Pope Francis' Continuing Catechesis on Marriage

Francis' Ongoing Catechesis on Man and Woman and on Marriage

• "Today’s catechesis is dedicated to a central aspect of the subject of the family: that of the great gift that God made to humanity with the creation of man and woman and with the Sacrament of Marriage. This catechesis and the next are concerned with the difference and complementarity between man and woman, who are at the summit of the divine creation; the two following ones will be on Marriage....
  
  I wonder...if the so-called gender theory is not also an expression of a frustration and of a resignation, which aims to cancel the sexual difference....The removal of the difference, in fact, is the problem, not the solution...The matrimonial and family bond is something serious, and it is for everyone, not only for believers. I would like to exhort the intellectuals not to abandon this topic, as if it had become secondary for the commitment in favor of a freer and more just society" (Pope Francis, 4/15/15).

• "In the previous catechesis on the family, I reflected on the first passage of the creation of the human being, in the first chapter of Genesis, where it is written: 'God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them'....
  
  The social devaluation of the stable and generative alliance of man and woman is certainly a loss for all....And the Bible says a beautiful thing: man finds woman, they find one another, and man must leave something to find her fully. And for this, man will leave his father and his mother to go with her. It is beautiful! This means to begin a journey. Man is all for woman and woman is all for man.  The care of this alliance of man and woman -- also if they are sinners and are wounded, confused or humiliated, mistrustful and uncertain -- is therefore for us believers a demanding and exciting vocation, in the present condition" (Pope Francis, 4/22/15).

• "The most persuasive testimony of the blessing of Christian marriage is the good life of Christian spouses and of the family. There is no better way to describe the beauty of the Sacrament! Marriage consecrated by God  to safeguard that bond between man and woman that God has blessed since the creation of the world; and it is source of peace and of goodness for the whole of conjugal and family life....I will speak of this beautiful vocation of marriage also in the next catechesis" (Pope Francis, 4/29/15).

Archbishop Kurtz: "Marriage like the gift of human life itself cannot be essentially changed" (4/25/15)

Archbishop Kurtz: "Marriage like the gift of human life itself cannot be essentially changed" (4/25/15)

In addition to USCCB president Archbishop Kurtz, the American Catholic hierarchy was represented by Archbishop Lori. It was mentioned that Philadelphia auxiliary Bishop McIntyre was present, but he did not speak.

ONLY ONE ELECTED OFFICIAL came to the podium, and that was State Senator Ruben Diaz of New York, a pentecostal minister who is strongly pro life and pro marriage. To those who are unfamiliar with the defense of marriage, it may be a surprise to learn that Senator Diaz is also a Democrat.

To these eyes, the crowd appeared larger than the first two marches, but it is a much, much smaller event than the March for Life.

Pope Francis' Ongoing Catechesis on Man and Woman and on Marriage - and more....

The Holy See at the U.N.

• "a central challenge in designing the post-2015 development agenda will be to improve the quality of life of the present generation, which hinges, inter alia, on ensuring equitable access to resources, the eradication of poverty, the adoption of sustainable patterns of consumption and better stewardship of the environment.  My delegation is concerned however, with the emphasis given to population growth as an obstacle to development. This has led to inordinate attention on issues that find no universal agreement and to decreased focus on crucial, consensus-driven solutions that can more adequately address the challenges and opportunities we face"  (Holy See Statement at UN Commission on Population and Development, 4/16/15).

Pope Francis' Ongoing Catechesis on Man and Woman and on Marriage

• "Today’s catechesis is dedicated to a central aspect of the subject of the family: that of the great gift that God made to humanity with the creation of man and woman and with the Sacrament of Marriage. This catechesis and the next are concerned with the difference and complementarity between man and woman, who are at the summit of the divine creation; the two following ones will be on Marriage....
  
  I wonder...if the so-called gender theory is not also an expression of a frustration and of a resignation, which aims to cancel the sexual difference....The removal of the difference, in fact, is the problem, not the solution...The matrimonial and family bond is something serious, and it is for everyone, not only for believers. I would like to exhort the intellectuals not to abandon this topic, as if it had become secondary for the commitment in favor of a freer and more just society" (Pope Francis, 4/15/15).

• "In the previous catechesis on the family, I reflected on the first passage of the creation of the human being, in the first chapter of Genesis, where it is written: 'God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them'....
  
