'Common Sense' - 'the man on a Clapham omnibus'

Photo coutesy of Robert Munster, London Bus Routes

This post is concerned with a scenario which  50 years ago, would have been dealt with on the basis of 'common sense', a characteristic defined broadly in English law as ' the attitude manifested by a man on a Clapham omnibus'.

                                                        *******

The 'Archbishop Cranmer' blog-site recently published a copy of an article on the C4M (Coalition for Marriage) website, which defended the legal definition of  marriage, i.e. the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

The post exhibited a montage of wedding day photographs, showing bride and groom on their special day. Wonderful photographs of smiling and happy couples.

The tradition of wedding-day photographs has been around since the advent of photography, in fact I was looking at some very old wedding photographs of my own family, my parents and  relations, taken over 75 years ago,  processed and printed in sepia. I'm sure that there have been thousands of wedding photographs published on the internet over the years, including those of Royal weddings. There is nothing new about this.

Apparently the ASA (Advertising Standards Agency),  has received complaints that 'Cranmer's' post  is offensive and homophobic. To me, it is absolutely clear that this is not the case, and that any such accusation is illogical, unreasonable, and worthless. Let me say straight away that I deplore homophobia.

However the ASA, which has no statutory powers as such, and which I would like to believe exists for the protection and good of society, perhaps a somewhat naive belief, has now turned all its guns on Cranmer, with bully-boy threats reminiscent of the novel '1984' ,written by that prescient author George Orwell.

So why has the ASA decided that 'Cranmer', by publishing this simple photographic montage of traditional weddings, is in breach of the regulations?  The photographs are no different from those already mentioned.

Could it be that the fault lies elsewhere, perhaps the words "I do" offend in some inconceivable way? But why, for after all if same sex marriages were legalised, presumably those participating would expect to use the same words? The phrase "I do" is subjective, conveying in this instance the vow of faithfulness taken by the bride and groom to each other. Nothing remotely offensive or homophobic about that.

The post then informs viewers that 70% of people want the definition of marriage to remain as it is, and then invites others to sign the ongoing on-line Petition in support of this. Certain people might not like the ongoing on-line Petition, and they might  disagree with the percentage figure quoted, which in any event is not 'Cranmer's responsibility, but that does not make the article  offensive or homophobic, which it clearly is not.  (see N.B. below)

In fact these accusations could be levelled more accurately at the government, which is endeavouring to bulldoze a change in the legal definition of marriage, effectively cocking-a-snoop  at those millions of people who desire and respect traditional marriage. The UK is not yet a dictatorship, in spite of powerful forces seemingly working for this, and free expression- with limitations, is still allowed.

The government has no mandate to force same-sex marriage onto the statute books, and if they do, is this not tantamount to homophobic behaviour, for it is an insult to, and crassly dismissive of, the sensibilities of millions of Christians and 2000 years of Christian heritage on which, with  exceptions like the Abortion Act, our whole legal system is based?

Those who oppose same-sex marriage are not out on a limb, they are

not the extremists or the anarchists, they are the vast majority of ordinary people prepared to stand up for traditional  standards and freedom of speech, and to speak out against the tyranny of 'abuse of power' by the state and its minions.

Interestingly the ASA is a non-statutory body with no power to fine or take advertisers to court, but is subject in the final analysis, to the authority of the Minister for Media and Culture, the Rt. Hon. Jeremy Hunt MP.  He is also the Minister ultimately  responsible for deciding whether to allow abortion providers to advertise their services on television, and in spite of  widespread opposition, including an on-line petition with several thousand signatories, I believe that he has not yet over-ruled the original ASA approval.

Some months ago I wrote a letter to him concerning this matter,  and received neither reply nor acknowledgement. I was not impressed, and I seriously question  the judgement of the ASA, primarly on certain ethical matters, highlighted for me by this particular decision.

The Chairman of the ASA, is Lord Smith of Finsbury, who is also the vice-president of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality.

A few details from the ASA website:-
'The ASA is here to make sure all advertisements are legal, decent, honest and truthful.' 
'The ASA is wholly funded by advertisers through a levy on advertising spend, and is not government funded.'
'These levies are collected by two separate bodies, the Advertising Standards Board of Finance (Asbof) and the Broadcast Advertising Standards Board of Finance (Basbof).' 
 'Each year the ASA pitches to Asbof and Basbof for its funding for the following year. The separate funding mechanism ensures that the ASA does not know which advertisers choose to fund the system or the amount they

contribute.
 This means that the ASA can take on the most powerful multinational companies without worrying about next year’s subscriptions.'
'The ASA is never aware of how much any company contributes to the system.' 

                                                         Really?

