"What’s the worst part of Pope Francis’ response to the exposure of clerical sex abuse and cover-ups?"

That's the question John Zmirak asks, and answers, at Rorate Caeli.

"The Innocence of Serpents": Francis' Silence is not Jesus' Silence

What’s the worst part of Pope Francis’ response to the exposure of clerical sex abuse and cover-ups?

You might say, “Where to begin?” and point to a dozen different facets of the corruption of the priesthood by our bishops.

The list of scandals against supernatural faith and natural justicecould fill up thousands of words. Others such as Paul Rahe and Benjamin Wiker have done yeoman’s work unpacking it all. I don’t need to add very much. Let me just mention one point which offends me to the core.

Not just as a Catholic. Or even as a Christian. If I were a mere agnostic, it still would turn my stomach.

And that’s the claim made by Pope Francis’ defenders that in refusing to answer Abp. Vigano’s charges, the pope is acting like Jesus, when He was hauled up before Herod:

And Herod, seeing Jesus, was very glad; for he was desirous of a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things of Him; and he hoped to see some sign wrought by Him. And he questioned Him in many words. But He answered him nothing. (Luke 23: 8-9)

Quite a potent tactic. It’s a way of painting stonewalling as an imitation of Christ. Father Marcial Maciel used this stratagem, and for a long while it worked. As one accuser came forth after another, he smothered their claims in silence. That gave his monied cronies and guilty enablers a high-minded pretext to hide behind, as many did, for years.

In fact, it’s the starkest blasphemy.

Even fair-minded unbelievers ought to be outraged, if they see Jesus for what He was: an innocent man, hunted to His death by political enemies. To seize on Jesus’ innocence, and His dignified refusal to answer the corrupt tyrant Herod, who would have set Him free in return for some petty miracle … and weaponize it on behalf of a ruler’s arrogant silence…. That is repulsive, on a purely human level. It’s like smooshing together Anne Frank and Josef Goebbels as “casualties of the Second World War.”

Too much you say? Isn’t it equally possible that Pope Francis indeed is innocent, at least of the charge that he knew about and repealed Benedict’s (feeble) sanctions against McCarrick? And did so in return for McCarrick’s support at the Conclave?

We may never know. The documents which prove Vigano’s testimony are under the pope’s control. Unless he’s already ordered that they be shredded, they sit in archives in Rome and in Washington, D.C. at the nunciature. Journalists should be demanding them.

A U.S. attorney ought to subpoena these files, to see if U.S. bishops violated RICO laws by shuffling sex abusers. The Church ought to have to hand them over, waiving its frail diplomatic immunity as the price of ongoing relations with the United States of America. I don’t know if that will happen. My colleague Austin Ruse has called on President Trump to demand it. All that is politics. Who knows how it will play out?

But we do know the following facts.

The pope lives in a house (Casa Santa Marta) managed by a priest who consorted with male prostitutes. Francis was backed for the papacy by molester Cardinal McCarrick and coverup artist-cardinals Danneels and Wuerl. He plucked Danneels from disgrace under Benedict XVI, inviting Danneels to join him when he first addressed Roman crowds, and asking him to speak (at the Synod on the Family) to the bishops of the world. Pope Francis has previously lifted penalties on at least one powerful molester in the mold of McCarrick.

Francis defied cries of victims, and elevated a bishop in Chile who’d actively covered for a molester. When the pope’s mockery of the victims blew up in the press, he blamed the local bishops and called one victim to Rome. Then he told the young man that God (not the priest who molested him) had “made him gay.”

Think of all this. Think then of Father Maciel.

And think of the innocence of Jesus

Two of Uncle Ted's, oops, Uncle Blaise's Boys Caught Committing Sodomy

Sorry, hard to keep these creeps straight.

Chicago's CBS affiliate has the whole disgusting story.

Two priests from northwest suburban Arlington Heights were arrested in Miami Beach on Monday after allegedly engaging in a sex act inside a parked vehicle.

The priests, Diego L. Berrio, 39; and Edwin M. Cortez, 30, both reside at San Juan Diego Mission on the 2300 block of North Wilke Road.

According to arrest reports from the Miami Beach Police Department, someone called police after seeing two men engaged in oral sex inside of a black Volkswagen parked on the 1300 block of Ocean Drive at 3:20 p.m. on Labor Day.