  The social devaluation of the stable and generative alliance of man and woman is certainly a loss for all....And the Bible says a beautiful thing: man finds woman, they find one another, and man must leave something to find her fully. And for this, man will leave his father and his mother to go with her. It is beautiful! This means to begin a journey. Man is all for woman and woman is all for man.  The care of this alliance of man and woman -- also if they are sinners and are wounded, confused or humiliated, mistrustful and uncertain -- is therefore for us believers a demanding and exciting vocation, in the present condition" (Pope Francis, 4/22/15).

Other Recent Words from Pope Francis

• "I welcome you, members of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and participants of this plenary session dedicated to human trafficking....I am very grateful for what this Academy realizes to deepen the knowledge of the new forms of slavery and to eradicate the trafficking of human beings, in the sole purpose of serving mankind, especially people who are marginalized and excluded.  As Christians, you feel challenged by the Sermon on the Mount of the Lord Jesus and by the 'protocol' with which we will be judged at the end of our life, according to chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew ....His children who will see Him are those who worry about the last ones and who love the least of their brothers....And today, among the neediest of these brothers there are those who suffer the tragedy of modern forms of slavery, of forced labor, of slave labor, of prostitution, of organ trafficking, of drugs....in a global economic system dominated by profit, new forms of slavery have developed that in a certain way are worse and more inhumane than those of the past. Even more today, therefore, following the message of redemption of the Lord, we are called to denounce and fight it. First of all, we must be more aware of this new evil that, in a global world, wants to hide it because it is scandalous and 'politically incorrect'....All of society is called to grow in this awareness, especially with regard to national and international legislation, in order to ensure traffickers face justice and repurpose their unjust gains for the rehabilitation of the victims. The most suitable ways of penalizing those complicit in this inhumane market should be looked for. We are called  to improve the way of rescue and social inclusion of the victims, even  updating the regulations on asylum. Civil authorities should increase their awareness about the seriousness of such a tragedy, that constitutes a regression of humanity.  And many times, many times these new forms of slavery are protected by the very institutions who should defend the population from these crimes" (Pope Francis, 4/20/15).

• "With great distress and sadness I learn of the further shocking violence perpetrated against innocent Christians in Lybia....I  reach out to you in heartfelt spiritual solidarity to assure you of my closeness in prayer at the continuing martyrdom being so cruelly inflicted on Christians in Africa, the Middle East and some parts of Asia....The blood of our Christian brothers and sisters is a testimony which cries out to be heard by everyone who can still distinguish between good and evil. All the more this cry must be heard by those who have the destiny of peoples in their hands....we know that the life we live in God’s merciful love is stronger than the pain all Christians feel, a pain shared by men and women of good will in all religious traditions" (Pope Francis, 4/21/15).

As per the USCCB*, the Pa Catholic Conference, and/or the Archdiocese, 

• End Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, as the law of the land: https://www.votervoice.net/NCHLA/Campaigns/37904/Respond

• Rescind RHNDA and HRAA: http://cqrcengage.com/catholicbishops/app/write-a-letter?0&engagementId=87013

• Support the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (S 946): http://cqrcengage.com/catholicbishops/app/write-a-letter?1&engagementId=42752

• Support the Health Care Conscience Rights Act (HR 940): https://www.votervoice.net/PACC/Campaigns/37647/Respond

• Support the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act: https://www.votervoice.net/PACC/Campaigns/37647/Respond

• Support the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (HR 36):  https://www.votervoice.net/NCHLA/Campaigns/38155/Respond

• Support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act of 2015 (HR 1299/S 667; The Family Research Council has an action link: https://www.votervoice.net/FRCA/campaigns/39176/respond)

• Support "just and compassionate immigration reform":  http://www.capwiz.com/justiceforimmigrants/issues/alert/?alertid=14503781&type=CO
  (Oppose use of family detention: http://capwiz.com/justiceforimmigrants/issues/alert/?alertid=63454631&queueid=%5bcapwiz:queue_id
  Support “a path to citizenship and to oppose repealing or undoing laws that protect vulnerable children, families and refugees”: http://www.votervoice.net/groups/pacc/Advocacy/?SiteID=-1&IssueID=33031).

