Judge Rules in Hoye Case: "Oakland's enforcement policy is a constitutionally invalid, content-based regulation of speech."

Update: Ninth Circuit opinion here.

A major win for pro-life hero the Reverend Walter Hoye, and for free speech.

From this morning's San Francisco Chronicle:

Ruling may weaken escort roles at abortion clinics

"In a suit by an antiabortion pastor who was arrested outside an Oakland clinic, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said a city can require a protester to obtain the patient's permission to approach her or talk to her - but must also apply that requirement to the escort.

By allowing escorts to approach the women, advise them to ignore the protesters and accompany them into the clinic without first asking consent, Oakland "has enforced the ordinance against anti-abortion speakers but not pro-abortion speakers," the court said in a 3-0 ruling.

Such a policy "unconstitutionally suppresses speech based on the content of its message," said Judge Marsha Berzon, writing for a left-leaning panel that also included Judge Stephen Reinhardt, a well-known liberal. She also said antiabortion protesters might be able to show that the city was violating their rights by allowing escorts to shield the patients and prevent the protesters from getting their consent to talk."
That issue may be addressed after Oakland adopts an even-handed enforcement policy, Berzon said. The court returned the case to a federal judge to oversee changes in the city's policy."

And here is an excerpt from the press release from the Life Legal Defense Foundation:

Pastor Walter Hoye's Constitutional Rights Vindicated at the Ninth Circuit

SAN FRANCISCO, July 29, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Late yesterday the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its opinion in Hoye v. Oakland, the case in which Pastor Walter Hoye challenged Oakland's "bubble zone" ordinance as an unconstitutional infringement of free speech. In the 3-0 opinion authored by Circuit Judge Marsha S. Berzon, the court stated, "We agree with Hoye that there are grave constitutional problems with the manner in which the City has understood and enforced its Ordinance."

The court reversed the district court's determination that the ordinance is valid as the city applies it, because the City discriminates in enforcing the ordinance against Hoye but not other speakers. The City only prosecutes persons for "approaching" women within the "bubble zone" if they are trying to persuade the woman not to have the abortion. Clinic "escorts" and others "facilitating" the women entering the clinic can approach and give the women whatever message they want -- often urging women to ignore Pastor Hoye. While Pastor Hoye has scrupulously followed the law, he has suffered arrest, prosecution and imprisonment due to the City's determination to shut out his message. On the other hand, clinic escorts routinely break the law as written, yet have never faced prosecution.

Based on these facts, the court concluded, "Oakland's enforcement policy is a constitutionally invalid, content-based regulation of speech...."

Every American should be happy about this, and proud of the good pastor and his legal team!

Catholic Charities Supports New Ways Ministry 'Behind the Scenes' says New Ways Spokesman

Today LifeSiteNews picked up a July 14 story from the Washington Blade called "Catholic Charities Gay Lobbyist." LifeSite's story began:

"As Catholic Charities agencies across the country are fighting government efforts to shut down their adoption services, the group’s national office in Washington has employed a firm founded by a homosexual activist to lobby for them on Capitol Hill, the Washington Blade, a homosexual newspaper, reported recently.

A spokesman for Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) confirmed to LifeSiteNews that they hired the Sheridan Group, a lobbying firm founded by Tom Sheridan. A self-professed “gay Catholic,” Sheridan began his lobbying career with the AIDS Action Council in the 1980s, and his firm has since represented numerous AIDS advocacy groups.

What caught our eye was how homosexual activists responded to the news:

At the same time, the dissident New Ways Ministry, which purports to support “LGBT” Catholics, claimed to the Blade that CCUSA and some local Catholic Charities agencies have been backing them 'behind-the-scenes.'

'Catholic Charities in general have been the most progressive wing of the church other than the nuns,' said Sister Jeannine Gramick, one of the founders of New Ways, which has been condemned by both the Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. 'In some cases, Catholic Charities USA has supported our events. I feel they personally are pro-gay but they can’t do this publicly.'”

That is certainly not news to readers of "A Shepherd's Voice"--except that here Catholic Charities CYO of San Francisco, until recently, DID do it publicly. The infiltration of the Archdiocese of San Francisco by homosexual activists was one of the motivations in the construction of this website. Check it out in complete detail on our sister site: http://www.sanfrancisco-catholic.com/catholic_charities_cyo.htm

"Preposterous and Ridiculous"

Those are the words of Cardinal Joseph Zen, Salesian of Don Bosco. Our headline is his latest response to the absurd efforts of the Chinese government to install counterfeit bishops in China.

From UCANews.com, which is a great source for Catholic news from Asia.


The atheists running the Catholic Church
It is absurd to hear the statements of politically correct state puppets defending Beijing's policies

These last few days, Catholic faithful inside and outside China have noted with sadness and indignation words pronounced by Anthony Liu Bainian and Reverends Joseph Guo Jincai, Johan Fang Xingyao and Joseph Yang Yu, which are hardly distinguishable from being schismatic. But yesterday’s statement by the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) has reached the extreme of absurdity.

