Benedict Loses His Inflatability

Father Lobardi has been busy lately explaining that Pope Benedict will lose his powers of infallibility when he leaves office.

Benedict Infallible No Longer

The cardinal electors are lobbying to speed up the process to elect a new pope. Could they be worried that a long inter-regnum could leave the faithful adrift for too long?  Too many gay marriages happening. Couples making up their own minds about family planning. Who knows what else these men fear. It sounds like Benedict could not even figure it out.

Cardinals Speed Up Election

BREAKING ---BENEDICT XVI TO QUIT !!!

Well this was a surprise to wake up to before the first cup of coffee. Just wanted to jump in on the news. Read about it everywhere...

The Scales Fell From Their Eyes: Megan and Grace Phelps-Roper Leave Westboro Baptist Church

                                          Megan Phelps-Roper

Here is a story of conversion. It began being aired about two days ago. The line from Acts describing Paul’s conversion seems appropriate in the accounts of two granddaughters, Megan and Grace Phelps-Roper, who belonged to the “God Hates Fags” church of their grandfather Pastor Fred Phelps. 

Here is a portion of the statement Megan and Grace released.

“We know that we’ve done and said things that hurt people. Inflicting pain on others wasn’t the goal, but it was one of the outcomes. We wish it weren’t so, and regret that hurt....Up until now, our names have been synonymous with ‘God Hates Fags.’ ...and that the changes we make in our lives will speak for themselves.”

Megan says that she is with her sister Grace. Apparently they journeyed to Brooklyn, New York and were with a writer Jeff Chu who met them more than a year ago in Kansas when he was writing a book, Does God Really Love Me? A Gay Christian's Pilgrimage in Search of God in America,  about the Westboro Baptist Church. Chu writes a first hand account on his blog titled: “Damsel, Arise: A Westboro Scion Leaves Her Church.” In the article Chu talks about being with the two sisters this past Sunday at Old First Reformed Church in Brooklyn. There is a link to his story here. First Hand Account by Jeff Chu

In his account Chu writes: “I could not have imagined that some fifteen months later, we’d be having a conversation in which she [Megan] tearfully told me that she was no longer with her family or with the church.”

When Chu asks Megan what she is going to do now. This is her response: “I have no idea,  I mean, I have almost no idea. I know I want to do good for people. And I want to treat people well. And it’s nice that I can do that now in a way that they see as good too. How exactly do you accomplish that? I’m not sure.”

JeremyL wrote a diary at Dailykos about this event. The last I looked there were 319 comments. A link to that diary is here. JeremyL's Diary at Dailykos about Megan and Grace

My contact or lack of contact with the Westboro Baptist Church are these. About ten years ago Fred Phelps and his band came to the historic Catholic Church in my neighborhood. I suspect they may have been in town for a military funeral. Why they decided to protest at this church I have never figured out. The pastor was an elderly man who was certainly not any outspoken advocate for gay rights. I sometimes think maybe they were there to protest about me. I had recently been outed by a very conservative catholic group. I was not in town that particular weekend, and I seldom attended this historic church. I could easily see this historic Catholic Church across the street from my residence. I did witness several weddings there. My neighbors told me about the event and how they carried cards to block the media from taking pictures of the Westboro Baptist Church people.

Two years ago I was at the Gay Pride Parade in Chicago. I heard that Fred Phelps was positioned on a nearby street corner preaching. Since I had never seen him or his band of followers, I wondered over that way. I could not get very close since there was a large crowd. I witnessed a young, probably collage age fellow, lob a string of beads over his head in no particular direction in frustration. Shortly a burly Chicago cop waded into the crowd, grabbed the fellow and shoved him up against a building. I am sure that fellow has his own memories.

Anyhow, I welcome the statement from Megan and her sister Grace that they have hurt people. I wish them well and many blessings as they move on to a new chapter in their lives.

Conversion still happens. Jeff Chu writes about that journey in a wonderful way in his article referenced above. The Link to Chu's Article ...Again

The Breen Brothers Continue to Lead the Local Church--This Time on Gun Control

Joe Pat is a Vatican II priest who has taken on the Vatican and popes especially on married priests and the ordination of women. Joe Pat and his priest brother Phil provide progressive leadership in their diocese. Either one of them could have or should have been the bishop. Today Joe Pat spoke out on the issue of gun control, specifically calling for the ban of assault rifles.

"The priests want to initiate a nationwide movement supporting Vice President Joe Biden's gun violence task force."

Here is what Joe Pat had to say. Father Breen Speaks Out For Gun Contol  

I was just reflecting that I had a shotgun that I used for hunting during the years I lived in the deep woods of Mississippi. When I moved to the inner city of Nashville I sold that gun. I lived there for seventeen years in a wonderful inner city neighborhood. I never felt the need for a gun even though there was gun violence around me.

The State of Tennessee has avoided becoming once again the laughing stock of the nation by taking away this guy's right to carry concealed weapons. State of Tennessee Revokes Yeager's Permit to Carry Concealed Weapon 

Thanks for priests like Joe Pat Breen and his brother Phil.

Signs of the Time -- New Gay Congressman Sworn In Surrounded by Family

Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney’s brother Mark Maloney, left, sister-in-law Sharon Maloney, Speaker John Boehner, partner Randy Florke, daughter Essie Maloney Florke, Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, daughter Daley Maloney Florke and son Jesus Florke pose during Maloney’s mock swearing-in ceremony. / Courtesy photo

Here is a picture of House Speaker John Boehner swearing in the new Congressperson from the 18th Congressional District in New York, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (D, NY-18:).  The picture shows Congressman Maloney with his husband, Randy Florke and their children.

Scott Wooledge has a lengthy diary up over at Dailykos about the picture and how much progress has been made on the issues of same sex marriage and rights for gay, lesbian, bi, and transgendered people.  Link to Scott Wooledge's diary at Dailykos  

The first comment following the diary remarks how uncomfortable Speaker Boehner looks. Well, Speaker Boehner is from southwest Ohio, Cincinnati originally. Now, Mark Twain is quoted as saying about Cincinnati that he wanted to be in Cincinnati when the world ended because everything gets there ten years later. In ten more years just maybe John Boehner will be more comfortable with same sex marriage. Nancy Pelosi if she was fortunate enough to have been returned to the Speaker’s Chair would not look uncomfortable in this situation. I am amused that both John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi are Roman Catholic. It seems that the Roman Catholic bishops in this country continue to live in some other world even beyond Cincinnati in their continuing bigoted rant against same sex marriage. No telling how many years it will take them to catch on and catch up.

Scott Wooledge’s diary begins with how Maggie Gallagher the founding president and board chair of the National Organization for Marriage is taking leave of the organization and its publication is being shut down following this past election.

Maggie Gallagher is not happy about all this and still holds to the belief that same sex marriage is wrecking straight marriages. Scott Wooledge's diary is worth the read as he shows the weaknesses of most of Maggie Gallaher’s arguments. It seems to me that if Maggie Gallagher's passion was more focused on helping and supporting all relationships then all marriages would be helped. She wouldn't have to fret that the gays are tearing apart straight marriages. The bishops could help, but alas they are lost in another world.