Sounds Like a Plan to Me!

Catholic World News reports that a senior Vatican official says the Holy Father wants the extraordinary rite to be revived in every parish. Quoth the story:

Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, the president of the Ecclesia Dei Commission, told a June 14 press conference in London that the traditional Latin Mass should be reintroduced throughout the Catholic world. Asked whether the old liturgy would eventually be used in many parishes, the Colombian prelate replied: "Not many parishes; all parishes." [Emphasis added.]

Read: the Pope is determined to rein in all the liberal bishops who are determined to continue to suppress the extraordinary rite. Shall we take a wild stab at who is bound to prevail?

By the way, in a shocking gesture of disobedience to all the liturgical "experts" out there who not only despise the extraordinary rite, but also claim it is unlawful to have anything on the altar, this is Pope Benedict celebrating Mass at an altar decorated with candles and [gasp] a crucifix.

Still on Hold

Catholic World News reports that the beatification of Pope Pius XII is not imminent. There will be a conference and a photo exhibit in Rome later this year to mark the 50th anniversary of the Pope's death; however, his beatification still remains "in the kingdom of the future," said Fr. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican press office director. The beatification (and, hopefully, eventual canonization) are thus not ruled out altogether; however, even the title "Venerable" is still being withheld from him, despite the requisite finding of heroic virtue by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in May of last year.

There are certain people who, blinded by their hatred for the Catholic Church, and notwithstanding the mountain of evidence to the contrary, insist on buying into the old lies about Pius XII being Hitler's lapdog. These lies originated in the Soviet Union, which, before the Second World War broke out, had itself entered into a secret alliance with the Nazi regime for the purpose of carving up and conquering vast tracts of Eastern Europe. The play The Deputy, which has been the source of the rumors of Pius' purported collaborationism, was the product of a KGB conspiracy to undermine the Church by discrediting the then-deceased Pope -- who, being dead, could no longer defend himself. The "controversy" surrounding -- and probably stalling -- the late pontiff's cause for sainthood is thus entirely contrived.

True, Pope Pius XII's cause for sainthood is not the only one that doesn't seem to have any steam, for reasons passing understanding. It has now been 399 years, for example, since the beatification of Bl. Margaret of Castello, 289 years after her death. But it is frustrating to think that Pius XII cannot be venerated, much less beatified, on account of lies that have been more than torn to shreds, and despite the truth that has not yet passed out of living memory.

Those who are fearlessly proclaiming the truth should never grow weary of doing so, until the holy and unjustly maligned Pope Pius XII is finally raised to the altar.

(And while they're at it, they can canonize Little Margaret, too.)

Jack Lucas, R.I.P.

On June 5, 2008 -- the day before the 64th anniversary of D-Day -- an 80-year-old veteran passed away at Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. In the far-off days of his youth, when his country became enmeshed in the Second World War, he leapt into the fray, lying about his age so he could join the Marine Corps at the age of 14. Just days after his 17th birthday, he fought at Iwo Jima, where he performed a deed that very nearly cost him his life, and that would make him the youngest Marine ever to win the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The Congressional Medal of Honor is awarded only to one who has risked his life in a deed of personal bravery or self-sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty, so conspicuous as to clearly distinguish the recipient from his comrades. Of the millions of Americans who have worn their country's uniform since the Medal of Honor was created in 1862, fewer than 3,500 have been awarded this highest honor.

Here is the full text of Jack Lucas' Congressional Medal of Honor citation.

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division. Place and date: Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 20 February 1945. Entered service at: Norfolk, Va. Born: 14 February 1928, Plymouth, N.C. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 20 February 1945. While creeping through a treacherous, twisting ravine which ran in close proximity to a fluid and uncertain frontline on D-plus-1 day, Pfc. Lucas and 3 other men were suddenly ambushed by a hostile patrol which savagely attacked with rifle fire and grenades. Quick to act when the lives of the small group were endangered by 2 grenades which landed directly in front of them, Pfc. Lucas unhesitatingly hurled himself over his comrades upon 1 grenade and pulled the other under him, absorbing the whole blasting forces of the explosions in his own body in order to shield his companions from the concussion and murderous flying fragments. By his inspiring action and valiant spirit of self-sacrifice, he not only protected his comrades from certain injury or possible death but also enabled them to rout the Japanese patrol and continue the advance. His exceptionally courageous initiative and loyalty reflect the highest credit upon Pfc. Lucas and the U.S. Naval Service.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him.