We may understand if the government comes out to defend their puppets by saying that they are politically correct, or to praise their courage in resisting foreign pressure; but now they come out to praise their “ardent Catholic faith” and to say that the ordinations without papal mandate are necessary for “the normal running of the Church and for the needs of pastoral and evangelizing activity.” This is absolutely preposterous and ridiculous, given that as some scholars have recently pointed out, the government is now “running” the Catholic Church.

Are they blind? Have they not had a chance to see how the Catholic Church works in the rest of the world? Does the special situation of China force the government to run a Church which simply can no more be recognizable as Catholic? They are making themselves the laughing stock of the world!

Can our leaders take out some time from their engagement in power struggle and give attention to this “tiny community” of Catholics? Why should our brothers and sisters not be allowed to live peacefully their normal life of faith? Is that not a right given them by the constitution?

They call the excommunication by the Holy See in the fifties “cause” and the illegitimate ordination of bishops “effect.” They are shamelessly twisting the reality.

From the recent three illegitimate ordinations and the Eighth National Congress of Catholic Representatives, everybody could understand that the SARA and the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association have decided to lead the open Church to go unrepentant their way of an independent church and to unilaterally elect and ordain their bishops.

Then let them find someone with enough weight, like Martin Luther and King Henry VIII, to give a status to their new church, but they have no right to usurp the name of “Catholic Church.”

With violence they limited personnel freedoms; they even offended the dignity of conscience. They completely disregarded the authority and the kindness of our Holy Father, and still they dare to say that they have sincere will of dialogue. That is the biggest lie in the world! Only the self interest and cowardice of the nations prevent them from saying a fair word of disapproval.

The saying goes: “The eyes of the people are illumined.” In Leshan some people may admire the administrative efficiency of Reverend Paul Lei Shiyin, but they must know that he is unfit to be a bishop; in Shantou there may be people supporting the ambitions of Reverend Joseph Huang Bingzhang. But the generality of the Catholic faithful in China will reject these “opportunists” and will always be on the side of the pope.

Nobody knows how long the severe winter will last, but our faithful are not afraid, or they will overcome their fear with faith and prayer, which will give them strength to imitate the canonized martyrs and innumerable living heroes of faith, to give courageous testimony to our Risen Savior.

Dear faithful brothers and sisters, we salute you – from an old brother who is almost ashamed of living in freedom."

What an admirable son of Don Bosco.

Our friend Jack Smith has posted a column in "The Catholic Key" by good Bishop Finn of Kansas City, telling us that the Chinese Catholics need our prayers but also our political clout. Deacon Keith Fournier has been covering the story in depth, too.

Thousands March in NYC in Defense of Marriage!

We certainly hope there were some Catholic bishops there.

From the AP:

"Thousands of opponents of gay marriage took to the streets in loud and sometimes tense protests Sunday, the first day that legal same-sex weddings were performed.

The National Organization for Marriage held rallies in New York City, Albany, Rochester and Buffalo, saying Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers redefined marriage without giving voters a chance to weigh-in, as they have in other states. Protesters chanted "Let the People Vote!" at rallies across the state.

A rally in New York City that started with several hundred people crowding the street across from Cuomo's Manhattan office quickly swelled to thousands of people out in loud opposition to the new law."

... Around 3:30, the protesters started marching uptown toward the United Nations. By the time they reached the UN, the crowd numbered in the many thousands, filling up 47th Street. They were joined by a brass band as a stage was set up for speakers."

God bless the good people of New York! State Senator Ruben Diaz, a Democrat who led the fight against counterfeit marriage, was there, and said "Today we start the battle! Today we start the war!" The National Organization for Marriage agrees. From BeliefNet:

"(Brian Brown's) group (the NOM) is organizing a four-year campaign strategy to combat the new law, which goes into effect July 24. Among top priorities is to put an amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman in the state constitution before state voters, a step that requires the consent of two successive legislatures, but not the governor, according to Brown.

A poll by QEV Analytics found that 59 percent of New York voters preferred to decide the marriage question directly, with only 26 percent favoring a legislative avenue. "

Emphasis added. To help the National Organization for Marriage, go here.

Madness: 150 Human-Animal Hybrids Created in UK Labs

From the Daily Mail:

"The figure was revealed to crossbench peer Lord Alton following a Parliamentary question.
Last night he said: ‘I argued in Parliament against the creation of human- animal hybrids as a matter of principle. None of the scientists who appeared before us could give us any justification in terms of treatment.

‘Ethically it can never be justifiable – it discredits us as a country. It is dabbling in the grotesque.

‘At every stage the justification from scientists has been: if only you allow us to do this, we will find cures for every illness known to mankind. This is emotional blackmail.

‘Of the 80 treatments and cures which have come about from stem cells, all have come from adult stem cells – not embryonic ones.

‘On moral and ethical grounds this fails; and on scientific and medical ones too.’