Swiss Bishop Skewers Vatican's Denial, Identifies 'homosexual network within the Catholic Church'

Bishop Marian Eleganti of the Diocese of Chur, Switzerland, via LifeSiteNews:

Swiss Bishop Marian Eleganti has called Pope Francis' reaction to Archbishop Viganò's recent allegations that the Pope was involved in the cover-up for now ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick a “classical non-denial denial….

Bishop Eleganti also noted in the interview that the Pope has surrounded himself with a network of pro-homosexual counselors, adding that he cannot see how any bishop involved with the cover-up of abuse cases could remain in his office.

When asked whether bishops who themselves were involved in the cover-up of abuse cases should resign, Eleganti said: “It is hard to imagine that they would remain in their offices.”

Eleganti also spoke about the “homosexual network within the Catholic Church.”

Asked whether he sees signs of this network also in the German-speaking realm, the bishop responded: “Striking are the attempts to re-write the traditional teaching which regards homosexual acts as intrinsically disordered and which therefore forbids their practice.”

“Pope Francis is surrounded by cardinals and counselors who go into this direction,” he added.

These papal counselors “openly support James Martin, the most prominent promoter of a change of the traditional teaching with regard to homosexuality.” Some of these “cardinals and counselors,” explained Eleganti, “were in part appointed by Pope Francis, for example, Cupich, Tobin, Farrell. The latter [Farrell] then invited James Martin to Dublin [to the World Meeting of Families].”

Great young Bishop Lopes not buying the 'I knew nothing!'

That's Bishop Steven Lopes--another Bay Area boy, born in Fremont. Came through the Ignatius Institute, gave the invocation at the Walk for Life West Coast a couple of years ago.

LifeSiteNews has the story.

Young bishop doesn’t believe prelates who say, ‘I knew nothing’ of McCarrick’s sex abuse

One of America’s youngest bishops has expressed his incredulity, if not disgust, over the manner in which senior prelates have handled the McCarrick scandal, which is still sending shockwaves throughout the Catholic Church.

In a Sunday homily at Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston, Texas, Bishop Steven Lopes, 43, spoke about the unsatisfactory response of some of the old guard members of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) to the scandal.

“I’ll tell you what response is not good enough: It’s the parade of cardinals and bishops who have rushed to the television cameras, clutching their pectoral crosses, saying, ‘I knew nothing,’” said Lopes, appointed bishop of the Anglican Ordinariate – a special rite in the Church for Anglicans who become Catholic but still may retain some of their traditions, formally called the Diocese of The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter – in 2016.

“I don’t believe it,” continued Lopes. “And I am one of them.”

“I don’t believe it, because as one of the youngest bishops in the conference, you do get an interesting perspective. Like, for the fact that I was a seminarian when Theodore McCarrick was named Archbishop of Newark, and he would visit the seminary often,” he added. “And we all knew.”

God is raising up great Priests and Bishops to lead his Church!

Buchanan: 'It needs be stated clearly: This is a homosexual scandal.'

Pat Buchanan gets it. 'A cancer on the papacy' Excerpt:

"Applicants to the seminary should be vetted the way applicants to the National Security Council are. Those homosexually inclined should be told the priesthood of the Church is not for them, as it is not for women.

Secular society will call this invidious discrimination, but it is based on what Christ taught and how he established his Church.

Inevitably, if the Church is to remain true to herself, the clash with secular society, which now holds that homosexuality is natural and normal and entitled to respect, is going to widen and deepen.

For in traditional Catholic teaching, homosexuality is a psychological and moral disorder, a proclivity toward acts that are intrinsically wrong, and everywhere and always sinful and depraved, and ruinous of character.

The idea of homosexual marriages, recently discovered to be a constitutional right in the USA, remains an absurdity in Catholic doctrine...."

Archbishop Charles Chaput: Cancel Youth Synod: "Absolutely no credibility"

The fearless Archbishop of Philadelphia tells the truth (LifeSiteNews):

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia told a conference that had met to discuss the “young people” of the Church that in light of the abuse crisis in the Catholic Church he had written to Pope Francis asking him to cancel the upcoming Youth Synod set to take place in Rome.

“The bishops would have absolutely no credibility” in the upcoming Youth Synod, Chaput told the Cardinal’s Forum, an annual gathering to provide academic formation of seminarians and continuing education for lay people, yesterday. The synod's planned dates are set for October 3-28, 2018.

