Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Grandma Clinton Wins Archdiocese of Newark (UPDATE: Archdiocese Responds)
Written by  Michael Matt | Editor
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UPDATE: The Archdiocese of Newark contacted our office this morning to report that those parishes in New Jersey making this Voter Guide available to their parishioners are not authorized to do so. The Archdiocese asked for the names of the parishes responsible so that appropriate action can be taken to stop the initiative. We are delighted to comply with this request.

This development demonstrates the effectiveness of speaking out against scandal. I'm grateful to the Remnant reader in New Jersey who took the time to report this incident to us. We denounced it, which prompted the Newark Archdiocese to take action to stop it.

The end result?  The truth was served and, in future, parishes around the country may think twice before using this dangerous Voter Guide, widely available on the Internet. Please let us know if it pops up in your parish.

Here is the letter from the Vice Chancellor and Director of Communications Archdiocese of Newark:

Mr. Matt:

I am the Vice Chancellor and Director of Communications of the Archdiocese of Newark.     You reference in your recent post -- "Grandma Clinton Wins Archdiocese of Newark" -- a publication called "Revolution of Tenderness: A Pope Francis 2016 Election Voter Guide." Please tell me in which parishes this guide has appeared within the Archdiocese.

Let me be clear: the only election materials that are permitted to be distributed within the parishes and institutions of the Archdiocese of Newark are those prepared and promoted by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.   Any other materials are strictly prohibited.

The guide you reference is not authorized for distribution, nor is it approved or condoned by the Archdiocese.   Once you provide me with details, we will be able to take appropriate actions to see that they are no longer distributed here.

Thank you.

James G. Goodness, KHS
Vice Chancellor and Director of Communications Archdiocese of Newark

Many thanks to Mr. Goodness for taking prompt action against the very dangerous “A Revolution of Tenderness: A Pope Francis 2016 Election Voter Guide."  MJM


The following handout was forwarded to us by a good friend in New Jersey. It’s called “A Revolution of Tenderness: A Pope Francis 2016 Election Voter Guide,” and it was inserted into Sunday bulletins in the Newark Archdiocese this past weekend.

It’s actually a bullet-point version of “A Revolution of Tenderness: A Pope Francis 2016 Election Voter Guide,” which was put together by a coalition of national liberal Catholic organizations:

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good
Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach
Conference of Major Superiors of Men
Faith in Public Life: Catholic Program
Franciscan Action Network
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
Pax Christi USA
Pax Christi International
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas’ Extended Justice Team

After even a cursory glance at the Newark handout, it seems obvious which of the two viable presidential candidates the Catholic Church in Newark is supporting. But maybe it’s just me. So, what do you think:

1)    Which candidate is calling for massive enforcement of U.S. immigration law--something the Archdiocese of Newark sees as “categorically immoral” because it “separates families” and “furthers injustice”? We can’t “simply close our borders” says Newark’s Voter Guide, but must “open our communities to those who suffer.” Agree or disagree with this, it’s perfectly obvious which candidate falls short on this issue in the eyes of the Archdiocese of Newark. (HINT: It’s not Hillary Clinton)

2)    Which candidate is more concerned about protecting U.S. borders and bringing jobs back than he or she is about “climate change”? “Pope Francis reminds us,” says the Catholic Church in Newark, that “addressing climate change” is our responsibility before God. “The first words of the Bible tell us that God is the creator of heaven and earth. God’s first home for us was a garden, and God’s first vocation for us was to be gardeners who protect, care for, sustain and develop creation.”  Reaching UN-sponsored "sustainable development" goals doesn't place too terribly high on the list of priorities for Donald Trump, does it?

3)    Which candidate has campaigned on support for small businesses, less government and the entrepreneurial spirit that built America? And yet the Catholic Church in Newark assures its people that “Pope Francis says we must say ‘no’ to an economy of expulsion and inequality” while we stand for “a just minimum wage…protection of labor rights and strong and effective welfare programs.” Hillary scores again!

4)    Which candidate is calling for vigorous screening of Muslims attempting to enter this country? Which candidate is calling out Islamic extremism? And yet the Catholic Church in Newark says “we are particularly called to protect the persecuted Muslims in our midst.”

Persecuted Muslims? What about persecuted Christians? “There is no room in our society for anti-immigrant laws that seek to exclude any people based on their religious beliefs. Our democracy is strongest when we support diversity of thought and belief. We are also strong when everyone can live in communities, contributing to the common good.” Touch 'em all, Hillary!

And respect for human life? Yes, there are a few passing and impassive references, dutifully associated with hot-button liberal causes, of course. For example:

The inviolable dignity of each and every human person, especially those who are vulnerable, is the foundational political concern for Catholics. That dignity becomes meaningless unless human life is valued both in our laws and in our culture. Indeed, as Americans, we believe, as our Declaration of Independence states, that the very purpose of government is to promote “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Catholics stand four-square in opposition to any and all dishonor to human dignity and to life.