Josephine Quintavalle, of pro-life group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: ‘I am aghast that this is going on and we didn’t know anything about it.

‘Why have they kept this a secret? If they are proud of what they are doing, why do we need to ask Parliamentary questions for this to come to light?

‘The problem with many scientists is that they want to do things because they want to experiment. That is not a good enough rationale.’

Earlier this week, a group of leading scientists warned about ‘Planet of the Apes’ experiments. They called for new rules to prevent lab animals being given human attributes, for example by injecting human stem cells into the brains of primates."

Good Bishop Soto Leads Rosary March to Planned Parenthood!

God bless the good shepherd!


From California Catholic Daily:




"On the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Saturday, July 16, Bishop Jaime Soto celebrated an 8 a.m. Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Sacramento, and later led a Rosary Procession to the city’s main Planned Parenthood abortion business at 29th and B Streets.

The Sacramento Helpers of God's Precious Infants organized the Prayer Vigil for Life.

The Prayer Vigil began with Mass, presided over by Bishop Soto and concelebrated by Fr. Anthony Garibaldi, OFM, the pastor of St. Francis, and six other priests. The Mass included the blessing and distribution of Brown Scapulars, followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

Some of those who attended the Mass stayed at St. Francis, praying before the Blessed Sacrament while about 120 walked with Bishop Soto and several priests in the Rosary Procession to the Planned Parenthood abortion center just northwest of downtown Sacramento.

Bishop Soto celebrated Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament after the Rosary Procession returned to St. Francis Church."

Good News Out of Ireland. Priests Tell Government to Get Stuffed

From Catholic News Agency:


Irish priests will refuse to break seal of confession if proposal becomes law

Dublin, Ireland, Jul 18, 2011 / 08:03 pm (CNA).- Catholic priests in Ireland are prepared to “strongly” resist a proposed law that would require them to disclose information learned in confession.

That's great to hear. And if they go to jail, that's fine too. The souls of the people in jail are just as important as those on the outside. Spread the Gospel everywhere!


When the great Reverend Walter Hoye was imprisoned for exercising his First Amendment rights on the streets of Oakland, ( a conviction which has been overturned) he said every day other prisoners would come to him for counsel.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

Phil Kline's Case Moves Forward

Steve Ertelt, writing today at Life News, on the attempted railroading of Kansas prosecutor Phil Kline. While this is tough for Mr. Kline, there is reason to believe the charges may blow up in the face of those who brought them. Here's part of Mr. Ertelt's article:

Kansas: Kline Says Grand Jury Killed Case Against Abortion Biz

"Former Kansas prosecutor Phill Kline is back for the second part of hearings on politically-motivated charges that he acted improperly during his investigations of abortion clinics.
The hearings are taking place even though recently released documents show that investigators for the Disciplinary Administrator cleared Kline of any wrong-doing in 2008. In a Disciplinary Report filed with the Disciplinary Administrator on May 22, 2008, a team of investigators carefully looked into the trumped-up ethics charges against Kline. Their determination left no question that Kline did nothing improper to warrant further action.

'After reviewing the substantial documentation in this case, it is the opinion of these investigators that there is not probable cause to prove that Phill Kline violated any of the rules of ethics,' they wrote....

According to the pro-life group Operation Rescue and a report at the Kansas Watchdog blog, grand jury foreman Stephanie Hensel testified that she filed the ethics complaint against Kline because she believed he had misled the grand jury as to the true application of the mandatory child abuse reporting law and did not tell them of the outcome of a federal case, Aid for Women v. Foulston, where a judge determined that abortion clinics must report suspected sexual activity in minors only if they believe that the activity has caused harm to the child.

Kline insists he explained the law to the grand jurors reflecting the AFW v. Foulston findings almost word for word. The AFW decision has since been rendered “moot” because the reporting law was changed by the Kansas legislature.

Kline also said that a secret agreement entered into by four grand jury members with Planned Parenthood to obtain only records Planned Parenthood wanted them to see “killed the process.” While Hensel testified that she believed at first the grand jury would issue a “true bill” recommending criminal charges against Planned Parenthood, the grand jury in the end failed to indict due to the secret agreement."

The article immediatly reminded us of a post our friend Jack Smith at "The Catholic Key"wrote on February 24, 2011, "Carrie Nation, Kathleen Sebelius, and Hating Phil Kline," offering his analysis of why there is such a vendetta against Kline. Jack wrote:

"There are any number of anti-abortion politicians in Kansas and none of them are hated with the vehemence directed at Phill Kline. He didn’t propose pro-life legislation or prosecute a doctor without a license. There would have been no vendetta for that. I even suspect that if he’d somehow shut down Tiller’s Wichita practice, there would be less hatred toward him than for what he actually did."

To find out what Kline did, and why they are going after him, make sure to read read Jack's post.

