There is talk of beatifying the English apologist and convert. An organization dedicated to promoting his works, the Chesterton Society, is the chief engine behind the cause. He hasn't yet appeared in the Hagiography Circle though.
This, I would contend, would be a good thing as we need more "ordinary" people to be beatified and canonized. It's easier for people to identify with those in their own state of life than with cloistered nuns and bishops and such.
A set of nuns in Italy were clocked doing 120 mph saying, as an excuse, that they were rushing over to see if Pope Benedict was OK after his wrist fracture. Ummm, I don't think so, Sister!
Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor says Obama never asked her about her position on abortion before nominating her, which is rather surprising. Either he's being extremely clever in some way or has genuinely backed off his intense support for abortion which he demonstrated as a senator. Pro-abortion activists must not be happy about this, which would be a good sign. Is this a sign of a kinder, gentler Obama, or merely a sign of his shrewdness in not giving fervent pro-lifers the kind of whipping boy (if that's the right term) that energizes them while permitting the status quo to continue?
The Holy See is investigating American apostolic women's religious orders. The sister in charge is herself American.
The article claims the investigation of American nuns "surprised many because there was no obvious precipitating cause." Yet it goes on to offer that the practice of Reiki may have had something to do with it. Reiki is a form of witchcraft popular among religious sisters. It might also have had to do with a plea from women religious that greeted the pope when he visited to U.S. for the ordination of women. Anyone who's even got a cursory knowledge of American female religious orders in the last 40 years together with a knowledge of what Catholicism really is will recognize why this investigation is not only justified, it's long overdue.
A sister (from UC Bezerkely, natch) quoted by the article laments, "They think of us as an ecclesiastical work force. Whereas we are religious, we're living the life of total dedication to Christ, and out of that flows a profound concern for the good of all humanity. So our vision of our lives, and their vision of us as a work force, are just not on the same planet." Hate to tell you this but every Christian should be living a life of total dedication to Christ with a profound concern for the good of all humanity. Not that I'd classify some of these folks as Christians.
Strangely, the procedure for the investigation as articulated by the article is so benign one can hardly believe they come from this pontificate. "Each congregation of nuns will be evaluated based on how well they are 'living in fidelity' both to their congregation's own internal norms and constitution, and to the church's guidelines for religious life." In other words, are you doing what you've publicly committed yourself to do, and are you following the organizational rules of the church for religious orders? You'd think you'd asked them to immolate themselves. People who work in the corporate world are asked to follow corporate policies and organizational directives. Yet no one screams bloody murder over this. Why should it be any different with religious orders?
This will be difficult, though, as religious orders have been left to their own devices for too long. They've become incorrigible. I should like to see how this investigation turns out.
The State of Massachusetts is suing the federal government over the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), claiming that it violates the state's rights. DOMA is the statute that prevents the federal government from recognizing gay marriages.
British scientists claim to have created human sperm from stem cells. Will this allow lesbians to have children? Not sure, the article doesn't say. Fortunately there seems to be a lot of doubt over whether they succeeded.