To conclude with a rather obvious question,  why have the ASA picked on

the 'Archbishop Cranmer' website for their offensive, and not say, the 'Coalition for Marriage' organisation? I wonder if the answer is that poor old 'Cranmer' is a one-man band, whereas C4M has over 513,000 known supporters and probably at least as many again on the sidelines. It's nearly always the little man that government bullies go for, have you noticed?
                                       
                                              +++++++++++

I take the liberty of quoting from Neil Addison's  posting on this very matter, as follows:-       http://religionlaw.blogspot.co.uk/   

'I am posting simply in the name of Freedom, the freedom to express a point of view with which other may disagree because as Lord Justice Sedley put it so memorably in Redmond Bate v DPP ' :-

               "Free speech includes not only the inoffensive but the irritating, the contentious, the eccentric, the heretical, the unwelcome and the provocative provided it does not tend to provoke violence. Freedom only to speak inoffensively is not worth having."                          

                                                       ..... to which we can only say 'AMEN'. 

                                            

                                                           ++++++++++++++

N.B.   A word about the 70% findings for traditional marriage. The survey was conducted by the highly respected Com Res company:-

'ComRes works with many leading blue-chip corporations, campaign groups, political parties, public sector bodies and trade bodies. We also poll for media clients ranging from The Independent to the BBC and ITV News. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and Association for Qualitative Research and employs members of the Market Research Society'

http://www.comres.co.uk/

'A ComRes online poll for Catholic Voices released on 8 March asked two separate questions: first, whether respondents supported civil partnerships (59% said yes they did); and second, whether they believed marriage should remain as an exclusive commitment between a man and a woman (70% said it should).16 This poll had a relatively large sample
(n=2,000).'http://c4m.org.uk/downloads/briefing.pdf
                                     +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 A link to the original post from the 'Archbishop Cranmer' blogsite:

http://archbishop-cranmer.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/advertising-standards-authority.html

Fr Pro Juarez S.J. and companion Mexican martyrs

This post is a follow-up to the post on 'Whitesmokeahoy' - 'Viva Cristo Rey! Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!              http://whitesmokeahoy.blogspot.co.uk/

                                   *****************
On 13th November, 1927, at Chapultepec Park, Mexico City, two bombs were thrown at a car in which   General  Obregon was travelling.  The bombs were thrown from a passing vehicle, and the damage caused was slight.  The  General,  although suffering minor cuts, was able to continue on his way to his intended destination, the bull-ring at Plaza de Toros, where he was due to meet President Calles.

                                         General Obregon

Immediately after the attack, General Otero and Colonel Martinez, who were following Obregon in a second car, pursued  the assailants, who when fired upon, abandoned their vehicle and tried to escape. Two succeeded, but two others Nahum Ruiz and Francisco Olivero, fell gravely wounded. A third man  was arrested at the scene, but  denied any involvement.

Of the wounded men Olivero died  soon after his capture, but Ruiz although in a coma, survived for two  days, long enough for  the police to claim that he had incriminated others in the plot. Although critically wounded, police claimed that he said, “Tell Father Miguel Pro Juarez, Senor Humberto Pro Juarez, and Senor Luis Segura Vilchis to hide” In fact there is no independent evidence that Ruiz spoke an intelligible word from the time he was wounded to the time of his death.

On the strength of this ‘statement’,  the three ‘named suspects’ were arrested immediately after the death of Ruiz. It was surely no coincidence that those arrested were three of the most prominent Catholics in the Federal Capital. The authorities knew them to be ardent Catholics, very influential in the Catholic community, and on that account alone, high on their wanted list.

           
                                      Fr Miguel Pro S.J.

The most important  prisoner was the Jesuit priest Fr Miguel Augustin Pro Juarez, generally known as Fr Pro. When arrested with his brother Humberto, they were sleeping at their father’s house, there being no suggestion or indication that they were attempting to hide, or were in hiding. Fr Pro was 37 years of age, but looked considerably younger often being taken for a student. He was of medium height, slim, and with easy, cultured manners. He had a long face, brown eyes, and abundant black hair brushed back from his forehead. He was born on 18th January 1891 in the state of Zacatecas, Mexico, into a well - respected family of comfortable means. He entered the Company of Jesus in August 1911, but with the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1914, he was forced to flee in disguise with fellow seminarians, to  Los Gatos, California, and Granada, Spain; after which he spent several  years teaching at the Jesuit College in Grenada, Nicaragua. In 1922 he went again to Europe to study theology, first at Barcelona and then at Enghien in Belgium, where he was ordained in the summer of 1925. In July 1926 he returned to Mexico City where he devoted himself wholeheartedly to his priestly mission.

Fr Pro outside Chapultepec Palace, residence of President Calles

In Mexico the wearing of clerical garb was forbidden, and to avoid detection by the State police, Fr Pro had many changes of clothing. He often heard Confessions from 5.30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and as he did not enjoy the best of health, was obliged on at least two occasions to leave the confessional prematurely, in an imminent state of collapse. He also suffered from stomach ulcers, which periodically obliged him to rest for a while.

