Defend Marriage

The pope has released a statement that tribunals should work quickly but should also defend marriage. The work of the Roman Rota is dominated by marital issues, so the pope seems to be walking a line between decreasing the backlog of cases, the vast majority being marital, and defending marriage. He released this statement as he met with the official of the Vatican tribunal in a private audience, at the start of the judicial year. The Pope asked that they adhereo adhere carefully to the terms of Dignitatis Connubii, the Vatican document released in 2005 to guide the work of marriage tribunals.

The pope also cautioned against the the tendency to be less rigorous in the search for the truth. This may seem mor pastorial, but does a disservice to the faithful

But the Pope flatly rejected the idea that the canonical process involved in annulment is merely a matter of "legal formalities." That idea, he said, implies "a supposed conflict between law and pastoral care in general." To counter that notion, Pope Benedict reminded the officials of the Roman Rota that the purpose of Church tribunals is to arrive at a "declaration of truth by an impartial third party."

Marriage, the Holy Father continued, is an indissoluble contract, "not something of which the spouses can dispose at will." Thus when a couple brings a petition for annulment, the goal of the tribunal must be to determine whether or not, in fact, a valid marriage occurred.

In assessing each case, the Pope continued, the tribunal should be guided by the search for truth. He cautioned strongly against any tendency to compromise the rigor of that search, in a misguided effort to find serve the needs of individuals. "Such attitudes may seem pastoral," the Pope admitted; "but in reality they do not respond to the good of the individuals, or that of the ecclesial community."

I think the pope is pushing in the correct direction. What awaits to be seen is whether or not the Roman Rota and catholics at large will grasp the importance of this. In our society today, with attacks coming from all sides (atheism to muslim funalmentalism),the only way that good can win out is if we catholics get our own house in order. I think that the pope sees this. I only hope that he is not too late.

Pope coming to the US!

Catholic Exchange is reporting a story carried at Life Site News on a possible U.S. visit by Pope Benedict.

Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore has announced that Pope Benedict XVI will likely visit the US next year. In an announcement on radio, the cardinal said that he made inquiries while in Rome two weeks ago and was informed that the Pope, "is planning to come to the US next year, and that the visit to Baltimore was part of the program that he looked forward to participating in."

Vatican experts have suggested that the likely date for the visit will be October which would coincide with the General Assembly of the UN in New York. Rocco Palmo, the celebrated Vatican expert for the UK's Catholic paper, The Tablet, suggests that the Pope will address the General Assembly as have his predecessors.

Others, however, have suggested that the Papal visit may come as early as May, 2007. Catholic World News speculates that the Pope has told several prelates that he plans to attend a meeting of the Latin American bishops' conference (CELAM) in Aparecida, Brazil, in May 2007 and that he may add to his trip other Western nations.

This is good news, though the way that the USCCB has conducted itself in this country, I don't know that everyone shares that sentiment.

Ecuminical Dialogue

The Armenian Apostolic church is hosting a meeting between the Oriental Orthodox churches and the Latin and Eastern rite Catholic churches. The Oriental Churches split with the Holy See in the 5th Century ad over Christ's divine and human natures (hypostatic union). The oriental churches felt that the church in Rome was advocating a form of Nestorianism. This belief has since disapeared and the seeds for a possible reunion of the two churches is close.

The confusions and schisms that occurred between their Churches in the later centuries, they realize today, in no way affect or touch the substance of their faith, since these arose only because of differences in terminology and culture and in the various formulae adopted by different theological schools to express the same matter. Accordingly, we find today no real basis for the sad divisions and schisms that subsequently arose between us concerning the doctrine of Incarnation. In words and life we confess the true doctrine concerning Christ our Lord, notwithstanding the differences in interpretation of such a doctrine which arose at the time of the Council of Chalcedon.

From the common declaration of Pope John Paul II and HH Mar Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, June 23, 1984

This is a very positive statement. God willing a family reunion of sorts will be in the offing.

God bless. :)

A Catholic University (again)

Providence College has discovered that it is a Catholic University and banned the vulgar play, the "Vagina Monologues". This is good news in this day of ever increasing secularization of our Catholic schools and univerisities. The Lexington Herald Leader reported

The president of Providence College, which is run by the Roman Catholic Dominican religious order, has banned a campus performance of The Vagina Monologues -- a play about female sexuality and violence, saying the work contradicts church teaching.

