Notes: Tuesday, May 6-Thursday, July 31, 2014 (part 1 of 4)

1. A few recent items regarding the premier British orders of chivalry

1.1 In the afternoon of Tuesday, March 18, 2014, H.M. The Queen received Lord Home (pron. the same as when that name is spelt 'Hume') at Buckingham Palace, during which reception Her Majesty conferred upon His Lordship the honour of Knighthood and invested Lord Home with the Insignia of a Knight of the Thistle.

See the Court Circular of that date.

Labels: David Home, Elizabeth II. Windsor, Order of the Thistle

1.2 H.M. The Queen has appointed Lady Manningham-Buller to be a Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter and Lord King to be a Knight Companion of the same Order, and during a Chapter of that Order held by Her Majesty in the Throne Room of Windsor Castle on 16. ult. (Garter Day—the Monday in Royal Ascot week—2014), The Queen invested Her Ladyship with the Insignia of a Lady Companion of the Order and His Lordship with the Insignia of a Knight Companion of the Order, and presumably installed Lady Manningham-Buller and Lord King in the Order during the Installation Service held in St. George's Chapel in the afternoon of the same day.

Regarding the appointments: See Notice No. 2112871, Notice Type "State", Sub-Type "Honours and Awards" (Notice Code: 1105), The London Gazette, Issue No. 60848, p. 8182, April 23, 2014:

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2112871

(Note that, as the Gazette mentions on its "New website for The Gazette" webpage, "the publication date of each notice is [now ]the date the notice published on www.thegazette.co.uk", unlike "in the past,[ when] the publication date has been the date the notice appeared in the printed edition".) See also the press release "New appointments to the Order of the Garter", issued by the Communications Secretary to H.M. The Queen, undated (but released on April 23, 2014), downloaded from Her Majesty's official website:

http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Pressreleases/2014/NewappointmentstotheOrderoftheGarter.aspx

which (press release) says that those appointments bring the number of (non-extra) Companions of the Order of the Garter to twenty-three out of a possible twenty-four, though the subsequent death of The Rt. Hon. Baroness Soames L.G. D.B.E. brings the former number down to twenty-two.

Regarding the investitures and installations: See the Court Circular of June 16, 2014.

Labels: Eliza Manningham-Buller, Elizabeth II. Windsor, Mervyn King, Order of the Garter

1.3 In the morning of Thursday, 3. instant., H.M. The Queen attended a Service in St. Giles' Cathedral for the Installation of Lords Home (pron. the same as when that name is spelt 'Hume') and Smith as Knights of the Thistle.

See the Court Circular of that date.

Labels: David Home, Elizabeth II. Windsor, Order of the Thistle, Robert Smith

2. Some information on the Passover Seder and Bar Mitzvah

See the blog post "The Last Lunch", by hereisjorgebergoglio, dated Friday, April 18, 2014, downloaded from his "Call Me Jorge..." blog:

http://callmejorgebergoglio.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-last-lunch.html

Labels: Jews

3. Some information on the U.K.'s demography

See the article "Changing face of UK hits Tories", no byline (though the stated source is The Times), dated April 24, 2014, downloaded from (behind the paywall at) The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/changing-face-of-uk-hits-tories/story-fnb64oi6-1226893791981

Labels: demography, social trends, U.K.

4. Mr. Netanyahu on what it means for the State of Israel to be 'the Jewish State': "the nation-state of the Jewish people"

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "Benjamin Netanyahu wants to define Israel as a Jewish state in law", by Jeffrey Heller, dated May 2, 2014, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/world/benjamin-netanyahu-wants-to-define-israel-as-a-jewish-state-in-law-20140502-zr2wv.html?skin=text-only

See also the text of the speech "PM Netanyahu's Remarks During his Visit to Independence Hall" (or perhaps, rather, it's a translation of that text, assuming that the speech was given in Modern Hebrew), dated May 1, 2014, downloaded from the official website of the State of Israel's Prime Minister's Office:

http://www.pmo.gov.il/English/MediaCenter/Speeches/Pages/speechhall010514.aspx

in which speech the same terminology as in my headline is used three times (though with a capital "P" for "the Jewish People" in the second and third instances), though The Australian reported, in the article "Netanyahu vows to cement Jewish homeland" (no byline (though the stated source is the A.F.P.)), dated May 3, 2014), the tiny bit different form "the national state of the Jewish people", citing Mr. Netanyahu "in a speech in Tel Aviv, a transcript of which was provided by his office":

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/netanyahu-vows-to-cement-jewish-homeland/story-e6frg6so-1226903822812

(That article came to my attention via the version printed under the headline "Vow to cement Jewish homeland", no byline (but the stated source was, like the online version, the A.F.P.), on p. 9 in the "WORLD" pages of The Weekend Australian, May 3-4, 2014, Second Edition, No. 15408, ISSN 1038-8761, published by Nationwide News Pty. Limited.)

Labels: Confessional State, Jews, State of Israel

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Confessor, A.D. 2014

Notes: Tuesday, March 18-Monday, May 5, 2014 (part 1 of 2)

1. More from H.H. The Pope Emeritus (though gloriously reigning at the time of the pronouncement in question) on 'healthy secularity'

See §29 of Ecclesia in Medio Oriente (the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on the Church in the Middle East), September 14, 2012, pp. 751 ff. (§29 is on p. 764 (p. 18 in your computer's reader)) of Acta Apostolicæ Sedis, Year and Vol. CIV, No. 10, October 5, 2012:

http://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/2012/ottobre2012.pdf

Ecclesia in Medio Oriente is also available in French here:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20120914_ecclesia-in-medio-oriente_fr.html

and in English translation here:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20120914_ecclesia-in-medio-oriente_en.html

(That reference to 'secularity' came to my attention via the item "SUMMARY OF THE POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION "ECCLESIA IN MEDIO ORIENTE"", dated September 15, 2012, in The Holy See Press Office's Vatican Information Service e-mail bulletin of September 15, 2012, Year XXII, No. 163, available online under the same headline, but undated, here:

http://www.news.va/en/news/summary-of-the-post-synodal-apostolic-exhortation)

Labels: Benedict XVI. Ratzinger, morals, politics, secularism

2. On March 10, 2014, H.M. The Queen gave the Royal Assent to the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill.

See Notice No. 2017122, Notice Type "Parliament & Assemblies", Sub-Type "Scottish Parliament" (Notice Code: 1208), The London Gazette, Issue No. 60808, p. 5424, March 17, 2014:

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/60808/page/5424

One can also find the text of that notice here:

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/L-60808-2017122

(The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill came to my attention most recently via this CathNews post regarding this Catholic News Service article.)

Labels: Elizabeth II. Windsor, G.L.B.T., law, marriage, U.K.

3. Cardinal Turkson on recent African legislation against sodomy (and on Rome's reaction to that legislation)

See the article "Catholicism growing in heart of Muslim world", by Mr. John Allen, apparently undated, downloaded from The Boston Globe's website:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2014/03/08/catholicism-growing-heart-muslim-world/LxIiUYwSlro7Zl6ugvVQJM/story.html

See also the article "Cardinal Turkson criticises Uganda’s anti-gay law", no author credited, dated Tuesday, March 4, 2014, downloaded from CatholicHerald.co.uk:

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2014/03/04/cardinal-turkson-criticises-ugandas-anti-gay-law/

Labels: G.L.B.T., law, Peter Turkson, Roman Curia, vice

4. Prof. Baskerville on no-fault divorce

See the article "Five Myths about No-Fault Divorce", by Associate Professor Stephen Baskerville, apparently undated, downloaded from the Catholic News Agency's website:

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resources/life-and-family/marriage/five-myths-about-no-fault-divorce/

(That article came to my attention via this blog post by Mr. Muehlenberg.)