He was meticulous in writing reports of everything he did, and he proved himself a most competent administrator, arranging secret meeting-places where confessions could be heard, and  establishing ‘Eucharistic Stations’ in houses where Holy Communion would be distributed on certain arranged days. Owing to the pertinacity of the Secret Police of whom there were 10,000 in Mexico City alone,  who were actuated mostly by a desire for money, these venues had to be frequently changed. He distributed Holy Communion to about 300 people daily, and on the first Friday of three months, the numbers ran to 900, 1300, and 1500.  In addition , he went around every morning on his brother’s bicycle, distributing Holy Communion to many people in their own home; and despite the vigilance of the Secret Police, he was able to perform all his priestly functions., including baptisms and weddings. He celebrated Mass frequently in private houses, in defiance of the law, which carried heavy penalties.  This entailed considerable personal risk, and on  three occasions the house where he was to celebrate Mass was surrounded by police, and he was only able to avoid capture by a combination of coolness, ingenuity, and youthful appearance.

Reports of his activities were known to the authorities, and they were eager to catch him. In the early days  they did not  know him by sight and did not suspect him when they saw him, for his youthful appearance, his light-hearted manner, his fashionable dress, and his moustache or lack of it, threw them completely off the scent.

He  preached Retreats to all classes of people, with varied meeting places, admission by ticket only, and constant surveillance. Private houses and offices were the usual venues, and on one occasion dressed in the blue overalls of a mechanic, Fr Pro lectured in the backyard of a private house to fifty taxi-drivers, who had asked him to give them a Retreat. He was fearless, for at a time when he was one of the most ‘wanted’ men in Mexico City, he visited the prisons daily, bringing gifts to the Catholic prisoners, but also hearing confessions and distributing Holy Communion whenever the opportunity arose; and on such occasions he disarmed suspicion by chatting amicably with the warders and gendarmes.

His activities bring to mind the Elizabethan novels of Monsignor Hugh Benson, who describes another Jesuit, Father Edmund Campion strolling gaily, in civilian clothes, into the Tower of London, and light-heartedly questioning Topcliffe, the notorious torturer who was soon afterwards to stretch him on the rack.

After their arrest, all four prisoners were kept for six days in one of the permanently damp underground cells of the Prefecture, the police headquarters, and were never permitted to see their relatives or legal advisers.  In spite of the fact that they all strongly denied any knowledge of, or involvement in, the attempted assassination, official police statements were released to the effect that Fr Pro had admitted and boasted of his involvement with both this and other plots. This was totally untrue, and in fact all the newspapers of Mexico City publicly asserted their belief in the priest’s innocence, braving the wrath of the violently anti-Catholic President Calles.  

Nevertheless all the leading newspapers in the United States published the official statement, issued by the government-controlled Mexican Press Bureau, that Fr Pro and his companions had admitted their guilt, and none of them troubled to correct this when it later became clear that this was not true.

Calles had the support of the powerful political and commercial interests  in the USA, indeed it was only through the support of these  anti-Catholic organisations who had their own vested interests, that Calles was able to initially seize and maintain power in Mexico. Generally speaking the average American was not really interested in events in Mexico, thus  the truth  could be watered down or even sacrificed if political or commercial  interests were judged by those in power to warrant it.

                             President Plutarco Elias Calles

The ‘patio’ or interior garden of the Police Prefecture was once a beautiful garden, as many old Spanish gardens in Mexico are, but it is now a horror, terrible to look at, a place of executions, of corpses and of blood; it is a Garden of Death, symbolic of the condition to which Calles and his kind have reduced beautiful Mexico. Executions are always by shooting at a  range of 20 to 30 feet.

On 23rd November, 1927, there was unusual activity outside the Prefecture, with two companies of mounted gendarmerie drawn up in front of the building, machine guns mounted on the roof, and many 'Generals' in attendance.  The rumour spread that the prisoners detained in connection with the attack on General Obregon were going to be executed, and a great crowd assembled but was not allowed near the Prefecture. At 10a.m. the grotesque performance began.

                             +++++++++++++++++
By a refinement of cruelty the prisoners had never been told that they were to die. None of them were aware of this until they entered the garden of death and saw the firing party. Fr Pro was the first to be brought from the underground prison, and it was clear from his words that he suspected the worst. Turning to his fellow prisoners, he said, “Adios, hermano mio! Adios, hijos mios!” (“Adieu, my brother!  Adieu, my sons!”). He then turned to the gendarme accompanying him, and the latter  asked his pardon, “Not only do I pardon you,” said the priest, “but I am extremely grateful to you”, and he embraced him. The priest then left the cell, walked up the stone steps of the cellar, and emerged into the garden.

The sight greeting Fr Pro Juarez confirmed his worst suspicions. The  belted ‘Generals’; the journalists with their notebooks; the photographers with  cameras, tripods, and black curtains; the soldiers lining the sides of the garden with, at one end, the ‘paredon’ and grotesque target figures; the Red Cross ambulance destined to convey the corpses to the hospital, presumably considered necessary in this case in view of the international interest in the case; and finally the firing party.

