The retired Archbishop of Atlanta, John Francis Donahue, died last Friday. Requiescat in Pace.
An article published by a local paper ended its story on the topic with this parting shot:
"The AJC cited several controversial stands, including refusing the participation of women in foot-washing ceremonies and denial of the Eucharist to politicians who took pro-abortion positions."
Not surprisingly, the article's author describes himself as "a registered Democrat, with moderate to liberal beliefs" and a "casual Catholic." Pity he didn't also include the moniker "casual reporter."
Anyway, the irony here is that the controversy is not the late Archbishop's lawful directives. Rather, the controversy is (1) the intrusion of anti-establishment notions into ancient Catholic ceremonies and (2) the fact that pro-choice opportunists try to exploit the good name of "Catholic" for their own political ends. If the agitators would quit trying to outrageously pass off these utterly foreign elements as Catholic, then the Archbishop's routine statements about everyday Catholic matters would have a better chance of being reported in the proper light.
Showing posts with label Neighborhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Neighborhood. Show all posts
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
But that's Pakistan, Not our Neighborhood...
Source http://womenofgrace.com/breaking_news/?p=8983
A young Pakistani Catholic woman from Quetta, Pakistan is refusing to renounce Christ even after being forced to convert and marry a Muslim man who regularly drugged her and subjected her to mental and physical torture for two years.
Agenzia Fides is reporting that Alfred Arifa, 27, who was kidnapped by a Muslim man named Amjad in May 2009, was finally able to escape after two years of unimaginable suffering. Her story, which was told to Fides by the Pakistani Christians Association in Italy, is not unlike hundreds that routinely take place in this predominantly Muslim country where Christians are barely tolerated and treated as second-class citizens.
Arifa’s ordeal began two years ago when she went to the home of two trusted friends who had secretly aligned themselves to Amjad in the plot to kidnap her. She was given a cup of tea laced with drugs that caused her to fall unconscious.
When she awoke, she found herself in Amjad’s house. He told her she had converted to Islam and married him. Amjad even produced a phony marriage certificate. Arifa said it was impossible for her to have converted to Islam or married him because she was unconscious.
Amjad decided to overcome her resistance and began to mentally and physically torture her. She was constantly drugged, suffered severe beatings, and was locked in the man’s house for two years. She attempted to escape several times but was not successful.
On July 31, after another severe beating, she was shocked to find the front door of the house unlocked. Although seriously injured, she made her escape and took a rickshaw to the nearby Civil Hospital where she was treated for her wounds. She then went to her brother Adnan.
Arifa filed a complaint against Amjad but the police have so far done nothing to bring him to justice. Instead, the police inspector told Arifa how happy he was that she had converted to Islam.
Amjad has begun to send Arifa and her family death threats which has resulted in them being forced to flee for their lives. Because Amjad considers Arifa to be a Muslim and his wife, she and her entire family can be put to death if caught.
But Arifa is standing firm: “I am a Christian and have always remained steadfast in my Christian faith and continued to pray to Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary in my heart for liberation during these two years of imprisonment”.
A young Pakistani Catholic woman from Quetta, Pakistan is refusing to renounce Christ even after being forced to convert and marry a Muslim man who regularly drugged her and subjected her to mental and physical torture for two years.
Agenzia Fides is reporting that Alfred Arifa, 27, who was kidnapped by a Muslim man named Amjad in May 2009, was finally able to escape after two years of unimaginable suffering. Her story, which was told to Fides by the Pakistani Christians Association in Italy, is not unlike hundreds that routinely take place in this predominantly Muslim country where Christians are barely tolerated and treated as second-class citizens.
Arifa’s ordeal began two years ago when she went to the home of two trusted friends who had secretly aligned themselves to Amjad in the plot to kidnap her. She was given a cup of tea laced with drugs that caused her to fall unconscious.
When she awoke, she found herself in Amjad’s house. He told her she had converted to Islam and married him. Amjad even produced a phony marriage certificate. Arifa said it was impossible for her to have converted to Islam or married him because she was unconscious.
Amjad decided to overcome her resistance and began to mentally and physically torture her. She was constantly drugged, suffered severe beatings, and was locked in the man’s house for two years. She attempted to escape several times but was not successful.
On July 31, after another severe beating, she was shocked to find the front door of the house unlocked. Although seriously injured, she made her escape and took a rickshaw to the nearby Civil Hospital where she was treated for her wounds. She then went to her brother Adnan.
Arifa filed a complaint against Amjad but the police have so far done nothing to bring him to justice. Instead, the police inspector told Arifa how happy he was that she had converted to Islam.
Amjad has begun to send Arifa and her family death threats which has resulted in them being forced to flee for their lives. Because Amjad considers Arifa to be a Muslim and his wife, she and her entire family can be put to death if caught.
But Arifa is standing firm: “I am a Christian and have always remained steadfast in my Christian faith and continued to pray to Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary in my heart for liberation during these two years of imprisonment”.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Neighborhood Fun
Saturday one of the neighbors in my townhouse community spotted an unsupervised kid firing a pellet gun into the community parking lot from the front doorway of his parents' house. The police were invited in to look into the matter.
That same evening, as I was driving into the neighborhood, several boys wearing ski masks and using toy semi-automatic guns were engaged in a shootout game at the entrance to our community -- they were on either side of the driveway, firing across the drive at each other. Certainly boys playing with toy guns are not anything new. The concern is that boys in ski masks darting about the main entrance of our neighborhood at sunset when the light isn't very good could be a recipe for a grave misunderstanding or an unfortunate accident. The police were invited to become involved in that situation too.
Being a board member of the homeowners' association, I actually had a role in addressing these incidents. For me it started with approaching the kids engaged in the shootout. They dispersed before I had a chance to talk to them. Maybe next time?
That same evening, as I was driving into the neighborhood, several boys wearing ski masks and using toy semi-automatic guns were engaged in a shootout game at the entrance to our community -- they were on either side of the driveway, firing across the drive at each other. Certainly boys playing with toy guns are not anything new. The concern is that boys in ski masks darting about the main entrance of our neighborhood at sunset when the light isn't very good could be a recipe for a grave misunderstanding or an unfortunate accident. The police were invited to become involved in that situation too.
Being a board member of the homeowners' association, I actually had a role in addressing these incidents. For me it started with approaching the kids engaged in the shootout. They dispersed before I had a chance to talk to them. Maybe next time?
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