The August 30 panel discussion, which took place at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, was on the topic of “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.” Some 300 participated in the event.

Archbishop Chaput said the Youth Synod should be canceled.

“I have written the Holy Father and called on him to cancel the upcoming synod on young people. Right now, the bishops would have absolutely no credibility in addressing this topic,” he said.

Instead of having a youth synod, the Archbishop proposed that a synod should be held to address the topic of the bishops themselves.

“I have called on him (Pope Francis), in its place, to begin making plans for a synod on the life of bishops,” he said.

The issue is Sodomite and Sodomy-supporting Priests and Bishops

Be sure to read the full article excerpted below "Francis and the Journalists" by Irish journalist John Waters, writing in First Things. Via Rod Dreher. Bold emphasis added.

"The pope’s exchange with journalists on the plane back to Italy must rank as one of the strangest episodes of mutual avoidance in the history of journalism. An issue that journalists have prosecuted with extreme vigor for a quarter-century had finally arrived at the door of a pope: a direct and concrete accusation that, in a specific instance, he had protected a serial sexual abuser. Yet the omertà of the day continued into the early exchanges of the press conference, with several questions from Irish journalists making no reference to the matter. Then Anna Matanga of CBS—the first mainstream platform to cover the Viganò story on Sunday—asked: “This morning, very early, a document by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò came out. In it, he says that in 2013 he had a personal talk with you at the Vatican, and that in that talk, he spoke to you explicitly of the behavior of and the sexual abuse by former–Cardinal McCarrick. I wanted to ask you if this was true. I also wanted to ask something else: The archbishop also said that Pope Benedict sanctioned McCarrick, that he had forbidden him to live in a seminary, to celebrate Mass in public, he couldn’t travel, he was sanctioned by the Church.  May I ask you whether these two things are true?”

The pope replied: “I will respond to your question, but I would prefer last—first we speak about the trip, and then other topics. … I read the statement this morning, and I must tell you sincerely that, I must say this, to you and all those who are interested. Read the statement carefully and make your own judgment. I will not say a single word about this. I believe the statement speaks for itself. And you have the journalistic capacity to draw your own conclusions. It’s an act of faith. When some time passes and you have drawn your conclusions, I may speak. But, I would like your professional maturity to do the work for you. It will be good for you. That’s good.”

And when you read the pope’s response again in light of what has happened—or not happened—in the several days since, it acquires an ominous tenor, inviting a stab at a new translation. Here is mine:

“Read the statement in the knowledge of the relationship you and I share: We are men and women of the world and like-minded on what is important. We know where we stand on matters like homosexuality and homosexual priests. But be careful how you handle this Viganò business—a wrong word could undo all we have achieved. I have faith in you to figure out who this man is. Do your work well and there will be no need for me to risk my position. Once you have defused the situation, I will deal with Viganò for the record. We are all adults here. I know I can count on you. I need your help on this, but we have an understanding that has worked well so far. Trust me.”"

Again, be sure to read the full article "Francis and the Journalists" 

Distinguished Catholic Women tell Francis: ‘We, your flock, deserve YOUR answers NOW.’

A group of 52 distinguished Catholic women have sent an open letter to Francis pleading with him to be more open and forthcoming. The signers include Walk for Life West Coast co-chair Eva Muntean and 2016 Walk for Life West Coast speaker Obianuju Ekeocha, Founder and President, Culture of Life Africa.

Following the original signatories, and as of this writing 12,696 additional Catholic women have added their voices. An excerpt is below, and Catholic women are invited to read the whole thing and sign by going here.

August 30, 2018
His Holiness, Pope Francis
Vatican City
Your Holiness:

You have said that you seek “a more incisive female presence in the Church,” and that “women are capable of seeing things with a different angle from [men], with a different eye. Women are able to pose questions that we men are not able to understand.”

We write to you, Holy Father, to pose questions that need answers.

We are Catholic women deeply committed to our faith and profoundly grateful for Church teachings, the Sacraments, and the many good bishops and priests who have blessed our lives.

Our hearts are broken, our faith tested, by the escalating crisis engulfing our beloved Church. We are angry, betrayed and disillusioned. The pain and suffering of the victims never ends, as each news cycle brings more horrific revelations of sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, cover-ups, and deceit—even at the Church’s highest levels.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s recent statement impels us to reach out to you directly for answers. His testimony accuses you, Holy Father, and highly placed cardinals of turning a blind eye to former Cardinal McCarrick’s egregious behavior, and promoting this predator as a global spokesman and spiritual leader. Is this true?...."