Labels: divorce, law, marriage

5. "It takes about 20 hours a week to exclusively breastfeed - feeding a baby is by itself a part-time job."

The quotation in that headline comes from the opinion piece "Baby care needs nurturing", by Dr. Julie Smith, dated March 24, 2014, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/baby-care-needs-nurturing-20140323-35bhp.html?skin=text-only

Labels: breastfeeding, economics

6. More aged care and disability care Gay propaganda

See the web page "LGBTI Aged Care Training", no author credited, undated, downloaded from ACON's website:

http://www.acon.org.au/ageing/training/lgbti-aged-care-training

(Note that that webpage is the same webpage to which the link in item 1 of this "Notes" post leads; the U.R.L. and content of that webpage have, however, clearly changed.)

Labels: aged care, disability, G.L.B.T.

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Pius V., Pope, Confessor, A.D. 2014

Notes: Wednesday, January 1-Monday, February 10, 2014 (part 2 of 2)

12. "Pope Francis assured mothers that breast-feeding their babies in public, even during a papal Mass in the Sistine Chapel, is OK."

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "Pope to moms: It's OK to breast-feed in public, even in Sistine Chapel", by Carol Glatz, dated January 13, 2014, downloaded from the Catholic News Service's (C.N.S.'s) website:

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1400120.htm

(A version of that article is also available at the Sydney Catholic Weekly's website, under the headline "Pope to mums: It’s OK to breast-feed in public, even in Sistine Chapel", with the same author, dated January 14, 2014:

http://www.catholicweekly.com.au/article.php?classID=1&subclassID=99&articleID=13161&class=Copyright&subclass=Vatican

and it came to my attention via the version printed under the headline "Breastfeeding in Mass is OK, says Pope", with the same author, on p. 13 of The Catholic Weekly, January 19, 2014, Vol. 73, No. 4708, published by The Catholic Press Newspaper Company Pty. Ltd.) For another report on the same event, see the article "Pope tells mothers to breastfeed in church", by Philip Pullella, dated January 13, 2014, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/world/pope-tells-mothers-to-breastfeed-in-church-20140113-hv85w.html?skin=text-only

For translations of the relevant portion of the Papal homily in question (that of January 12, 2014, for the New-calendar Feast of the Baptism of the Lord), see here:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/homilies/2014/documents/papa-francesco_20140112_omelia-battesimo_en.html

and the Vatican Information Service item "TO BE PART OF THE CHAIN OF FAITH IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL INHERITANCE A CHILD CAN RECEIVE", dated January 12, 2014, downloaded from the NEWS.VA website:

http://www.news.va/en/news/to-be-part-of-the-chain-of-faith-is-the-most-beaut

(The latter came to my attention via the version with same headline and date in the Holy See Press Office's Vatican Information Service e-mail bulletin of January 13, 2014, Year XXII, No. 7.)

Labels: breastfeeding, Francis Bergoglio, morals

13. "Few British Catholics agree with Church on abortion, gay ‘marriage’ and euthanasia: poll"

The quotation in that headline is the headline of an article by Hilary White, dated Wednesday, December 4, 2013, downloaded from LifeSiteNews.com:

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/few-british-catholics-agree-with-church-on-abortion-gay-marriage-and-euthan

(That article came to my attention via this AQ thread.)

Labels: U.K.

14. Some information on the health risks involved in the Gay/Lesbian lifestyle

See the article "HOMOSEXUALITY UNMASKED", dated January 2011, downloaded from Christian Order's website:

http://www.christianorder.com/features/features_2011/features_jan11_bonus.html

(That article came to my attention via the comment by Rory Donnellan on January 29, 2014 at 1:01 pm in the comments section of this blog post/press release by Mr. Gaynor.)

Labels: G.L.B.T., health, medicine

15. "Two to three days a week at work is the best job/home lifestyle balance for career mums"

The quotation in that headline is the headline of an article by Laura Chalmers, dated January 10, 2014, downloaded from couriermail.com.au:

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/two-to-three-days-a-week-at-work-is-the-best-jobhome-lifestyle-balance-for-career-mums/story-fnihsrf2-1226798530510

(That article came to my attention via the similar article "Making family life work", also by Laura Chalmers, p. 03, the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Friday, January 10, 2014, ISSN 1038-8745, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd.)

Labels: economics, families, work

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Scholastica, Virgin, A.D. 2014

Notes: Wednesday, January 1-Monday, February 10, 2014 (part 1 of 2)

1. "Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law banning abortion advertising"

The quotation in that headline comes from the blog post "Russia Chooses Life", by Steven W. Mosher, undated (though posted some time in 2013), downloaded from the Population Research Institute's website:

http://www.pop.org/content/russia-chooses-life

(That blog post came to my attention via this True Catholic
thread.)

Labels: abortion, Russia, Vladimir Putin

2. According to Sir Paul Coleridge, in the U.K. "cohabiting parents account for only 19 per cent of all couples — but the separation of cohabiting parents makes up 48 per cent of all family breakdowns", and "a child born today has only a 50% chance of living with both parents by the time they are 15"

The quotations, including the bold type, in that headline come respectively from the opinion piece "What does it say about our values when a judge is rebuked for speaking up for marriage?", by Stephen Glover, dated December 18, 2013, downloaded from the MailOnline:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2526082/What-does-say-values-judge-rebuked-speaking-marriage.html

and from the text of the Welcome and Introduction (for the Marriage Foundation Conference "For the Sake of the Kids — Relationships Education: the problem, policy and practice"), by The Hon. Mr. Justice Paul Coleridge Q.C. (the English High Court's family division judge), downloaded from The Marriage Foundation's website:

http://www.marriagefoundation.org.uk/Web/Content/Default.aspx?Content=452

(The latter came to my attention via the article "Teach married couples about monogamy for sake of the children, says High Court judge", by John Bingham, dated December 5, 2013, downloaded from the London Daily Telegraph's website:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/divorce/10497368/Teach-married-couples-about-monogamy-for-sake-of-the-children-says-High-Court-judge.html)

Labels: cohabitation, demography, families, vice

3. Some figures on abortion in Australia

See the inset "Abortion statistics in Australia" in the article "Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi hits out at 'pro-death' abortion, step-families, IR laws", by Latika Bourke, dated (or, at least, last updated) Monday, January 6, 2014, downloaded from the A.B.C.'s website:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-06/cory-bernardi-says-pro-choice-is-pro-death/5183852

Labels: abortion

4. "Update on 'Justice Equality Defense and Immigration Minister' of Ireland, Israeli Nationalist, Alan Shatter"

The quotation in that headline is the headline of a blog post by Maurice Pinay, dated Thursday, January 2, 2014, downloaded from his eponymous blog:

http://mauricepinay.blogspot.com/2014/01/update-on-justice-equality-defense-and.html

Labels: Alan Shatter, Ireland

5. "Husbands living in a "harem" with multiple wives have been cleared to claim state benefits for all their different partners."

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "Muslim husbands with more than one wife to get extra benefits as ministers recognise polygamy", no byline, dated February 3, 2008, downloaded from the MailOnline:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-512043/Muslim-husbands-wife-extra-benefits-ministers-recognise-polygamy.html

(That article came to my attention via this blog post by Mr. Muehlenberg.)

Labels: families, law, marriage, polyamory, U.K.

