Vatican demands reform of American nuns' leadership group [CWN]

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Supportive Ursuline nuns receiving millions in donations from contraceptive campaigner Melinda Gates

lifesitenews.com/news/supportive-ursuline-nuns-receiving-millions-in-donations-from-contraceptive
A Dallas Catholic school administered by Ursuline nuns who have reportedly expressed their support for billionaire Melinda French Gates’ campaign to inject millions of women with contraceptive drugs has received at least $8.5 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation during the past decade, LifeSiteNews.com has learned.
According to statements posted on the Ursuline Academy of Dallas website, Gates gave $5 milllion dollars to the school in 2006, “the largest single contribution received in the history of the Academy,” for the creation of the French Family Science, Math and Technology Center, which was given in Gates’ maiden name, “French.”
In 2007, Gates followed up with another $2 million “for science, math, and technology education as part of the Academy’s strategic plan for campus renewal and growth.”
In 2012 Gates gave another $1.5 million to the school during a fundraiser recorded on the website as well.
Gates, who is married to billionaire tech mogul Bill Gates and who claims to be a “practicing Catholic,” recently told Newsweek that she intends to spend $4 billion to bring contraceptives to 120 million impoverished women by 2020. She emphasizes the injectable drug Depo-Provera, a hormonal contraceptive that also causes abortions, and that has been associated with a variety of serious health problems, including bone loss and cancer.
Gates told Newsweek that following the original announcement of her new campaign at the the Berlin TEDxChange conference in early April, the Ursuline nuns from the Academy called her at her hotel to tell her: “We’re all for you. We know this is a difficult issue to speak on, but we absolutely believe that you’re living under Catholic values.”
“It was just so heartening,” Gates said of the phone call.
Following the Newsweek story, published on May 7, the Academy’s president, Margaret Ann Moser, issued a statement declaring that “the nuns are “proud of Melinda French Gates, her dedication to social justice, her compassion for the underserved, and the great work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.”
“Melinda Gates leads from her conscience, and acts on her beliefs as a concerned citizen of our world,” adds Moser, explaining, “The mission of Ursuline Academy of Dallas is to educate young women for such leadership.”
While claiming that “Ursuline is committed to the moral and doctrinal teachings of the Catholic Church” and recognizing that “Melinda’s beliefs on birth control are different from those of the Catholic Church,” the sisters nonetheless say they “respect her right” to “speak from her research and experience of the world we live in.”
The statement does not affirm nor deny that the sisters called Gates to support her contraceptive campaign. LifeSiteNews has been told that for the time being the Academy will not be making further statements. A follow-up request for an interview has not been answered.
Following the nuns’ statements, Dallas Bishop Kevin J. Farrell was said by his communications director to be “communicating” with the Academy, although details were not given. A statement has also been posted on the diocesan website, “in light of recent news events,” reaffirming the Catholic Church’s condemnation of contraception.
Follow the money.
 
If a community “goes non-canonical”, and is no longer approved by the Vatican or a diocese, can it still be called Catholic? What are the ramifications of “going non-canonical”? For them (the religious communty), what are the pros and cons? What is the main reason that a community would pursue this route? Would the sisters still be Catholics in good standing, or would they be removing themselves from the Church?
All I know is that any group can call itself “Catholic.” “Catholics for Choice” is one example. I’ve also run across on-line bulletins for “Catholic” Churches that really aren’t Catholic at all but it’s hard to determine that at first. It must be very confusing for non-Catholics; it confuses me until I find something that is obviously non-Catholic such as female priests. I know there are some groups that believe they are the real Church and what we call the Catholic Church is not the Catholic Church at all, so I can see where this comes from. I would hope that people would be honest but maybe the Vatican will have to teach us how to tell somehow.
 
All I know is that any group can call itself “Catholic.” “Catholics for Choice” is one example. I’ve also run across on-line bulletins for “Catholic” Churches that really aren’t Catholic at all but it’s hard to determine that at first. It must be very confusing for non-Catholics; it confuses me until I find something that is obviously non-Catholic such as female priests. I know there are some groups that believe they are the real Church and what we call the Catholic Church is not the Catholic Church at all, so I can see where this comes from. I would hope that people would be honest but maybe the Vatican will have to teach us how to tell somehow.
Correct. The Catholic church has a fit about illegitimate uses of the word “Catholic” within its boundaries, but outside its boundaries it can’t do a thing about it. The Church has not protected the word “Catholic” legally in the United States. That’s done with trademark laws and no one thought it would become an issue decades ago, apparently. And that might not have even done the trick because the Anglicans have been misusing the word for 400 years now. And not only here, but globally.