Again, Catholic women are invited to read the whole thing and sign by going here.

Bishop Tom Daly: 'Corruption and Degeneracy'

A San Francisco boy. Proud of him:

Message from Bishop Thomas Daly

Archbishop Cordileone: "Purification is Always Painful"

Bless his heart! Our Archbishop's letter about the situation at the highest levels of the Church:

Dear Faithful of the Archdiocese,

Last Sunday witnessed what many are calling a “bombshell” in the Church: the publication of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s “Testimony,” alleging corruption and coverup at all levels of the Church based on his long and extensive personal knowledge.

I came to know Archbishop Viganò well during the years he served as Apostolic Nuncio here in the United States.  I can attest that he is a man who served his mission with selfless dedication, who fulfilled well the Petrine mission entrusted to him by the Holy Father to “strengthen his brothers in the faith,” and who would do so at great personal sacrifice and with absolutely no consideration given to furthering his “career” – all of which speaks to his integrity and sincere love of the Church. 

Moreover, while having no privileged information about the Archbishop McCarrick situation, from information I do have about a very few of the other statements Archbishop Viganò makes, I can confirm that they are true.  His statements, therefore, must be taken seriously.  To dismiss them lightly would continue a culture of denial and obfuscation.  Of course, to validate his statements in detail a formal investigation will have to be conducted, one that is thorough and objective.  I am therefore grateful to Cardinal DiNardo for recognizing the merit of finding answers that are “conclusive and based on evidence,” and I join my voice to that of other bishops in calling for such an investigation and for taking any corrective action that may be necessary in light of its findings. I was named a bishop on July 5, 2002, three weeks after the USCCB meeting in Dallas that approved the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, and still at the height of the drama of revelations of sex abuse of minors by clergy.

 

 At that time, I was asked to conduct a prayer service at the conclusion of a conference on family life hosted by the diocese that attracted participants from around the world.  I met there an Australian priest with whom I was acquainted during our years of study in Rome, and he congratulated me on my appointment.  I replied, “Thank you, but this is not a good time to become a bishop.”  I will never forget his response to me: “But it is a good time to be a great bishop.” 

 

What he said to me then can be said to every Catholic at this time.  The Church is in need of purification.  Purification is always painful.  My dear victims: you know this more than anyone; please know of our prayers and love for you, and that we continue to be here for you, to support you and help you to heal with the resources we have available.

  

I believe God is beginning this painful process of purification for us now, but for it to work, we must cooperate.  God has always raised up great saints in similar times of turmoil in the Church.  I call on all of us to rededicate ourselves to prayer, penance and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, so that God will bless us with this grace.

Please know of my gratitude to you all: to you our priests, who remain close by your people, lending them support and pastoral care in this time of crisis; to you our deacons, who assist priests in this responsibility and bring the Gospel to those for whom it would otherwise be inaccessible; to you our victims assistance coordinators and to all who support victims on the painful path toward healing; to the faculty and administration of St. Patrick’s Seminary for your hard work in providing deep and healthy formation for our future priests for the renewal of the Church in our corner of the Lord’s vineyard, and to our seminarians for your fervor and generosity in responding to the Lord’s call of priestly service; and last but not least, to you, our people, for your prayer, for your love and concern for the Church, which now moves you to demand change that is effective and decisive, and for your support of our priests.

May God grant us all the grace to be the agents of change and purification that He is calling us to be at this time.

Sincerely yours in our Lord,

Most Rev. Salvatore J. Cordileone

Archbishop of San Francisco

Bishop Paprocki: 'That response is not adequate.'

Springfield, Illinois Bishop Thomas Paprocki:

Statement from Bishop Thomas John Paprocki Regarding the Testimony of the Former Apostolic Nuncio

SPRINGFIELD – The former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, has revealed a set of facts and circumstances that are deeply troubling as they relate to the awareness, actions, and inactions at the very highest levels of the Church. Archbishop Viganò has provided his written testimony stating that Pope Francis “must honestly state when he first learned about the crimes committed by McCarrick, who abused his authority with seminarians and priests. In any case, the Pope learned about it from me on June 23, 2013 and continued to cover for him.”

