Remnant News Watch

Mark Alessio
REMNANT COLUMNIST, New York
 

More Bad News For The Holy City

A recent Remnant News Watch column reported on the upcoming World Pride Parade, a ten day event described as an “international gay festival,” which is scheduled to be held this summer in Jerusalem, despite protests by the city’s citizens and Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim religious leaders.

On March 31, 2005 the United Jewish Communities posted a press release announcing that “hundreds of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities in North America will travel to Israel this summer on the United Jewish Communities (UJC) Pride in Israel Mission, August 14 to 21, one of the first-ever missions of its kind and scope.” According to the UJC:

The mission, to be centered in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and with excursions throughout the country, will include programming with leading Israeli politicians and government officials, civil rights activists, students, soldiers, educators, and others in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Israel. The mission will give participants a full measure of the spectrum of LGBT life in the Jewish homeland, and a broader look at how the changing geo-political situation in the Middle East affects Israelis.

During the course of the mission, meetings and briefings will be conducted with Israeli Vice-Premier Ehud Olmert, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, Etai Pinkas, the first openly gay member of the Tel Aviv city council and Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav, among others. Joining the mission participants will be homosexual Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank and Rabbi Steven Greenberg, a senior teaching fellow at the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership (CLAL), who will serve as rabbi-in-residence during the mission. Greenberg, described as the “first openly gay Orthodox rabbi,” is a founder of the Jerusalem Open House, the city’s LGBT community center and organizers of the World Pride event.

The final portion of the mission will coincide with the beginning of the Jerusalem World Pride 2005 festival, and mission participants will take part in the opening session. “We will dance in Tel Aviv, shop in Haifa and spend Shabbat in Jerusalem,” said Rabbi Greenberg.

COMMENT: Who are the United Jewish Communities (UJC)? They describe themselves as a group which “represents 155 Jewish Federations and 400 independent communities across North America.” Through their UJA Federation Campaign, the UJC “provides life-saving and life-enhancing humanitarian assistance to those in need, and translates Jewish values into social action on behalf of millions of Jews in hundreds of communities in North America, in towns and villages throughout Israel, in the former Soviet Union, and 60 countries around the world.”

In an article entitled The Homosexual Mission to Israel, Samuel Silver, Chairman of Towards Tradition (which describes itself as a national movement of Jewish and Christian cooperation, fighting anti-religious bigotry and secular fundamentalism), begins:

If you are Jewish, in all likelihood you were recently solicited by your local Federation for a charitable contribution. Most Jews are aware that the Federations provide “life-saving and life-enhancing humanitarian assistance to those in need,” and are a major focus of Jewish philanthropy in local communities; but you might have missed the part about the Federation sponsoring a homosexual Mission to Israel this summer so that American homosexuals can join activists from around the world in a confrontational and controversial celebration and parade through the holy city of Jerusalem.

Mr. Silver goes on to note that “homosexual behavior has been considered immoral and a sin for Jews since the Torah was given, and even before that, a sin for all humans as part of the universal Noachide laws given to Adam and Noah,” and he goes on to ask the obvious and sensible question: “How can the UJC believe that a homosexual mission represents a positive Jewish value?” Mr. Silver isn’t merely “bashing” here. He points out that homosexuals must face the difficult challenge of struggling with their sexual urges, as do all human beings. But he adds, quite rightly, that homosexuals should not expect that “the rest of the world accept and celebrate the ‘gay’ lifestyle and homosexual behavior as correct and moral.”

So, the million-shekel question still remains: Where does a popular philanthropic group, one which collects huge sums of money for the alleged purpose of providing “life-saving and life-enhancing humanitarian assistance to those in need,” get off launching a homosexual “mission” – a “mission,” mind you, to the Holy City of Jerusalem? Mr. Silver answers his own question with an observation that is worth remembering:

It appears that the UJC leadership is taking an extremely partisan political position in one of the most divisive and contentious issues of the day with hope that no one would dare object for fear of being called a homophobe. The “gay rights” movement has been very successful in creating a poisonous atmosphere where any opponents of their political agenda are automatically labeled homophobes. These activists are primarily secular liberals whose value system of personal autonomy does not consider religious values to be relevant or in some cases even valid. As a result they mistakenly identify moral/religious judgments about homosexual behavior as homophobia.

In short, Biblical values should be relevant to the UJC, but they are not. And because of the “value system of personal autonomy,” by which such activists feel themselves justified in ignoring the history of Jerusalem, its religious traditions and the sentiments of its inhabitants, we are poised to see a summer of rancor and resentment in the Holy City. What a gift to the world, courtesy of the World Pride Parade and its supporters.

eBay “Doth Protest Too Much,” but Then Relents

In the last Remnant News Watch column, it was reported that a Host consecrated at a 1998 Papal Mass was sold on April 11, 2005 for $2000.00 on the popular eBay auction website. The seller, a non-Catholic, sold the Host as part of a “collectible” package which also contained a program in Italian, four stamps from the Vatican and a bottle-opener purchased in Rome, decorated with photos of Pope John Paul II and the Trevi Fountain.