...The new school president at Providence, the Rev. Brian Shanley, wrote in a Jan. 18 letter to students that he particularly objected to one tale that uses religious language to describe a sexual encounter between a woman and a teenage girl.

While the teen narrator describes the episode as "a kind of heaven," Shanley said it's "abusive, exploitative and morally wrong." The church teaches that homosexuality is "intrinsically disordered."

This is very good news indeed.

Unholy Alliance

Roman Catholic blog has a post that talks about an unspoken agreement that the vatican had concerning Humanae Vitae and those theologins who dissented from vatican teaching. He quotes George Weigel

Recall that the Truce of 1968 was put in place when Patrick Cardinal O’Boyle, then archbishop of Washington, D.C., attempted to discipline those who had openly rejected the teaching of the encyclical, only to have the rug pulled out from under him by higher authority in Rome.

Weigel writes that “everyone involved understood that Pope Paul VI wanted the ‘Washington Case’ settled without a public retraction from the dissidents, because the pope feared that insisting on such a retraction would lead to schism—a formal split in the Church in Washington, and perhaps beyond. The pope, evidently, was willing for a time to tolerate dissent on an issue on which he had made a solemn, authoritative statement, hoping that the day would come when, in a calmer cultural and ecclesiastical atmosphere, the truth of that teaching could be appreciated. The mechanism agreed upon to buy time for that to happen was the ‘Truce of 1968.’” We are still, according to Weigel, living with the consequences of that decision:

So what we are left with is a church in the U.S. and Europe poorly educated and confused on
A) obedience to the Holy See and
B) the value of human life.

The reasoning behind this is that Pope Paul VI was afraid that this would cause a split in the church, and felt that eventually the atmosphere would calm down and the truth could be brought forth. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. The atmosphere has been poisoned with whole dioceses in rebellion, (the USCCB's reluctance to speak forcibly or deal with politicians who call themselves catholic but promote abortion, or euthanasia) to the vatican.

Now the vatican is present at another cross road. Should another agreement be made concerning homosexual priets, knowing how the first "agreement" came out? Roman Catholic blog has posted ,"A Failure to Discipline" a link to an article in First Things that states that there is a possiblity that another such agreement concerning homosexuals in the priesthood could be taking place as a Jesuit priest comes out of the closet and chides the vatican document released on homosexuals in the priesthood.

Father John Coleman, S.J., is acclaimed by some as one of the leading intellectual lights among contemporary Jesuits. He teaches at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and is a frequent contributor to America and Theological Studies, a Jesuit quarterly. He recently addressed the annual meeting of the National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries. “I am, simultaneously, a gay man, a professional sociologist, and an ordained priest of the Roman Catholic Church,” he said. “Not surprisingly, these different, even conflicting, roles and their expectations sometimes cause me to experience intense cognitive dissonance.”

The dissonance, he said, results from “the universal love and outreach of Jesus to all, even sinners, versus a sense that homosexuality, if practiced, is against the teaching of Christianity.” When people succeed in integrating their identities, Fr. Coleman said, it “will lead to something new, and for some, an oxymoron: a GLBT practicing Christian and practicing homosexual.” That gives rise to the questions, he said, “Can you ordain them? Can you have holy union ceremonies?” The Jesuit policy, he said, is not don’t ask, don’t tell, but, rather, do ask and do tell. “You’re not going to have integrated, mature sexuality unless you process it—and therefore yes, ask; yes, tell; yes, process.”

So the question becomes, will the vatican enforce what it has proclaimed or allow another "Agreement" to take hold. I remember when the holy father first was elected, that someone quoted him as saying that the church may need to shrink before it can re-evangelize. If true (I don't remember the source), then such an "agreement" would be out of the question.

Is there hope? Lamentations 3: 22 - 26 reads

21
But I will call this to mind, as my reason to have hope:
22
The favors of the LORD are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent;
23
They are renewed each morning, so great is his faithfulness.
24
My portion is the LORD, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
25
Good is the LORD to one who waits for him, to the soul that seeks him;
26
It is good to hope in silence for the saving help of the LORD.