6. "The lesbian couple are the girl's legal parents because they were in a defacto relationship when she was born and therefore the "father" is not considered a parent under the law"

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "Gay man fights to be recognised as father of child to lesbian couple", by Janet Fife-Yeomans, dated January 8, 2014, downloaded from the Sydney Daily Telegraph's website:

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/gay-man-fights-to-be-recognised-as-father-of-child-to-lesbian-couple/story-fni0cx12-1226797386537

(That article came to my attention via the version printed in Thursday, January 9, 2014's issue of The Tele.)

Labels: families, G.L.B.T., law

7. Dr. Oriel on scientific findings regarding fetal pain (and on the implications of those findings for abortion law)

See the opinion piece "Abortion laws must recognise scientific changes", by Dr. Jennifer Oriel, dated January 11, 2014, downloaded from (behind the paywall at) The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/abortion-laws-must-recognise-scientific-changes/story-e6frg6zo-1226799220817

(That opinion piece came to my attention via the version printed under the same headline, with the same author, on p. 17 of the "INQUIRER" section of The Weekend Australian, January 11-12, 2014, First Edition, No. 15313, ISSN 1038-8761, published by Nationwide News Pty. Limited.)

Labels: abortion, pregnancy

8. "Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill that criminalises same-sex relationships"

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "Nigeria criminalises same-sex relationships", by Felix Onuah, dated January 14, 2014, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/world/nigeria-criminalises-samesex-relationships-20140114-30raz.html?skin=text-only

Labels: G.L.B.T., law, Nigeria, vice

9. A couple of recent items regarding the risk factors for sexual abuse of children

9.1 Prof. Goodman-Delahunty on sexual abuse of children by their respective parents

See "Profiling parental child sex abuse" ("Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 465"), by Prof. Jane Goodman-Delahunty, Australian Institute of Criminology (A.I.C.), Canberra, A.C.T., Australia, January 2014, ISSN 1836-2206, downloaded from the A.I.C.'s website:

http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/tandi/461-480/tandi465.html

According to that paper, "non-biological fathers (55%) predominated"; the natural question to ask, then, is something along the lines of What percentage of fathers are non-biological? The paper seems neither to ask nor to answer such a question, but my best guess at an answer would be Significantly less than 55%.

(That paper came to my attention via the article "Sex abuse dads not victims of molesters", by John Ferguson, dated January 14, 2014, downloaded from (behind the paywall at) The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/in-depth/sex-abuse-dads-not-victims-of-molesters/story-fngburq5-1226801004198)

Labels: crime, families, sexual abuse

9.2 Dr. Sammut on non-traditional family structure as a risk factor for child sexual abuse

See the paper "The New Silence: Family Breakdown and Child Sexual Abuse" (Issue Analysis (ISSN 1440 6306) No. 142), by Dr. Jeremy Sammut, dated January 30, 2014, published by The Centre for Independent Studies, St. Leonards, N.S.W., Australia, downloaded from that Centre's website:

http://www.cis.org.au/publications/issue-analysis/article/5043-the-new-silence-family-breakdown-and-child-sexual-abuse

See also the article "Political correctness dooms kids to abuse" by Rick Morton (which brought Dr. Sammut's paper to my attention) and the opinion piece "Abuse a bigger danger in non-traditional families" by Dr. Sammut, both dated January 30, 2014, both downloaded from The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/political-correctness-dooms-kids-to-abuse/story-e6frg6nf-1226813368985

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/abuse-a-bigger-danger-in-nontraditional-families/story-e6frg6zo-1226813360929

Labels: crime, families, G.L.B.T., sexual abuse

10. "Russians attack EU stance on gay rights"

The quotation in that headline is the headline of an article by Ben Hoyle, dated January 17, 2014, downloaded from The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/russians-attack-eu-stance-on-gay-rights/story-fnb64oi6-1226803500883

Labels: E.U., G.L.B.T., Russia, Vladimir Putin

11. The latest figures on the number of Catholics in England and Wales

See the article "Roman Catholics decline in England, Wales", by Trevor Grundy, dated January 7, 2014, downloaded from the Religion News Service's website:

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/01/07/roman-catholics-decline-england-wales/

(That article came to my attention via CathNews.)

Labels: demography, social trends, U.K.

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Scholastica, Virgin, A.D. 2014

Notes: Tuesday, August 6-Tuesday, September 10, 2013 (part 1 of 2)

1. Some recent items regarding Gay propaganda

1.1 "Foreign Minister Bob Carr today[, "July 19, 2013",] affirmed the Rudd Government’s commitment to make lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) rights a core foreign policy priority."

The quotation in that headline comes from the blog post "Foreign Minister Bob Carr says LGBTI Rights Core Issue for Australian Foreign Policy", by Mr. Doug Pollard, dated July 24, 2013, downloaded from the stirrer website:

http://www.thestirrer.com.au/foreign-minister-bob-carr-says-lgbti-rights-core-issue-for-australian-foreign-policy/

(That post came to my attention while preparing to submit a comment at this blog post by Mr. Gaynor.) See also the article "LGBTI RIGHTS A CORE FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITY FOR RUDD GOVERNEMNT", by Jennifer Josef, dated July 26, 2013, downloaded from the International Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association's website:

http://ilga.org/ilga/en/article/ocFCvGb1FI

Labels: Bob Carr, G.L.B.T.

1.2 "Cultural imperialism on the march"

The quotation in that headline is the headline of an article by Robert R. Reilly, dated May 13, 2013, downloaded from the MercatorNet website:

http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/cultural_imperialism_on_the_march

(That article came to my attention via this AQ comment.)

Labels: Barack Obama, G.L.B.T., U.S.A.

1.3 "Free & Equal is an unprecedented United Nations global public education campaign for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality. A project of the United Nations Human Rights Office being implemented in partnership with the Purpose Foundation, Free & Equal will raise awareness of homophobic and transphobic violence and discrimination, and promote greater respect for the rights of LGBT people everywhere."

The quotation in that headline comes from the "About Us" page of The United Nations Human Rights Office's "Free & Equal" website:

http://www.unfe.org/

(That campaign came to my attention via the article "I will never worship a homophobic God: Tutu", no byline, on p. 18 in the "WORLD" section of the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Monday, July 29, 2013, Vol. 1, No. 2907, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd., ISSN 1038-8745.)

See also the press release "UN Human Rights Office Launches Unprecedented Global Campaign for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality", no author credited, dated July 26, 2013, downloaded from the official website of the U.N.O.'s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights:

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13583&LangID=E

Labels: G.L.B.T., U.N.O.

1.4 "Federal Labor will spend $8 million tackling homophobia in schools if it is re-elected", which ($8 million) "would go to the Foundation for Young Australians to expand its Safe Schools Coalition program across the country, which provides training and resources to schools to tackle homophobic bullying"

The quotations in that headline come from the article "Labor commits $8 million to tackle homophobia in schools", by Ms Bianca Hall, dated August 30, 2013, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/labor-commits-8-million-to-tackle-homophobia-in-schools-20130830-2sud6.html?skin=text-only

Labels: education, G.L.B.T.