The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) reported originally that the Host was purchased by Bill Osbourne, a Catholic salesman from Cupertino, California. According to TFP, Mr. Osbourne raced to bid on the Host for fear that It might fall into the hands of a witch or Satanist.

Then, Life Site News reported (April 18, 2005) that, according to the Diocese of Sioux City, “the much-publicized sale of what was purported to be a consecrated host on eBay has been withdrawn by the seller.” The report goes on to say that Monsignor Roger J. Augustine, administrator of the Diocese of Sioux City, met with the seller and was advised that the sale would not be consummated.  According to Msgr. Augustine, the seller deeply regretted the effort to sell the Eucharist and extended a personal apology to him, the Diocese and any others who had been offended by the eBay listing. "I am most grateful,” said the Monsignor, “that the seller agreed that it was in everyone's best interest to bring this issue to a positive conclusion."

Meanwhile, in the face of complaints from Catholics, eBay at first issued a form-letter defending the sale of the Host. The letter stated, in part:

Because eBay's community is a diverse, international group of more than 135 million users with varied backgrounds and beliefs, there are times when some items listed on eBay by sellers might be offensive to at least some of our users somewhere in the world.....Due to the fact that eBay's focus is to have a free and diverse community, we are reluctant to interfere with listings that are not illegal. Regarding offensive items, there are many items that are considered sacred to many people of various religions, and we sometimes hear complaints about these items. Examples would be Catholic relics of saints, Mormon (LDS) garments, certain Buddhist tablets, etc. However, eBay has made the decision not to prohibit any item only on the basis of the item being endowed with sacred properties by certain religious groups.

The letter closed with the following statements:

Please keep in mind that many of us at eBay may also share your distast [sic] with an item, and may not support the sale. In fact, eBay has many Catholic employees. However, we do our best to understand and tolerate the many viewpoints held by our worldwide community. The Eucharist is not illegal to sell, and is generally allowed on eBay as long as the seller does not otherwise include hateful text or images in the listing. Although we realize that you may not agree with this decision on eBay's part, we hope that you can respect the diverse and open nature of eBay's marketplace.

However, on May 3, 2005, Life Site News reported that eBay, after consulting with “Catholic members and representatives of other religions,” has finally “decided to include the Eucharist as one of its off-limits items.” A staffer, writing on behalf of Bill Cobb of eBay’s Community Watch Team, announced that, “We have concluded that sales of the Eucharist, and similar highly sacred items, are not appropriate on eBay. We have, therefore, broadened our policies and will remove those types of listings should they appear on the site in the future.” This change of heart occurred after several Catholic groups organized a boycott of eBay.

COMMENT: In their wisdom and beneficence, the eBay philosophers first peddled the idea that, what with life in this veil of tears and all that jazz, there will come times “when some items listed on eBay by sellers might be offensive to at least some of our users somewhere in the world.” Of course, the thing to do is suck it all up in the name of “diversity.”

But wait a minute! Apparently, there ARE times when even the wide open minds behind eBay are willing to concede that it is, indeed, time to step in and take definite action. A May 4, 2001 press release from the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai Brith begins, “The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today applauded the Internet auctioneer eBay for expanding its listing policy to prohibit the sale of Nazi memorabilia and other items that glorify hatred, violence or racial intolerance or promote hate groups.” On May 11, 2001, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) quoted Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center: "Because eBay charges for auction listings and gets a cut of successful sales, it is morally responsible for what is available on its massive site.”

If one examines eBay’s own guidelines, under the heading Prohibited & Restricted Items: Offensive Material, one will find the following:  

Fundamentally, though, eBay is a community, and members of a community must respect each other as human beings. Listings that promote hate, violence or racial intolerance (or organizations dedicated to such notions) have no place in a true community....eBay will not become a platform for those who promote hatred toward their fellow man.

Well, it sounds noble. They claim that they won’t be a part of any transaction that will either cause harm or show disrespect to other “human beings.” And, yet, anyone could have purchased that Host, to the sorrow of Catholics all over the world. Someone could have outbid the generous Mr. Osbourne, bought the Host and tossed It into a cesspool just for spite.

Hey, eBay, don’t tell us that a consecrated Host is on a par with Mormon garments and Buddhist tablets, and that if we protest the selling of Hosts, then we are de facto protesting the sale of all religious items! We don’t care if eBay sells old cassocks or posters of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The eBay brain trust may not believe in the Real Presence, but Catholics DO. If the brain trust truly believes that the “members of a community must respect each other as human beings,” then why did they treat Catholics like fools, thinking we will fall for their transparent blurring of the distinctions between what we believe is Jesus Christ present Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament, and something along the lines of a blessed medal or prayer book?