• Support the State Marriage Defense Act of 2015 (HR 824, S 435): http://cqrcengage.com/catholicbishops/app/make-a-call?2&engagementId=81348

• Support the March for Marriage: http://phillycatholiclife.org/marchformarriage/

As per the Pa Catholic Conference and/or the Archdiocese,

• Support equal education funding: https://www.votervoice.net/PACC/Campaigns/36012/Respond

• Support HB 752: https://www.votervoice.net/PACC/Campaigns/39294/Respond

• Oppose the death penalty (Thank the governor for the death penalty moratorium.): http://www.votervoice.net/groups/pacc/Advocacy/?SiteID=-1&IssueID=29560

• Oppose HB 300 / SB 300 (As the Pa Catholic Conference explains, “In other states, this law has shuttered Catholic adoption agencies and trampled religious liberty….Simply put, this legislation is intolerant and prejudiced against people of faith."): https://www.votervoice.net/PACC/Campaigns/33451/Respond

• Oppose the nomination of Pedro Cortes: "Please call and email your state Senators with this message, 'I urge you to vote against the appointment of Pedro Cortes to serve as Pennsylvania Secretary of State. He failed to stop abortionist Kermit Gosnell by failing to shut down his dangerous abortion operation.'"
  sgreenleaf@pasen.gov
  cmcilhinney@pasen.gov
  bmensch@pasen.gov
  rtomlinson@pasen.gov

*In addition to "ALERTS CENTRAL" the USCCB notes that "Action alerts forpro-life issues can also be found through our partner organization, the National Committee for the Human Life Amendment" and "Action alerts for issues related to immigration reform can be found through the USCCB-led Catholic coalition,Justice for Immigrants."

In the news....

• "Wolf Hall: Tudor History through an Anti-Historical, Anti-Catholic Lens" (Public Discourse, 4/9/15)

• Dietrich Boenhoeffer: A Lutheran Minister for Catholics?

• Payback from the Corbett camp?

• "Don't call Patricia Jannuzzi's reinstatement a victory"(Catholic Culture, 4/14/15)

• "Catholic college gives up nearly $1 million in federal grants to maintain Christian identity" (LifeSiteNews.com, 4/14/15)

• "I wonder...if the so-called gender theory is not also an expression of a frustration and of a resignation, which aims to cancel the sexual difference....The removal of the difference, in fact, is the problem, not the solution...The matrimonial and family bond is something serious, and it is for everyone, not only for believers. I would like to exhort the intellectuals not to abandon this topic, as if it had become secondary for the commitment in favor of a freer and more just society" (Pope Francis, 4/15/15).

• We need to let Christ's Resurrection transform us, to stand up for the Truth in the public square!

 

As per the USCCB*, the Pa Catholic Conference, and/or the Archdiocese, 

• End Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, as the law of the land: https://www.votervoice.net/NCHLA/Campaigns/37904/Respond

• Rescind RHNDA and HRAA: http://cqrcengage.com/catholicbishops/app/write-a-letter?0&engagementId=87013

• Support the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (S 946): http://cqrcengage.com/catholicbishops/app/write-a-letter?1&engagementId=42752

• Support the Health Care Conscience Rights Act (HR 940): https://www.votervoice.net/NCHLA/Campaigns/30688/Respond

• Support the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act: https://www.votervoice.net/PACC/Campaigns/37647/Respond

• Support the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (HR 36):  https://www.votervoice.net/NCHLA/Campaigns/38155/Respond

• Support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act of 2015 (HR 1299/S 667; The Family Research Council has an action link: https://www.votervoice.net/FRCA/campaigns/39176/respond)

• Support "just and compassionate immigration reform":  http://www.capwiz.com/justiceforimmigrants/issues/alert/?alertid=14503781&type=CO
  (Oppose use of family detention: http://capwiz.com/justiceforimmigrants/issues/alert/?alertid=63454631&queueid=%5bcapwiz:queue_id
  Support “a path to citizenship and to oppose repealing or undoing laws that protect vulnerable children, families and refugees”: http://www.votervoice.net/groups/pacc/Advocacy/?SiteID=-1&IssueID=33031).