1.5 "The Australian Rugby Union, and its chief executive, Bill Pulver, have taken an important step in committing to implement an inclusion policy, to stamp out homophobia in rugby - the first football code to do so"

The quotation in that headline comes from the opinion piece "It's time to kick the prejudice into touch", by Mr. Andrew Purchas, dated August 29, 2013, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/its-time-to-kick-the-prejudice-into-touch-20130828-2sqmw.html?skin=text-only

See also the article "ARU announces development of new inclusion policy", no author credited, dated August 28, 2013, downloaded from the Australian Rugby Union's (A.R.U.'s) official website:

http://www.rugby.com.au/News/NewsArticle/tabid/1699/ArticleID/10113/Default.aspx

Labels: G.L.B.T., sport

2. On Wednesday, July 17, 2013, both Houses of the British Parliament were notified that the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 had received the Royal Assent.

See the A.F.P. article "Queen gives assent to British gay marriage law", by Mr. Danny Kemp, dated July 17, 2013, downloaded from the Google website:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gHohdWzGeWF9i1fR31GKH73WYdQw?docId=CNG.a24e84eead7107254e098183dd59bddf.711

(That article came to my attention via the version printed under the headline "Queen backs gay marriage", by the same author, on p. 36 in the "WORLD" section of the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Friday, July 19, 2013, Vol. 1, No. 2903, ISSN presumably 1038-8745, published by Nationwide News Pty. Ltd.) See also Notice No. 1870356, category "Parliament", sub-category "House of Lords" (Notice Code: 1203), The London Gazette, Issue No. 60579, p. 14703, Thursday, July 25, 2013:

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/60579/pages/14703

One can also find the text of that notice here:

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/60579/notices/1870356/

The full text of the British Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 is available here:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2013/30/contents/enacted

Labels: Elizabeth II. Windsor, G.L.B.T., marriage, U.K.

3. "Peaceful coexistence between different religions is favoured by the laicity of the state, which, without appropriating any one confessional stance, respects and esteems the presence of the religious dimension in society, while fostering its more concrete expressions."

The quotation in that headline comes from (a translation of) the Address, on Saturday, July 27, 2013, by H.H. The Pope at a meeting in Rio de Janeiro with Brazil's leaders of society:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/speeches/2013/july/documents/papa-francesco_20130727_gmg-classe-dirigente-rio_en.html

(That Address came to my attention via the item "FRANCIS TO BRAZIL'S LEADERS: A COUNTRY GROWS WHEN ITS CULTURAL COMPONENTS ARE IN DIALOGUE" in The Holy See Press Office's Vatican Information Service e-mail bulletin no. 160, July 28, 2013 (Year XXII).) The original Spanish (sic) is presumably the following:

La convivencia pacífica entre las diferentes religiones se ve beneficiada por la laicidad del Estado, que, sin asumir como propia ninguna posición confesional, respeta y valora la presencia de la dimensión religiosa en la sociedad, favoreciendo sus expresiones más concretas.
[http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/speeches/2013/july/documents/papa-francesco_20130727_gmg-classe-dirigente-rio_sp.html]

AsiaNews.it translates it as follows:

Peaceful coexistence between different religions is favoured by the separation of state and religion, which, without appropriating any one confessional stance, respects and esteems the presence of the religious factor in society, while fostering its concrete expressions.
["WYD: For pope, societies must stand for a culture of encounter or everyone loses", no byline, dated July 27, 2013:
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/WYD:-For-pope,-societies-must-stand-for-a-culture-of-encounter-or-everyone-loses-28590.html]

For media reaction to that Address, see the Latin American Bureau article "Pope Francis: 'I want you to make trouble!'", by Francis McDonagh, dated Monday, July 29, 2013, in which the author remarks, immediately after quoting (the first of those two tranlsations of) that sentence, that

An interesting aspect of his remarks is his approval of a secular state, with no established religion.
[http://lab.org.uk/pope-francis-i-want-you-to-make-trouble!]

and (see) the Catholic News Service article "Pope urges Brazilian leaders to embrace dialogue, 'social humility'", by Francis X. Rocca, dated July 28, 2013, in which the author reports that

the pope endorsed the separation of church and state, historically a volatile topic in Latin America, where the Catholic Church long held a privileged legal position in many countries, but where it has more recently clashed with governments over issues, including abortion and same-sex marriage.

He said such separation favors "peaceful coexistence between different religions," since the state, "without appropriating any one confessional stance, respects and esteems the presence of the religious factor in society, while fostering its concrete expressions."
[http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1303253.htm]

Labels: Church and State, Confessional State, Francis Bergoglio, morals, politics

4. "Abortion has become legal in Ireland in limited cases where the mother's life is at risk, after President Michael D. Higgins signed a law that has exposed deep divisions in the Catholic-majority nation."

The quotation in theat headline comes from the article "Irish president signs abortions into law", no byline (though AFP is the stated source), dated July 31, 2013, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/world/irish-president-signs-abortions-into-law-20130731-2qxr2.html?skin=text-only

Labels: abortion, Ireland

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, Confessor, A.D. 2013

Notes: Tuesday, May 21-Thursday, June 20, 2013

1. "But the State can preserve a religious identity provided it acts with neutrality and justice toward all religious groups in its territory."

The quotation in that headline comes from the Statement of His Grace The Titular Archbishop of Acelum C.S. in His Grace's capacity as Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organisations in Geneva at the Twenty-Second Session of the Human Rights Council, Item 3, "Report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief", dated March 6, 2013, downloaded from the official website of the Holy See Mission to the United Nations in Geneva:

http://www.holyseemissiongeneva.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14396:22nd-session-of-the-human-rights-council-report-of-the-special-rapporteur-on-freedom-of-religion

Msgr. Tomasi's Statement came to my attention via this AQ post, one of the sources for which was this CatholicCulture.org article.

See also the Vatican Radio articles "Religious freedom: cornerstone of dialogue and collaboration" (also available here) and "Archbishop Silvano Tomasi speaks on the abuse of Religious minorities in the world".

Labels: Confessional State, religious liberty, Silvano Tomasi

2. "Wealthy Russians dominate the purchase of country houses[ in England] and make up a quarter of buyers in the above-£5m bracket."

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "Mind your manors", by Ben Power, dated May 25, 2013, downloaded from The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/prestige-property/mind-your-manors/story-fn6njxlr-1226649405628

(That article came to my attention via the version printed under the same headline (though with all the letters capitalised), by the same author, on pp. 12 f. in the "WEEKEND PROPERTY" section of the "WEEKEND A PLUS" supplement of The Weekend Australian, May 25-26, 2013, First Edition, No. 15125, ISSN 1038-8761, published by Nationwide News Pty. Limited.)

Labels: Russia, U.K.

3. A couple of recent items on income distribution in Australia

3.1 Prof. Ergas on income distribution in Australia

See the opinion piece "Taxes put bite on middle-class families", by Prof. Henry Ergas, dated May 27, 2013, downloaded from (behind the paywall at) The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/taxes-put-bite-on-middle-class-families/story-fn7078da-1226650920952

Labels: economics, families

3.2 Prof. Whiteford on income distribution in Australia

See the article "Who gets what? Who pays for it? The welfare state debate revisited", by Prof. Peter Whiteford, dated June 4, 2013, downloaded from the Inside Story website:

http://inside.org.au/who-gets-what-who-pays-for-it-the-welfare-state-debate-revisited/

(That article came to my attention proximately via this webpage and ultimately via this blog post by Miss Edwards.)

Labels: economics, families

4. Mr. Russell on euthanasia

See the article "EUTHANASIA: NSW parliament rejects euthanasia bill", by Mr. Paul Russell, dated June 8, 2013, downloaded from News Weekly's website:

http://newsweekly.com.au/article.php?id=5603

Labels: euthanasia

5. "While it is estimated that 70-80 per cent of Australians with HIV were infected through homosexual contact, about 15 per cent were infected through heterosexual contact, and 3 per cent through unsafe injecting practices."