Fr Pro was accompanied by an army officer to the ‘paredon’, where he asked that he be allowed to pray. His request was granted, and after declining the offer of a blindfold, Fr Pro  knelt on the ground taking from his pocket a plain brass crucifix which he kissed. This crucifix had been given to him when he took his vows. The young priest knelt bolt upright, his eyes closed, his arms folded on his breast, a picture of saintly dignity and recollection in that place of squalor and death. After about two minutes he rose to his feet, his countenance aglow as if from some mighty inspiration, and facing the throng,  he raised his right hand in the  gesture of a prophet, and  made the sign of the cross over them; “Dios tenga compassion de vosotros!” he said, “Que Dios los bendiga! Senor, Tu sabes que soy inocente. Perdono de todo Corazon a mis enemigos.” (“God have mercy on you! May God bless you.  Lord! Thou knowest that I am innocent.  With all my heart, I pardon my enemies.”)

     
Fr Pro Juarez S.J. at the 'paredon' - seconds before his  martyrdom

There was no sense of loneliness and abandonment in his final moments;  on the contrary a strange exultation shone in his face as if he already felt himself shaded by the mighty wings of his patron, San Miguel, the Archangel of Death;  as if he saw in the sky towards which his eyes were raised, the figure of Christ the King, crowned, enthroned,  triumphant, omnipotent. On seeing the firing squad take aim, the priest opened his arms in the form of a cross, at the same time cried out in a loud voice “Viva Cristo Rey!” (“Hail, Christ the King!”). There was a  simultaneous report from five rifles, and Fr Pro was dead. A final coup de grace was effected when the sergeant in charge of the firing party placed the muzzle of his rifle some six inches from the dead man’s right temple, and fired a final round.

                                  +++++++++++++

The second victim was the engineer, Luis Segura Vilchis, who  before being led to the ‘paredon’, amazed his guards by saying, “Estoy seguro que dentro de unos instantes estare en el Cielo” (“I am sure that within a few seconds I shall be in Heaven”). There was an extraordinary serenity in his face and in his movements, and he glanced gently but fearlessly and even pityingly at the photographers and reporters, and the soldiers with their rifles, and the officers with their swords.

            Luis Segura Vilchis on his way to the 'paredon', accompanied by Police Chief Mazcorro

The Christian spectator suddenly realised that swords, rifles and revolvers were the playthings of children, and dangerous playthings, and that Segura Vilchis alone had done the work of a man and was now going to receive his reward. On being summoned Segura walked unfalteringly to the end of the garden, more like a young athlete  going to receive his prize, or a young king who goes to mount his throne, than a condemned man  going to his death. Glancing reverently at the dead body of Fr Pro, he turned with gentle gravity and  perfect self-possession, to face the firing party. His hands were behind him, his chest was thrown out, his head was well back; not by the twinkle of an eyelid or the twitch of a muscle or the slightest change of colour did he show that he was afraid; incredible as it seemed, it was obvious that he was not afraid. Addressing the firing party, he said in a quiet conversational tone: “Estoy dispuesto, senores” (“I am ready gentlemen”) A loud report and Vilchis was dead, with  the formality of a final bullet to the head.

                                                 
      Luis Segura Vilchis at the' paredon' - the body of Fr Pro is on the ground

                                 
                            ++++++++++++++

The third victim was Humberto Pro, the younger brother of the priest. He also was superbly cool and self-possessed, and while passing in front of the spectators,  took from the right-hand pocket of his coat a little leather purse, and from it drew a religious medal. He then stood perfectly upright, head thrown back, legs close together, like a soldier at attention who awaits the coming of his commanding officer.. He first joined his hands in front of his body, holding the medal, then he drew his coat further open as if to allow the bullets to pass more freely. He politely declined the offer of a blindfold,  glanced  gently  at the gendarmes, and turned his eyes heavenward. Another loud report and  Humberto  was dead, with again the formality of a final bullet to the head.

 
          Humberto Pro at the 'paredon' - the bodies of Fr Pro and Luis Vilchis are on the ground

                                    +++++++++++++

The last victim was the young Mexican workman Juan Tirado Arias, just 20 years old. Suffering from severe pulmonary congestion contracted in the damp underground dungeon, he was barely able to walk. Trembling with fear and horrified at the sight of the three corpses, he asked twice to see his mother, both  requests  being ignored.  Told where to stand, he too was shot, again with the formality of a final bullet to the head.

                              +++++++++++++++
The four bodies were then taken by Police ambulance to the Juarez hospital. En route the word ‘martyr’  spread among the bystanders, with men raising their hats, and finally all the people kneeling. At the hospital, Don Miguel Pro, the 76 year old father of the two martyrs, went first to the body of the priest and reverently kissed the forehead, then as  he approached the body of Humberto, he heard and saw  his daughter sobbing.  “Nada de llora, hija.” (“Daughter, there is nothing to weep for.”) he said.

The bodies of Fr Pro and his brother were carried to their father’s house. During the day the people came in thousands to show reverence to them. The sight of the aged father kneeling beside the bodies of his two sons brought tears to the eyes of many, but he needed no words of consolation; “The priest was an apostle,” he said, "and my boy Humberto lived like an angel all his life. They died for God and are already happy in heaven.”