Quote of the Week

Words of Wisdom from the new Archbishop of Philadelphia:

"The majority of voters can be uninformed or biased or simply wrong. Thus, to survive, American democracy depends on people of character fighting for their beliefs in the public square – legally, ethically, and nonviolently, but forcefully and without apology. Anything less is a form of theft from the nation's health." -
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap
(from CERC)

Watch This Video About the #1 Killer of Black Americans

A Red Hat in Philly for Bishop Chaput?

UPDATE: CNA confirms it will be Archbishop Chaput.

That's the buzz.

Plus, NewAdvent tweets:

"BREAKING: Pope prepares major reshuffling of US archbishops; announcement on NewAdvent.org 'within 24 hours'"

"Proclaiming the Gospel is an Integral Part of Charitable Activity"

On July 15, Cardinal Robert Sarah, Cardinal President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, discussed the proper role of the charitable arms of the Catholic Church. From his address:

"It is significant that even (c.1970) then Paul VI had identified the response to some of the misunderstandings that undermined the proper understanding of charity within the Church and that would unfortunately be confirmed in time: the witness to charity finds its measure in Christ. The search for justice does not fulfill the task of charity. Proclaiming the Gospel, which is not proselytism, is an integral part of charitable activity.....

"Confirming the divine dimension of charity, and therefore its connection to evangelization, does not mean disregarding human poverty. Rather, on the contrary, it indicates deeply searching within the needs of man, as Paul VI affirmed in his Encyclical, Populorum Progressio (n. 21). It means looking to the heart of his pain, loneliness and state of abandonment, to then announce to him, at that point, the presence of Christ who loves him. Benedict XVI also stated: 'Often the deepest cause of suffering is the very absence of God” (DCE n. 31). This too is the role of the Church and institutions of charity of the Church. I believe that this deep insight allows for the activities of the Church in this field to be so successful and so generally appreciated. For a society that often does not know Him, we can in this way allow others to concretely experience that God is Love and that He takes care of His children. Cor Unum carries out this mission through specific interventions in the name of the Holy Father, but above all by keeping the true meaning of the pastoral works of charity alive in the Church.'"

Referendum to Overturn SB 48 Begun

That did not take long.

From today's San Francisco Chronicle:

A socially conservative organization based in Sacramento filed documents Friday afternoon to start a voter referendum on a controversial law that adds the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans to school instruction.

The proponent of the proposed referendum, Paulo Sibaja, filed a request for a title and summary with the attorney general's office. Sibaja said he acted on behalf of the Capitol Resource Institute, which had officially opposed the bill throughout the legislative process before Gov. Jerry Brown signed it Thursday. Sibaja is the legislative director of that organization.

The Capitol Resource Institute is a hard-line, socially conservative organization that has long opposed efforts in California to expand rights for the LGBT population. Backers eventually would have to collect 433,971 signatures to allow voters to decide whether to keep the law in place or reject it.

Sibaja said that a coalition has formed behind the proposed measure, though he would not name the other members. He said a news conference Wednesday would give more details. When asked how the group planned to fund the referendum, he said, "That's what the press conference will be about."

Speaking of SB 48, Bill May, of Catholics for the Common Good, weighs in this morning in an article at the Catholic News Agency.

Speaking of Selfish Narcisstic Individuals, Brown Signs SB 48

Governer Jerry Brown has just signed SB 48, the homosexualist textbook propaganda law. It is noteworthy, and probably natural, that at the exact time the state is collapsing financially, it is collapsing morally and intellectually.

In actuality, it is becuse the state has already collapsed that something like SB 48 is concievable or that something like Proposition 8 was necessary.

Teaching the "great significance to both California and U.S. history' of the LGBT movement in 'contemporary society" (in the words of the bill's author, Senator Mark Leno) is self-defeating. The significance has been wholly negative. There certainly has been an impact: the AIDS epidemic and the LGBT movement's part in the destruction of the family. But those can hardly be called contributions, except in the sense of teaching people what not to do.

SB 48 will certainly increase society's justified contempt for, and flight from, California public schools.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

"Selfish, Narcissistic Individuals"

Michael Voris on the destruction of the family.

Good News From New York: Fed Judge Blocks Pregnancy Center Gag Law

Constitutionally, this seems like a no-brainer, but part of the strategy of the culture of death is to tie us down in court by passing frivolous laws.

From LifeSiteNews:

NEW YORK, July 13, 2011 - A federal district court judge on Wednesday granted a preliminary injunction blocking a New York City gag law against local pro-life pregnancy centers, which would have gone into effect tomorrow.

In an opinion issued this morning, U.S. District Court judge William Pauley upheld the arguments of the lawyers representing the pro-life centers on all counts, agreeing that the ordinance would likely cause irreparable harm to the centers’ First Amendment rights and that plaintiffs would probably succeed in their legal challenge.

Int. No. 371 would have forced pregnancy centers to prominently state whether they provide abortions at their premises and on their advertising, a mandate hailed by NARAL Pro-Choice New York as a sign of the city council’s “commitment to choice” after it passed in March.

Chris Slattery of Expectant Mother Care/EMC FrontLine Pregnancy Centers called today’s ruling “a complete vindication of our arguments made against this law” since it was first announced in October.

