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Pope to purge the Vatican of modern music Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 6:43 am (GMT -5) Pope to purge the Vatican of modern music God Bless Benedict XVI. Between this and the Summorium Pontificum, I see the Church coming back to life. _________________ Mark Wyatt www.veritas-catholic.blogspot.com JMJ+

US Bishop Instructs Priests to Warn Faithful against "T Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:02 pm (GMT -5) US Bishop Instructs Priests to Warn Faithful against "The Golden Compass" "Caution the faithful against this pernicious attack on the foundations of our Christian Faith" By John-Henry Westen LifeSiteNews December 4, 2007 http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/dec/07120403.html LA CROSSSE, WI, December 4, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - With the controversial children's film "The Golden Compass" about to be released in theatres December 7, the Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse in Wisconsin has instructed his priests to warn parents against the film and the book series on which it was based. Bishop Jerome Listecki's letter to priests came one day after the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops official movie reviewer praised 'The Golden Compass" film. In a rare move, the Catholic League was quick to publicly condemn the review. Other Catholic leaders have called on the USCCB to fire their movie critic Harry Forbes, especially in light of the fact that he also caused scandal by giving a glowing review to the homosexual propaganda film Brokeback Mountain. (see coverage: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/dec/07120304.html ) "My responsibility as Bishop is to inform you as well as the faithful as to any movies, activities or entertainments that question or undermine the belief of our people and subvert the message of salvation which you as pastors deliver to your communities,: wrote Bishop Listecki to pastors in his diocese in a letter dated November 30. Speaking of the Philip Pullman works, on which the film is based, the Bishop says, "Instead of using fantasy to lead people to truth and to God, this trilogy tries to lead them away from God." The Bishop points out that the author is a self-proclaimed atheist who has said "I don't think it's possible that there is a God" and most unashamedly "I'm trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief," "my books are about killing God" and "I am all for the death of God." "Despite the engaging special effects and famous actors involved, it is clear that this movie is the first part of a trilogy that expresses hatred of Christianity and that portrays God, the Church and religion as evil and oppressive and urges children to join fallen angels in a rebellion against God," stresses the La Crosse Bishop. Bishop Listecki concluded: "I urge you to caution the faithful, especially parents, against this pernicious attack on the foundations of our Christian Faith and on the innocence of our children." The Diocese of La Cross has also published on its website a question and answer sheet for parents on the new movie release. Answering the question: "Why can't kids go to it as a fun, fantasy movie? What am I to tell my child?" the handout says: "It is no simple fantasy. It is about evil being presented in an enticing and glamorous way. As the first teachers and protectors, parents would not allow their children to be desensitized to evil so that it becomes commonplace and they no longer recognize it as dangerous and seek to avoid it. It is the same as saying that parents would not let their children drink poison. Tell your children that this movie is definitely poison for the soul. In the Our Father, Jesus taught us clearly to pray, deliver us from evil. Jesus does not want us to toy with evil even when it looks fascinating."