Their funeral took place on the same day, and as soon as the cortege gathered in the street, silence fell on  the crowd and all knelt. Then as if inspired by one thought, all rose together and the air rang with the cry,  ”Hail, Christ the King”,  “ Hail! Hail! Our martyrs!”  All traffic had to be suspended, with an  estimated  10,000 people, praying aloud, singing hymns, and proclaiming and honouring ‘Christ the King’. At the cemetery some 20,000 people were present, sobs were heard as the aged father of the two victims cast the first shovelful of earth on the coffin, but when the grave was filled, the old man stood up and asked the priests to intone the ‘Te Deum’. He united his voice to theirs, and the whole multitude joined with him in reciting this prayer of thanksgiving to God .

Similar scenes were enacted at the funeral of Luis Vilchis in another part of the city, and on the following day the funeral of the fourth victim John Antony Tirado, took place at the same cemetery as the Pro brothers. He had been a labouring man, living in extreme poverty with his parents, who were so poor that they could not afford to convey his body from the hospital to his home;  in addition his father was blind. Catholic friends helped to bring the body to his home, and the next day this poor and unknown man was followed to the grave by a multitude as large as that which had followed the Pro brothers. The people, by their presence, showed their contempt of the government charge that Tirado was an assassin and traitor, and instead professed openly their belief that he suffered simply because of his Faith.

Roberto Pro, the brother of Fr Pro, whose life was saved by the intercession of the Argentine Ambassador, was ordered to leave Mexico, and told that if he returned he would be shot.  All his property, as well as that of his father and sister, has  been confiscated. Their friends testify to the Christian courage and even joy with which they bear their cross, which they honour as the cross of Christ.

The execution of these four men was murder. There had been no trial; the defendants had not been allowed access to family or legal representation; the 'justification' for their arrest was based  on an alleged and unproven remark by a critically injured prisoner who had since died, and a suggestion that the car used in the attempted assassination, had at some time been associated with a member of the Pro family. The refusal to try the defendants merely confirms the total lack of any credible evidence against them. The government  had neither the legal power nor the constitutional right to order or enforce the executions;  the list of illegalities, procedural irregularities, and blatant injustices in this case, is virtually endless. The reality is that they were executed on account of their Catholic faith, and as  a direct result of the pathological and demonic hatred of President Plutarco Elias Calles, for all things Catholic.

Ack. 'Red Mexico' by Capt F. McCullagh
          Published by Brentano's Ltd. London. (1928)
   'Dedicated  by the author to Our Lady of Guadalupe' 

• Movie about Miguel Pro, S.J. -- A clip from the new Mexican-made film on Fr Pro, from Loyola Productions   (don't be put off if you don't understand Spanish - the action speaks louder than words!)

                           ++++++++++++++++++
On September 25th, 1988, Fr Pro Juarez S.J.  was beatified  by Pope John Paul II.

Blessed Miguel Pro Juarez and all those brave and holy Mexican martyrs, pray for us all.

Same-sex 'marriage' - 'open letter' to David Cameron.

The following open letter appeared in the Daily Telegraph of Thursday, 8th March, in the form of a quarter page advertisement:-

                                      OPEN LETTER 

                      TO DAVID CAMERON

Dear David,

         Regardless of your personal views about homosexual marriage,I think you will agree that it is an extraordinarily controversial issue.You have infuriated both the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches,and split the Anglican Church.  You have contradicted the Bible,  which states in at least 10 places that homosexuality is "a major sin." and you have rubbished thousands of years of human experience, during which marriage could only be between a man and a woman.

         Yet, we are living in an era when the world seems to be falling on our shoulders.  We are now in the fourth year of the most severe economic contraction in 80 years;  the financial world has become a house of cards which can collapse at any time;  the Eurozone is unravelling;  we are the most highly indebted country in the world per capita;  Scotland wants to secede;  immigration is in a mess;  we are fighting wars abroad, and terrorists within our own country, and Iran is threatening nuclear war.  Yet, instead of trying to deal with any of these problems, you are focusing on trying to impose on the country the most controversial law of the last 100 years. Is that sensible?  Is that Conservative?  Do you not have anything better to do?

                       Yours ever,

                        Demetri

info@marchessini.co.uk

48 Wilton Crescent

London SW1X 8RX   

Thank you Demetri,  for your honourable and forthright letter spelling out the thoughts of millions of normal, caring, and hard-working UK citizens, of whom the vast majority are appalled by the idea of  same-sex marriage. Before the Reformation, England was known as the 'Dowry of Mary', with it's people respecting and honouring the laws of God, and having a special devotion to Mary, the most pure and sinless mother of Jesus Christ, God made man. We pray today to Our Lady, for her intercession that good will prevail in this time of evil moral aggression. Let us also pray to St George, St David, and St Andrew, our patron saints, for faith, courage, and perseverance, to fight the good fight in the battle against the forces of darkness.

                               Holy Family - flight into Egypt
            

Warning to potential 'Organ' donors - beware!

Very recently a large part of the editorial of the Daily Telegraph was devoted to the subject of  human ‘organ donations’ and the apparent need for many more donors, and the most effective way of satisfying this need. This is a controversial and emotive subject with talk of ‘assumed consent in law’ for all adults unless they have previously opted-out in writing. 