God bless. :)

Pharmasist Phired.

World Net Daily is reporting that Walgreens has put 4 pharmacist on unpaid leave for refusing to dispense the "Plan B Morning After Pill". Walgreens position is that in states where there is a right to conscience, the pharmacist can refuse to dispense the "Plan B Morning After Pill" (such as Missouri). In Illinois where these pharmacist live, the state has taken a more stringent approach.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich filed an emergency rule April 1 requiring pharmacies to honor all Food and Drug Administration-approved contraception prescriptions. The rule is the only one of its kind in the U.S. and became permanent on Aug. 1.

"If a woman has a prescription for contraceptives, they ought to be filling that," Blagojevich told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, adding that the pharmacists' suspensions were unfortunate but not as important as protecting women's rights.

"[Pharmacists] certainly have the right to their personal opinions, but that cannot get in the way of a woman's right to get the care that her doctor has prescribed for her," Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said. "If it is approved by the FDA and approved by a doctor, it is not a pharmacist's place to deny access."

Ottenhoff noted the law does provide an exception – pharmacies can either sell the Plan B pill along with any other contraceptives they offer or they can refuse to sell any contraceptives at all.

Illinois is the only state in the union that requires a pharmacy to carry either all approved contraceptives or none at all as well as to disallow a pharmacist the right to refuse for reasons of conscience. So a pharmacy, that feels one contraceptive drug is dangerous and doesn't want to risk the health of there customers, is required to either dispense the drug, or stop carrying all contraceptives.

This again goes to a point that I have made before. That some people, in there drive to push an agenda, (in this case abortion) make bad laws and policies which have unintended consequences.
Please offer up your prayers for these pharmacists and that the local diocese, which is starting a boycott of Walgreens pharmacies until these 4 individuals are rehired, is successful.

Marylands Gay Marriage Ban II

Catholic Online is carrying a story that Maryland Bishops have come out against the striking down of the ban on gay marriage in Maryland.

Maryland's Catholic bishops are supporting a bill introduced in the House of Delegates that would amend the state constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman.

...Richard J. Dowling, executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, was disturbed by the judge's ruling and pledged to work to see it overturned.

"It is regrettable in the extreme that the judge could not discern in the history of the human race or in contemporary society a compelling state interest in limiting marriage in its full context to a man and a woman," said Dowling, who represents Maryland's bishops in Annapolis, the state capital.

"We certainly hope Maryland's highest court, the Court of Appeals, will see the matter differently," he said.

I'm happy that the Maryland bishops headed I'm sure by Cardinal William Keeler, are getting in front on this issue. I'm pleased to see that the bishops are taking a stand on this, though I'm afraid that I have not seen one story covering this in the local media.

It is extremely important for the bishops to stay out in front on this issue. This ban if it stays in effect will snowball into many differing areas of law that will be almost impossible to stop. Everything from poligamy to beastiality to pedophilia could be opened up. The need could not be more urgent.

Is there hope? My hope is in the Lord.

DEUS CARITAS EST

The popes first encyclical has been greatly anticipated for several months as many (including myself) hope to gleen an incite into what the Papacy of Pope Benedict will hold for the world. This is how Pope Benedict's first encyclical Link DEUS CARITAS EST (God is Love) starts.

“God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn 4:16). These words from the First Letter of John express with remarkable clarity the heart of the Christian faith: the Christian image of God and the resulting image of mankind and its destiny. In the same verse, Saint John also offers a kind of summary of the Christian life: “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us”

Much of the encyclical involves going over how eros and agape are gifts from God and are actually a reflection of His love for us. There is much misunderstanding in the world today over what love actually is. The pope explains that the misunderstanding concerns the relationship between eros (romantic love) and agape (charity) love. This is due to the worlds divorcing of eros from agape love which is devinely interconnected and is never meant to be seperated. It is only through this balance that we discover God's love for us.

The Pope continues

"The key to regaining this balance, he said, lies in a personal relationship with God and an understanding of the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. He said Christ gives the ultimate lesson in "love of neighbor," which means: "I love even the person whom I do not like or even know."

This is a back to basics message. The message that every catholic should have learned in first grade. The fact that the pope feels the need to preach this gives pause to how bad the state of catholicism is in the world in general and Europe in particular.