CATHOLICISM TARRED BY PROTESTANT FILM Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:23 pm (GMT -5) CATHOLICISM TARRED BY CHRISTIAN FILM December 3, 2007 link to original On December 7, Gener8Xion Entertainment, a prominent Protestant film company, will release “Noëlle.” Catholic League president Bill Donohue disputes the claim that the movie is merely “a parable of forgiveness and grace”: “We’ve seen the movie and it’s a gem. In the synopsis provided by Gener8Xion, it accurately describes Jonathan Keene as ‘a young Catholic priest seemingly devoid of genuine human emotion’; his job is ‘to do what he does best: shut down a failing parish.’ Then there is ‘the child-like Fr. Simeon Joyce, a faithful but disillusioned priest who blatantly disregards church regulations, uses church monies to pay an old fisherman’s medical bills and spends most of his time drinking at the local pub.’ Both priests are portrayed as losers. “Viewers learn that the only reason Fr. Keene became a priest is because he felt guilty about getting a girl pregnant when he was in college; to top things off, he pressured her to have an abortion. Fr. Joyce, the alcoholic, has serious reservations about celibacy and his idea of heaven is a jolly good Christmas party. Fr. Joyce tells Fr. Keene he wants to marry a woman named Marjorie so he can help raise her illegitimate kid, saying he ‘made a vow to God not to the Church.’ But Fr. Keene, a first-class klutz, is also in love with the same woman: he is shown bolting in the middle of Midnight Mass to be with her, knocking over a filled chalice and ripping off his vestments. “Throughout the film, confession is trivialized, celibacy is ridiculed, the Virgin Mary is disrespected, nuns are belittled, last rites are mocked, and priestly vocations are caricatured. In short, that which is uniquely Catholic is trashed. However, the plot and the acting are so deliriously absurd that it is impossible for us to get too worked up about this flick. “It means nothing that the movie has a pro-life message. Stereotypes about Protestant ministers abound, raising the question, Why didn’t Gener8Xion choose to mock one of their own clergy? Similarly, given that the film’s writer, David Hall, has said that his primary interest was in ‘dealing with hypocrisy,’ why didn’t he consult with Sen. Charles Grassley about all those ‘prosperity church’ pastors being investigated for ripping off their flock? We know why, and that’s why the Catholic League exists.” Copyright © 1997-2007 by Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. *Material from this website may be reprinted and disseminated with accompanying attribution.

Election 2008: Christians going after Christians Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:52 pm (GMT -5) abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008 Mysterious Group Attacks Huckabee BY JAKE TAPPER and SUNLEN MILLER Dec. 4, 2007 A mysterious group calling itself Iowans for Some Semblance of Christian Decency has begun waging a campaign against former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, insinuating that not only is the Republican presidential candidate not a true conservative, he's not a real Christian. The group is urging the media to take a closer look at Huckabee's record, including the story of Wayne Dumond, a convicted rapist whom Huckabee urged the Arkansas Parole Board to release from prison who went on to commit at least one homicide. In fliers put under the doors of reporters at the Marriott in Des Moines, where Huckabee was staying Monday night, the organization, whose members are unknown, lays out its interpretation of how the former Baptist minister's views run contrary to the Bible. Huckabee's support of educational opportunities for the children of illegal immigrants is portrayed, for instance, as "justification for violating the 8th commandment (stealing from U.S. citizens)." A lighthearted video clip where he pretends to talk to the Lord (watch HERE) is portrayed as "sacrilegious mocking of God for political gain." Most pointedly, however, the raised the controversial case of Dumond, the flier also raises the controversial case of Wayne Dumond, a convicted rapist whom Huckabee publicly suggested should be freed from prison. After Dumond was freed by the parole board, whose members later said they had been influenced by Huckabee, Dumond sexually assaulted and murdered a woman named Carol Sue Shields. Dumond died in prison in Missouri in 2005. Huckabee was asked about the parole of Dumond in November on Fox & Friends, and he downplayed his role in meeting with the parole board and urging Dumond's release. "I did originally support a parole, but governors don't parole anybody," he said. Generally Huckabee has portrayed the