Catholics and Condoms

I am posting the following news article because my readers have previously expressed concern over the Catholic prohibition of the use of condoms for any reason.

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Vatican draft document would approve condoms for married couples with AIDS
Traditional ban on birth control still stands

By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome

A forthcoming Vatican document is set to state that use of condoms by a married couple, where one partner is infected with HIV/AIDS and the other is not, can be acceptable to prevent the transmission of the disease.

Sources say the document will insist that this position does not mark a break with the church's traditional ban on birth control, expressed in Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae. What would be approved is not contraception, they say, but disease prevention.
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To view John Allen's complete article, which contains several important insights, go to:
National Catholic Reporter
http://nationalcatholicreporter.org/update/bn042506.htm

Baptismal Covenant Book

Shameless plug. My ex-wife, Dr. Nancy McLaughlin, has just had her doctoral thesis published as a book. When I first read her thesis I was totally impressed by her work.

Do You Believe? Living the Baptismal Covenant

Below is the information printed on the back cover of the book.

Book Description
The baptismal covenant, empowering all the baptized to minister in the name of Christ, is at the heart of our lives as Christians. But how well do parishes articulate the importance of this call for all their members? What kind of job do parishes do of integrating the covenant into the life and work of the congregation?

In Do You Believe?, author Nancy Ann McLaughlin takes a look at some forty Episcopal parishes around the country to see just what an active, intentional, energized awareness of baptismal ministry looks like. Examining each of the elements of the covenant — from believing in God to continuing the preaching of the apostles — the book offers practical advice for turning words into concrete actions.

This is an excellent book for parish study and reflection, offering ways that individuals and congregations can envision the church — and their own lives — as a dynamic relationship with God.

About the Author
Nancy Ann McLaughlin is a Christian in the Episcopal Denomination and has two sons. She has performed various (but not necessarily church-related) ministries in her fifty years, most recently adjunct professor of New Testament Theology and History and consultant to a young church plant. She has earned both Master of Arts in Theology and Master of Divinity degrees from St. John's Provincial Seminary, as well as Doctor of Ministry in Congregational Development from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary.

ISBN: 0-8192-2192-9

The Amazon entry for the book is at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0819221929/gwservice

List Price: $14.95 Amazon Price: $9.72

History of the Catholic Church in America

The history of the Catholic Church in the United States has had many ups and downs. The history of the Catholic Church in the Unites States has many ramifications for the Church through out the world.

I came across a very well written article that recounts the history of the Catholic Church in America (United States). It is a rather long article but I encourage you to read all of the way through it. (Those of you who consider yourselves "Cafeteria Catholics" will find some helpful explanations in this article.) After reading the article please return here and post your comments.


History of the Catholic Church in America by Anthony Padovano:

http://ecumenical-catholic-communion.org/html/am_catholic.html
(Link revised June 14, 2006)

The article describes three phases of the Catholic Church in America. Think about this: how about a new phase that begins now? An author has just written a book where that is exactly what he proposes. It will require action from the people of the Church. I haven't finished reading the book yet so I can't explain it all yet. But a few weeks ago several of us had dinner with that author and he sure made a good case for a new phase. I will provide information on that book and its author soon.

A more recent article by Padovano provides some interesting observations:

Report from Rome by Anthony Padovano:
http://undercover.corpus.org/page.cfm?Web_ID=553

Highway Patrol

Have you seen the new Arizona DPS (Department of Public Safety) Highway Patrol vehicle?

The speeders have been so fast lately that a faster chase vehicle was needed to catch up to them. (DPS is Arizona's equivalent of state police.)

Pilots, remember, below 10,000 ft. the speed limit is 250 knots or you may see this DPS guy saying "Pull over to the side of the airway."



This and other DPS pictures can be seen at http://www.dps.state.az.us

OK, I am sure the picture is just for fun. Jet pilots usually wear helmets. Notice the flashing red light sitting on top of the instrument panel. Also, the DPS pilots get into enough trouble just trying to fly their King Air - - they get blamed for wasting money.

Enjoy (I did not have anything else ready to post.)