According to Life Site News, eBay was still defending its sale of consecrated Hosts as late as May 2nd. It makes you wonder. How can a cosmopolitan, international company hold that something is okay one day, and then think the same thing is wrong the next? Considering the barrage of complaints leveled against them by both laity and clergy, was it really necessary for the eBay brain-trust to consult “Catholic members and representatives of other religions” in order to admit the obvious?

Money talks. And it speaks with a voice like thunder. We can certainly thank eBay for finally doing the right thing, even if they did it kicking and screaming. It’s just too bad that it took concern over their pocketbook to make them see the light.

The Mother of God To Visit Alabama?

A group called the “Friends of Caritas” has issued the following invitation:

You are invited. Come and be in the presence of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary on a very special day. You are among the first of the first generation in the history of the world to be given such an opportunity available for our age.

Come to Alabama and be in the presence of the Queen of Heaven, August 1–5, 2005, when Our Lady appears to Marija Lunetti, visionary of Medjugorje. Of the five days, spend the first four in preparation for a special celebration to give your heart to Our Lady on Her birthday, August 5, 2005!

The Friends of Caritas (FOC) are dedicated to the Apparitions of Medjugorje and they believe that “We are the beginning people of the first generation, being led out of the desert of what is obviously a 40-year trek, which now is in its 23rd year of daily apparitions.”

According to the FOC, August 5th, not September 8th, is the true birthday of the Blessed Virgin. They claim that this date was revealed “some time before August 5, 1984,” and that they “know this date is important and that it is God’s Will for the future Church to recognize it as Our Lady’s true birth date, because Our Lady made it a point to tell the world the exact date.”

The FOC are promising five days of Marian apparitions, commencing August 1st and culminating on August 5th:

Each day will be centered around Our Lady’s daily apparitions to Marija, that all may receive Our Lady’s blessing and that you may give Her all the petitions in your heart. The August 1–4 apparitions can be four days of spiritual preparation for August 5th.

The apparitions on August 1–5 are the first, open to the public visit of Marija, the visionary of Medjugorje, that are during the summer at Caritas. Therefore, it’s the first time summer vacation with Our Lady can be planned, August 1–5.

Guidelines for the visit to Caritas are: no immodest dress, no cell phones, no video cameras, no cameras (except on August 2nd), no lounge chairs, no smoking, no gum chewing and no pets.

COMMENT: “Visionaries” that can’t get their stories straight and promote disobedience, and an apparition that preaches heresy and acts like something out of a 1970’s horror movie. That is the Medjugorje phenomenon in a nutshell. There’s no room to give examples here, but they are legion.

However, it is worth noting that the Medjugorje fans are attacking the traditional liturgical calendar – as if we needed more of that. Apparently, once again the Church has had it all wrong for all these centuries, this time regarding Our Lady’s birthday. Apparently, also, such mystics as Ven. Maria of Agreda, Ven. Anne Catherine Emmerich and Therese Neumann got it all wrong. So did a huge bunch of Popes, Saints, scholars and regular lay folk. Thus, in the early 1980’s, Our Lady decided it was time to tell us her “real” birthday.

The birthday of Our Blessed Mother. They can’t even leave this alone. It remains astounding that Medjugorje – the “anti-Fatima” –with its emphasis on charismaticism, religious pluralism and doctrinal neurosis, should continue to seduce so many people. And there’s simply no excuse for it. We KNOW our Mother’s voice. We have heard her speak in the Gospels, on Tepeyac Hill, at the Cova da Iria, at Massabielle and in other hallowed spots on this earth. We recognize her phrases, her tones and her cadences. And we know an imposter when we hear one. It is a rule of thumb: inconsistency in simple logic is often a sign of bad will. Look at the Friends of Caritas’ attempt to square the circle of the “two birthdays”:

The Catholic Church has designated September 8th as the day recognizing the birth of the Virgin Mary. By no means is that being usurped or encouraged to ignore. Rather, Our Lady Queen of Peace in Medjugorje has purposely and clearly made it known that the actual date is August 5th. Therefore, honor Her on August 5th and respect the Church and its authority on September 8th. Mary is worthy of two days. God will blend the two days at the right time. We must pray and wait...

Our good old friends Merriam-Webster define double-talk as “language that appears to be earnest and meaningful but in fact is a mixture of sense and nonsense.” One minute the FOC are telling us that the correct September 8th birthday for Mary is not “being usurped.” The next minute they’re telling us that it is “God’s will” that the Church recognize August 5th as the date. Such talk helps when you want to appear obedient while having your own way. In fact, it’s become the lingua franca of the modernists.

This August gathering in Alabama, if it should happen at all, will probably make the news as a curiosity (one can practically see already the blank faces of the CNN and Fox News bunch as they try to figure out what those kooky Catholics are up to now!). If it actually does come off, all Remnant readers should make an effort to say a special “Happy Birthday” to the Mother of God on SEPTEMBER 8th, her true birthday, as a small act of reparation.