuge instead in the city of Sebha.

Wednesday, Gaddafi's minister for foreign affairs was arrested close to Janzour, a suburb to the west of Tripoli.

Negotiations continue in Sirte

While pockets of resistance remain in the country, the interim council in power in Libya announced Thursday that it will extend for one week its ultimatum to the partisans of Muammar Gaddafi entrenched in the coastal city of Sirte. Before this annoucement, the TNC had set an ultimatum of four days, due to expire in Saturday, with the partisans of the regime in the birthplace of Colonel Gaddafi.

According to the BBC, intense discussions which were taking place with the tribal chiefs of Sirte in order to avoid a bloodbath ended Thursday without an agreement being reached. Outside of Syrte, the partisans of Muammar Gaddafi are confined to places such as Bani Walid and the oasis of Sebha, in the center-west of the country.

Although the rebels hope for a peaceful surrender of the localities faithful to Gaddafi, they must, however, prepare for a possible attack from loyalist forces Thursday, the anniversary of the coup d'Etat which brought the "Guide" to power. [Note: article published early Thursday afternoon] On the ground the situation remains calm, says a senior official of the rebellion.

Read the article in the original French at this link.

Libya: the minister, the Tory donor and a contract to supply oil

There is a highly selective, refined, and discriminating virus sweeping the continent of Europe today: it only infects the highest levels of national governments. In France and in Italy it is weakening its hosts; now it is the turn of the Cameron government in the UK.

A junior minister, Alan Duncan, was instrumental in steering a lucrative contract ($1billion), to a company with which he has close ties, having previously been a director of one of its subsidiaries. The contract was issued by the government to supply fuel to, and trade oil for, the Libyan rebels during the current conflict. The company, Vitol, is said to be the only firm to have been approached to perform this task, which is highly unusual indeed. Heightening the odor somewhat, Vitol was a large donor to the Conservative's 2010 election campaign.

As of now this only involves a junior minister, one who can be easily scythed off, and a lot of unfortunate appearances. It could all be above board, or limited to Mr. Duncan if not. But Britain is twittering, and things are getting a mite uncomfortable for the government of Prime Minister David Cameron.

UK Minister for International Development Alan Duncan

Nicolas Sarkozy 'received cash handouts from L'Oreal heiress'

In France, it is against the law for voters to give more than 7500 euros per year to political parties, or to exceed more than 4600 euros per year to individual candidates; any donations above 150 euros must be paid by check. To this American, these laws seem overly restrictive and trivial, but those are the rules in France and everyone must abide by them (even though it is hard to believe that anybody actually does).

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is facing allegations today that he has not abided by them. To wit, 88 year old L'Oreal cosmetics heiress Liliane Bettencourt, the richest woman in France, is alleged to have given Mr. Sarkozy large amounts of funds in well-stuffed envelopes throughout his political career. These allegations have been simmering since July when they were first aired by Mrs. Bettencourt's former accountant, Claire Thibout, who quickly retracted the claim, and then stated that she had been pressured to do so by French police. Mr. Sarkozy denies any wrongdoing.

The heat has been turned up a notch by the publication of a book in France by two writers from Le Monde, "Sarko m'a tuer" or "Sarko Killed Me". This cites a second hand account from Isabelle Prevost-Desprez, a magistrate who investigated Mrs. Bettencourt on another matter , who states that Mrs.Bettencourt's nurse, after an interview with her, let slip to her stenographer that she had witnessed cash payouts to Mr. Sarkozy. Following all this? Monsieur President, of course, has issued a categorical denial. Keep an eye on this one, because the French presidential election is gearing up in earnest and it is likely to dog Mr. Sarkozy all the way, if it doesn't actually bring him down. The timing is suspect, the information is second hand, but it cannot be easily dismissed, fair or not.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy

The Daily Telegraph: Italian businessman arrested on suspicion of blackmailing Silvio Berlusconi

Italian police arrested a businessman, Giampaolo Tarantini, today, for blackmailing Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to the tune of 500,000 euros. Mr. Tarantini is known to have procured prostitutes for several of the prime minister's notorious "Bunga Bunga" sex parties, but has always insisted that Mr. Berlusconi did not know that many of the attractive young women cavorting around and with him were of the professional variety; now police claim to have 50 hours of phone conversations in their possession implicating Mr. Tarantini with blackmailing the prime minister in exchange for sticking to his story.