When asked about this aboard the papal plane on his return flight from Ireland on August 26, Pope Francis said, “Read the statement carefully and make your own judgment. I will not say a single word on this.” Frankly, but with all due respect, that response is not adequate. Given the gravity of the content and implications of the former Nuncio’s statement, it is important for all the facts of this situation to be fully reviewed, vetted, and carefully considered. Toward that end, Pope Francis, Vatican officials and the current Apostolic Nuncio should make public the pertinent files indicating who knew what and when about Archbishop (formerly Cardinal) McCarrick and provide the accountability that the Holy Father has promised.

In this regard, I concur completely with the statement of Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, who yesterday “reaffirmed the call for a prompt and thorough examination into how the grave moral failings of a brother bishop could have been tolerated for so long and proven no impediment to his advancement. The recent letter of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò brings particular focus and urgency to this examination. The questions raised deserve answers that are conclusive and based on evidence.”

"I will not say a single word on this"--it's almost beyond belief that a person of prominence would be dumb enough to try this. And it is apparently contagious: Chicago's unspeakable Archbishop Cupich is even dumber, claiming the whole thing is: "because he's a Latino."

The extermination of the homosexual networks throughout the Church has been a long time coming. But this is a start: now they are there for all to see, and they cannot survive in the light.

Bishop Schneider: “No reasonable and plausible cause to doubt the truth" of Archbishop Maria Viganò's document

Not only that, he offer's a roadmap. From LifeSiteNews:


1. That the Holy See and the Pope himself will start to cleanse uncompromisingly the Roman Curia and the episcopate from homosexual cliques and networks.

2. That the Pope will proclaim unambiguously the Divine doctrine about the grievously sinful character of homosexual acts.

3. That there will be issued peremptory and detailed norms, which will prevent the ordination of men with a homosexual tendency.

4. That the Pope restores the purity and unambiguity of the entire Catholic doctrine in teaching and preaching.

5. That there will be restored in the Church through papal and episcopal teaching and through practical norms the ever valid Christian ascesis: the exercises of fasting, of corporal penitence, of abnegations.

6. That there will be restored in the Church the spirit and the praxis of reparation and expiation for sins committed.

7. That there will start in the Church a securely guaranteed selection process of candidates to the episcopacy, who are demonstrably true men of God; and that it would be better to leave the dioceses several years without a bishop rather than to appoint a candidate who is not a true man of God in prayer, in doctrine and in moral life.

8. That there will start in the Church a movement especially among cardinals, bishops and priests to renounce any compromise and any flirtation with the world.

Finally! And, yes, Archbishop Viganò is "absolutely worthy of belief"

For over ten years we've documented the homosexual infiltration within the Archdiocese of San Francisco--now in the process of being cleansed and healed by our good Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.  It is great to see the same rot being exposed at the very highest levels of the Church--for only then can the healing begin!

Vox Cantor quotes Fr. Carlos Martin:

I just spent the last two hours on the phone with a friend in the Vatican Curia. He said that the news of Archbishop Viganò has hit the Curia like an atomic bomb. Two things are universally noted regarding Viganò: 1) He is highly respected as a professional, and 2) His Curial positions gave him clear access to the damning information he reported. In other words, he is not a hack, and he is not relying on rumor. This makes his report absolutely worthy of belief. 

Of course it is worthy of belief. Francis’s two right –hand men are Cardinal McCarrick and Cardinal Maradiaga.  That would be disgusting creep “Uncle Ted” McCarrick, corrupter of who knows how many seminarians, priests, and children, and Oscar Maradiaga, a disgrace to the Salesians, (whose episcopate, as we wrote in 2014, saw the reduction of Catholics in Honduras from 94% to 46% of the population) and whose response to the queer infestation of his seminary was to blame the good seminarians who brought it to his attention.

And, surprisingly, the gabby Francis has finally found a reason to button his lip, a subject he's willing to avoid. Like countless bishops before him, he is refusing to address the quite detailed and specific points made yesterday by Archbishop Vigano:

(Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Sunday he would not respond to explosive accusations by a former top Vatican official that the pontiff had covered up sexual abuse, saying dismissively that the document containing the allegations “speaks for itself”.

Francis, talking to reporters aboard the plane returning to Rome from Dublin, said he would “not say one word” on the 11-page document, in which the former official says Francis should resign. The pontiff said journalists should read the document carefully and decide for themselves about its credibility.