Ike's D-Day Address to the Allied Expeditionary Force

Click on the picture for a link to an image of the original document, in which -- like FDR in his address to the nation above -- Ike shamefully tears down the "wall" between church and state.

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the german war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of hte world are marching together to Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!

Good luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Laborers for the Harvest

Tonight the Diocese of Boise reaps a bumper crop of new priests. Saul Reyes, Camilo Garcia, Jose Gonzalez, Adrian Vazquez, Julio Vicente, and Mariusz Majewski will be ordained at 7:30 at St. John's Cathedral in Boise, Bishop Michael Driscoll presiding. This is the largest number of men that have ever been ordained at one time in this diocese, making this an historic occasion.

From my birds-eye view in the now-remondeled choir loft (where I can now actually see what's going on), I can testify that, under the tutelage of the cathedral's new music director, there will be a pleasing blend of chant, polyphony, and liturgically appropriate modern music. As a prelude to the Mass, the men of the choir will chant the Te Deum. There will be absolutely no chinga-chinga music, no dance-party music, and nothing for which people will feel like holding up lit cigarette lighters.

In fact, the only thing I can come up with to complain about as far as the music is concerned is that St. Thomas More, that roaring lion of two-fisted cool, will not be mentioned in the Litany of Supplication. But I have no doubt he will show up all the same.

Prayer to St. John Vianney, Patron of Priests

Dear Saint John Vianney, your childhood dream was to be a Priest, to win souls for God. You endured years of toil and humiliation to attain the Priesthood. You became a Priest truly after God's own heart, outstanding in humulity and poverty; prayer and mortification; totally devoted to the service of God's people. The Church has exalted you as model and patron saint of all Parish Priests, trusting that your example and prayers will help them to live up to the high dignity of their vocation to be faithful servants of God's people, to be perfect imitators of Christ the Savior, Who came not to be served but to serve, to give His Life in ransom for many.

Pray that God may give to His Church today many more Priests after His own Heart. Pray for all the Priests under your patronage, that they may be worthy representatives of Christ the Good Shepherd. May they wholeheartedly devote themselves to prayer and penance; be examples of humility and poverty; shining modelss of holiness; tireless and powerful preachers of the Word of God; zealous dispensers of God's Grace in the Sacraments. May their loving devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist and to Mary His Mother be the Twin Fountains of fruitfulness for their ministry. Amen.

Do We Believe Him Yet?

Maximum Pipsqueak Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran is once again huffing and puffing and threatening to blow Israel's house down. "I must announce," declares the ferret-faced terror-monger, "that the Zionist regime, with a 60-year record of genocide, plunder, invasion and betrayal is about to die and will soon be erased from the geographical scene" -- repeating, as breitbart.com primly puts it -- "his controversial belief that Israel will soon disappear." This is a genteel reference to Ahmadinejad's belief in the forthcoming advent of the Twelfth Imam, under whose gentle tutelage the state of Israel, the United States and all other "satanic powers" will vanish off the face of the earth.

By any chance, is Ahmadinejad talking about more than just his religious beliefs? Is his idea of the Age of Aquarius coming along fast enough for him, or is he a little impatient? Is he thinking in terms of a few hundred megatons to usher in the Twelfth Imam? Are we, and those we elect to govern us, seriously asking ourselves these questions?

Over sixty years ago, we discovered, to our considerable cost, the perils of ignoring a lunatic. Have we learned our lesson, or will we need to learn it all over again?