The embattled Berlusconi, who is currently under investigation for hiring a 17-year-old prostitute for "entertainment" purposes, claims to have "aided" Mr. Tarantini purely out of the goodness of his heart: "I helped a person and a family with children who found themselves, and still find themselves, in grave economic difficulties. . . I did nothing wrong, I simply helped a desperate man, asking nothing in return. That’s the kind of person I am and nothing will ever change that.” The prime minister also asserts that he has never paid for sex and is generally puzzled by all that is going on.

Mr. Tarantini's wife was arrested along with him; Mr. Berlusconi is not under investigation in this particular case.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi; noted for his stamina.

Yvonne the runaway German cow turns self in

A cow named Yvonne whose escape kept a corner of Bavaria on tenterhooks has turned herself in after three months on the run.

[. . .]

The six-year-old cow "apparently got tired of the loneliness," the local council in Muehldorf said in a statement, adding that she had jumped over a fence to join her fellow bovines.

Yvonne is now grazing contentedly with four calves and appears "healthy and calm," it added.

And so the feel-good story of the summer comes to an end: Yvonne will be going to an animal sanctuary where she will enjoy a life of tranquility and comfort, with plenty of room to roam if she gets the old wanderlust again.

Photo: Josef Enzinger/AFP/Getty Images; Yvonne the Cow

Alaska Woman Punches Bear in Snout to Save Dog

Wow, score one for Alaskan womanhood:

Black bears in residential neighborhoods aren't exactly unheard of in Juneau [Alaska]. While many people stay inside when bears are about, one local woman says she had a different instinct when she saw her dog was in trouble.

It started out as a typical evening for 22-year-old Brooke Collins. She let her dogs out as usual but this time, she said there was a black bear outside who took hold of her dachshund Fudge.

She said she feared for her pet's life and, in an instant, ran over and punched the bear right in the face to make it let go.

[. . .]

She said her boyfriend Regan O'Toole came out upon hearing the screaming. O'Toole said the bear already looked startled from being punched at that point. He said the animal went down the driveway and into the bushes to the mountain as he ran toward it.

I chased off an opossum once that was harassing my cat. An opossum- not a bear. Yeah, and I felt good about that... geesh. Brooke Collins, I salute you.

This is a black bear. It eats bloggers for lunch.

Catholic Information Service for Africa: Shun Tribalism or Fail, Says South Sudan Archbishop

“If we do not shun tribalism, corruption, killing one another, then that will be the end of our lives,” CISA quotes Archbishop Paulino Lokudu Loro of Juba, South Sudan, speaking in response to recent ethnic violence in the world's newest state. His concerns are not idle: Vatican Radio reports the toll of clashes between the Murle and Lou Nuer tribes as 600 dead, 1000 wounded, and 250,000 displaced.

In addition to border tensions and economic disputes with neighboring Sudan, with whom South Sudan fought a twenty year war for independence, the new state faces severe challenges in education, health care, and economic development, challenges which a fractured society struggling amongst itself will have a very hard time overcoming. Archbishop Loro has called on South Sudanese to "to pray for peace in South Sudan and work towards stability." His intervention is necessary and timely.

South Sudanese celebrating their independence, July 9, 2011

Asia News: Maternal deaths decline in Philippines without birth controls

Maternal deaths dropped 81% in the Philippines from 1980-2oo8, a study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation of the University of Washington reports, contradicting claims by abortion activists who have used outdated statistics to argue that the Philippines maternal death rate demonstrates the need for a liberalization of birth control laws. The Philippines, where abortion is illegal, did better in this regard than wealthy countries with liberal abortion laws such as Germany and Israel. The new data shows the Filipino Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) has dropped to four deaths per day, well below the 11 per day claimed by supporters of abortion. In the United States the MMR was 13.3 in 2006; the world average for developed regions in 2000 was 20 .