Today, human dignity and life is degraded by racism, violence, abortion, war, the death penalty, euthanasia, human trafficking, torture, environmental damage, and poverty. We believe that these issues are all related. In many situations, there are often nuances and root causes that need to be addressed. A person whom we persuade to respect the rights of immigrants is a person more likely to understand our concern for pregnant mothers and children. Those who share our commitment to supporting family life must be challenged to embrace programs that provide affordable healthcare to everyone.

The Archdiocese of Newark claims that their voter guide “isn’t an attempt to promote a partisan agenda”, but what else do you call a voter guide that champions the top talking points of one party's candidate while blatantly pitting itself against those of the other?

Does the Archdiocese of Newark think their own people are too stupid to see through this not-so-subtle support for the candidate on the Left?

And perhaps more to the point, when the Archdiocese of Newark brings God into this equation by admitting that “this guide is…an attempt to promote Jesus’s Gospel of love, justice and mercy in the public sphere”, is this not an indirect means of using the pulpit to directly tell religious people how to vote?

If the good people of Newark are to incur the wrath of God if they don’t follow the "Pope Francis 2016 Voter Guide”, could it not be argued that the Archdiocese of Newark is either being too clever by half, or is no longer interested in maintaining its tax exempt status?

Here are a few more samples from “A Revolution of Tenderness: A Pope Francis 2016 Election Voter Guide,” prefaced (in bold) by the liberal cause that we believe is being either directly or indirectly espoused:

1)    BLACK LIVES MATTER: “In this new place of mercy the last are first, the poor are blessed, and enemies are loved. Black lives matter here. LGBTQ lives matter here; and so too do the lives of refugees, the imprisoned, the unborn, and anyone else who suffers dehumanization, exclusion, and injustice.”

2)    PUNISH THE RICH: “It is appalling that social programs which help the poor are being cut while the super-rich are not asked to contribute their fair share of tax revenue.”

3)    GUN CONTROL: “We hope the U.S. will pay closer attention to the socio-economic needs of our neighbors in Latin America, where America’s thirst for drugs and abundance of weaponry for export wreak havoc on still fragile democracies.”

4)    OBAMACARE: “What is each candidate’s position on health care reform? What is being proposed to ensure that all Americans have access to healthcare?”

5) OPEN BORDERS: “Where does each candidate stand on a pathway to citizenship for undocuмented immigrants? On deportations? On detention of women and children in for-profit prisons? How does each candidate challenge anti-immigrant rhetoric?"

6) CLIMATE CHANGE and FOSSIL FUELS: "How does each candidate talk about climate change? Does he or she have any policies for addressing this issue? What does each candidate say about alternatives to fossil fuels, and jobs associated with them?"

7)   PERSONAL ASSOCIATION: “Archbishop Desmond Tutu said it well: ‘true reconciliation exposes the awfulness, the abuse, the hurt, the truth. …It is a risky undertaking but in the end it is worthwhile, because in the end only an honest confrontation with reality can bring real healing.’”

Grandma Clinton with Desmond Tutu, old friends.

8) RACISM AND VOTER ID: "What is each candidate’s stance on mass incarceration and reform of a criminal justice system that disproportionately puts people of color in prison for long periods of time? What is each candidate’s position on voter identification laws and other restrictions that suppress voting among people of color?"

9)  BLAME THE COPS: "The August 11, 2014 community response to the killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, shed a clear focus on personal and structural racism that continues to plague our nation’s history, its laws, and its criminal justice system."
 
Again, the point is not whether you or I or anyone else agrees or disagrees on these issues. The point is that the Archdiocese is clearly leaning to the Left in their efforts to influence the upcoming presidential election. Why? Follow the money here.

In the meantime, why not contact Bishop John J. Myers and ask him what's going on:

Archdiocese of Newark
171 CLIFTON AVENUE, P.O. BOX 9500, NEWARK, NJ 07104
TEL | 973-497-4000 - EMAIL:  webmaster@rcan.org

And finally, let's take a moment to enjoy the accompanying Prayer for Our Earth, also inserted into the bulletins in Newark this past Sunday to mark "Laudato Si Week" and what the Archdiocese is calling the “Global Catholic Climate Movement” (whatever that means):

A prayer for our earth

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.

You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love,
hat we may protect life and beauty.

Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,
so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives,
that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts
of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,
to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united
with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day.

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.