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "At-risk groups focus of concern for HIV", by Sean Parnell, dated June 3, 2013, downloaded from (behind the paywall at) The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/foi/at-risk-groups-focus-of-concern-for-hiv/story-fn8r0e18-1226655484603

Labels: G.L.B.T., H.I.V./A.I.D.S.

6. A couple of points of interest from the article "Children of same-sex couples thriving: study", by Vince Chadwick, dated June 6, 2013, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

Most same-sex couples are now having children through assisted reproductive technology. Dr Crouch said that 10 years ago most children came from previous heterosexual relationships.

According to the 2011 Census, there were 6120 children under 25 in same-sex-couple families. However, Dr Crouch said due to under-reporting, the true figure could be more than double this.
[http://www.smh.com.au/national/children-of-samesex-couples-thriving-study-20130605-2nqjy.html?skin=text-only]

(For more on the Australian Study of Child Health in Same-Sex Families, see the National Review Online article "Assessing the Australian Study", by Associate Professor Mark Regnerus, dated June 6, 2013 (which came to my attention via this Australian Christian Lobby post), and this post at MercatorNet's "Conjugality" blog.)

Labels: families, G.L.B.T.

7. "For the first time [in Australia ]more than one million children (1,030,970) attended approved child care during the [September ]quarter, an increase of 3.9 per cent since the September quarter 2011."

The quotation in that headline, excluding my square-bracketed interpolations, comes from p. 1 of Child Care Update, September quarter 2012, ISBN: 978-1-74361-057-2, © Commonwealth of Australia, 2013, produced by the Department of Education, Employment, and Workplace Relations (D.E.E.W.R.) on behalf of the Australian Government, and published by the D.E.E.W.R., downloaded from the "Reports" page of the Australian Government's mychild.gov.au website:

http://mychild.gov.au/pages/ResourcesReports.aspx

(Child Care Update, September quarter 2012 came to my attention via an article at The Australian's website which (article) is apparently no longer available there.)

Labels: childcare, families, social trends

8. Mr. Baker on religious liberty in America

See the article "AMERICA’S PROBLEMS WITH RELIGIOUS LIBERTY", by Mr. Michael Baker, dated May 19, 2013, downloaded from his Super flumina Babylonis website:

http://www.superflumina.org/America_problem_rel_freedom.html

Labels: religious liberty

9. "the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a new LGBT Global Development Partnership" which (Partnership) "will strengthen the capacity of LGBT civil society organizations, train LGBT individuals to participate more fully in democratic processes, and undertake research on the economic impact of discrimination against LGBT individuals"

The quotations in that headline come from the press release "USAID Announces New Partnership to Promote LGBT Human Rights Abroad", from the USAID Press Office, dated Monday, April 8, 2013, downloaded from the official USAID website:

http://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/usaid-announces-new-partnership-promote-lgbt-human-rights-abroad

(That press release came to my attention ultimately via this blog post by Mr. Muehlenberg and proximately via the LifeSiteNews.com articles "Obama administration begins training homosexual activists around the world" and "Despite sequestration, Obama funds homosexual groups in other countries".)

Labels: G.L.B.T., U.S.A.

10. The Australian's position on abortion: "Our view on this matter reflects the view of the vast majority of Australians: all women should legally have access to a safe abortion if they need it, but we hope they never do."

The quotation in that headline comes from the editorial "Leave abortion out of politics", dated June 14, 2013, downloaded from The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/editorials/leave-abortion-out-of-politics/story-e6frg71x-1226663471678

Labels: abortion, Australian

11. Past Theological Studies articles are available here:

http://www.ts.mu.edu/readers/content/get-past-articles.html

(That came to my attention via the second comment at this Mirror of Justice post.)

Labels: theology, morality

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. Silverius, Pope, Martyr, A.D. 2013

Notes: Wednesday, April 24-Monday, May 20, 2013

1. "France's INSEE statistics agency says about 200,000 people declared themselves as living in same-sex couples in a 2011 study."

The quotation in that headline comes from the article "France legalises gay marriage", no byline, dated April 24, 2013, downloaded from The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/france-legalises-gay-marriage/story-e6frg6so-1226628357668

Labels: France, G.L.B.T.

2. "THE QUEEN has been graciously pleased to appoint the undermentioned[, namely, "Air Chief Marshal The Right Honourable Graham Eric, Baron STIRRUP, G.C.B., A.F.C., A.D.C.",] to be a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter"

The quotations in that headline come from Notice No. 1812598, category "State", sub-category "Honours and Awards" (Notice Code: 1105), The London Gazette, Issue No. 60489, p. 8277, Friday, April 26, 2013 (but the notice in question is to be dated April 23, 2013):

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/60489/pages/8277

One can also find the text of that notice here:

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/60489/notices/1812598/

See also the press release "New appointment to the Order of the Garter", issued by the Press Secretary to H.M. The Queen, undated (presumably April 23, 2013), downloaded from Her Majesty's official website:

http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Pressreleases/2013/NewappointmenttotheOrderoftheGarter.aspx

Labels: Graham Stirrup, Order of the Garter

3. A couple of recent items regarding cohabitation (among other things, in the case of the second of the two items)

3.1 Some recent figures regarding cohabitation in the U.S.

See the article "Cohabitation first is new norm for unmarrieds with kids", by Sharon Jayson, dated April 4, 2013, downloaded from the USA TODAY website:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/04/cohabitation-families-pregnancy/2050073/

(That article came to my attention via the version posted at the Religion News Service website, and that version came to my attention via this CathNews post.)

Labels: cohabitation, demography, social trends, vice

3.2 Some points of interest from the article "For better or worse", by Ms Bettina Arndt, dated May 11, 2013, downloaded from The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/for-better-or-worse/story-e6frg8h6-1226637650904

(That article came to my attention via the version published under the headline "FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE", by the same author, pp. 22-25, The Weekend Australian Magazine, May 11-12, 2013, inserted in The Weekend Australian, May 11-12, 2013, First Edition, No. 15113, ISSN 1038-8761, published by Nationwide News Pty. Limited.)

The text in each of the following bullet points is a quotation from the article. Any italicising or bolding is that of the article.

• … Almost half of all American first births are now to unmarried women due to a recent leap in the number of children born to cohabiting parents or single mothers. The median age at which first children are born in the US (25.7) now falls below the median age at first marriage (26.5). …

• The Knot Yet report highlights "non-decisions" as the major difference between cohabiting and marital relationships. People tend to slide into living together rather than making a mutual decision to commit to a combined future. The report notes the high incidence of unplanned pregnancy in these arrangements, with half of all births to unmarried 20-something women "unintended". …

• There's another group of people disadvantaged by these changed relationship patterns - low-income men. Dr Bob Birrell and colleagues from Monash University highlighted this issue in Men and Women Apart, their 2004 report on partnering in Australia. They reported growing numbers of low-income men not living with a partner - almost a third in their early 30s with incomes less than $31,000 lived with their parents. The 2011 census figures confirm this trend, with 45 per cent of men in their early 30s earning $31,000 or less being partnered, compared to 76 per cent of men earning over $52,000. While it may be that low-income men are becoming less "marriageable" because their incomes are increasingly insecure, Birrell adds that almost half of the less-educated, unpartnered women these men are likely to meet are single mothers. Low-income men can't compete with the financial incentives offered by the government to lone mothers who remain single.