Slattery thanked ACLJ and ADF lawyers for their “outstanding legal defense work for the New York City life centers, that will positively affect the entire country.”

“This is a major overturning of a substantial majority of our city’s government leaders and ... there is justice in a liberal city like New York when we appeal to our constitutional principles,” Slattery told LifeSiteNews.com Wednesday afternoon. “We are optimistic it will be upheld.”

"Illinois Lied About Civil Unions Law--A lesson for Other States"

Jack Smith is on the case.

"When a bill creating civil unions in Illinois was signed by Governor Pat Quinn in January, sponsors and activists for the law agreed that its provisions would not affect religious social service or adoption agencies. Now, quite predictably, it has. Today, the AP reports that Governor Quinn has determined the State of Illinois can no longer contract with Catholic Charities for adoption and foster care services because the charities don’t comply with the Illinois Religious Freedom and Civil Union Act.

The reason for “religious freedom” preceding “civil union” in the title of the law now appears to have been entirely cosmetic. Opponents of the bill charged that creating civil unions would impinge on religious freedom. The bill’s proponents went out of their way to say it would not – in order to get it passed.

But as Jack says, this was all quite predictable. Incredibly, CatholicCulture.org quotes an attorney representing Catholic Charities as saying "It's a surprise." Counselor, you have not been paying attention.

Jack concludes by saying:

"It is far safer not to consider civil unions at all."

Gay 'Pride' Mass "The worst type of pastoral malpractice"

Here's what we wrote back on August 28, 2007, in the post "MHR and How it Got That Way"

"(The Archdiocese's) neglect of the spiritual welfare of the parishioners at Most Holy Redeemer, and of gay people throughout the Archdiocese, is clerical malpractice."

Well, the Reverend Roger Landry of the Diocese of Fall River Massachusetts certainly gets it, and has no problem saying so.

From LifeSiteNews:

"A priest in the diocese of Fall River has sharply criticized a Boston mass that was originally billed as a 'gay pride' celebration, saying that the event was 'the worst type of pastoral malpractice' on the part of parish leaders.

In columns published by The Anchor, Rev. Roger Landry said that the so-called 'gay pride' Mass in Boston 'has brought to the surface issues that extend far beyond the boundaries of one parish or archdiocese.'

In June the diocese cancelled the Mass originally planned by the St. Cecilia parish’s Rainbow Ministry to coincide with the city’s gay pride month, and allowed the event to be rescheduled in July as a 'Welcoming Mass.' While the diocese denied the Mass was intended to celebrate gay pride, the original announcement in the parish bulletin had explicitly said the mass was to be held 'in celebration of Boston’s Pride Month.'

'The controversy touches not only on the subject of the pastoral care of the Church toward those with same-sex attractions, but on the much larger matter of the purpose of the Church’s pastoral care to anyone and everyone,' wrote the priest, who is from the diocese of Sen. Ted Kennedy, widely remembered as the Senate’s longtime torchbearer for gay rights.

God bless you, Fr. Landry.

Now Polygamists Sue, Based on Lawrence v. Texas

Who could have foreseen this?

"Kody Brown is a proud polygamist, and a relatively famous one. Now Mr. Brown, his four wives and 16 children and stepchildren are going to court to keep from being punished for it.

Kody Brown and his wives, from left, Robyn, Christine, Meri and Janelle. The family is the focus of a reality TV show, “Sister Wives,” and Utah officials say they have begun an investigation to see if the state's polygamy law is being violated.

The family is the focus of a reality TV show, “Sister Wives,” that first appeared in 2010. Law enforcement officials in the Browns’ home state, Utah, announced soon after the show began that the family was under investigation for violating the state law prohibiting polygamy.

On Wednesday, the Browns are expected to file a lawsuit to challenge the polygamy law.

The lawsuit is not demanding that states recognize polygamous marriage. Instead, the lawsuit builds on a 2003 United States Supreme Court decision, Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down state sodomy laws as unconstitutional intrusions on the “intimate conduct” of consenting adults. It will ask the federal courts to tell states that they cannot punish polygamists for their own “intimate conduct” so long as they are not breaking other laws, like those regarding child abuse, incest or seeking multiple marriage licenses."

Pray for the Church in China as Chinese Priests Defend Their Bishop

The great Cardinal Joseph Zen visited Saints Peter and Paul last Thursday, and spoke to our Chinese parishioners. Unfortunately (for me), His Eminence spoke in Cantonese, so I was unable to understand, although some friends translated when they could. His Eminence told us of the attacks by the Communist government on the true Church in China. He said they even put "moles" into the seminaries, whose loyalty is not to the faith but to the government. I found that easy to believe.


Here is a story about the situation, dated July 10, from Spero News:

"The priests of the Diocese of Liaoning gathered today in the house of the bishop of Shenyang to protect him from being forcibly deported. The bishop, Mgr. Paul Pei Junmin, it was in fact ordered to go to ordain Fr. Joseph Huang Bingzhang in Shantou on 14 July, in an ordination without papal mandate. It is possible that Mgr. Pei will be dragged by force to attend.

