In Honor of St. Mary Magdalen's Feast Day

Time takes a leap back to the Middle Ages in Vezelay, where the Basilica of Ste.-Madeleine has attracted multitudes of pilgrims for centuries.

The Basilique Ste-Madeleine in Vézelay is the largest Romanesque church in France and only 10 yards shorter than the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. As it claimed to guard the relics of St. Mary Magdalen, Vézelay was a major medieval pilgrimage destination. It also saw the launch of the Second and Third Crusades.

Pictures galore there. Have fun!

US House Snubs Cardinal on Diocese's Bicentennial

... is this petty or what?

WASHINGTON - Congress is trying to "excommunicate" Edward Cardinal Egan by refusing to pass a routine resolution honoring the New York Archdiocese simply because it mentions the archbishop's name, The Post has learned.

In a stunning personal slap at the leader of 2.5 million Catholics in New York, a powerful Democrat-controlled House committee has demanded that Egan's name be stricken from the commemoration of the archdiocese's 200th anniversary.

Egan Applauds Satellite Radio Merger

That's one thing I didn't care for about XM: They were in your car, but you couldn't listen to any Catholic stuff. Why bother?

"The Catholic Channel and SIRIUS Satellite Radio present a unique opportunity for the Church to speak with people - Catholic and non-Catholic alike. I would urge all those who are considering the merger between SIRIUS and XM to see to it that this dialogue of faith can continue."

Mexican Exorcist: Harry Potter Has Negative Affect on Kids

Just linking, no comment ..

MEXICO CITY: The leading exorcist of Mexico's main archdiocese said the popular Harry Potter book and film series could allow the devil to enter children's minds, and does "a lot of damage."

The Rev. Pedro Mendoza, a Roman Catholic priest and exorcist coordinator of the Archdiocese of Mexico City, made the comments at the end of a five-day exorcism conference in the capital.

"If you put all these ideas in a child's head, that he can become a wizard, the child believes that, and that is opening an avenue through which the devil can get in," Mendoza said Friday — the eve of the release of the series' final book.

Let a Catholic on the Throne?

The country’s most senior Roman Catholic has called for the repeal of 300-year-old laws barring members of his church from becoming monarch.

... snip ...

“Most people can’t understand why a member of the royal family can marry a Sikh, Hindu or Jew but not a Roman Catholic,” said Murphy-O’Connor. “Most people would agree that it isn’t right.”

The editorial writer correctly points out that the monarch is the head of the Church of England, so what happens if a Catholic becomes the monarch? Sadly, probably nothing, unless the person was actually a strong Catholic. Otherwise the lukewarm Catholic would be a scandal for the Catholic Church.

But why isn't the editorial writer concerned if a Sikh, Hindu or Jew becomes monarch?

Pilgrims Killed in Crash

... coming from the Shrine at La Salette

Here is the website for La Salette in English.

Humanae Vitae -- Magna Carta for All Women

This was in L'Osservatore Romano in early August, 1968. But originally, it was in the The Times of London.

The history hasn't been written yet because we're still in "these days."