story as a smear, telling Hannity & Colmes a couple weeks ago that "the parole board was all Democrats appointed by (former Arkansas Governors Bill) Clinton and (Jim Guy) Tucker. The idea that I went in there and persuaded them to do something is ludicrous on its face." But Deborah Suttlar, appointed to the Parole Board by Democratic Gov. Tucker, says Huckabee "was influential" in the board's decision to parole Dumond. "He planted a seed for the board to change their vote on Wayne Dumond. Then the governor turned his back on the board and pretended that he had no influence." Suttlar, who served on the board from 1994 until 2001, says she knew nothing about Iowans for Some Semblance of Christian Decency, though her name and phone number were on the flier. Read the full flier HERE. The Huckabee campaign could not immediately be reached for comment. A Des Moines Register poll from Sunday indicates that Huckabee has surged to first place in that first-in-the-nation caucus state. Over the weekend, a third-party group that is supporting Huckabee placed phone calls in which Huckabee's opponents were criticized, prompting Huckabee to say Monday, "Our campaign has nothing to do with the push polling and I wish they would stop. We don't want this kind of campaigning because it violates the spirit of our campaign. I don't want to become president because I disabled the other candidates, I want to become president because I am the best candidate." Iowans for Some Semblance of Christian Decency lists at the bottom of its flier the phone number of Betsy Hagan, director of Arkansas Eagle Forum, a conservative organization that has criticized Huckabee as having been insufficiently conservative. "I'm not familiar with nor am I linked with that group," Hagan told ABC News, saying she doesn't know who's behind the fliers. That said, Hagan -- who was on Huckabee's exploratory committee during his ill-fated 1992 Senate run -- eagerly explained how she viewed Huckabee as "a huge disappointment." "He's pro-life, pro-gun and pro-marriage, and I agree with him on that," she said. "But on the issue of immigration, the issue of capital punishment, the issue of education and of course taxes, I don't think he is a true conservative." Hagan said after he was elected governor, Huckabee "distanced himself from the conservative base. He had told us before that he'd replace the Clinton people as department heads and he'd stay in touch with us. He didn't do that and he didn't call." ABC News' Kevin Chupka contributed to this report. P.S. Eagle Forum Leaders http://www.eagleforum.org/misc/states/states.html _________________ http://www.geocities.com/demographic_crash

Catholic coloring book warns US kids of pedophile priests Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 4:04 pm (GMT -5) Catholic coloring book warns US kids of pedophile priests Dec 4 03:29 PM US/Eastern New York's Roman Catholic Church is trying a novel approach to alert children to the danger of being sexually assaulted by a priest, with an abuse-themed coloring book, officials said Tuesday. "Being Friends, Being Safe, Being Catholic," was distributed earlier this year to several hundred schools in the New York area as part of the church's Safe Environment Program, a spokeswoman from the city's Archdiocese said. One image in the book features a guardian angel hovering over an altar boy with a priest lurking in the background. "For safety's sake, a child and an adult shouldn't be alone in a closed room together," the angel counsels. In another, the angel warns of a sexual predator attempting to chat with a child over the Internet. David Clohessy, head of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, cautiously welcomed the initiative, but said it did not go far enough. "We applaud the intent but worry a bit about the approach... it does still feel like almost every step taken by the hierarchy is one that's been prompted by external pressure," he told AFP. The scale of child abuse by priests remained hidden in the United States for years until the Archbishop of Boston confessed in 2002 to protecting a priest he knew had sexually abused young members of his church. According to the group "Bishop Accountability," some 3,000 priests out of the 42,000 across the country have since been denounced, some of whom have been investigated and convicted. Since the scandal broke, US Catholic authorities have paid out close to 2.8 billion dollars in damages, forcing many dioceses to sell off their assets. P.S. Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests http://www.snapnetwork.org/ _________________ http://www.geocities.com/demographic_crash