EWTN News: Peru- Cardinal reflects on St. Rose's example of courage in the faith

Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani of Lima, Peru has called on Catholics to follow the example of St. Rose of Lima, a saint who embodied “the courage of faith, the humility of prayer and intimacy with Jesus in the Eucharist.”

[. . .]

“The humility of St. Rose explains everything; the seed of kindness of that humble person bore immense fruit in the world.  Everywhere this first saint of America is a light that illuminates others and fills them with enthusiasm because she put herself in God’s hands and her faith led her to show incredible love for neighbor,” the cardinal recalled.

[. . .]

The light of Christ will again shine out, he told those gathered at the Cathedral of Lima.  “It may seem like the eclipse is lasting a long time, but the sun is there.  Allow it to illuminate your lives, ask the Lord for help in overcoming selfishness and the moments of pride and arrogance which we all have.”

St. Rose of Lima

EWTN News: Analyst blames Mexican politicians for casino attack

The secretary of the Council of Catholic Analysts of Mexico, Guillermo Gazanini Espinoza, said politicians and the government are to blame for the recent attack on the Casino Royale in Monterrey.

[. . .]

The blood of the victims is on the hands of those who, instead of taking action, have sought positions of power and have neglected the task of reforming the police force, which is steeped in corruption, Gazanini continued.
 
On Aug. 25, a group of armed men stormed the Casino Royale during peak hours and set the building on fire.

Mexican firefighters responding to Casino Roayale arson attack in Monterrey, August 25

Fides: INDIA-The Supreme Court appeals for a new report, but "there is still no justice for Christians in Orissa"

Three years after Hindu extremists in Orissa, India killed 100 Christians and forced 54,000 more to flee their homes, Christians "are discouraged and feel abandoned by the institutions: it is urgent that the judicial system, at the federal level, guarantees and protects the rights," Fr. Dibakar Parichha, priest and lawyer for the diocese of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, tells Fides News Agency in an article published today.

The Supreme Court of India has now responded to this problem, Fides reports. The Court, acting on an appeal to it from the Catholic Church in India, yesterday  lodged a stinging rebuke against the government's feeble response to the anti-Christian rampage, citing its "dissatisfaction" with the pace and quality of justice offered to the victims of violence. The Court announced its intention to investigate failures in the program of reconstruction for the large number of homes and churches that were destroyed, as well as the insufficient efforts to return displaced persons to their homes, and the inadequate compensation offered to those who suffered damages. The government's  National Commission for Human Rights is now required to update the Court within six months on steps taken to rectify the situation, Fides News Agency reports.

3,232 cases of violence were reported to the police, yet, three years on, only 828 cases have been officially registered, and only 327 of these have been brought to trial. Out of 749 people arrested, 639 have been acquitted, and only 19 trials for murder have led to convictions. 1,597 militants were "well identified" by authorities yet cleared, and thousands of known attackers have never even been contacted by police. "The government has failed miserably in all the rehabilitation activities," His Exc. Mgr. John Barwa, Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, wrote in the appeal lodged with the Court by the Church. The Court, with yesterdays action, agrees. "[T]oo many culprits are on the loose, too many crimes, like murders and rapes, are still unpunished," Fr. Parica tells Fides. Today there is cause for hope that this will change.

Read the full Fides article at this link.

A Christian girl burned in the anti-Christian violence in Orissa, 2008.

From the Office of Readings for September 1: A sermon by Pope St Leo the Great

I shall put my laws within them

When our Lord Jesus Christ, beloved, was preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, and was healing various sicknesses through the whole of Galilee, the fame of His mighty works had spread into all Syria: large crowds too from all parts of Judæa were flocking to the heavenly Physician.  For as human ignorance is slow in believing what it does not see, and in hoping for what it does not know, those who were to be instructed in the divine lore , needed to be aroused by bodily benefits and visible miracles: so that they might have no doubt as to the wholesomeness of His teaching when they actually experienced His benignant power. And therefore that the Lord might use outward healings as an introduction to inward remedies, and after healing bodies might work cures in the soul, He separated Himself from the surrounding crowd, ascended into the retirement of a neighbouring mountain, and called His apostles to Him there, that from the height of that mystic seat He might instruct them in the loftier doctrines, signifying from the very nature of the place and act that He it was who had once honoured Moses by speaking to him: then indeed with a more terrifying justice, but now with a holier mercifulness, that what had been promised might be fulfilled when the Prophet Jeremiah says: "behold the days come when I will complete a new covenant for the house of Israel and for the house of Judah. After those days, says the Lord, I will put My laws in their minds , and in their heart will I write them. "