Labels: cohabitation, demography, marriage, social trends, vice

4. Mr. Obama on the Planned Parenthood organisation

See the transcript "Remarks by the President at the Planned Parenthood Conference", April 26, 2013, downloaded from the White House's official website:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2013/04/26/president-obama-speaks-planned-parenthood-gala

(That webpage came to my attention via this blog post by Mr. Muehlenberg.)

See also the article "Obama takes swipe at pro-life activists, ignores Gosnell during Planned Parenthood speech", by John Jalsevac, dated Friday, April 26, 2013, downloaded from the LifeSiteNews.com website:

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/obama-takes-swipe-at-pro-life-activists-ignores-gosnell-during-planned-pare

(That article came to my attention via Mr. Muehlenberg's comment of 27.4.13 / 12pm in the comments section of this blog post by him.)

Labels: Barack Obama, abortion

5. "White Britons on verge of minority in 50 years, projections show"

The quotation in that headline is the headline of an article by Richard Ford, dated May 2, 2013, downloaded from (behind the paywall at) The Australian's website:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/white-britons-on-verge-of-minority-in-50-years-projections-show/story-fnb64oi6-1226633712800

Labels: demography, U.K.

6. Fr. Fallon on Gay relationships

See the opinion piece "The unions are not the same", by The Rev. Fr. Michael B. Fallon M.S.C., dated May 3, 2013, downloaded from The Canberra Times' website:

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/the-unions-are-not-the-same-20130502-2ivnf.html?skin=text-only

The article is also available at Fr. Fallon's website under the headline "Gay Marriage and the Catholic Church":

http://mbfallon.com/articles/gay_marriage&catholic_church.html

(Fr. Fallon's scandal came to my attention via this blog post by Miss Edwards.)

Labels: G.L.B.T., Michael Fallon

7. The archives of the Sydney newspapers The Freeman’s Journal (1850-1941) and The Catholic Weekly (1942-present) are available online here:

https://www.catholicweeklyarchives.com.au/

(That website came to my attention via the article "Cardinal launches CW archives", by His Eminence The Most Rev. The Cardinal Archbishop of Sydney A.C., p. 4, the Sydney Catholic Weekly, May 5, 2013, Vol. 72, No. 4671, published by The Catholic Press Newspaper Company Pty. Ltd.)

Labels: newspapers

8. "The Therapeutic Goods Administration told the Senate last year that since 2006 there had been 832 adverse impacts on women as a result of RU486 with 599 of these women requiring surgery to remove a poisoned embryo."

The quotation in that headline was attributed to Wendy Francis (speaking for the Australian Christian Lobby) in the article "Support better than cheap abortion drug", by Damir Govorcin, dated May 5, 2013, downloaded from the Sydney Catholic Weekly's website:

http://www.catholicweekly.com.au/article.php?classID=1&subclassID=2&articleID=12114&class=Latest%20News&subclass=CW%20National

(That article came to my attention via the version printed under the same headline, by the same author, on p. 3 f. (the part on p. 4 had a different headline, namely, "Subsidy for drug ‘ignores human rights of unborn’"), the Sydney Catholic Weekly, May 5, 2013, Vol. 72, No. 4671, published by The Catholic Press Newspaper Company Pty. Ltd.)

Labels: RU486, abortion

9. "The Coalition plan provides six months' parental leave, during which time the mother - or father, if nominated as the primary carer - are to be paid the mother's replacement wage - capped at $150,000 a year, so amounting to a maximum of $75,000. A spokesman for Tony Abbott says the reason this is, oddly, pegged to the mother's wage, is ''To avoid creating an incentive to make fathers the primary carer when they earn higher wages/salary than the mother.''"

The quotation in that headline comes from the opinion piece "Baby love is worth the expense", by Julia Baird, dated May 11, 2013, downloaded from The Sydney Morning Herald's website:

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/baby-love-is-worth-the-expense-20130510-2jd3p.html?skin=text-only

(That opinion piece came to my attention via the version printed under the same headline, by the same author, on p. 12 of the "News Review" supplement of The Sydney Morning Herald, Weekend Edition, May 11-12, 2013, No. 54784, ISSN 0312-6315.)

Labels: L.P.A., Nationals, P.P.L.

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Whitmonday, A.D. 2013

Notes: Wednesday, April 25-Monday, May 21, 2012

1. The transcript for the Monday, April 9, 2012 episode of Q&A, in which Cardinal Pell appeared, is available here:

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/txt/s3469101.htm

Labels: George Pell

2. How Hansard can change:

Early last month, on a tediously slow Wednes-day afternoon, [Senator The Hon. Bob ]Carr slips into the chamber 15 min-utes ahead of schedule to deliver his first speech to the Senate. …

[… ]Carr's memory microchip spits out an error as he recalls passing Henry Kissinger at the end of the Olym-pics in "September 2001"; too much terror, not enough five-ringed circus (later, for posterity, Hansard will record Carr said "October 2000", even though he didn't). …
[bold type and dashes (from where a word spanned two lines) in the original, my square-bracketed interpolations]

I transcribed that from p. 14 of "Second coming", by Tom Dusevic, The Weekend Australian Magazine, April 21-22, 2012, inserted in The Weekend Australian, April 21-22, 2012, Second Edition, No. 14789, ISSN 1038-8761, available on-line, but behind a paywall, here:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/the-second-coming-of-bob-carr/story-e6frg8h6-1226331179611

The text of Senator Carr's maiden speech is available here:

http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22chamber%2Fhansards%2F34dcc858-84ef-4fe3-9144-f6f97af26110%2F0180%22

(I write this item well aware that Hansard is not just a transcript, but an edited transcript.

Furthermore, I neither write nor publish this item in connection with today's speech in Parliament by Mr. Craig Thomson M.P.)

Labels: Hansard

3. Ms Legge on "genetic sexual attraction"

"Intimate relations", by Kate Legge, pp. 18-22, The Weekend Australian Magazine, April 21-22, 2012, inserted in The Weekend Australian, April 21-22, 2012, Second Edition, No. 14789, ISSN 1038-8761, available on-line, but behind a paywall, here:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/features/intimate-relations/story-e6frg8h6-1226331192545

Labels: G.S.A.

4. "if you are a young woman who needs to have an abortion, you will need to go to a private provider and pay upfront for at least half of the $600 cost"

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/high-cost-of-abortion-hurts-young-women-20120508-1yalr.html?skin=text-only

Ms Price also writes that "occasionally charity groups such as the Salvation Army have been able to offer assistance", apparently in the form of "funds for women who had nowhere else to go". According to The Salvation Army Australian Territories' Positional Statement on abortion, "The Salvation Army … accepts that termination of a pregnancy may be justified on certain limited grounds" (and as you'll see if you read that Statement, the foetus reaching the point of viability is not one of those grounds).

Labels: abortion, Salvation Army

5. Mr. Brent on Mr. Slipper's Parliamentary record:

In 1994 [The Hon. Peter ]Slipper [M.P.] was one of twelve Coalition MPs who abstained from voting on the so-called “gay sex bill"— the Keating government’s Human Rights (Sexual Conduct) Bill 1994 that was largely aimed at over-riding Tasmania’s anti-sodomy laws.