Saints on cellphones spark controversy in Italy Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 3:55 pm (GMT -5) Saints on cellphones spark controversy in Italy By Philip Pullella Tue Dec 4, 9:48 AM ET ROME (Reuters) - If you are a Catholic looking for a saint in heaven to protect you, you no longer have to carry a small "holy card." You can get the image sent to your cellphone. A company in Italy started offering the service on Tuesday but ran into opposition from some Catholic Church leaders who think the idea is crass and commercial. "We found a need and filled it," Barbara Labate, who came up with the idea with her business partner in a cellphone services company based in Milan, told Reuters by telephone. Many taxis, private cars and trucks in Italy have a small picture of a saint -- known as a "santino" or little saint -- taped to the dashboard. Millions of Italians also keep wrinkled and worn "santini" in their wallets or handbags. "We are merely catching up with the times. I think this will appeal to young people as well as grandmothers," Labate said. The company started the service with 15 saints on offer and Labate said the hallowed catalogue will grow. The downloading service, done by sending a text message to a phone number, costs three euros ($4.42). Nearly every shop near the Vatican sells paper "santini" but not everyone in the Church thinks cellphones and saints are a marriage made in heaven. "This is in really bad taste," Bishop Lucio Soravito De Franceschi, a member of the Italian bishops conference committee for doctrinal matters, told the Turin newspaper La Stampa. "It is a distortion of sacred things ... selling 'santini' for cell phones is horrifying," he said. But Labate, who is Sicilian and recalls how her mother gave her a "santino" to put in her luggage when she traveled, rejected the criticism. "We are simply offering a service to the faithful. We are doing this with the maximum respect, dignity and professionalism for believers," she said. One popular saint in Italy is St Christopher, the patron saint of safe travel. Other favorites are St Lucy, patroness of good eyesight and St Pio of Petralcina, the 20th century monk who was said to have had the wounds of Christ. Labate has also put "possible future saints" in her initial catalogue. They include the late Pope John Paul, who has already been put on the road to sainthood, as well as the current pontiff, Pope Benedict. Jesus and the Madonna are also for sale. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; editing by Elizabeth Piper) _________________ http://www.geocities.com/demographic_crash

New Web Site Tests Americans' Knowledge on Roe v. Wade... Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 1:57 pm (GMT -5) New Web Site Tests Americans' Knowledge on Roe v. Wade Abortion Case by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor December 4, 2007 Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- As the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision to allow unlimited abortions approaches, a coalition of pro-life groups have unveiled a new web site testing Americans' knowledge of the landmark case. They hope the site will dispel myths in the mainstream media that the case allowed only first-trimester abortions. Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, and the Alliance Defense Fund law firm are behind the web site. With RoeIQ, the groups hope to help move public opinion closer towards overturning Roe v. Wade and its companion case Doe v. Bolton that, together, made abortion on demand a reality. "The pro-abortion mantra is that the public supports Roe," Michael Johnson, ADF's senior legal counsel told WorldNetDaily about the web site. "That presumption is on shaky ground." RoeIQ asks respondents questions such as when abortions are allowed under the cases, whether abortion would become illegal if Roe is reversed, how many abortions occur annually and whether parents can be involved in their teenage daughter's abortion decision. The groups talk more about the site on its web page. "In spite of its impact, true understanding of Roe and what it accomplished remains relatively vague in the public consciousness," they say. "We can expect both sides in the abortion debate to ratchet up arguments in the coming months as we mark this anniversary. It is imperative that we, as citizens, understand the facts about what Roe does and does not do," they added. Carrie Gordon Earll of Focus on the Family told WND that a poll conducted in May found that Americans are more likely to support overturning Roe when they know the specifics about the Supreme Court case. "What this survey found was that when people know what Roe does, their support for overturning it increases, and their opposition to overturning it decreases," she said. As LifeNews.com reported, the highly respected national