• Support the State Marriage Defense Act of 2015 (HR 824, S 435): http://cqrcengage.com/catholicbishops/app/make-a-call?2&engagementId=81348

• Support the March for Marriage: http://phillycatholiclife.org/marchformarriage/

As per the Pa Catholic Conference and/or the Archdiocese,

• Support equal education funding: https://www.votervoice.net/PACC/Campaigns/36012/Respond

• Support HB 752: https://www.votervoice.net/PACC/Campaigns/39294/Respond

• Oppose the death penalty (Thank the governor for the death penalty moratorium.): http://www.votervoice.net/groups/pacc/Advocacy/?SiteID=-1&IssueID=29560

• Oppose HB 300 / SB 300 (As the Pa Catholic Conference explains, “In other states, this law has shuttered Catholic adoption agencies and trampled religious liberty….Simply put, this legislation is intolerant and prejudiced against people of faith."): https://www.votervoice.net/PACC/Campaigns/33451/Respond

• Oppose the nomination of Pedro Cortes: "Please call and email your state Senators with this message, 'I urge you to vote against the appointment of Pedro Cortes to serve as Pennsylvania Secretary of State. He failed to stop abortionist Kermit Gosnell by failing to shut down his dangerous abortion operation.'"
  sgreenleaf@pasen.gov
  cmcilhinney@pasen.gov
  bmensch@pasen.gov
  rtomlinson@pasen.gov

*In addition to "ALERTS CENTRAL" the USCCB notes that "Action alerts forpro-life issues can also be found through our partner organization, the National Committee for the Human Life Amendment" and "Action alerts for issues related to immigration reform can be found through the USCCB-led Catholic coalition,Justice for Immigrants."

PBS' "Wolf Hall"

In his fascinating critique of "Wolf Hall: Tudor History through an Anti-Historical, Anti-Catholic Lens" (Public Discourse, 4/9/15), Dr. Travis Curtright particularly addresses Wolf Hall's mistreatment of Saint Thomas More.

Payback from the Corbett camp?

On the pages of this morning's Courier Times, a former speechwriter for Governor Tom Corbett made a point of insulting Daryl Metcalfe:

• "It would be a dreadful thing to have this mess handed over to Daryl Metcalfe, the paleoconservative who has already introduced a motion for impeachment of Kane. Metcalfe's views of justice are more redolent of Salem, Massachusetts than Independence Hall.  Yet, with Democratic leaders running for cover, afraid to call out a malefactor in their ranks, they are fast making Metcalfe resemble Oliver Wendell Holmes compared to them." (BC Courier Times, 4/14/15)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Lutheran Minister for Catholics?

In Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, Eric Metaxas indicated that Lutheran pastor/theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer early on recognized the demonic thought of Adolph Hitler;  he was eventually executed for his role in efforts to overthrow Hitler. Metaxas shares a passage from Bonhoeffer's "Ethics," which showed  his consistency about the sanctity of human life:

• "Destruction of the embryo in the mother's womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed upon this nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life. And that is nothing but murder" (p. 472).

By contrast, Metaxas reminds us of the Nazis' absolute disrespect for the consciences of medical professionals. Maligning those medical professionals resisting participation in barbaric human experimentation, Heinrich Himmler said:

• "It will take at least another ten years until we can get such narrow-mindedness out of our people" (p. 512)

Jordan Ballor tells us

• "Throughout the 1930s and early 1940s, Bonhoeffer observed, 'one thing has emerged that seems certain: in the common life of human beings, there are laws that are stronger than everything that believes it can supersede them, and that it is therefore not only wrong but unwise to disregard these laws'....One of these laws of the created order that Bonhoeffer recognized and affirmed was the institution of marriage. The changes in the social order and the upheaval of war and industrialization had placed marriage and family in a precarious position. Bonhoeffer cited the prevalence of voluntary childlessness and dissolution of familial bonds, in part due to the influence of radical individualist and socialist ideologies, as evidence that 'marriage and family are experiencing a violent crisis,' as he put it in a 1932 lecture. Even amid such travails, however, Bonhoeffer steadfastly defended marriage as foundational to God’s purposes in the world."

Metaxas shares the eulogy from Franz Hildebrant:

• " He came from an academic home and seemed destined for the academic life....His complexity was not such as to allow for any doubt between right and wrong. To probe the problem of ethics was not to indulge in the game of `dialectical' theology. The search had to lead to the goal, the quest demanded an answer....The unrest of the quest ends in the discipleship of Christ" (pp. 538 - 542).

Had he lived till an old age, it is easy to imagine that Bonhoeffer would have embraced the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

As per the Bishops of the Phillipines, "Society should be able to count on some promises as irrevocable."

