Congress Acts to Save Mount Soledad Cross

NORTH COUNTY TIMES, Nov. 21 — Congress has declared that the Mount Soledad cross in San Diego will be part of the national park system, according to the North County Times of Escondido, Calif. Referring to a story in the San Diego Union Tribune, the article said the designation neutralizes the argument of civil libertarians, such as atheist Philip Paulson who sued San Diego in 1989 seeking removal of the cross on grounds that its presence on city property violated separation of church and state provisions.

Paulsen was quoted in the story as saying, “Jihad Jesus Republicans need to understand that the separation of church and state has kept this country from getting into religious wars. If God was powerful, there would not be a need for the government to go in and force a religious agenda on non-believing citizens.”

President Bush must still approve and San Diego must donate the land, the North County Times said. San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy, who has supported efforts to save the cross, said, “I hope this will resolve the issue for good.”

Two Important Truths About ‘Roe’

NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE, Nov. 29 — A Nov. 19-21 poll sponsored by the Associated Press in which 59% of respondents said President Bush should nominate Supreme Court justices who support Roe v. Wade was misleading, according to a National Right to Life Committee press release.

“Today's AP story is another example of the news media using two forms of distortion to paint a greatly exaggerated picture of public support for the Supreme Court's abortion policy — first by minimizing the actual scope of the Roe v. Wade ruling, and second by distorting what it would mean to ‘overturn’ Roe,” the organization's legislative director, Douglas Johnson, said.

According to National Right to Life, poll respondents were told Roe v. Wade legalizes abortion in the first three months of pregnancy; in fact, it permits abortion for any reason until nearly six months. The poll also suggested that overturning Roe v. Wade would make abortions illegal. According to National Right to Life, it would remove federal constitutional protection for a woman's right to abort and give each state the authority to establish abortion policies.

Saving St. Gelasius

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Dec. 4 — At a time when many Catholic churches are closing, St. Gelasius in Chicago is opening back up.

The 81-year-old neo-Renaissance building was saved from the wrecking ball by Latin Mass devotees after being closed in 2002 because of a lack of parishioners.

When St. Gelasius is restored, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, headquartered in Italy, will use it to celebrate the Tridentine Mass, which is spoken in Latin,” reported the Associated Press. The services will be a stark contrast to the guitar music, drumming and sacred dance many churches use to reach out to their communities.”

“I believe it gives people a sense of the mystery of God,” Msgr. Michael Schmitz is quoted saying. “They try to pray, and the Latin and chants and the beautiful music and the vestments — all the details of the Latin mass gives them the feeling that God is greater than our human heart can think of.”