public-affairs research firm Ayres, McHenry & Associates conducted a survey finding that when the breadth of the decision is explained Americans are more likely to favor overturning it. The survey first asked Americans a generic question about whether they wanted Roe overturned and found the public opposes that by a 55 to 34 percent margin. The percentage changes to just 48 to 43 against overturning Roe -- almost within the margin of error -- when they get more information about what it does and doesn't do. It represents a huge shift of 16 percentage points in terms of the public attitude on the case. RoeIQ is important because, as recently as early November, polls have asked respondents biased questions about the case. A new Harris Poll claims a majority of Americans favor the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions nationwide. However, the poll's question erroneously told respondents on three occasions that Roe only allowed abortions up to three weeks into the pregnancy. _________________ http://www.geocities.com/demographic_crash

"A prolific nun who doesn't mince words" Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:22 am (GMT -5) "A prolific nun who doesn't mince words" LA archdiocesan newspaper writes glowingly of dissident Benedictine sister who favors women's ordination and once defied the Holy See California Catholic Daily December 4, 2007 http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=e38033f5-e35d-4a9b-a48b-daa7d9c010a0 Benedictine nun and women's ordination supporter Sister Joan Chittister led a day-long workshop Nov. 17 at the auditorium of the St. Joseph Center, run by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange in the city of Orange. "More than 350 people -- the majority religious women -- attended the event," organized by the Sisters of St. Joseph and St. Mary Episcopal Church in Long Beach, reported the Nov. 30 edition of the Tidings, newspaper of the Los Angeles archdiocese. The Tidings called Chittister a "prolific nun who doesn't mince words." At the Nov. 17 event, she spoke about U.S. foreign policy "with the urgency of ancient Old Testament prophets," according to the archdiocesan publication. Chittister said the world needs an alternative vision to counter the modern world's corrupt vision, derived from individualism, personal comfort, profit, and domination, the Tidings reported. Her alternative vision, St. Benedict's spirituality, she said, was based on "creative work, holy leisure, wise stewardship, loving community, humility and a commitment to peace." Scripture, said Chittister, "tells us that our very purpose in life is to take responsibility for the co-creation of the world." Holy leisure, she said is for contemplation, which "is the ability to see the world as God sees the world," reported the Tidings. Another key Benedictine value is community, said Chittister, according to the archdiocesan newspaper. "Benedictine community calls for an open mind and an open heart. It calls for inclusion of differences, the enlargement of our comfort zones and the commitment to making strangers our friends," she said. The Tidings did not indicate what Chittister's "inclusion of differences" might entail. But, according to her 1997 Call to Action conference talk, it doesn't entail "institutional patriarchy," which, she said the Church "theologizes." Patriarchy, she said, "allows the people on top to rape nature, to nuke the world, to colonize peoples, and to rape, beat and marginalize women, however benignly. They [the people on top] destroy men as well as women and they destroy God, too." For Chittister, feminism is inclusive, for it speaks "from the mount of compassion over control, of feeling over reason, of empowerment for all rather than power for the powerful; from a commitment to the patient effectiveness of non-violence over the destructiveness of aggression; from the freedom that comes with the self-knowledge of humility over the imprisonment of pride." Feminism, for Chittister, must lead to women's ordination. In 2001, the Holy See asked Chittister's superior, Sister Christine Vladimiroff, to forbid her to address the Women's Ordination Worldwide Conference in Ireland. Vladimiroff refused, and Chittister addressed the conference in defiance of the Vatican. In her talk at that conference, Chittister encouraged those attending "to keep the total vision clearly in mind" but not to prepare "for ordination in a church that either doubts -- or fears -- the power of the truth to persuade and so denies the right to discuss the festering question of whether or not women can participate in the sacrament of orders." Rather, said Chittister, they should "question the clear exclusion of women from the restoration of the permanent diaconate."