The U.S. Church in Decline?

I read an article posted over at Roman Catholic Blog that talks about the rise in importance of the U.S. Catholic Church from the ground up in american society.

Somewhere in the last 50 years, however, the mainline Protestant churches went into catastrophic decline. The reasons are complex, but the result is clear. By the 1970s, a hole had opened at the center of American public life, and into that vacuum were pulled two groups that had always before stood on the outside, looking in: Catholics and evangelicals.

Their meeting produced one of the least likely alliances in the nation's history, and it can be parsed in dozens of different ways. "Evangelicals supply the political energy, Catholics the intellectual heft," the New Republic claimed this month as it attempted to explain the Catholic ascendancy on the Supreme Court. That explanation is, as Christianity Today replied, mostly just a condescending update of the Washington Post's old insistence that evangelicals are "poor, uneducated, and easy to command." But the New Republic was at least right that the rhetorical resources of Catholicism--its ability to take a moral impulse born from religion and channel it into a more general public vocabulary and philosophical analysis--have come to dominate conservative discussions of everything from natural-law accounts of abortion to just-war theory.

I think the article sums up in general what I am noticing today in the U.S. The bishops would like the church to become more like the anglican or lutheran mainline churches, while the lay catholic in the pews are more akin to the evangelicals they find preaching on tv and in the corner churches.

What I think is happening in America and the world today, is that the promise to Peter by Christ in Matthew 16 is being born out. "that the fires of hell shall not prevail against you".

When Terri Schaivo was fighting for her life, The catholic church was the loudest and most consistant voice in her defense. Granted the voices were not from the USCCB, but from the lay persons, parish priests and if I remember correctly, even the pope issued a statement on this as well. The church consistantly takes the lead in opposing abortion and euthanasia as well. Look at the video on any tv on the march for life in D.C. from Monday. Most of the religious were catholic and I'd venture that most of the teens present were also catholic school students.

I'd venture that a pruning of the church is taking place and that the church will be stronger for it.

Men and Abortion

Over at Mark Shea's blog there is a debate on whether men are responsible for abortion.

"If you knew nothing of human biology, you could listen to
most debates about abortion and never realize that men are involved in any
way. We talk about the woman's body, the woman's right to choose: but what
about the father? Women almost never choose abortion when the father wants
their child, and wants to help out. Yet we hardly ever speak of the absent
or unsupportive father when we talk about abortion. All too often, women
demand the 'right to choose' because of men who will not take responsibility
for their choices."

I think that men and woman are equally culpable in an abortion. It takes two to tango, so the woman wouldn't get pregnant if both parties had not decided on this course of intercourse.

What I think society today is dealing with is that in prior generations, woman were the gate keepers of morality. They were the ones that kept men from acting out, the keepers of civilization and they were charged with the bearing and raising of the children. With abortion, this sacred role was abandoned, and women now bear the brunt of the blame irregardless of the fact that a man was also involved and in many (most/some) cases equally responsible.

Many men do pressure woman into abortions and many woman will treat abortion as birth control. Both sexes share equally in the blame. What has been missing from the debate is the responsibility that men also bear. I don't think that abortion will ever be stopped until both sides of the equation are solved.

Priesthood and being Gay

There seems to be a considerable amount of opposition in the priesthood towards the Vaticans document on homosexuality and the priesthood. The formal name is (Instruction Concerning the Criteria of Vocational Discernment Regarding Persons With Homosexual Tendencies in View of Their Admission to Seminaries and Holy Orders). The arguement emanating from certian priests and religious is that good priest who are gay and celibate, would be drummed out of the priesthood. Father Drew Christiansen in an article for The Catholic Weekly Magazine wrote and was carried by Catholic Online

It would be tragic, however, if this attempt by the Vatican to confront the sexual abuse crisis were the occasion for division within the church or prompted any increase in prejudice against gays and lesbians. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, homosexual men and women are to be treated with “respect, compassion and sensitivity” (No. 2357). In Pauline theology, the church, as a body, is made up of many different members. Among them are some with a homosexual orientation. In the past, many of these men and women have served faithfully and with distinction in religious orders. And many gay men have served as celibate priests—in parishes, schools and retreat houses across the world.