(From Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home. Learn more about Laudator Si' and how to celebrate the anniversary at www.LaudatoSiWeek.org)

Personally, I prefer the original:

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today... Aha-ah...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace... You...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need…

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world... You...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

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Wood framing marks the 3,000-square-foot addition to Archbishop John J. Myers' future retirement home in Franklin Township, Hunterdon County. Myers now uses the home on weekends. The archdiocese bought it for $700,000 in 2002.
Mark Mueller/The Star-Ledger
The 4,500-square-foot home sits on 8.2 wooded acres in the hills of Hunterdon County. With five bedrooms, three full bathrooms, a three-car garage and a big outdoor pool, it’s valued at nearly $800,000, records show.

But it’s not quite roomy enough for Newark Archbishop John J. Myers.

Myers, who has used the Franklin Township house as a weekend residence since the archdiocese purchased it in 2002, is building a three-story, 3,000-square-foot addition in anticipation of his retirement in two years, The Star-Ledger found. He will then move in full-time, a spokesman for the archbishop said.

The new wing, now just a wood frame, will include an indoor exercise pool, a hot tub, three fireplaces, a library and an elevator, among other amenities, according to blueprints and permits filed with the Franklin Township building department.

The price tag, the records show, will be a minimum of a half million dollars, a figure that does not include architectural costs, furnishings and landscaping.

Construction is progressing as Myers asks the 1.3 million Roman Catholics of the archdiocese to open their wallets for the "archbishop’s annual appeal," a fundraising effort that supports an array of initiatives, including religious education, the training of future priests and feeding the poor.


Pope Francis, seen here in St. Peter's Square on Valentine's Day, has told bishops not to live "like princes."
Franco Origlia/Getty Images
 
More significantly, it comes at a time when Pope Francis has made profligate church spending a target of his early tenure.

Francis, who eschewed the papal palace for a modest guest apartment and who gave up a Mercedes in favor of a Ford, has criticized bishops for living "like princes" and has called for a "poor church for the poor."

In a move that signaled his impatience on the matter, the pope suspended the bishop of Limburg, Germany, in October for spending $42 million to renovate his residence and other church buildings. The German press dubbed the free-spending cleric the "Bishop of Bling."

"Archbishop Myers obviously is not paying any attention to the pope," said Charles Zech, who has studied bishops’ spending as faculty director of the Center for Church Management and Business Ethics at Villanova University’s business school.

"The pope is calling on clergy to live a simpler lifestyle and to be in touch with their people," Zech said. "This is extreme, way beyond what you’d expect to happen. I can’t believe the parishioners of Newark are going to allow this to happen."

One such parishioner, Joan Rubino, was furious when a reporter told her about the work on the Franklin Township home. Rubino, who has attended Holy Family Church in Nutley for four decades — and who regularly contributed to the archbishops’ appeal — called Myers a "hypocrite."

"To ask people to make sacrifices and then to live in a sumptuous residence, it makes me very annoyed," said Rubino, 77. "Isn’t there a better use for this money? In plain English, I feel like people are getting screwed."


Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, the bishop of Limburg, Germany, has been suspended by Pope Francis for approving a $42 million renovation of his residence and other church buildings. The German press dubbed him the "bishop of bling."
Fredrik Von Erichsen/Getty Images
 
Myers’ spokesman, Jim Goodness, said the addition will have no impact on archdiocese finances, saying the cost will be largely borne by the sale of other church-owned properties. Donors also have contributed to the project, Goodness said.

He declined to identify the properties to be sold or provide the amount of the private donations.

"There are not expected to be any expenses that can not be met by other real estate transactions, and it will remain an asset of the archdiocese," Goodness said. "It is not a personal asset."

Zech, the Villanova professor, challenged the idea that real estate sales should be used to upgrade Myers’ future full-time residence, saying the revenues should be used for the betterment of the archdiocese and its people, not the archbishop.

"This is taking money out of the pockets of parishioners," he said. "Current revenue and past revenue at one point all came from parishioners. If he thinks he can sell property and use it for his own extravagant needs, it’s mind-boggling."

According to guidelines issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, all dioceses must provide a residence for retired bishops. The guidelines don’t specify, however, what kind of residence is required.


View full size
A satellite image of Archbishop Myers' weekend residence in Franklin Township, Hunterdon County. The image does not show the three-story addition now under construction.
Google Maps
The retired bishop of Trenton, John M. Smith, lives in a modest apartment at a retirement home for priests in Lawrenceville. Likewise, retired Newark Archbishop Peter Gerety has lived for many years at a priests’ residence in Rutherford.

Before his death in 2012, retired Metuchen Bishop Edward T. Hughes lived at a diocese-owned "spirituality center" in Milford, said Erin Friedlander, a spokeswoman for the diocese.

The current bishop, Paul Bootkoski, contributed a portion of his own savings toward the purchase of a future retirement home near Lake Mohawk in Sussex County, Friedlander said. The diocese picked up the remainder of the cost, she said, declining to provide the precise amount. The diocese closed on the home for $471,000 last year, property records show.