May 28th: England's Witnesses

Today is the feast of St. Augustine of Canterbury, the Apostle to the English. In 597, Pope St. Gregory the Great sent Augustine, a Benedictine monk, and 40 of his brothers in religion to the British Isles to evangelize the inhabitants. Aethelberht of Kent, the high king, was an Odin worshipper; he insisted on meeting with Augustine and his monks in the open air, under a tree, in order to foil any spells the representatives of Christendom might try to cast. After considering Augustine's mission, and no doubt under the influence of his Christian wife, Aethelberht granted him leave to convert as many of his people as he could. Augustine proceeded to spread the faith far and wide, and within a year, the king himself accepted Baptism, bringing in his own turn ten thousand of his people into the Christian fold. Together with King Aethelberht, who would later be acknowledged a saint in his own right, St. Augustine founded the See of Canterbury. He died on May 26, 605, though his feast is celebrated, at least on some calendars, on May 28th.

Interestingly, the feast of the Apostle to the Anglo-Saxons is also the feast of some of his distant spiritual descendants who, nearly a thousand years after his arrival on English shores, would give their lives for the faith he planted there:

Bl. Margaret Plantagenet Pole. A member of Britain's ancient royal family, Margaret had five sons, including the outspoken Reginald Cardinal Pole, Archbishop of Canterbury. When Cardinal Pole publicly denounced Henry VIII's pretensions to headship of the Church in England, the latter had two of her other sons and other members of her family arrested, and nearly all executed. Margaret, old and frail, was herself arrested in November of 1538 on false charges of plotting revolution and subjected to grueling interrogations, during which she is said to have uttered nothing. When a white tunic with the Five Holy Wounds was produced from among her possessions and brought out in Parliament in 1539, an act of attainder decreeing her death was passed. That same year, Margaret was sent to the Tower of London, where she endured harsh captivity until she was beheaded on May 28, 1541, 936 years after the death of the saint who brought to England that faith which it was now declared treasonous to hold. Margaret Plantagenet Pole was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1886.

Bl. John Shert, Bl. Thomas Ford, Bl. Robert Johnson. These three men attended seminary at the English College in Douai, France, received Holy Orders, and then returned to England to to minister to Catholics at a time when priesthood was a capital crime. The three were arrested in turn, tortured, and ultimately were hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn on March 28, 1582, 61 years to the day after Bl. Margaret Pole's martyrdom. Pope Leo XIII beatified these three priests, along with Bl. Margaret, in 1886.

May St. Augustine of Canterbury, who gave England the faith; St. Aethelberht of Kent, who opened the door to the faith and gave England her first written laws; and Bls. Margaret Pole, John Shert, Thomas Ford, and Robert Johnson, who shed their blood for England's soul, intercede on behalf of their ailing, etiolated, post-Christian nation.

Saving Us from Ourselves

Idaho police are going to start cracking down on people who don't wear seatbelts. Idaho law requires people to wear seatbelts, although (a) the cops have to have some other reason to pull you over besides a seatbelt violation, and (b) the fine for not wearing a seatbelt is only $10.00. Citing statistics on deaths related to the failure to wear seatbelts, police all over the state are launching a campaign to make everybody buckle up, or else.

Are there people whose lives have been saved because they wore a seatbelt? Undoubtedly. Are there people who have died because they didn't have a seatbelt on? Sure. Is wearing a seatbelt a good idea? Of course. But does the fact that something is a good idea give the government the right to make it compulsory? The state has the duty to protect the rights of individuals against encroachment by others, and to punish those who commit such encroachments; but who told the state it had the right to interfere with the freedom of individuals to risk their own safety?

It is true that we are not morally justified in unnecessarily assuming grave risks. Whether not wearing a seatbelt falls into that category is debatable: riding in a car is always a dangerous proposition, even with a seatbelt. Just getting up in the morning is fraught with perils, visible and invisible, to which we must either expose ourselves or fritter away our precious time on earth trying to avoid them. But people who don't want the state to be a moral arbiter in the arenas of, say, sex and marriage are prefectly prepared to have the state encroach on our free will when it comes to our personal safety, even where the moral stakes are less clear.

Freedom has consequences that we must be prepared to live with, and one of these is that individuals might choose to do stupid things to themselves. If we are not prepared to live with the consequences of freedom, then the only alternative is tyranny.