In the News...

Easter Sunday, 4/5/15

• "If we refuse to surrender, we will certainly be demonized; but everything will depend on whether we refuse to be demoralized. Courage displayed in the cause of truth—and of right—is powerful" (Robert George, First Things).

Easter Monday, 4/6/15

• "Faith in the resurrection of Jesus and the hope that He has brought to us is the most beautiful gift that a Christian can offer to the brothers. To one and all, therefore, do not tire of repeating: Christ is risen!....I am happy to welcome the delegation from the Shalom Movement that has come on the final stage of their solidarity relay race to raise awareness about the persecution of Christians in the world. Your itinerary on this path is over, but the spiritual journey of intense prayer should be continued by all; the concrete participation and tangible help in the defense and protection of our brothers and our sisters, who are persecuted, exiled, killed, decapitated for the sole fact of being Christians. They are our martyrs of today, and there are many; we can say that there are more than in the first century.  I hope that the international community does not remain mute and inert in front of such an unacceptable crime, which constitutes an alarming breach in the most basic of human rights. I truly hope the international community does not turn its gaze to the other side" (Pope Francis)

Easter Tuesday, 4/7/15

• "Only 57 from the Senate and the House..." (Faithfulinthe8th)

Easter Wednesday, 4/8/15

• "It is generally expected, though not certain, that the Supreme Court soon will...impose same-sex marriage nationwide. The court on April 28 will devote two and a half hours to oral arguments in four cases raising the issue and will hand down its decision in early summer....If and when the court rules in favor of same-sex marriage, the battle will move to a new stage.  The emphasis then will be on state and possibly federal legislative efforts to provide specific legal protection, over and above the Constitution’s guarantee of religious liberty, to institutions and individuals with conscientious objections to cooperating with marriages between persons of the same sex" (Our Sunday Visitor).

Easter Thursday, 4/9/15

• "The White Bow Campaign" (National Organization for Marriage)

Easter Friday, 4/10/15

• "Nuns, priests in Congo call for end to ongoing genocide" (CatholicPhilly.com)
• "The president wants to make it illegal for a child who struggles with gender identity to receive professional counseling to help resolve those issues" (The Christian Post) 

Easter Saturday, 4/11/15

• "[As per the Bishops of the Phillipines,] 'Society should be able to count on some promises as irrevocable'" (Faithfulinthe8th).

As per the USCCB*, the Pa Catholic Conference, and/or the Archdiocese, 

• End Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, as the law of the land: https://www.votervoice.net/NCHLA/Campaigns/37904/Respond

• Rescind RHNDA and HRAA: http://cqrcengage.com/catholicbishops/app/write-a-letter?0&engagementId=87013

• Support the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (S 946): http://cqrcengage.com/catholicbishops/app/write-a-letter?1&engagementId=42752

• Support the Health Care Conscience Rights Act (HR 940): https://www.votervoice.net/NCHLA/Campaigns/30688/Respond

• Support the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act: https://www.votervoice.net/PACC/Campaigns/37647/Respond

• Support the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (HR 36):  https://www.votervoice.net/NCHLA/Campaigns/38155/Respond

• Support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act of 2015 (HR 1299/S 667; The Family Research Council has an action link: https://www.votervoice.net/FRCA/campaigns/39176/respond)

• Support "just and compassionate immigration reform":  http://www.capwiz.com/justiceforimmigrants/issues/alert/?alertid=14503781&type=CO
  (Oppose use of family detention: http://capwiz.com/justiceforimmigrants/issues/alert/?alertid=63454631&queueid=%5bcapwiz:queue_id
  Support “a path to citizenship and to oppose repealing or undoing laws that protect vulnerable children, families and refugees”: http://www.votervoice.net/groups/pacc/Advocacy/?SiteID=-1&IssueID=33031).