It will revert to the diocese upon Bootkoski’s death, Friedlander said.

A spokeswoman for the Diocese of Trenton and a spokesman for the Diocese of Paterson did not respond to questions about residences for the bishops.

Earlier this year, Camden Bishop Dennis Sullivan came under fire after using diocese funds to buy a historic 7,000-square-foot home in Woodbury. The house, with eight bedrooms and six bathrooms, cost $500,000.

A spokesman for the diocese said last month Sullivan would live at the house with at least two other priests and that it would be used to host diocese functions.


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A worker carries a large sheet of plywood up a ladder during construction of a new wing on Archbishop John J. Myers' weekend residence and future retirement home.
Mark Mueller/The Star-Ledger
The Archdiocese of Newark bought the Hunterdon County home for $700,000 in 2002, about seven months after Myers was named archbishop. Since then, Myers has primarily used it on weekends, though he tends to spend more time there during the summer, Goodness said.

The home, built in 1989, is assessed at $776,700, and taxes were $18,695 last year, records show. Both figures are likely to jump significantly once the addition is completed.

Myers, who turns 73 in July, is required to submit his resignation at 75. He could, however, retire sooner because the pope appointed a co-archbishop, Bernard Hebda, in September.

Goodness said the home’s expansion was required because Myers will continue his involvement in church activities during retirement and will need office space.

Schematics submitted to Franklin Township in 2011, when the main house was retrofitted with an elevator, show the elevator shaft lies next to an "existing office" in the finished basement, but the docuмent does not state the room’s size. The spokesman said he was unaware of an office in the main house.

The addition will house a large first-floor study and a smaller, attached library. A bedroom and sitting room — matching the footprint of the first-floor layout — are planned for the second floor. The third floor will house a 28-foot by 28-foot gallery with sweeping views of the property. Plans call for a fireplace on each level.

A single-story "wellness room" will connect the main house and the addition. There, the blueprints show, workers will install a hot tub and a 14-foot by 7-foot Endless Pool, a brand of exercise pool. The pool’s jets provide a current, allowing one to swim in place.

Goodness said it was too soon to say if Myers would be provided a staff when he moves in full time.

The Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior analyst for the National Catholic Reporter, said it’s important to remember that Myers, as a diocesan priest, has not taken a vow of poverty. Some diocesan priests inherit large sums of family money. Others supplement their modest salaries by writing books.

The difficulty, particularly in the age of Francis, is one of perception, Reese said.

"How is this going to go over with the people who put their $10 in the collection basket?" he asked. "How is it going to go over with the big donors who give millions to schools? What kind of message is this sending?"

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
August 3, 2016
Our incompetent Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was the one who started talks to give 400 million dollars, in cash, to Iran. Scandal!


How can The democrat party save the environment when they funded nuclear energy to hostile countries.  

 
 
Clinton wraps up Hamptons fundraising swing
Aug 30, 2016 04:52 PM
By CATHERINE LUCEY
Associated Press
SAGAPONACK, N.Y. (AP) - Hillary Clinton is wrapping a fundraising blitz in the Hamptons, where she has racked up millions during a three-day swing.

The Democratic presidential nominee hopped from mansion to mansion in the tony New York oceanfront vacation destination, appearing at parties and dinners where the contributions ranged from $1,000 to $100,000 for guests and hosts. The top-dollar tour concluded Tuesday night with an event in Sag Harbor complete with performances from Jimmy Buffett, Jon Bon Jovi and Paul McCartney.

On an outdoor stage, Buffet entertained for more than an hour, playing hits like "Margaritaville" and "Cheesburgers in Paradise." Bon Jovi serenaded the crowd with "Who Says You Can't Go Home," and McCartney's numbers included "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Lady Madonna." The trio closed out the show with a performance of "Hey Jude." Attendees said Clinton even hit the dance floor with McCartney during one of Buffet's numbers.

McCartney joked with the crowd, according to fundraiser guests, saying that this was "the first time I've paid to hear myself sing."

Clinton kicked off her Tuesday fundraisers with an afternoon party in Sagaponack, where guests mingled with the candidate in a sunny backyard dotted with tables decked in red- and blue-checkered tablecloths.

The events all raised money for the Hillary Victory Fund, a joint fund supporting her campaign, the Democratic National Committee and state party organizations.

Heading into the final stretch of the campaign, Clinton is stressing that the race against Republican Donald Trump is far from over. At an event Monday she told guests that "this is the most unpredictable election season that I certainly can remember."

Clinton heads to Ohio Wednesday where she will speak at the American Legion's annual convention in Cincinnati.

___

ALL THE WHILE POOR PEOPLE are suffering from the floods in Louisiana.  
Her health is fine when she goes to parties.

They do more to help no. Christians.  

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