Or, as Benjamin Franklin is said to have commented, those who are prepared to trade liberty for security deserve neither and will lose both.

A Gold Mine of Legal History: The Proceedings of the Old Bailey

Diogenes at Catholic World News has uncovered a remarkable website containing a searchable archive of what is known as Proceedings, a sort of magazine published under various titles and formats from 1674 through 1913. It is an informal record of nearly two and a half centuries of proceedings at London's Central Criminal Court (the Old Bailey), containing summaries of trial testimony, verdicts and sentences from selected cases. Begun as a form of entertainment, the Proceedings at first covered mainly sensational or amusing cases; although it always had to be selective for reasons of cost, the coverage expanded, and ultimately came to be relied upon by judges and lawyers, among other things, as a handy summation of cases under review. The Proceedings is a fascinating record of criminal cases, from R. v. Susan Grimes (1725), in which a prostitute was accused (and acquitted) of stealing a gold watch from an Irish customer (whose drunken testimony was recorded phonetically), to R. v. Hawley Harvey Crippen (1910), a notorious case in which an American doctor was convicted and executed for murdering and dismembering his wife for another woman.

The Proceedings also (unwittingly) renders the signal service of testifying to the fortitude of the Catholic clergy at a time when it was considered high treason for a priest to function in England. Plugging the word "Romish" into the search engine brings forth, as Diogenes puts it, a cloud of witnesses.

Dipped in Gold

Who knew a 23-cent pizza could cost so much?

When LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers complained about "hard fouls" during a playoff series against the Washington Wizards, a Papa John's pizza franchise in D.C. responded by marketing T-shirts with the word "CRYBABY" over James' jersey number, 23. The shirt was a hit with Wizards fans, but Cavaliers fans were not amused. Amid angry complaints, as well as the realization that Papa John's has a large number of stores in the Cleveland area, the pizza company decided to make it up by offering large, one-topping pizzas for $0.23. It will also donate $10,000.00 to the Cavaliers Youth Fund.

The amazing thing about this whole affair is not the large amount of money Papa John's is losing by giving away cash and virtually free pizzas. What is amazing is the incredible cost Papa John's customers are prepared not only to absorb but to disregard almost completely in order to get something they neither needed nor probably even wanted only a few days ago. Consider what a $0.23 pizza has cost:

-- Hours of waiting in line. People wrapped up in blankets in Cleveland to wait in a line that wound through the parking lot and across a lawn; lines in University Heights were two blocks long. One guy waited nearly four hours for a pepperoni pizza. Time spent waiting in line is a cost; in order to devote time to waiting in line, it is necessary to sacrifice some other and probably more worthwhile activity.

-- Ill will. People got into arguments about cutting in line. Ill will is costly as an emotional and physical drain; it is also costly in the erosion of good will, and its replacement by an increase in cynicism. As the next point demonstrates, the containment of ill will is a drain on the resources of society.

-- Police intervention. In University Heights and Springfield township near Akron, police had to intervene in line-cutting incidents. One regional manager felt obliged to called the police to help close his stores in Columbus. All of this is on the dime of the thousands of customers waiting in line for their "23-cent" pizzas.

Admittedly, not everybody put up with all this purely for the purpose of getting a virtually free pizza. Some customers did it to defend LeBron James. "I did it for the principle of it, said Jennie Moore (no relation) of University Heights. "The principle of it is he's not a crybaby and Papa John's should not have gotten into it." It is one hell of an expensive principle.

Then there are those who are just plain clueless. "It's worth it,"declared Patrick Mone of Westlake. "All the money is going to charity, and obviously, it's bringing new business to Papa John's. Even though there is a line, I think it's pretty cool ... 23 cents, you can't beat it." Where the "new business" is actually a drain on Papa John's resources, and people are going to such excruciating lengths to get a 23-cent pizza they never knew they wanted before, this is on the order of spending a thousand dollars on lottery tickets and then crowing over winning a hundred bucks.

The most valuable service Papa John's has rendered in this whole business is not providing the hungry with all-but-free pizza, but demonstrating clearly and concretely that there really -- and literally -- is no such thing as a free lunch.