He therefore who had spoken to Moses, spoke also to the apostles, and the swift hand of the Word wrote and deposited the secrets of the new covenant in the disciples' hearts: there were no thick clouds surrounding Him as of old, nor were the people frightened off from approaching the mountain by frightful sounds and lightning , but quietly and freely His discourse reached the ears of those who stood by: that the harshness of the law might give way before the gentleness of grace, and "the spirit of adoption" might dispel the terrors of bondage.

The nature then of Christ's teaching is attested by His own holy statements: that they who wish to arrive at eternal blessedness may understand the steps of ascent to that high happiness. "Blessed," He says, "are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." It would perhaps be doubtful what poor He was speaking of, if in saying "blessed are the poor" He had added nothing which would explain the sort of poor: and then that poverty by itself would appear sufficient to win the kingdom of heaven which many suffer from hard and heavy necessity.

But when He says "blessed are the poor in spirit," He shows that the kingdom of heaven must be assigned to those who are recommended by the humility of their spirits rather than by the smallness of their means. Yet it cannot be doubted that this possession of humility is more easily acquired by the poor than the rich: for submissiveness is the companion of those that want, while loftiness of mind dwells with riches. Notwithstanding, even in many of the rich is found that spirit which uses its abundance not for the increasing of its pride but on works of kindness, and counts that for the greatest gain which it expends in the relief of others' hardships. It is given to every kind and rank of men to share in this virtue, because men may be equal in will, though unequal in fortune: and it does not matter how different they are in earthly means, who are found equal in spiritual possessions. Blessed, therefore, is poverty which is not possessed with a love of temporal things, and does not seek to be increased with the riches of the world, but is eager to amass heavenly possessions.

Saint of the Day, September 1: Saint Giles

St. Giles (8th century): Born a noble, Giles used his wealth to help the poor. He became a hermit and lived in a cave. He was so admired that the French king built him a monastery for his followers, and Giles became its first abbott.

St. Giles

Daily Reading, September 1

Col 1:9-14

Brothers and sisters:

Therefore we also, from the day that we heard it, cease not to pray for you, and to beg that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom, and spiritual understanding: That you may walk worthy of God, in all things pleasing; being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God: Strengthened with all might, according to the power of his glory, in all patience and longsuffering with joy,  Giving thanks to God the Father, who hath made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light.

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins.

Ps 98:2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6

The Lord has made known his salvation.

The Lord hath made known his salvation:
he hath revealed his justice in the sight of the Gentiles.
He hath remembered his mercy:
his truth toward the house of Israel.

The Lord has made known his salvation.

All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Sing joyfully to God, all the earth;
make melody, rejoice and sing.

The Lord has made known his salvation.

Sing praise to the Lord on the harp,
on the harp, and with the voice of a psalm:
With long trumpets, and sound of comet:
Make a joyful noise before the Lord our king

The Lord has made known his salvation.

Lk 5:1-11

And it came to pass, that when the multitudes pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Genesareth, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And going into one of the ships that was Simon's, he desired him to draw back a little from the land. And sitting he taught the multitudes out of the ship.

Now when he had ceased to speak, he said to Simon: Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said to him: Master, we have labored all the night, and have taken nothing: but at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they enclosed a very great multitude of fishes, and their net broke. And they beckoned to their partners that were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they were almost sinking.

Which when Simon Peter saw, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying: Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was wholly astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken. And so were also James and John the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon's partners. And Jesus saith to Simon: Fear not: from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And having brought their ships to land, leaving all things, they followed him.

Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians: Moonlight Saving Time

The Daily Mail: Climbers stunned after spotting a stray dog at the freezing peak of Mount Kilimanjaro

A stray dog has been spotted scampering around at the peak of Africa’s highest mountain.