London Catholic Hospital Agreed to Lease That Would Overturn Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:08 am (GMT -5) London Catholic Hospital Agreed to Lease That Would Overturn Cardinal's Ethics Code Hospital chairman who hid crucial sub-lease clause from board suggests secularization as solution By Hilary White LifeSiteNews December 3, 2007 http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/dec/07120302.html LONDON, December 3, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Although St. John's and St. Elizabeth's, a fashionable London Catholic hospital, has agreed to abide by the terms of a revised Catholic code of ethics, some questionable actions by its chairman and management team could result in the hospital losing its Catholic identity or even going out of business entirely, a Catholic watchdog group says. "The hospital is not out of the woods yet," said Nicolas Bellord, secretary to the Restituta Group, a Catholic organization attempting to restore the hospital's Catholic character. In 2006, the hospital proposed to lease a building on its property, Brampton House, the former Convent of Mercy, to a medical practice of NHS doctors. Under the NHS ethics code, doctors are under contract to provide abortions or referrals for abortions as well as the full range of contraception-oriented "family planning" services prohibited by the Cardinal's code of ethics. The Restituta Group told LifeSiteNews.com that the clause in the sub-lease that was not shown to the hospital's board, including the Cardinal's representative, allowed these NHS contract obligations to supersede those of the hospital, effectively negating the Cardinal's revised code of ethics. Further, the clause allowing the NHS doctors to opt out of the Catholic code of ethics was left out of the sub-lease shown to the Charity Commission, a non-ministerial government department that regulates registered charities. The Commission approved a loan to the hospital of £11 million to fund the project. Having been informed of the omission, the Charity Commission has written to the hospital demanding that the situation be remedied. Lord Bridgeman, the hospital's chairman who had failed to inform the board or the Brampton trustees about the sub-lease clause, addressed the issue at a meeting November 7. He proposed as a solution to the crisis the "secularisation of the Hospital's constitution by removal of the Cardinal's 'ethics clause'". This would result in the hospital becoming, effectively, a secular institution "in the Catholic tradition," and under no obligations to refrain from committing abortions, dispensing abortifacient drugs or even performing "gender reassignments" or sex-change procedures. Clause 4.18.1 of the sub-lease as it was shown to the hospital's board and the Charity Commission as well as trustees of Brampton House, obliged the doctors "not to do or suffer anything to be done at the Demised Premises which would contravene any of the rules regulations and guidelines contained in the Code of Ethics." The crucial missing clause, added after the hospital had approved the loan and signed the sub-lease, added the proviso, "provided that the Tenant shall not be in breach of this clause 4.18.1 by carrying out its contractual arrangements as Registered Medical Practitioners." The result is that the hospital is now unable, under its own Catholic code of ethics, to lease the premises to the NHS group and consequently faces substantial financial penalties, having signed the lease and spent the funds developing the property for the purpose. Another option for the board to resolve the crisis, suggested by Lord Bridgeman, amounted to an ultimatum. The board could "face economic dissolution" and approve the revised code of ethics. Nicolas Bellord wrote, "So effectively, Lord Bridgeman was proposing either that abortion be accepted or the hospital goes bankrupt. Well who borrowed the £11 million for this morally unacceptable project?" Bellord told LifeSiteNews.com, however, that Bridgeman's prediction of financial ruin if the hospital retains its Catholic character is a bluff. The board resolved to consult with HSBC to explore options and a member of the board told Bellord that the bank is open to restructuring the hospital's financial situation. It is unclear at the moment who added the opt-out clause to the sub-lease but Lord Bridgeman had warned that the hospital would face financial repercussions if it were forced to give up the income of the NHS practice. Nicolas Bellord, however, told LifeSiteNews.com that a board member has produced a paper showing various options for Brampton House and that the NHS doctors would only have brought in £250,000 a year, not enough even to cover the interest on the loans. But Restituta is apprehensive that a recently passed law governing charities in the UK could add pressure to secularize the hospital. As LifeSiteNews.com reported earlier this year, the new law would require religious charities to "prove" to the heavily secular government's satisfaction that they are of "public benefit", or face losing their charitable tax status. The Restituta group has sent a letter to the Vatican's Secretary of State, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, complaining of the irregular practices at the hospital and the actions by Bridgeman and the board. The hospital's board is meeting again next week. Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage: London Catholic Hospital Honours Bishop's Request to Cease Abortion Referrals http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/nov/07112703.html Now British Government Threatens Tax Status of Christian Charities http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/mar/07031510.html UK Cardinal Insists Catholic Hospital Halt Abortion Referrals, Contraception and IVF http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/apr/07041608.html