Some sources also cite the 15 or July 17 as the date of the ordination. If it occurs, it will be the first case after the latest statement from the Holy See on excommunications related to the Leshan ordination of June 29....

All the priests of the diocese gathered in the bishop's house for an emergency meeting and to discuss the problem. They have signed a joint declaration criticizing the Chinese authorities for forcing their bishop to attend the Shantou ordination.

At the moment they are protecting the bishop from being taken away by force by government authorities. The statement also explains that the priests hope the Lord will give the government authorities the sufficient grace to recognize the truth.

Pray for the Church in China!

Posted by Gibbons

Adult Stem-Cell Update: Patient's new Windpipe Grown From Own Stem-Cells

Now for some good medical news. We have not blogged much about adult stem-cell treatments lately because there seem to be so many, but this caught our eye:

"Surgeons working at Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden have taken a huge step forward for regenerative medicine by successfully executing the world’s first synthetic organ transplant. The donor-less transplant saved the life of a 36-year-old cancer patient, who is doing well now after having received a new windpipe grown from his own stem cells.

This story is about as international as it gets: The Eritrean patient, Andemariam Teklesenbet Beyene, was pursuing his doctorate in geology in Iceland when his trachea was consumed by an inoperable tumor that grew so bad that it was actually blocking his breathing. So 3-D scans of his windpipe were sent to scientists at University College London, which crafted a glass scaffold that was a perfect match for Beyene’s trachea and two main bronchi.

The scaffold was in turn was sent to Sweden, where it was soaked in stem cells from Beyene’s own bone marrow. The stem cells took hold and within just two days had filled the scaffold, creating a new trachea that is, biologically speaking, Beyene’s own tissue. A 12-hour operation by an Italian surgeon specializing in trachea operations removed Beyene’s windpipe and all signs of the cancer and then replaced it with the new, lab-grown organ.

That was a month ago. Today, Beyene is recovering well. Because the organ was grown from his own cells, there is no risk of his body rejecting it and no need for the harsh regimen of anti-rejection drugs that usually go hand in hand with an organ transplant."

Praise God! Emphasis above added.

As always, we advise readers to check out the blog of Don Margolis, who has been beating the drum for adult stem-cells (which Don refers to, probably more accurately, as "repair stem cells') for years.

For all of our posts on adult stem-cell research and cures, go here. And we repeat one of our mantras here at A Shepherd's Voice: "Are California voters having second thoughts yet about shelling out $3 billion + for immoral & unproven embryonic stem cell research, which has yet to show a single cure, while adult stem cells are curing people left and right?"

h/t Instapundit

CDC: Untreatable Gonorrhea Now a Possibility

This is sad and disturbing, but cannot reasonably be called unexpected.

From WebMD Health News:

CDC: Untreatable Gonorrhea a Possibility
Resistance to Last Gonorrhea Drug Class Is Emerging
By Salynn Boyles

July 7, 2011 -- The CDC is warning that gonorrhea resistant to known antibiotic treatments could soon be a reality in the United States.

A report in Friday’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report highlights gonorrhea's declining susceptibility to cephalosporins, which is the only remaining class of antibiotics available to treat the common sexually transmitted disease (STD).

While cephalosporin treatment failures have not been documented in the U.S., CDC officials say they are seeing “concerning trends” that suggest such failures are not far off....


The analysis revealed that:

• While the overall number of test samples that were found to have decreased susceptibility to cefixime was small, a concerning increase was seen in recent years -- from 0.02% in 2000 through 2006 to 0.11% in 2009 and 2010.
• Twelve of the 13 specimens from 2009-2010 with decreased susceptibility to cefixime were from men who have sex with men.
• The Western United States saw the biggest elevations in declining susceptibility; Hawaii had the biggest increases during the period (from 0% to 7.7%), followed by California (0% to 4.5%).

All emphases added. h/t Instapundit

Posted by Gibbons

Jesuit Schools Pack List of Most Expensive Colleges

Today the San Francisco Chronicle linked to CNN article compiling a list of the 10 least affordable U. S. colleges, ranked by net price for the 2008-2009 academic year. The list only included schools with undergraduate enrollments of +5,000.

Four of the 10 are Jesuit schools:

#2) Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, Calif. Net price: $35,245 Tuition: $34,950

#3) Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, Pa. Net price: $34,548 Tuition: $32,860

#6) Fordham University, New York, N.Y. Net price: $31,916 Tuition: $35,257

#9) Saint Louis University-Main Campus, St. Louis, Mo. Net price: $31,255 Tuition: $30,728

Blessed are the poor....for they shall not suffer a Jesuit education.

Posted by Gibbons

Brooklyn Catholic School Stands up for Marriage!