(The federal Coalition under Alexander Downer had decided to support the bill; Slipper was with the conservative “rebels”.)
[http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/mumble/index.php/theaustralian/comments/quick_history_of_slipper_and_fisher/]

Labels: Peter Slipper

6. "Pastors, both bishops and priests, should make every effort to consolidate the lay faithful in their knowledge of the teachings of Vatican Council II"

That headline is a quotation from the text of the communiqué which was released in English and Chinese at the end of the fifth meeting in the Vatican, from April 23-25, 2012, of the Commission for the Catholic Church in China contained in this Vatican Information Service news item:

"MAY THE FACE OF CHURCH SHINE FORTH WITH CLARITY IN THE MIDST OF THE NOBLE CHINESE PEOPLE"
http://www.news.va/en/news/may-the-face-of-church-shine-forth-with-clarity-in

Here is another quotation from the text of that communiqué:

In the first place, ["the Catholic lay faithful in China"] must enter ever more deeply into the life of the Church, nourished by doctrine, conscious of their being part of the Catholic Church, and consistent with the requirements of life in Christ, which necessitates hearing the word of God with faith. From this perspective, a profound knowledge of the Catechism of the Catholic Church will be a particularly important aid for them.

Labels: C.E.C., Roman Curia, Vatican II

7. "[The late Mr. David Scott] was made an officer of the Order of Australia ''for outstanding achievement and service'' twice. After receiving the award in 1975, he resigned a year later together with ''Nugget'' Coombs, Patrick White and Jean Blackburn, in protest against the creation of knights and dames in the Australian order."

http://www.smh.com.au/national/obituaries/welfare-advocate-lobbied-for-timor-20120507-1y8rk.html?skin=text-only

According to the Order of Australia page at the It's an Honour website,

From 1976 to 1986 there was provision for the appointment of Knights and Dames in the Order of Australia. Removal of this provision does not affect pre-existing appointments.

Labels: Order of Australia

8. Mrs. Shanahan on the 2012 Federal Budget

"'Heartland' pitch swamped by sleaze", p. 14, "Inquirer" section, The Weekend Australian, May 12-13, 2012, First Edition, No. 14807, ISSN 1038-8761, available on-line, but behind a paywall, here:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/opinion/heartland-pitch-swamped-by-sleaze/story-e6frgd0x-1226353353947

Labels: economics, families, taxation

9. On Australians' approval or disapproval for "various aspects of IVF treatment"

"The Australian community overwhelmingly approves IVF to treat subfertility, with increasing support over three decades", by Gabor T. Kovacs, Gary Morgan, Michele Levine, and Julian McCrann, in The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, DOI: 10.1111/j.1479-828X.2012.01444.x; that article's abstract is available here:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1479-828X.2012.01444.x/abstract

That article came to my attention via the first item in Adam Taor's "Pulse" column on p. 9 of the "Health" section of the "Weekend Professional" supplement of The Weekend Australian, May 12-13, 2012, First Edition, No. 14807, ISSN 1038-8761, available on-line, but in a different form, and behind a paywall, here:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/most-people-approve-of-ivf/story-e6frg8y6-1226352215703

Labels: I.V.F.

10. Msgr. Williamson on, among other things, the "Note on the conclusions of the canonical visit to the Institute of the Good Shepherd" in France

The following is the text of Eleison Comments, Number CCLII (252), May 12, 2012:

FAITH KILLERS
But if Rome offers the Society of St Pius X all that it wants, why should the SSPX still refuse ? Apparently there are Catholics still believing that if a practical agreement fulfilled all the SSPX’s practical demands, it should be accepted. So why not ? Because the SSPX was brought into existence by Archbishop Lefebvre not for its own sake, but for the sake of the true Catholic Faith, endangered by Vatican II as it has never been endangered before. But let us see here why the Newchurch authorities will seek any practical agreement as much as the SSPX must refuse it.

The reason is because the Newchurch is subjectivist, and any merely practical agreement implies that subjectivism is true. According to the new Conciliar religion, dogmas of Faith are not objective truths but symbols that serve subjective needs (Pascendi, 11-13, 21). For instance if my psychological insecurity is calmed by the conviction that God became man, then for me the Incarnation is true, in the only sense of the word “true”. So if Traditionalists have their need of the old religion, then that is what is true for them, and one can even admire how they cling to their truth. But in justice they must agree to let us Romans have our Conciliar truth, and if they cannot make that concession, then they are insufferably arrogant and intolerant, and we cannot allow such divisiveness within our Church of luv.

Thus Neo-modernist Rome would be happy with any practical agreement by which the SSPX would even only implicitly renounce its radical claim to the universality and obligation of “its” truths. On the contrary the SSPX cannot be happy with any agreement that in an action speaking louder than words would deny the objectivity of “its” religion of 20 centuries. It is not “its” religion at all. To come to an agreement with subjectivists, I have to stop insisting on objectivity. To insist on objectivity, I cannot accept any terms at all proposed by subjectivists, unless they renounce their subjectivism.

These Romans are doing no such thing. Yet another proof of their crusading insistence upon their new religion came in the form of their recent “Note on the conclusions of the canonical visit to the Institute of the Good Shepherd” in France. Readers will remember that this Institute was one of several founded after the Council to enable Traditional Catholicism to be practised under Roman authority. Rome can wait for a few years before closing in, to make sure that the poor fish is well on the hook, but then -

The “Note” requires that Vatican II and the 1992 Catechism of the Newchurch must be included in Institute studies. The Institute must insist on the “hermeneutic of renewal in continuity”, and it must stop treating the Tridentine rite of Mass as its “exclusive” rite of Mass. The Institute must enter into official diocesan life with a “spirit of communion”. In other words, the Traditional Institute must stop being so Traditional if it wants to belong to the Newchurch. What else did the Institute expect ? To keep to Tradition, it would have to get back out from under the Newchurch’s authority. What chance is there of that ? They wanted to be swallowed by the Conciliar monster. Now it is digesting them.

So why, in Heaven’s name, would it be any different with the SSPX ? Rome’s temptation may be rejected this time round by the SSPX, but let us be under no illusions: the subjectivists will be back and back and back to get rid of that objective truth and objective Faith which constitute a standing
rebuke to their criminal nonsense.

Kyrie eleison.

© 2012 Richard N. Williamson. All Rights Reserved.

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www.dinoscopus.org

I quote the full text of the article in order to fulfill the conditions for posting it licitly to the Internet, but, as the headline of this item suggests, it is the fourth and fifth paragraphs in which I'm interested here (though the whole article is worth reading).

Labels: I.B.P.

11. Some figures regarding the number of repeat abortions and the cost of abortion in the U.K.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2143936/NHS-spends-1m-week-repeat-abortions-Single-women-using-terminations-form-contraceptive.html

(That came to my attention via this blog post by Mr. Muehlenberg.)

Labels: abortion, U.K.

Reginaldvs Cantvar
21.V.2012

Notes: Wednesday, April 4-Tuesday, April 10, 2012

1. "Up to 3 per cent of births in many developed nations involve ART"

… Up to 3 per cent of births in many developed nations involve ART, according to a complementary article by an Australian expert.
Circulation
2012;doi:10.1161/5
circulationaha.111.071183
(Scherrer U et al)
2012;doi:10.1161/
circulationaha.112.100479
(Celermajer D et al)
[I transcribed that from Adam Taor's weekly "Pulse" column, this time on page seven of the "Health" section of the "Weekend Professional" supplement in The Weekend Australian of March 31-April 1, 2012 (Second Edition, No. 14772; ISSN 1038-8761); it is also available at The Australian's website:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/good-week-for/story-e6frg8y6-1226313817562
That complementary article's (or rather, editorial's) abstract is available at Circulation's website:
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2012/03/13/CIRCULATIONAHA.112.100479.abstract?sid=aa73822d-3f2b-4bff-ae70-2411ddda243b]

Labels: A.R.T.