Anything that seeks to remove gay men and women from the place that is theirs within the body of Christ by virtue of their baptism or to deny their contributions to the church should, of course, be rejected. So should anything that conflates homosexuality with pedophilia or ephebophilia. The connection between them is unsupported by any credible empirical evidence, and the scapegoating and vilification of gay priests is against Christian charity.

This is a shocker, though maybe I should not have been. There are credible studies that show that per person, homosexual (gay) men molest more children than heterosexual men. In fact the odds are amazingly one sided. as quoted in this World Net Daily article

Baldwin's research is substantiated in a recently completed body of work written by Dr. Judith Reisman, president of the Institute for Media Education and author of numerous authoritative books debunking sexual myths, including "Kinsey, Crimes & Consequences."

In her thesis – also written for the Regent University Law Review – Reisman cited psychologist Eugene Abel, whose research found that homosexuals "sexually molest young boys with an incidence that is occurring from five times greater than the molestation of girls. …"

Abel also found that non-incarcerated "child molesters admitted from 23.4 to 281.7 acts per offender … whose targets were males."

"The rate of homosexual versus heterosexual child sexual abuse is staggering," said Reisman, who was the principal investigator for an $800,000 Justice Department grant studying child pornography and violence. "Abel’s data of 150.2 boys abused per male homosexual offender finds no equal (yet) in heterosexual violations of 19.8 girls."

That is amazing, and the least that you can say is that there is nothing settled on this issue and that more research needs to be done.

This does not mean that we rush to judgement or that we treat someone who is gay or homosexual as inferior or with less than christian charity. It does mean that we need to preach the gospel ever more boldly.

Is there hope? My hope rests in Christ!

Maryland & Gay Marriage

The fight for marriage has turned up in the backwaters of the Peoples Republic of Maryland. Two woman filed suite in July and judge Murdock ruled on January 20th, 2006 and in one fell swoop has over turned a 1973 law that defined marriage as between a man and a woman. NPR has reported

Same-sex couples who want to marry have won a victory in the state of Maryland. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Brooke Murdock has ruled that a 1973 statute that defines marriage as between a man and a woman violates the state constitution. Murdock stayed the opinion until a higher court has affirmed the decision, so same-sex couples cannot get marriage licenses yet. The state attorney general is appealing the decision to an intermediate court.

Maryland is one of seven states where the definition of marriage is in play. And even though gay rights advocates won big in Massachusetts in 2003, and have won in a few state trial courts, gay rights advocates are finding the road to more wins more tortuous than they had anticipated.

What is really a wake up call for Catholic education in the U.S. (and a future post I'm sure) is the state of the Catholic schools in the U.S. I don't think most catholics have any idea just how bad these schools are. The lead plaintiffs actually met at a small catholic college. And further more, both woman were artificially insemenated to allow them to become pregnant.
So much for an education in values NPR also reported"

The lead plaintiffs in the Maryland case, Lisa Polyak and Gitanjali Deane, met at a small Catholic college 27 years ago and have been together for the past 25 years. They kept their relationship secret, until Polyak bore their first child through artificial insemination. Three years later, Deane did the same.

It seems that the Catholic church, and we catholics as a whole have let down society by our failure to preach the gospel loudly and proudly. We failed our faith by allowing our catholic schools to move away from being catholic and becoming more secular. And we have failed these two woman in that we did not preach the good news, nor provide an environmnet that would allow them to confront there issues with homosexuality. And as a result, the institution of marriage is under attack. True, no judge can redefine what God has created. If a judge rules that Adam and Steve can be married, in God's eyes, and by God's definition they are not married no matter how loudly they protest to the contrary.

These people and society as a whole need us to unabashedly preach the good news. Is there hope? All hope is in Christ.

Daily Gospel

Mark 3: 22 - 30

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.” Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

USCCB Gets it Right

I was, and still am critical of the United States Council of Catholic Bishops on how they have handled the sex abuse scandel, among other issues, but I believe that when they get it right I should be just as vocal with my praise. Well they got it right on the issue of assisted suicide.

When the supreme court ruled 6 to 3 that the Attorney General overstepped his bounds in prosecuting doctors who prescribed lethal drugs under Oregans "Death with Dignity Act", The USCCB wasted no time in its reaction.