How the mongrel managed to scale 19,000ft-high Kilimanjaro has mystified vets.

Experts were last night trying to establish how the dog, which was noticed by a group of climbers, had managed to survive the notoriously tough conditions on the mountain in Tanzania.

[. . .]

The part of the mountain where the dog was found is so high that the temperatures usually remain below and freezing and climbers are warned about the severe effects of altitude sickness.

Local officials said it was possible the stray animal was the same dog which had been spotted a decade ago close to a camp lower down the mountain.

Mount Kilimanjaro

The Sun: Paedo probe at Windsor Castle

Sick, sick world. Here's a shocker, not only for the setting, but because the guy's wife was apparently involved:

A QUEEN'S guard at Windsor Castle and his wife have been arrested and charged with raping a pre-teenage girl.

Household Cavalry trooper Simon Davies, 37, and his primary school teacher wife Fiona, 44, were held by cops probing a suspected child porn ring.

Detectives believe a video of the alleged sex attack has been passed around paedophiles on the internet.

[. . .]

Davies, who has also seen action fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, is based at Windsor's Combermere Barracks.

That is where Prince William and Prince Harry served with the Household Cavalry's Blues & Royals regiment before they embarked on careers flying military helicopters.

Both will almost certainly know the accused soldier.

Buckingham Palace

Le Figaro: Gaddafi accused of rape by his ex-"Amazons"

A very rough translation:

The colonel liked to be surrounded by a 100% female guard, clad in military attire and toting Kalashnikovs. After his fall, the testimony of several of these women reveals the terrifying reality behind the facade.

They were nicknamed the "Amazons" by Gaddafi. The bodyguards, who surrounded the Libyan leader on all of his travels, aroused astonishment and questions: were they a ceremonial "gimmick," or the umpteenth indication of his pronounced penchant for provocation,  or a harem? Owing to the fall of the colonel, several of these women have broken their silence, and their testimony confirms, in a sinister way, the third hypothesis. Forced to enlist, menaced, they speak of having been raped by the "Guide," who then "divvied" them out to his sons and his officers.

Up to 400 young women- 40 at a time- have served as bodyguards for Gaddafi, all graduates of a military academy for women which he founded in Tripoli in 1983. A psychologist based in Benghazi has collected the testimony of five of these women, details of which were reported by the Times of Malta. One recounted having been forced to enlist as a "bodyguard" for the colonel by threats of having her father thrown in prison if she refused. Taken away to Bab Aziziya, the personal residence of the dictator in Tripoli, she was marched to the private quarters of the colonel himself and then raped. Not content with having abused them, the women affirm that Muammar Gaddafi would then hand them over to his sons, or senior members of his entourage, who would, in turn, violate them.

Forced to execute rebel prisoners

The American network CNN has itself obtained the testimony of a young woman who says she was forcibly conscripted by the colonel. Nisreen, barely 19 years old today,  recounts how she was carried off from her family a year ago by an officer from Bab Aziziya. Trained in the use of weapons, she was cut off from all contact with her family. She asserts that after the rebellion broke loose in Libya she was forced to execute insurgent prisoners, eleven in total. They brought them to me one by one, saying, " kill them (. . . ), if you do not then we will kill you."

These accounts could strengthen an eventual trial of the dictator- if he is captured- before the International Criminal Court.  They add to the other monstrosities attributed to the Gaddafi regime. This week, the nanny of the grandchildren of the dictator was discovered in Tripoli bearing the scars on her body of an atrocious torture. On a larger scale, the regime is accused of having utilized rape as a weapon during this six month old conflict. The case of Iman al-Abadi, a civilian who claims to have been raped by the colonel's militiamen, has brought this practice to light. As a result, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court himself affirmed that Ms. al-Abadi's information constitutes evidence that Gaddafi had decided to punish the population through the utilization of rape. For this purpose, states Luis Moreno-Ocampo, whole containers of Viagra had been shipped by the regime, bound for its soldiers. If they are brought before international justice, these acts could qualify as crimes against humanity.

Read the article in the original French at this link.

Gaddafi and his Amazons.