This is excellent news and true Catholic education--good for the church, good for the students, and good for the Congressman (h/t CatholivVote.org)

From the New York Daily News:

Assemblyman Joe Lentol's yeah for gay marriage gets him a nay from church

A Brooklyn Catholic school rejected a local assemblyman's donation - saying they couldn't take the cash because he voted to legalize gay marriage.

Officials at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Williamsburg sent back a $50 gift from Assemblyman Joe Lentol (D-Brooklyn) - following Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio's edict to refuse any honors from pols who backed same-sex marriage.

DiMarzio also told pastors and principals not to invite any state lawmakers to speak - whether or not they voted for the bill - because the diocese objects to the bill's dead-of-night approval.

SF Parishes Should be Censored by the Archbishop.

The Canadian Bishops have just issued a pastoral letter: Person Is More Than a Sexual Orientation and it went on to clarify that it is the homosexual act, not the inclination, that is deemed immoral.

It addresses same-sex attraction in youth, stressing the Catholic teaching that "every human person is a unique and irreplaceable gift created by our loving God," and must be treated with respect and dignity, The document restates the Catholic teachings that our sexuality is a gift given to us from God and is reserved for those men and women who are joined in the
covenant of marriage: "It is only within this covenant that the two inseparable ends of marriage can be achieved: the deepening of love between spouses and the procreation and education of children. Any genital act outside the covenant of marriage cannot fulfill this twofold purpose intended by the Creator and thus is morally wrong."

I came across this document as I was reading California Catholic Daily and its article on three San Francisco parishes that have promoted the gay parade this year: Holy Redeemer (of course), St. Agnes (again) and a third parish newly promoting the gay parade: St. John of God.

Fr. Meriwether’s comment in his bulletin (Holy Redeemer):

“‘People are very diverse. “We are one nation, one people, but we often speak different languages and are of different races and ethnicities. We also have different sexual orientations. This is a good thing. It is not something to be frightened of, for diversity enriches society.’”

Fr. Raymond Allender, SJ (St. Agnes) parish bulletin closed with the line: “Finally, on Gay Pride Day let me say how proud we are of our gay brothers and lesbian sisters who bring so much to our parish by their participation.”

It’s so sad to see the promotion of a gay life style when such propaganda should be better related to loving relationships-- life giving and personally enhancing, rather than encouragement of a sinful life style.

Gays and lesbians are not evil, but related actions are destroying morality and family.

These parishes should be censored by the Archbishop. It would certainly lessen the scandal which the Church of San Francisco supports by allowing these parishes to promote a sinful lifestyle.

Albuquerque Attack Update

The Albuquerque Police have identified the woman who attacked the peaceful pro-life demonstrator outside an abortion business.

The police have not released the name of the attacker, but she has received a summons to appear in court to face a charge of aggravated battery. Here's a clip from KRQE News:



Thanks, Chief Schultz, and Albuquerque PD!

Public Sector Unions at Work: Atlanta Teacher's Massive Fraud

This story about massive cooking of the test-result books at the Atlanta Public School District is all over the web. From the Atanta Journal Constitution:

"Across Atlanta Public Schools, staff worked feverishly in secret to transform testing failures into successes.

A state investigation found former Atlanta schools superintendent Beverly Hall and her top aides either ignored or destroyed evidence of test cheating across the district.

Teachers and principals erased and corrected mistakes on students’ answer sheets.

Area superintendents silenced whistle-blowers and rewarded subordinates who met academic goals by any means possible.

Superintendent Beverly Hall and her top aides ignored, buried, destroyed or altered complaints about misconduct, claimed ignorance of wrongdoing and accused naysayers of failing to believe in poor children’s ability to learn.

For years — as long as a decade — this was how the Atlanta school district produced gains on state curriculum tests."

Remember that next time a teacher's union says "they are doing it for the children."

Attacks Continue on Pro-Lifers

Yesterday, in Albuquerque:

"A woman who claimed to be a supporter of abortion violently attacked peaceful pro-life protesters yesterday outside Southwestern Women’s Options, a late-term abortion clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, inflicting wounds that left one protester bloody. (Watch the video.)
The woman was angry and told the pro-lifers that she had once had an abortion. She then began to viciously punch and kick Bud Shaver, a former Operation Rescue intern, and a woman named Chris. She used keys as a weapon, inflicting a deep gash on Shaver’s head that paramedics said required stitches....

Police and paramedics eventually responded but the perpetrator was not apprehended, even though her description and license plate number were reported to the officers as well as the 911 dispatcher."

I'm sure the good officers of the Albuquerque Police Department are doing everything possible to catch the criminal, but if you'd like to express your concern, you can contact:

Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz
Voice: (505) 768-2200
rschultz@cabq.gov

___________________________________________________

Meanwhile, as we type, Operation Rescue in Wichita, KS, is locked down after receiving an envelope containing a white powder. Upon opening it, recipients called local authorities:

Steve Ertelt of LifeNews reports that the Operation Rescue employees are currently quarantined in the building.