2. "CHILDREN'S behaviour has grown considerably worse since the abolition of corporal punishment in Britain 25 years ago, teachers say"

http://www.smh.com.au/world/no-cane-no-gain-in-the-behaviour-of-students-20120405-1wflt.html?skin=text-only

Labels: corporal punishment, education, U.K., youngsters

3. According to new Australian research, "[o]verall, the more kids a [sixty years or older ]woman [had ]had, the less likely she was to die during [the sixteen-year period which the researchers studied]"

Good week for ...

WOMEN with lots of children, after NSW research showing they live longer than childless women. …
Age Ageing
2012;doi:10.1093/ageing/afs016
(Simons L et al)
[Bold type and the first ellipsis in the original,
I transcribed that quotation from Adam Taor's weekly "Pulse" column, this time on page five of the "Health" section of the "Weekend Professional" supplement in The Weekend Australian of April 7-8, 2012 (First Edition, No. 14777; ISSN 1038-8761); that column is also available, in slightly different form, at The Australian's website:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/good-news-for-mothers/story-e6frg8y6-1226318915633
That article's abstract is available at Age and Ageing's website:
http://ageing.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/03/14/ageing.afs016.short?rss=1]

Labels: families, health

4. It's less than two weeks till St. George's Day 2012

and I note that there are two vacancies in The Order of the Garter; H.M. The Queen's website lists twenty-three (non-Royal/-Extra) Companions, but that does not take account of the death of Lord Ridley on the 22nd ult. The last St. George's Day on which there were no vacancies was that of 2009; in 2010, Lords Richardson and Bingham died, and in 2011, His late Grace The (11th) Duke of Grafton died; since Garter Day 2008, Her Majesty has admitted only two new Companions to the Order, so now there are still two vacancies.

Labels: Order of the Garter

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Easter Tuesday, A.D. 2012

Notes: Wednesday, March 21-Tuesday, March 27, 2012

1. "There were 44 million abortions worldwide in 2008 according to last month’s issue of The Lancet."

http://www.catholicweekly.com.au/article.php?classID=3&subclassID=7&articleID=9733&class=Features&subclass=Cardinal's Comment

Labels: abortion

2. Prof. Albert on Lawrence M. Krauss's A Universe From Nothing

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/25/books/review/a-universe-from-nothing-by-lawrence-m-krauss.html?_r=2

(That came to my attention via this blog post by Prof. Feser.)

Labels: atheism, God's Existence, Lawrence Krauss, philosophy, physics, theology

3. The Royal Irish Academy's website on the historical St. Patrick:

http://www.confessio.ie/

(That came to my attention via this comment at Fr. Zuhlsdorf's blog.)

Labels: St. Patrick

4. "[A Catholic-Voices-commissioned ComRes] poll also found overwhelming majority support (70%[ "of British people", presumably]) for retaining the current definition of marriage as a between a man and a woman"

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2012/03/15/3454073.htm

(That came to my attention via this blog post by Mr. Schütz.)

Labels: Catholic Voices, marriage, U.K.

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of St. John Damascene, Confessor, Doctor of the Church, A.D. 2012

Notes: Tuesday, February 7-Monday, February 27, 2012 (part 2 of 2)

9. Dr. Weigel on, among other things, the teachings of Leo XIII. and Fr. Murray on religious liberty and Church-State relations

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/291455/catholic-betrayal-religious-freedom-george-weigel

(That came to my attention via this AQ post.)

Labels: Church and State, Confessional State, George Weigel, John Murray, Leo XIII. Pecci, religious liberty

10. "WEL[, the Women's Electoral Lobby,] took over the Family Planning Association [in or before 1972]"

http://www.smh.com.au/national/obituaries/longserving-on-front-line-for-womens-rights-20120215-1t67c.html?skin=text-only

Family Planning NSW is now, according to this web-page at its website, an independent organisation, however.

Labels: F.P.A., W.E.L.

11. "The Holy See and Her Majesty’s Government agreed on the urgent need for action to strengthen the universal commitment to religious freedom as a fundamental human right, and to its practical application with a view to promoting respect for all religions in all countries. The Holy See and the British government look forward to working together to combat intolerance and discrimination based on religion, wherever it is manifest."

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/2012/documents/rc_seg-st_20120215_comunicato_en.html

http://ukinholysee.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?id=729615482&view=News

"HOLY SEE AND UK GOVERNMENT, UNITED IN THE STRUGGLE FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM"
http://www.news.va/en/news/holy-see-and-uk-government-united-in-the-struggle-

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=432399#432399

Labels: Diocese of Rome, religious liberty, Roman Curia, U.K.

12. "CFN Launches New Web Page!"

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=40567

Labels: C.F.N.

13. That Atheist straw man again

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/last-post-january-25/story-fn558imw-1226252815530
(the contribution from one Brian D. Lee)

Labels: atheism

14. "Advocates of President Obama’s contraception mandate should admit that its main purpose is sexual liberation and not “women’s health,” according to a feminist author[, viz., Dr. Pamela Haag,] who supports the mandate"

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2012/02/free-contraception-is-good-for-big-business-abortion/

Dr. Haag's essay is available here.

Labels: contraception

Reginaldvs Cantvar
27.II.2012

Notes: Tuesday, September 6-Wednesday, September 14, 2011 (part 2 of 2)

9. Dr. Tighe on what makes a Council Ecumenical

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2011/09/a-pessimitic-article-about-sspx-and-talks-with-rome/#comment-294303

Labels: Church Councils, Eastern Schism, Hierarchy, Papacy, theology

10. More from Dr. Brown on the notion of "the Eucharist [as] a memorial of the Last Supper"

Point 3 of this blog comment, in which there is a link to the text of one of Paul VI.'s General Audiences:

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2011/09/when-diocesan-priests-choose-to-use-exclusively-the-extraordinary-form-fr-z-rants-a-lot/#comment-294513

Labels: liturgy, Paul VI. Montini, Sacraments, theology

11. "it has now become a constitutional convention that [the British] Parliament does not interfere in the internal affairs of the Established Church"

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2011/09/uk-mp-pushes-to-force-church-to-have-contrary-to-nature-marriages-or-no-marriages-at-all/#comment-294030

Labels: Anglicans, U.K.

12. A very short, but very interesting, biography of St. Robert Bellarmine

http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1141

(I first read that biography in the Sydney Catholic Weekly last Sunday.) These are the parts which were of most interest to me and for which I log that biography here:

His most famous work is his three-volume Disputations on the Controversies of the Christian Faith. Particularly noteworthy are the sections on the temporal power of the pope and the role of the laity. He incurred the anger of monarchists in England and France by showing the divine-right-of-kings theory untenable. He developed the theory of the indirect power of the pope in temporal affairs; although he was defending the pope against the Scottish philosopher Barclay, he also incurred the ire of Pope Sixtus V.

[...] ... The process for his canonization was begun in 1627 but was delayed until 1930 for political reasons, stemming from his writings. In 1930, Pope Pius XI canonized him and the next year declared him a doctor of the Church.

Labels: Papacy, political science, St. Robert Bellarmine, theology, William Barclay

13. Two recent opinions pieces from Mr. Steyn

13.1 "Using rights to gag free speech"

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/using-rights-to-gag-free-speech/story-e6frg6zo-1226136138035

(Needless to say, I reject that 'freedom of speech' is a true moral freedom; I mainly log that web-page for its information on examples of anti-'hate-speech' action.)

Labels: hate speech

13.2 "FOURTH TRIMESTER ABORTION"

http://angelqueen.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=38913

Labels: abortion

Reginaldvs Cantvar
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, A.D. 2011