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Vatican website now features Latin texts

The Vatican home page now has a section titled, "Sancta Sedes (Latine)," which leads to numerous Church texts in Latin, including writings by the last four popes and Pope Benedict XVI, the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, documents of Vatican II, the Code of Canon Law, and more.

A BBC News piece about the addition of Latin to the Vatican site has this humorous bit:

But Father Reginald Foster, an American priest who is the Pope's official Latinist, praises the virtues and the clarity of the Latin language.

"You have to say something and move on," he says.

"It's not like French and some of these philosophical languages where you can write a whole page and say nothing - in Latin you can't do that!''

Fr Foster has a weekly programme on Vatican Radio called The Latin Lover, in which he explains the historical and contemporary uses of the language.

Here's more about Fr. Foster and "The Latin Lover."

Calumny in the Blogosphere

 Calumny in the Blogosphere | Rev. Michael P. Orsi | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

Calumnious blogging is a serious offense against God's law. Those who engage in it are jeopardizing their immortal souls and the souls of others.

Calumny is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary (1992) as a “false statement maliciously made to injure another’s reputation.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994) places calumny as a serious sin under the Eighth Commandment, “Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” The Catechism states, “He becomes guilty of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them” (2447). The Catechism notes that calumny offends “against the virtues of justice and charity” (2479).

Calumny and its close relative detraction (derogatory comments that reveal the hidden faults or sins of another without reason) have been part of life since the dawn of time. But opportunities for breaking the Eighth Commandment have proliferated with the advent of the Internet, especially since the rise of the phenomenon known as “blogging.” “Blog” is one of those punchy little contractions we live with today, an example of the technological shorthand so beloved in our culture of email and text messaging. A blog (short for “weblog”) is a personal website or online journal. Blogs perform a variety of communication functions, combining elements of both private conversation and broadcasting, usually incorporating a forum for interactive discussion.

Blogs are vehicles of global self-expression, something unprecedented in the history of human discourse. They are a means by which the average person—with creativity, initiative and the investment of time—can reach limitless numbers of readers anywhere in the world. They elevate the marketing presence of entrepreneurs and small companies to levels that used to be attainable only by major corporations. And they have transformed journalism, breaking the monopolies of resource and licensure that once restricted entry into the world of mass communications.

Read the entire article...

The very first Ignatius Insight podcast is ready to be heard!

Pope Benedict asks for prayers for his U.S. visit

From the Vatican Information Service:

VATICAN CITY, 13 APR 2008 (VIS) - At midday today, following the Regina Coeli prayer, Benedict XVI reminded the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square that on Tuesday 15 April he will travel to the U.S.A. where he will visit Washington, New York and the headquarters of the United Nations.

"With the various groups I shall meet", he said in English, "my intention is to share our Lord's word of life. In Christ is our hope! Christ is the foundation of our hope for peace, for justice, and for the freedom that flows from God's law fulfilled in His commandment to love one another".

The Pope also asked people to pray for the success of the visit, "so that it may be a time of spiritual renewal for all Americans".

By the way, the Aggie Catholics blog has put together a very thorough list of Catholic and non-Catholic blogs, websites, and news sources for the Pope's visit.

Pornography, electronic media and priestly formation

Pornography, Electronic Media and Priestly Formation | Sister Marysia Weber, R.S.M., D.O. | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

Pornography and electronic media have had a profound impact on American society, which includes the lives of priests and seminarians in the American Church. As a psychiatrist working with a team of physicians and therapists in a medical practice in Michigan, I see the effects of pornography and electronic media in ruined lives and shattered vocations. Statistics regarding the numbers of priests who suffer untoward effects from pornography use or inordinate media viewing are unavailable. However, gleaning information from the available statistics regarding Internet pornography use in the general population and reviewing information from interviews with priests and seminarians about their use of pornography and electronic media substantiates the conclusion that the use of Internet pornography and the inordinate use of electronic media are common among priests and religious and are important issues that the Church needs to address.

In this article, I will describe the distinction between pornography and cybersex, provide statistics regarding the use of Internet pornography, establish a connection between addictive behavior and pornography, consider contributing factors to the sky-rocketing prevalence of Internet pornography use, and offer insights into the effects of inordinate use of electronic media. Finally, I will offer suggestions for educating seminarians and priests about healthy leisure as a formative tool.             

Read the entire article...

What does the Church and Pope Benedict XVI mean to you?

NPR wants to know the answer, if you've the time and interest to give it.

Steve Ray has been hacked...

... by Joe McClane, the "Catholic Hack." Listen to the podcast here.

New Catholic radio station in San Fran may be nation's largest

From Catholic.org, this excellent news:

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (Catholic San Francisco) - KSFB-AM 1260 signed on Dec. 10 as Immaculate Heart Radio in the San Francisco Bay Area, the newest outlet in a prospering Catholic radio network and possibly the largest single Catholic radio station in the country.

KSFB, formerly KOIT, is the group's 20th station in a network founded 11 years ago in Reno by Doug Sherman.

“I’m excited and grateful that our 20th station is located in San Francisco,” Sherman said in a press release. “We look forward to sending the Word of the Lord over the airways in order to reach as many souls as possible.”

Support from area bishops

In a Dec. 12 letter to Sherman, San Francisco’s Archbishop George Niederauer congratulated him and colleagues for getting the station onto the air after “a long, challenging struggle.”

“I wish you many blessings and graces as you embark on this new service,” wrote the archbishop, who heads the U.S. bishops’ Communications Committee and is a member of the Pontifical Council on Social Communications.

Both Archbishop Niederauer and Oakland’s Bishop Allen Vigneron endorse the mission of the radio outlet on an IHR promotional DVD.

“This project would not have succeeded without the hard work and support of many people, but there would be no station if it were not for the work of Mike Lambert and Father Andrew Johnson,” Sherman told Catholic San Francisco.

Read the entire story.

Listen to the voice of G.K. Chesterton...

... on YouTube.com. Thanks, Jackson, for the link.

Much more, of course, about the great Chesterton on his Ignatius Insight author page.

Pete Vere interviewed by USCCB's "Catholic Bookmark" radio program

Vere, co-author (with Sandra Miesel) of Pied Piper of Atheism, was interviewed by host Frank Morock for the December 8-9, 2007 edition of the "Catholic Bookmark" program. Access it as an mp3 file (Vere's interview is the second half of the program).