I doubt anyone needs any encouragement to 'read the document carefully'!

St. John Damascene; Priest, Doctor (c.676-749)

Today is the Feastday of the great Saint.

“Listen to me, people of all nations, men, women, and children, all of you who bear the Christian name: If any one preach to you something contrary to what the holy catholic Church has received from the holy apostles and fathers and councils, and has kept down to the present day, do not heed him. Do not receive the serpent’s counsel, as Eve did, to whom it was death. If an angel or an emperor teaches you anything contrary to what you have received, shut your ears.”  –St. John of Damascus, Apologia of St. John Damascene Against Those Who Decry Holy Images.

Brian Fairchild on Muslim Brotherhood

Our friend the counter-terrorism expert Brian Fairchild of the Intrepid Group takes down the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper over his bizarre statement the the Muslim Brotherhood is a "largely secular" organization. Brian writes today in Pajamas Media:

"Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, testifying before the House Intelligence Committee today, stated that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is a largely secular, non-violent umbrella group.

I have quickly put together the quotes below from the Brotherhood’s former and current leaders. They clearly show that the Muslim Brotherhood is extremely religious and violent, and that former Supreme Guide Muhammad Mahdi Akef even supports Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

Mr. Clapper’s congressional testimony reveals that he simply doesn’t know what he is talking about regarding one of the most important topics for American policy considerations throughout the Muslim world, and particularly and immediately in Egypt.

The fact that the director of national intelligence is so ignorant of facts that are so easily amassed, and that he could lead U.S. policymakers so far astray from reality at such a crucial time, is inexcusable and grounds for his immediate resignation...."

Follow the link to see the readily available evidence Brian has amassed.

To listen to Brian in an extended discussion of Salfist Islam, go here.

Brian Fairchild on Wikileaks

Our friend the counterterrorism expert Brian Fairchild has an interesting article today at Pajamas Media on the Wikileaks debacle. Mr. Fairchild points out that bad as the Wikileaks were, U.S. Government policy may be making the problem worse. He starts with an obvious point:

"I will guarantee that in the near future you will see some of these secret cables prominently referred to on al-Qaeda videos and displayed in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s new Inspire magazine, and they will be exploited by Salafi-Jihadi mosques and organizations throughout the world for some time to come."

But then he points out that the release neccesitates a new approach by our intelligence agencies:

"In an ironic twist, these publicly available classified cables, once considered compartmented information that could only be shared with other American officials on a strict “need to know” basis, must now be considered a key American counterterrorism resource.

This is true because a standing counterintelligence requirement in the ongoing analysis of al-Qaeda is to understand what it knows about us and how that knowledge might enable it to protect itself from our operations, support its ideological narrative, and help it choose targets.

As unpleasant as it is, these cables, while still officially classified, are now completely and utterly in the public domain and are being studied by our key adversaries. As a result, it is vital that our own counterterrorism institutions and officers conduct a robust damage assessment by reviewing these cables through the enemy’s eyes, if only to be forewarned about what our enemies know about us and how they might utilize this knowledge to their advantage."

And he says that this reality is not being accepted, at least publicly, by our government:

"Unfortunately, just the opposite appears to be true. On December 4, the Office of Management and Budget circulated a memo to all federal agencies prohibiting them from accessing the Wikileaks material, and the Defense Department issued a similar statement to its contractors and employees.

The OMB memo stated:

Except as authorized by their agencies and pursuant to agency procedures, federal employees or contractors shall not, while using computers or other devices (such as Blackberries or Smart Phones) that access the web on non-classified government systems, access documents that are marked classified (including classified documents publicly available on the WikiLeaks and other websites)…

This prohibition not only takes all federal counterterrorism personnel out of the loop, but, by extension, all state and local police counterterrorism personnel too...."

You can learn more at the Intrepid Group website, and you can listen to Mr. Fairchild's interview "Salafism: Understanding a Strain of Radical Islam" on "Reclaiming the Culture."

This week on Reclaiming the Culture: "Salafism: Understanding a Strain of Radical Islam"

Today, on "Reclaiming the Culture," host Dolores Meehan interviews Brian Fairchild of the Intrepid Group on the threats posed by Salafist Islam. Parts one and two of a three part interview are presented; part three airs next week. Left: with Crown Prince Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi of the Emirate of Ras al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates.