Coincidentally or not, on February 16th 2012, an article appeared on the ‘Renew America’ website, written by Dr Paul Byrne MD,  for the benefit of 'Pastoral Care Workers' dedicated to caring for patients in hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities, who have become primary targets for what he describes as the ‘insidious indoctrination’ of the organ donation industry.  


I have taken the liberty of quoting extracts from this important and informed article by Dr Byrne, a member of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, and past-President of the Catholic Medical Association (USA), who writes:- 
                       
               “Pastoral Care Workers include not only priests and ministers at the bedside, but also Eucharistic ministers and other assistants and ultimately, the bishop, who is the shepherd of the Pastoral Care Workers. Today, Pastoral Care Workers are routinely asked to consult and actually encourage patients in hospitals to become organ donors. They are told to believe the lie that so-called "brain dead" patients are truly dead, when all their senses are telling them just the opposite.”


“There is no explicit requirement that prospective organ donors be given adequate information about the procedures involved in organ harvesting so that informed and rational decisions can be made. In almost all cases, the basic medical principles of "informed consent" are denied the patient/donor by transplant physicians, nurses, and industry representatives. This being the case, the role of the Pastoral Care Worker in advocating for the patient/donor becomes all the more important and urgent.”


“It seems only fair and equitable that a transplant surgeon ought to explain in detail the whole organ transplant process to the potential patient/donor and his family. But how many people will agree to be organ donors after they are informed (in addition to other equally distressing facts - see 'renewamerica' link below),  that organs can be transplanted only when healthy and must be removed while there is respiration, circulation and a beating heart?   Significantly,  the donor’s ‘time of death’ will be officially registered after the removal of all vital organs, not when some doctor arbitrarily declares him/her ‘brain dead’”


 “ Potential donors should understand before signing the donor application or donor card that once they have agreed to be a donor, their interests and welfare becomes secondary to that of the organ recipient. They will no longer be considered true "patients" but rather a source of spare human parts and vital organs to be used for "transplantation, therapy, research and education." The donor should know that death will be imposed on the operating table for another's benefit and for the financial good of the organ transplantation industry.”


“Patients should realize that it costs hospitals and other transplantation facilities money to adequately treat patients to protect and preserve their life. On the other hand, these same hospitals make a great deal of money from "organ transplantation, therapy, research and education." 


 “A diagnosis of "brain death" by neurological criteria is theory, not scientific fact. Also, irreversibility of neurological function is a prognosis, not a medically observable fact.”  Over time many have stated that the conceptual and/or medical bases for these approaches to determine death are fundamentally flawed, and depart substantially from our biological and common-sense understandings of death.


 “It appears that Pastoral Care Workers are no better informed about the truth of vital organ transplantation than the average layman. Nor have they been unaffected by the organ industry's propaganda machine which spill out emotionally loaded expressions like "last wishes," "you can't take them with you," "gift of life," "donate life," etc.”


 “Death can be determined when there is no breathing, no heart beat, no response and the body becomes cold. Before 1968 physicians did not hurry the final declaration of death in order not to declare someone dead before true death. Then the desire to transplant hearts and other vital organs prompted the invention of "brain death." This "allowed" the transplant surgeon to dissect the living person.  This is the truth concerning unpaired vital organ transplantation. It is a truth that pastoral care workers must understand if they are to respond to the needs of patients and their families, rather than the needs and desires of the ‘Organ transplantation industry’ and its minions.


“The dubious nature of "brain death" as a criterion to select persons for organ donation, is demonstrated by the recovery of numerous "brain dead" patients”,   Dr Byrne’s full report, including details of several recovery cases, can be seen on  the ‘Renew America’ website:-
                                   
                                      http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/byrne/120216


 Ack. Dr Paul Byrne MD Director of Neonatology and Director of Pediatrics at St. Charles Mercy Hospital in Oregon, Ohio, and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics University of Toledo College of Medicine 

Meme - three books for a new Kindle!

Regarding the recent meme from ' Mulier Fortis',  I have been asked by Ches at 'Sensible Bond' to add my threepennyworth!
The subject of the meme is to suggest three books for Mac's newly acquired Kindle, after which we are asked  to tag five other bloggers for them to do the same.
The books I would choose are:-


'The Desert Fathers' translated from the Latin by Helen Waddell - the original of these translations is the Latin of the 'Vitrae Patrum', a vast collection of the lives and sayings of the Desert Fathers, first printed in Antwerp in 1615. An  inspiring source of spirituality, applicable as much  today as in the early centuries of the Church.
Simple, straightforward, and easy to read, even during the ten-minute tea-break! 


'A Hundred Years of Catholic Emancipation (1829-1929)' by Denis Gwynn. This is an account of the remarkable growth of the Catholic Church in England since the Catholic Emancipation Act. Includes a synopsis of the lives and personalities of such great Catholic prelates as Cardinals Wiseman, Newman, Manning, and others. Essential reading to understand and appreciate the courage, wisdom, and faith of our 19th and early 20th century Catholic leaders and forbears, to whom we owe so much.