More Anti-Family Legislation: AB 1349 to Redefine Fatherhood

AB 1349, the third of an unholy trinity of bills introduced or co-sponsored by California anti-family homosexual activists is now before the state senate. The three bills are SB 48, AB 499, and AB 1349. All three bills are opposed by the California Catholic Bishops.

SB 48, co-sponsored by Equality California and by openly homosexual State Senator Mark Leno (D-SF) will change K-12 textbooks to reflect “historical information about the gay rights movement.” In a December 13, 2010 Equality California press release Senator Leno was quoted "Most textbooks don't include any historical information about the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) movement, which has great significance to both California and U.S. history.” Even the liberal Los Angeles Times is opposed to SB 48, on the grounds that “Politicians should not be in the business of writing textbooks.”

A second bill is AB 499, introduced by Assemblywoman Toni Atkins (D-SD). Ms. Atkins is a same-sex "married" open homosexual. AB 499 would allow children 12 years and older to be vaccinated for contagious and specifically venereal diseases without the consent of their parents.

The third bill is AB 1349, introduced by Assemblyman Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), and co-sponsored by Equality California. Bill May, of Catholics for the Common Good, writes:

“AB 1349 is a bill that is intended to redefine fatherhood for children born to unmarried mothers. It undermines the entire notion of natural parenthood. It also undermines the rights of fathers and the internationally recognized right of every child to know and, as far as possible, be cared for by his or her biological mother and father … When a child is born to an unmarried mother, biological fathers are currently encouraged to file a declaration of paternity, which the State Department of Child Support Services indicates helps children ‘gain the same rights and privileges of a child born within a marriage. Some of those rights include: financial support from both parents, access to important family medical records, access to the non-custodial parent's medical benefits, and the emotional benefit of knowing who both parents are.’

AB 1349 is in direct conflict with the goods intended by voluntary paternity declarations. The legislature should carefully consider this and the other wide-ranging and unintended consequences of this bill.

This bill provides mothers with inordinate power for depriving a child of a relationship with his or her father by controlling access to the child and laying the groundwork for having a voluntary declaration of paternity set aside using the criteria included in the bill. It is wrong to give any one person so much power in a proceeding that is adjudicating the rights of both parents and the child.

This bill would provide that a voluntary declaration of paternity is invalid if, at the time the declaration was signed, the child already had a presumed parent, as specified, or if the man signing the declaration is a sperm donor.”

There is, however, a stipulation in AB 1349 which protects the “rights” of sperm donors who specifically intend through this unnatural means to beget children. Sacramento’s Around the Capitol analysis of the bill says "This bill would enable a sperm donor to be treated as a natural father if it is agreed to in writing signed by the donor and the woman prior to the conception of the child." This cut-out would seem to be designed for male homosexuals. It is pretty well attested that normal men actually enjoy the traditional way of creating children—only homosexual men or an extraordinarily small number of heterosexual men would resort to sperm donation.

The genesis of AB 1349 may be in the Quale/Smith case of 2009. A brief history: Kim Smith and Maggie Quale were two Santa Cruz lesbian women who decided they wanted to have children. A man named Shawn Wallace was used as a sperm donor to impregnate Ms. Quale. She became a mother; he became a father. Ms. Quale gave birth to twins. Six months later Ms. Quale and Ms. Smith broke up. Ms. Quale then began a romantic relationship with the father, Mr. Wallace. Ms. Quale then limited contact between Ms. Smith and the children. Ms. Smith then filed an action against Ms. Quale. On February 1, 2010, the Advocate online newspaper reported: “Representing Smith, Deborah Wald of the National Center for Lesbian Rights calls the case ‘a very dangerous precedent for lesbian couples having children with the assistance of known sperm donors’ if custody is not awarded to Smith.” Eventually, the two women arrived at a settlement that acknowledged the rights of both as “parents” to the children.

All three bills are part of an ongoing campaign to undercut the natural family, its authority, and its definition. For the “equality” sought by homosexual activists to be successfully imposed on society, radical redefinitions of the family, of motherhood, and of fatherhood are required. AB 1349 does that. The embracing of unhealthy sexuality requires children to be freed from the healthy effect of their parent’s wisdom. AB 499 does that. Finally, a program of indoctrination will be necessary in schools. SB 48 does that.

Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney

The More "Scientifically Literate," the Less Likely to be Concerned About Climate Change

But wait! Weren't we hearing the opposite?

However, that is the conclusion presented in the abstract of the Yale University study "The Tragedy of the Risk-Perception Commons: Culture Conflict, Rationality Conflict, and Climate Change"

"The conventional explanation for controversy over climate change emphasizes impediments to public understanding: Limited popular knowledge of science, the inability of ordinary citizens to assess technical information, and the resulting widespread use of unreliable cognitive heuristics to assess risk. A large survey of U.S. adults (N = 1540) found little support for this account. On the whole, the most scientifically literate and numerate subjects were slightly less likely, not more, to see climate change as a serious threat than the least scientifically literate and numerate ones."

H/t & more at "The Volokh Conspiracy" legal blog.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

Happy Independence Day!