In part one, Mr. Fairchild describes his background and experiences in Arabia, and begins to describe what Salafism is. In part two, he expands on Salafism, and on the inadequate conceptual and instrumental response of our government.

Listen here:

http://www.reclaimingtheculture.org/fairchild.html

Mr. Fairchild is the co-founder of Intrepid Group, LLC. Since 9/11, Mr. Fairchild and his partner have trained over 10,000 US counterterrorism officials on the subject of Islamist terrorism, including officials from CIA, FBI, military special operations, and state and local law enforcement.

Podcasts can be downloaded, too.

Other Reclaiming the Culture shows:

Most Reverend Salvatore Cordileone, Bishop of the Diocese of Oakland: "The Manhattan Declaration: A Call to Christian Conscience"

Father Robert A. Sirico, President, The Acton Institute "The Principle of Subsidiarity and the Service of the Poor"

Dr. Janet Smith, the Father Michael J. McGivney Chair of Life Ethics at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, "The Right to Privacy."

Dr. Maria Fedoryka, Ave Maria University, "The Gift of Woman"

And upcoming on September 14: Father Michael Sweeney, OP, President, Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology will discuss "Authentic Catholic Education and the Impact of the Land o' Lakes Conference"

Dr. Maria Fedoryka on "The Gift of Woman"--this week's "Reclaiming the Culture"

Today, on "Reclaiming the Culture," Dr. Maria Fedoryka discusses the topic of her recent essay "The Gift of Woman" with host Dolores Meehan. Dr. Fedoryka is Professor of Philosophy at Ave Maria University.

Listen here:

http://www.reclaimingtheculture.org/fedoryka.html

Podcasts can be downloaded, too.

Other Reclaiming the Culture shows in August:

Most Reverend Salvatore Cordileone, Bishop of the Diocese of Oakland: "The Manhattan Declaration: A Call to Christian Conscience"

Father Robert A. Sirico, President, The Acton Institute "The Principle of Subsidiarity and the Service of the Poor"

Dr. Janet Smith, the Father Michael J. McGivney Chair of Life Ethics at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, "The Right to Privacy."

And upcoming on August 31: Father Michael Sweeney, OP, President, Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology will discuss "Authentic Catholic Education and the Impact of the Land o' Lakes Conference"

"Reclaiming the Culture" Radio Show to Launch Monday

Monday marks the debut of "Reclaiming the Culture" a new Immaculate Heart Radio interview show that we at "A Shepherd's Voice" have helped with. The show's host, Dolores Meehan, descibes the mission:

“Bay Area Catholics are some of the strongest Catholics in the country. Reclaiming the Culture grew out of the desire to show that the Catholic Church in the Bay Area has the resources to confront the prevailing secular culture. Our purpose is to introduce great thinkers to listeners who may not have the opportunity to pursue an authentic, classical, Catholic education at, say, the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley. We see this as a chance to share the wisdom of the Catholic Church, which is far greater than many people realize, and is easily up to the task of engaging the prevailing secular culture. We want to move beyond catechesis and apologetics, important as they are, and enter into the arena where faith meets reason.”

There is a stellar line up of guests:

• On June 28 and July 5, Meehan will interview Fr. Michael Sweeney, President of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, on “Authentic Catholic Education—and the Impact of the Land O’ Lakes Conference.”






• July 12: Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, of Oakland, on “The Manhattan Declaration: A Call to Christian Conscience.







• July 19: Fr. Robert A. Sirico, President of the Acton Institute, on a neglected area of Catholic social teaching “The Principle of Subsidiarity and the Service to the Poor.”







• July 26, bioethicist/author Dr. Janet Smith, of Sacred Heart Major Seminary on “The Right to Privacy.”







Future guests include:

• Father Joseph Fessio, SJ, of Ignatius Press;

• the very interesting Ave Maria University Professor of philosophy Maria Fedoryka on "The Gift of Woman";

• a fascinating (and scary) three-part interview with Mr. Brian Fairchild, an expert on Salafist Islamic groups in the U.S.;

• and the renowned authors and thinkers Mrs. Mary Eberstadt, Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, and Dr. Anthony Esolen.

Reclaiming the Culture airs every Monday at 9:10AM on KSFB Radio 1260 AM. For now, the show can only be heard live in the Bay Are, but podcasts of the interviews will be available following each show at http://www.reclaimingtheculture.org/