'Martyrs to the Catholic Faith in England (1577-1684)' by Bishop Challoner.  Described as 'Memoirs of Missionary Priests and other Catholics of both sexes, that have suffered death in England on Religious accounts from the year 1577 to 1684'. The memoirs, in two volumes, relate the details of the lives and deaths of  three hundred or so Catholic martyrs, based on reliable evidence from primary and other trustworthy sources, who display 'so much fortitude and courage, joined with so much meekness, modesty, and humility, ........ and who have died for no other crime but their conscience.' Humbling and powerful testimonies of Catholic men and women who made the supreme sacrifice for love of God and His Church.



Rules are as follows:-
Post rules on Blog.
Tag five bloggers,and tell them they have been tagged on their blog.
No Ref.books,or prayer books.
Link back to the person who tagged you. 


I have actually only tagged two bloggers:-


'A Wandering Oblate'


'St Malachy'

'The Rosary' by Frances Caryll Houselander (1901-1954)

          

Frances Caryll Houselander
- mystic, poet, artist, writer
         (1901 - 1954)

                                                                     

The Rosary

In the doorway of a low grey house,
built of stones as old as the Crusades,
a woman of Bruges sits in the sunlight,
among the flowers, saying her Rosary.

She seems to be carved out of season walnut

and polished smooth
by the constant touch of the hand of God,
and the beads that twine her crippled fingers
are scarlet berries on the thorny twigs.

The running rhythm
and the repetition
of the Paters and the Aves
is like the rhythm that in nature
moves through the seasons
from seed to harvest
with the unity
and the pause and stress
of music;
like the bloodstream of Christ,
that flows through the seasons
from Advent to Easter
in the Liturgy of the Church,
the ebb and flow of the tide of love
in the Mystical Body of Christ.
             
II
God has given His children strings of beads,
as we give strings of beads to our children,
to teach them to count.

We do not say,
“Learn from these the doctrine of numbers,
the measure of human life,
the dream of Pythagorus,
counting the pulse of the world.”

We do not say
to a child with a string of beads,
“learn the perfection of reason in mathematics.”

We say,
“Learn to count on the beads,
small for your hands to hold,
bright for your eyes to see.”
And he begins,
slowly,
with one, two, three:
the spark is kindled
to light the flame of philosophy.

God has counted in fifteen Mysteries,
on the fingers of human creatures,
the singleness of the Undivided Love,
the simplicity
that we cannot comprehend
because our hearts are divided.
         
III
We are not all vessels of gold,
lifted up in virginal hands,
empty chalices to receive
from the perfect vine
love,
absolute
and complete.

But the old woman of Bruges
is a round bowl,
lifted up to be brimmed
with pure wine.
and the Mysteries of the Rosary
concern familiar things
known in her own life.

Her mind, like a velvet bee
droning over a rose,
gathers the honey of comfort
from the story of God,
familiar as the things in her kitchen –
the shining pots and pans,
the milk in the jar of earthenware,
and the flags of the scrubbed floor.

The story told by the Rosary
is the story of primitive beauty,
true as the burden of folk- songs.
It is a song piped on the hills,
by a shepherd calling his sheep.
       
IV
The cradle of wood, 
the wood of the cross;
from cradle to cross,
like a lullaby;
the wail of an infant,
lost on the wind –
the arms of a girl
in a circle of love,
rocking to rest;
a woman’s arms
in a circle of love,
the young Man dead
on His Mother’s breast.

The jewels that glow
low in the grass
on the feet of Christ,
risen from death,
touching the flowers
and touching the dust,
even in glory.

The dust of the earth 
on the feet of God,
walking the soft blue meadows of stars.
       
V
In the doorway of a low grey house,
built of stones as old as the Crusades,
a woman of Bruges
sits in the sunlight, among the flowers,
saying her Rosary.

The story of Mary is her own story,
and her son was her life’s joy
and her life’s sorrow;
and for ever
her son is her life’s glory.

In a field in Flanders,
among the red poppies, he is sleeping:
he will sleep soundly
until the day of resurrection.

She has still the patchwork quilt
made, when her hands were nimble,
for the wooden cot:
now he is sleeping, and each year
he has a new coverlet
of delicate young grass,
and at the end of his cot
a wooden cross.

The cradle of the wood,
the wood of the cross:
from cradle to cross,
like a lullaby.

The story of the woman of Bruges
is the world’s story.
it is the story
of human joy and sorrow,
woven and interlaced,
like the blue and crimson thread
in a woven cloth:
the story of birth and death,
of war and the rumours of war
and of peace past understanding,
peace in the souls that live
in the life of Christ.

In the doorway in Bruges,
sitting among the flowers, 
her mind like a velvet bee
droning over a rose,
taking the honey of comfort
out of the heart of Love,
the old woman is nodding 
over her Rosary.

She has lived her meditation,
like the Mother of God,
living the life of Christ:
let her sleep in Christ’s peace.
        
VI
Under the loud din
of the tramp of metallic feet
in the armed march of time,
like a river moving
under the dark hills,
the everlasting life
is flowing, eternally.