Chasing down and trying to prosecute all the illegitimate uses of the word now would take more money than anyone has, and from now to eternity and back. That’s how common these misuses are.
 
“And, one of the biggest problems about all this is that there are many, many people too ignorant of the facts of Catholicism to be able to tell when they are being defrauded.”

Let’s leave contributions to the Industrial Areas Foundation out of this;)
KSU,

You’re talking to the wrong person about the IAF. They’re the ones trying to convince everyone that it’s all about how you feel, what your opinion is, who’s in the room, and what’s in it for ya, not me.

People need a Roman Catholic catechism in plain English Q&A style, which they should be expected to know every time they show up for marriage, baptism, confirmation, etc. etc. The Catholic Church hasn’t changed and it isn’t going to.
 
Correct. The Catholic church has a fit about illegitimate uses of the word “Catholic” within its boundaries, but outside its boundaries it can’t do a thing about it. The Church has not protected the word “Catholic” legally in the United States. That’s done with trademark laws and no one thought it would become an issue decades ago, apparently. And that might not have even done the trick because the Anglicans have been misusing the word for 400 years now. And not only here, but globally.

Chasing down and trying to prosecute all the illegitimate uses of the word now would take more money than anyone has, and from now to eternity and back. That’s how common these misuses are.
Maybe it’s time to trade mark “Roman Catholic” and go from there. 🤷
 
And if you’re really worried about the IAF, the thing to do is close ranks before they arrive and figure out who’s who and what’s what before the manure starts flying. That’s the only way to deal with it. Get to know your fellow parishioners. Work together with them and get to know them well.

I used to be a schoolteacher and unfortunately I was rickrolled by an IAF-style consultant once a long time ago, at a previous place of employment. I didn’t like it. In fact, I hated it. I survived it, but left as soon as I could after that, and went on to another place that treated me better than that. It all turned out for the best. But you don’t want to do something like that with your parish, even if you can.
 
Maybe it’s time to trade mark “Roman Catholic” and go from there. 🤷
It’s decades too late, Dawnia.

The word “Catholic” moved out into the public domain many years ago. A lot of things that that people associate with Catholics have moved out into the public domain.

Wanna see something interesting? Go to the link below, out on the internet, and see if you can figure out which are real Catholic religious orders and which aren’t (and there are some that aren’t).

religiousresources.org/directory/cat.php?cat_id=39
 
And if you’re really worried about the IAF, the thing to do is close ranks before they arrive and figure out who’s who and what’s what before the manure starts flying. That’s the only way to deal with it. Get to know your fellow parishioners. Work together with them and get to know them well.

I used to be a schoolteacher and unfortunately I was rickrolled by an IAF-style consultant once a long time ago, at a previous place of employment. I didn’t like it. In fact, I hated it. I survived it, but left as soon as I could after that, and went on to another place that treated me better than that. It all turned out for the best. But you don’t want to do something like that with your parish, even if you can.
My fellow parishioners and I have been able to keep the IAF (and whatever local names they or similar groups adopt from time to time, such as VOICE, JUSTFAITH, Midwest Academy, PICO National Network, DART, and ACORN) from getting a good foothold in our parish. That’s not what I’m really worried about. This, however, is:
catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=2885
 
My fellow parishioners and I have been able to keep the IAF (and whatever local names they or similar groups adopt from time to time, such as VOICE, JUSTFAITH, Midwest Academy, PICO National Network, DART, and ACORN) from getting a good foothold in our parish. That’s not what I’m really worried about. This, however, is:
catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=2885
They’re getting a little unwanted publicity. Good. They deserve it. Catholics have got to start paying attention to what’s going on, KSU.

But you’re awake. I’ve heard of most of that, but not PICO or Midwest. You must be in a big town, eh? Good for you for fending it off.
 
I’ve heard of most of that, but not PICO or Midwest. You must be in a big town, eh? Good for you for fending it off.
Regarding PICO, etc., hold your nose and read on:
sonoma.edu/users/w/wallsd/community-organizing.shtml

There are, as you know, many more IAF affiliates such as Midwest Academy. One need only google IAF, but be prepared to become depressed at how widespread it is, and how intrenched it has become as a result of Catholic money and effort–may Our Lord have mercy on His Church.