• Support the State Marriage Defense Act of 2015 (HR 824, S 435): http://cqrcengage.com/catholicbishops/app/make-a-call?2&engagementId=81348

• Support the March for Marriage: http://phillycatholiclife.org/marchformarriage/

As per the Pa Catholic Conference and/or the Archdiocese,

• Support equal education funding: https://www.votervoice.net/PACC/Campaigns/36012/Respond

• Support HB 752: https://www.votervoice.net/PACC/Campaigns/39294/Respond

• Oppose the death penalty (Thank the governor for the death penalty moratorium.): http://www.votervoice.net/groups/pacc/Advocacy/?SiteID=-1&IssueID=29560

• Oppose HB 300 / SB 300 (As the Pa Catholic Conference explains, “In other states, this law has shuttered Catholic adoption agencies and trampled religious liberty….Simply put, this legislation is intolerant and prejudiced against people of faith."): https://www.votervoice.net/PACC/Campaigns/33451/Respond

• Oppose the nomination of Pedro Cortes: "Please call and email your state Senators with this message, 'I urge you to vote against the appointment of Pedro Cortes to serve as Pennsylvania Secretary of State. He failed to stop abortionist Kermit Gosnell by failing to shut down his dangerous abortion operation.'"
  sgreenleaf@pasen.gov
  cmcilhinney@pasen.gov
  bmensch@pasen.gov
  rtomlinson@pasen.gov

*In addition to "ALERTS CENTRAL" the USCCB notes that "Action alerts forpro-life issues can also be found through our partner organization, the National Committee for the Human Life Amendment" and "Action alerts for issues related to immigration reform can be found through the USCCB-led Catholic coalition,Justice for Immigrants."

"Society should be able to count on some promises as irrevocable."

To a very large and tragic extent, Catholics in the United States long ago - in practice - succumbed to

• treating marriage as though it were NOT indissoluble,
• separating the unitive and procreative dimensions of the marital act, and
• looking the other way from couples living in sin.

Sad to say, such de facto acceptance has sometimes been abetted by Church leaders who should know much, much better!  There is an incredible contrast in a recent statement from Catholic Bishops of the Phillipines:

"Society should be able to count on some promises as irrevocable.  The promise of a physician to serve life and not to destroy it, the promise of a public official to serve and defend the Constitution, the promise of spouses to be faithful to each other, the promise of a priest to mirror to the world the care of the Good Shepherd, - all these are promises that society has a right to rely on and that those who so promise have no right to renege on.  If you cannot keep the promise, do not make it at all!  Do not claim its privileges while refusing to own up to its demands" (CBCP Position Against the Divorce Law and Against the Decriminalization of Adultery and Concubinage, 3/25/15).

 
In case we have forgotten, Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church reminds us that "the New Testament presents Christ as unambiguously prohibiting divorce and remarriage on the basis of God's original plan for marriage set out at Genesis 1:27 and 2:24....God's mercy does not dispense us from following His commandments."  

Vikram Kaji and more....

• A former Yardley abortionist (who also long worked for St. Mary's in Langhorne) is back in the news.  As per NJ.Com,

"Steven Brigham, whose questionable practice of beginning late term abortions in New Jersey and finishing them in Maryland led to the revocation of his medical license last fall, is pursuing an appeal, according to his lawyer and court records.... Without his license, Brigham was required by state law to divest himself from the American Women's Services clinics he owned in Elizabeth, Mount Laurel, Paramus, Phillipsburg, Toms River, Woodbridge and Voorhees....

"Vikram H. Kaji, an obstetrician and gynecologist and the medical director for American Women's Services has assumed ownership, according to the state Health Department....

"Kaji, a board certified OB/GYN, has his own history with the physician disciplinary board, according to public records.

"In May 2013, an investigation revealed 'numerous alleged deficiencies and board violations' in his role as medical director" (4/2/15).

As reported TODAY by LifeNews.com,

"Kaji was convicted by the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners in 1993 for having improper sexual contact with three patients....The Federal Drug Enforcement Agency ordered Kaji’s license to prescribe controlled substances revoked in 1994. Also that year, Pennsylvania suspended Kaji for 36 months after learning of the New Jersey action.  The New York Medical Board was less forgiving. It revoked Kaji’s medical license for 'sexual misconduct and drug abuse, in 1995, and banned him from practicing in that state....Kaji also participated in at least one documented case of forced abortion"

In his Good Friday homily at St. Peter's, Father Cantalamessa reminded us that true love for victim and perpetrator calls us to act against evildoing.  As per an email this afternoon from executive director Marie Tasy, New Jersey Right to Life has "reached out to the Governor's office to request that they take immediate action on this matter."

•  Only 57 from the Senate and the House....

• We need to let Christ's Resurrection transform us, to stand up for the Truth in the public square!