US Bishops asked to Fire Chief Film Critic Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 8:02 am (GMT -5) US Bishops asked to Fire Chief Film Critic over Glowing Reviews for "Brokeback" and "Compass" "Bishops horrified at what has been done in their name" By John-Henry Westen LifeSiteNews December 3, 2007 http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/dec/07120304.html WASHINGTON, DC, December 3, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Bishops of the United States are being asked to fire the chief movie reviewer for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Harry Forbes, the Director of the USCCB Office for Film and Broadcasting, has reignited scandal by praising the film "The Golden Compass" which is based on an anti-Catholic novel. Forbes caused similar controversy two years ago when he issued a glowing review in the name of the USCCB for the homosexual propaganda film "Brokeback Mountain". Pete Vere, who has a written book on the author of The Golden Compass, spoke with LifeSiteNews.com about the USCCB review. "Several bishops have spoken to me about this review and they are horrified at what has been done in their name," Vere told LifeSiteNews.com. "Certainly the USCCB has to revisit its rules for issuing movie reviews." Vere's book co-authored by Sandra Miesel, Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children's Fantasy, is to be released by Ignatius Press before Christmas. Fr. Tom Euteneuer, the President of Human Life International, has called on the US Bishops to fire Forbes and his subordinate John Mulderig who co-authored the review of The Golden Compass. The HLI leader was incredulous that the USCCB review could recommend the film for children despite the fact that it admits the film has "occult elements" and carries a "sprit of rebellion". "The fact that these gentlemen could recommend this movie to children is just abhorrent to me. I really do believe these guys should be fired," Fr. Eueneuer told LifeSiteNews.com. "Whatever happened to rejecting Satan and all his empty work and empty promises." The USCCB review notes the great artistry of the film, but such is no reason to approve of it warned Fr. Euteneuer who has taken part in exorcisms. "St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11 that the devil comes dressed as an angel of light. And this is very clearly what is happening. They have taken an atheistic work and dressed it up as something good for kids." Noting Forbes' former scandalous positive review of Brokeback Mountain, Fr. Euteneuer said, "The fact (the USCCB) didn't fire him at that time is what leads to this kind of thing. When you don't rebuke irresponsibility in using an office to spread errors then it leads to more irresponsibility." In a rare move, the US Catholic League last week publicly slammed the USCCB Golden Compass review in exclusive comments to LifeSiteNews.com (see: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/nov/07113001.html) Vere told LifeSiteNews.com that as a canon lawyer he has concerns about the USCCB's positive review of The Golden Compass. "I recognize that the faithful turn to their bishops for guidance on issues affecting Catholic faith and morals. By giving The Golden Compass a positive review, it could appear to most Catholics that the U.S. bishops see nothing to be concerned about in Pullman's work," he said. This certainly is not the case, which is why Sandra Miesel and I have documented several of our concerns in Pied Piper of Atheism (AtheismForChildren.com). Ignatius Press is set to release this short book before Christmas. The book chronicles a number of ways in which Pullman's work, which is being marketed to children and young people, attacks the Church, undermines faith in God and promotes atheism. How else does one describe a book in which two twelve-year-olds set out to overthrow God before re-enacting the fall of Adam as a good thing? "As Catholic faithful we must alert our bishop and other good bishops as to what Forbes and Mulderig have written in name of the USCCB," says Vere in an upcoming column for The Wanderer. "Be respectful, but state our concerns bluntly, ask these bishops to investigate what happened, and why it happened. Demand that the bishops take appropriate corrective action. Demand that future movies are reviewed within the context of the good of souls - which in our canonical and theological tradition is the supreme law - and not merely on their artistic merit." Vere suggests that this "should be clearly explained to Forbes, Mulderig, and other USCCB movie reviewers" and "If they choose not to abide by it, then the bishops have a moral duty to provide the faithful with reviewers who will." The USCCB review is already causing damage by enticing Catholic audiences to see the movie. Fiction writer and popular blogger Amy Welbourn reports that the ad agency for New Line Cinema which has released the film, is using the Forbes' review to promote the film via full-page ads in diocesan newspapers. One key line in the ad agency's pitch to diocesan newspaper editors: "We've spoken extensively about this film with Harry Forbes, Director of the USCCB's Office of Film and Broadcasting." To respectfully contact individual US Bishops: http://www.usccb.org/bishops.shtml The book 'Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children's Fantasy' by Pete Vere and Sandra Miesel is available here: http://www.AtheismForChildren.com

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