The Catholic News Service reported...

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Right to Life Committee and the Family Research Council were among opponents of assisted suicide who called on members of Congress to revise the Controlled Substances Act to prohibit the use of regulated drugs in state-sanctioned assisted suicide.

"In no sense can assisting a suicide be called a 'legitimate medical purpose' for any drug," said a statement from Richard Doerflinger, deputy director of the USCCB's Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities. "Congress now has an obligation to reaffirm that fact."

Now as Catholics we can agree that assisted suicide is always wrong and it seems that the USCCB stands firmly on the correct side of the issue. Not only did they speak out, but the message was vocal and strongly worded.

The Lord is wonderful.

USCCB wants to Wait

I don't know about you, but I'm having a problem trying to understand the USCCB (United States Council of Catholic Bishops). In looking over the past two years or so, what has eminated from there office has been chilling. Now, don't get me wrong, this is not a blanket statement on all bishops in the U.S. Many bishops serve Christ most faithfully in union with the See of Rome. I'm talking about what eventually propogates out of the whole body of the USCCB. In looking over some utterings, I am beginning to notice a theme developing.

Firstly, on the way the whole pedophile/pederast controversy was handled. Individual diocese took to shuffling priests around from parish to parish. When this came to a head and the USCCB could no longer ignore it, they hemmed and hawed over what to do only to have the Vatican send it back to be rewritten.

The Vatican said that the punishment for priests was too severe. I do not nessisarily agree, but it demonstrates how the USCCB, having let a situation fester, over reacted only to be slapped down by the Vatican. In all, the issue was only partially settled as the issue of homosexuality was never addressed.

Secondly, movie reviews, in this case a compare and contrast. The review of the "Passion of the Christ" was given a muted, cautious, if not a back handed endorsement. The bishops cited the violence in the movie as the reason for the negative review. Then the movie "Broke Back Mountian". This movie was more warmlingly endorsed on whole than the passion.

Thirdly, the news this week that the U.S. bishops wanted the Vatican to stall the release of the statement on homosexuality in the priesthood. Now many had wondered why this has taken so long, and to the Vatican's credit, they refused the request by the U.S. bishops to stall the release. The U.S. bishops reasoning went along the lines of... we wanted the review of the seminaries to quiet down, to avoid the appearance of a witch hunt on homosexuals.

What!?!?!

It seems to me that the USCCB is more concerned with other issues than staying faithful to the magistarium and the See of Rome. Its times like this that I remember Matthew 16: "...and the fires of hell shall not prevail against you"

Is there hope? Our hope rests in Christ.

God bless.

Prayer for the Day Psalm 80 verse 4 " Let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved".

Alot has been written about demographics and the West, imparticular on the decline of western birthrates. Many reasons have been given as to why this is occurring but I think that most of them miss the mark. For instance, Mark Steyn in an article in Opinion Journal that quite accurately accesses the gravity of the situation, but even he misses the mark. The decline of birth rates can be mapped along with the fall of devotion to Christian, and in our case Catholic devotion. Church attendance rates have dropped in every major western country. This has lead to what I call the Two Headed Beast.

What is this beast? Quite simply it is the twin sins of abortion and contraception. At the start of the last century, every major christian faith held that abortion and contraception was evil. Now only the Catholic faith still adheres and holds to that. Look at what this beast has done. Replacement birthrate per woman is considered 2.1 children. just look at this cross section of western birthrates.

United States 2.07
Ireland 1.87
Canada 1.5
Germany 1.3
Austria 1.3
Russia 1.2
Italy 1.2
Spain 1.1

As you can see this is halfing of population in most of Europe and the U.S. is barely keepin even. The U.S. is a unique picure though. The so called blue states, (by definition those states that tend to be politically liberal, and thus the least devout) have the lowest birth rates, while the red states have the highest.

So what is the solution? Generally, I believe a reevangelization of Europe and the U.S. is needed badly. I think in Europe, this will genereally be more difficult, though not impossible. In fact Pope Bennedict XVI chose his name to call emphasis to the first time that this happened in Europe. Rome was flooded with non christian germanic tribes and the pagenism that associated with it. Saint Benedict set out to evangelize Europe and eventually this was done.

So, is there hope? All hope rests in Christ.