The measured beat of love,
with pure perfection of music,
timing the life of Christ
in the human heart
goes on.
                   Frances Caryll Houselander

                              
                             *********************
    
 'Frances Caryll Houselander was born in Bath, England, on Sept 29, 1901, the second of two daughters.  She was not expected to survive for more than a day, and was immediately baptized,  given the name ‘Frances’ after her uncle, a gynaecologist who helped deliver her, and ‘Caryll’,  after the yacht on which her mother had spent the last months of her pregnancy!
     She went on to survive her first day, and indeed many more after that, though her health continued to be poor throughout her life. 
     When she was 6 years old, a family friend persuaded her mother to have the children baptised in the Catholic faith. Although little formal religious education followed her reception into the Church, her mother encouraged a deep sense of piety and devotion in the home, and Frances, a devout child,  made her first confession and Holy Communion when she was just seven years old.
     Two years later, her world was shattered when her parents  separated. Though they were never  divorced, the separation was to be a permanent one. For the next several years, she changed homes and schools, never fully settling in one place before she was moved to the next. 
     Her erratic health led her doctors to advise that she avoid all class work, and,  by the time she returned home in 1917, her formal education was virtually non-existent.  During her years in the convent schools, she experienced three religious visions, which led to a personal and absolute conviction that she had been called by Christ to give recognition to the reality of His loving Presence and Image in all people, particularly the suffering and poor of this world, and to convey the realisation and awareness of this to all those with whom she came into contact, personally and through her writings. Frances had a great affinity with young children, and during her life wrote and illustrated children's books, always revealing a simple delight in the love of God and His creation.
     When the war ended, she attended art school and it was during this period that she drifted from the Catholic Church. She explored the Orthodox Church among others, but found them all wanting, and craving for peace of soul and longing for the Sacraments, she returned to the Catholic Church; she was then twenty-four years old. 
     Advised to concentrate on her writing, she  began to write articles and illustrate for the ‘Children’s Messenger of the Sacred Heart’, often on an unpaid basis. Her work ultimately led to her making the acquaintance of the Catholic publishers, Sheed and Ward, who were subsequently to  become the major publishers of her many books. 
     Always willing to open her home and her heart to those in need, she was frequently physically and emotionally  overwhelmed by those who sought her advice, yet she remained reluctant to turn people away. 
     Msgr. Ronald Knox, a contemporary, and admirer of Houselander, recognized her tremendous gift of insight, and was later to say, "She seemed  to see everything for the first time, and the driest of doctrinal considerations shone out like a restored picture when she had finished with it." 
     Her popularity and success in healing the hurts and the hearts of many can be measured by the support of such eminent physicians as Dr. Strauss, later President of the British Psychological Society, who sent patients to her. His explanation was that "she loved them back to life". 
     Her impact, both literary and personal, was due above all, to the intensity of her vision of the suffering Christ, a vision she expressed with utter sincerity and immediacy and, on occasion, with breathtaking luminosity. Indeed, she can best be described not just as a writer, nor even just an artist, but as a mystic and a visionary, even in the tradition of Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, or Teresa of Avila, which would explain how she was able to communicate so directly and movingly to her large reading public, and accounts for her extraordinary success in counselling British and foreign children who had been traumatized by the war. 
     Not gregarious by nature, she nevertheless radiated gaiety and a  sense of fun; her wickedly funny tongue often provoking as much hilarity among her intimates as it caused her remorse. 
     She was unquestionably a genuine mystic whose frailties were transformed into real strength and whose neuroses became the means whereby she was able to join her sufferings with Christ on the cross.It was as though her burning love of God overflowed for the refreshment of all who came in contact with her.
    "She seemed to possess a well that never ran dry for anyone but herself. She gave of her food to feed the hungry, her time to counsel those in need, her energy to write countless letters, articles and books, and ultimately her health for the health and well-being of others. She spent years attending to the rigorous demands of her ailing parents, and, having been plagued by ill health her entire life, had become accustomed to pain and slow to address her own physical ailments. Her lack of self-concern, however, which extended to everything from her looks, to her diet, her sleep, her health, her living quarters, etc., took its toll."  
      During her last years, she worked tirelessly to complete books, write letters, strengthen the works of charity she had begun, and minister to the many mentally ill children who were sent her way'              
      She died on October 12, 1954, from breast cancer. 
"The wonder of Frances Caryll Houselander is found in her humble willingness to suffer with Christ, to let Him transform her flawed and sinful nature into a divine work of art."

Ack.  Karen Lynn Krugh / Catholic Culture.org
Ack.  Margot H. King - currently working on biography for Peregrina Publishers.
Ack.   Robin Maas - Caryll Houselander, an appreciation.
www.ewtn.com/library

                      *******************************

Books by Caryll Houselander

SPIRITUALITY
"Guilt"
"The Reed of God"
"This War is the Passion"
"The Stations of the Cross"
"The Passion of the Infant Christ"

AUTOBIOGRAPHY
"A Rockinghorse Catholic"

ANTHOLOGIES
"The Mother of God"
"A Rockinghorse Catholic"

BIOGRAPHY
"Caryll Houselander: That Divine Eccentric" by Masie Ward