This is not the place for a discussion of it, so I mention only in passing that even my former Archbishop, a Godly man with a heart of gold for the poor, refused the petitions of concerned Catholics to ban IAF organizing (a few of his pastors were allowing it). Rather, he published an article which in effect said that, in view of the Church’s position on social justice and despite the commonly known defects about the IAF in the past, and dispite protests of parishioners, he had been assured by those who tried it and liked it that the good outweighed the bad.

If this seems off topic, it’s not. My point is that a history of the IAF’s methods provides a clear explanation of how it is possible to infest even the most beautiful and loved face of the Church–it’s Sisters and nuns. Nobody should smugly assert that Sisters and nuns can’t be very faithful or smart to let the LCWR happen to them. Ha! It happened to religious in just the same organized, diabolical, duplicitous manner it is happening to our local Churches, and is happening to our Latino and Black populations and even to some aspects of the Bishops’ conference itself.

It’s easy to point fingers at our religious, just as long as we don’t examine the rest of the Church.
 
I posted this in Social Justice but I think it also fits here:

I was surfing the internet for Purgatorial Societies to enroll my deceased loved ones as well as prayer societies for me because I need all the prayers I can get. I stumbled across this:

"BVMs cherish a variety of spiritualities impacted by the Gospels, option with the poor, emphasis on women’s concerns, Celtic spirituality, labyrinths, ecofeminism, feminism, Hesed, Eucharist in multiple expressions, politics, justice activities, multicultural influences, creation, Universe."

bvmcong.org/about_bvm_spirit.cfm

Can someone explain all of this to me? Labyrinths? Eco-feminism? Hesed?

Sounds like a devil’s playground to me. “Spirituality”
 
A couple of odd articles. I had been looking into this monastery to potentially become an
Oblate. I sent a couple of inquiries and got a response which didn’t really address the questions I asked which I found odd. I also found the co-monastery of monks and nuns odd. However, it was not until I looked again today that I came across these.

Nuns that weren’t even nuns to begin with, and support for women’s ordination going all the way back to the 1980’s. Awesome.

articles.latimes.com/1988-01-30/local/me-9958_1_pecos-benedictine-monastery

freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1554579/posts
 
When will people stop trying to have Catholicism on their terms instead of what’s handed down? Many protestants who haven’t left the Church actually make up the Church.
 
When will people stop trying to have Catholicism on their terms instead of what’s handed down? Many protestants who haven’t left the Church actually make up the Church.
sad but true, let God’s will be done not our own.
 
When will people stop trying to have Catholicism on their terms instead of what’s handed down? Many protestants who haven’t left the Church actually make up the Church.
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
 
I posted this in Social Justice but I think it also fits here:

I was surfing the internet for Purgatorial Societies to enroll my deceased loved ones as well as prayer societies for me because I need all the prayers I can get. I stumbled across this:

"BVMs cherish a variety of spiritualities impacted by the Gospels, option with the poor, emphasis on women’s concerns, Celtic spirituality, labyrinths, ecofeminism, feminism, Hesed, Eucharist in multiple expressions, politics, justice activities, multicultural influences, creation, Universe."

bvmcong.org/about_bvm_spirit.cfm

Can someone explain all of this to me? Labyrinths? Eco-feminism? Hesed?

Sounds like a devil’s playground to me. “Spirituality”
That is all very, very strange. It looks like a montage of paganism, radical feminism, and sham Christianity. I have no idea what all those words mean.

You can start a thread on Prayer Intentions if you need prayers. I will pray for you, too.
 
catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=3440

Labyrinths aren’t inherently bad depending on how they are used, though they do derive from pagan roots. The rest? Very troubling.
Pagans didn’t get everything wrong. Labyrinths sound wonderful! I didn’t know there was a difference between mazes and labyrinths. But it makes sense that a labyrinth would not have a bunch of dead ends. I went to one of those Halloween cornfield mazes with some friends and we wandered about for hours. We finally got out through the entrance. It was fun at first but certainly not conducive to meditation and prayer and after awhile it became frustrating. A labyrinth reminds me of a structured garden that one walks through, never fearing that one may become lost but still heading towards the center. I like that idea.

As for mazes, I love them as long as I’m not personally stuck in them, hungry and needing a restroom. They are one of the few puzzles I’m actually good at completing quickly and I enjoy them.

You’re right - the rest of that stuff is very troubling. And I think it probably goes back to at least the 70’s when everything was touchy-feely, “I love you” (even though I really don’t), and “You can trust me even though I’m over 30.”
 
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