Category: Theocracy

Just so we’re clear

~ susie

Krzystof Charamsa

This priest wasn’t fired for being gay. He was fired for publicly and blithely ignoring his vows of celibacy, and announcing it at a press conference designed to cause maximum PR problems for the pope:

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The Vatican on Saturday dismissed a Polish priest from his Holy See job after he came out as gay and called for changes in Catholic teachings against homosexual activity on the eve of a major Church meeting on the family.

Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa, a theologian, had worked at the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican’s doctrinal arm, since 2003, and taught theology at pontifical universities in Rome, which have also dismissed him.

Charamsa, 43, told Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper and Polish media that he was gay and had a partner. The Church teaches that homosexuality is not a sin but homosexual activity is, and priests, whether heterosexual or gay, take vows of celibacy.

Charasma followed up his media interviews with a packed news conference with his partner and gay activists at a Rome restaurant. They had planned a demonstration in front of the Vatican but changed the venue several hours before it was due to have started.

Mother of stillborn child in video allows Carly Fiorina to keep lying about it

~ susie

This whole story is sad, and the only person who deserves any anger and ridicule is David Daleiden, for exploiting a mother’s tragedy in order to further his cynical, misogynist goals. Lexi Oliver Fretz posted the story of her son’s too-early birth and death shortly after he left the womb. He was at nineteen weeks’ gestation… Continue reading “Mother of stillborn child in video allows Carly Fiorina to keep lying about it” →

‘God weeps’

~ susie ~ 3 Comments

Philadelphia’s archbishop Chaput has been, shall we say, less than warm and supportive of the victims and has refused to meet with them. So Pope Francis is laying down the law:

PHILADELPHIA — Speaking to hundreds of bishops and seminarians, Pope Francis on Sunday said he met in private with a group of victims of sexual abuse and he pledged that “all responsible will be held accountable.”

“God weeps for the sexual abuse of children,” he said.

The pope, speaking on the last day of his trip to the United States, delivered his words before his prepared speech. He said abuse survivors “have become true heralds of mercy. Humbly, we owe each of them our gratitude for their value as they have had to suffer terrible abuse.”

In several references to the scandal during his trip, the pope drew criticism for seeming more concerned about the scandal’s effect on the clergy than the victims.

At a prayer service with bishops in Washington on Wednesday, he told the bishops he was “conscious of courage with which you have faced difficult moments in the recent history of the Church in this country without fear of self-criticism and at the cost of mortification and great sacrifice.” He told clergy at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York: “You have suffered greatly in the not distant past by having to bear the shame of some of your brothers who harmed and scandalized the church in the most vulnerable of her members.” He added: “I accompany you at this time of pain and difficulty.”

I did not take this the way most people did, mostly because I had a sarcastic Irish mother and also know how Jesuits think. Trust me, he was chiding them for not doing enough.

But on Sunday, he said he committed himself “to a careful oversight to ensure that youth are protected and that all responsible will be held accountable.”

In other words, Sean Duffy didn’t listen to a word

~ susie

This morning, Pope Francis delivered a wonderful address to Congress that each and every one of them on both sides of the aisle should have listened to. Alas. At least one Republican chose to ignore the Pope’s admonition to remember the Golden Rule while he broke at least one of the Ten Commandments (Thou shalt not… Continue reading “In other words, Sean Duffy didn’t listen to a word” →

Women as Roman Catholic priests? Opinions are divided, and fiery

~ susie ~ 2 Comments

If I had a chance to talk to Pope Frank, I would say, “If women can’t be priests because all the apostles were men, well, they were all Jewish, too. So shouldn’t priests have to be Jewish?

PHILADELPHIA — The passing crowd’s responses to the banner outside the World Meeting of Families and the women in priest’s collars holding it ranged from revulsion and anger to confusion and praise. “Amen!” a middle-aged woman cried, nodding her head and smiling, while another said, “Maybe in heaven, but not here.” “That’s just wrong!” another woman… Continue reading “Women as Roman Catholic priests? Opinions are divided, and fiery” →

Released from jail, Kim Davis will still defy courts

~ susie ~ 2 Comments

Just minutes after a judge ordered Kim Davis released from jail on Tuesday, her lawyers told CNN that she would violate a court order by forcing her clerks to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. An order from U.S. District Court Judge David Bunning said on Tuesday that Davis would be released after serving six… Continue reading “Released from jail, Kim Davis will still defy courts” →

Dan Savage and the courthouse clerk who was married four times

~ susie ~ 4 Comments

All I can say is it’s about time someone finally gave this hypocritical wingnut grifter the treatment she deserves on national television. I can’t tell you how many shows I sat through or heard a portion of before The Last Word aired on MSNBC this Tuesday evening, where they “reported” on this clerk from Kentucky, who… Continue reading “Dan Savage and the courthouse clerk who was married four times” →

He’s screwed

~ susie ~ 1 Comment

Josh Duggar Makes An Incest Joke

I saw someone joke on Twitter say: “Josh, you swore to me it was only your sisters!” I’m gonna give his parents some of the blame for how they raised their kids, too:

In 2013, conservative reality TV star Josh Duggar—of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting fame—was named the executive director of the Family Research Council, a conservative lobbying group in D.C. which seeks “to champion marriage and family as the foundation of civilization, the seedbed of virtue, and the wellspring of society.” During that time, he also maintained a paid account on Ashley Madison, a web site created for the express purpose of cheating on your spouse.

In May 2015, Duggar was forced to resign after In Touch Weekly reported that he had molested five young girls (four of whom were his own sisters) beginning in 2002. When the accusations became public, the family went into crisis mode, insisting that Josh had reformed and that the media covering the claims was intent on “exploiting women.”

Josh himself took to his family’s Facebook page to absolve himself of his past indiscretions and assure the world he was back on a righteous path:

Twelve years ago, as a young teenager I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret. I hurt others, including my family and close friends. I confessed this to my parents who took several steps to help me address the situation. We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling. I understood that if I continued down this wrong road that I would end up ruining my life. I sought forgiveness from those I had wronged and asked Christ to forgive me and come into my life. I would do anything to go back to those teen years and take different actions. In my life today, I am so very thankful for God’s grace, mercy and redemption.

And his wife, for her part, certainly seemed to believe it:

And when you, our sweet fans, first met me when Josh asked me to marry him… I was able to say, “Yes” knowing who Josh really is – someone who had gone down a wrong path and had humbled himself before God and those whom he had offended. Someone who had received the help needed to change the direction of his life and do what is right. I want to say thank you to those who took time over a decade ago to help Josh in a time of crisis. Your investment changed his life from going down the wrong path to doing what is right.

But data released online in the wake of the hack on Ashley Madison’s servers certainly seems to show otherwise. Someone using a credit card belonging to a Joshua J. Duggar, with a billing address that matches the home in Fayetteville, Arkansas owned by his grandmother Mary—a home that was consistently shown on their now-cancelled TV show, and in which Anna Duggargave birth to her first child—paid a total of $986.76 for two different monthly Ashley Madison subscriptions from February of 2013 until May of 2015.