Having watched the Obama administration prosecute whistleblowers at a historically unprecedented rate, Snowden fully expects the US government to attempt to use all its weight to punish him. "I am not afraid," he said calmly, "because this is the choice I've made."
He predicts the government will launch an investigation and "say I have broken the Espionage Act and helped our enemies, but that can be used against anyone who points out how massive and invasive the system has become".
"The government has granted itself power it is not entitled to. There is no public oversight." - Edward Snowden
This is just the beginning.
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Cardinal O'Malley's refusal to countenance Boston college's support for Prime Minister Kenny may be a sign that things are about to change. In April, Pope Francis chose Cardinal O'Malley as one of eight cardinals to advise him on running the church and reforming the Vatican bureaucracy.
This honor brings with it a responsibility to ensure that Catholic colleges and universities are faithful to the Catholic mission. The cardinal's Boston College boycott is a good start.
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BOSTON COLLEGE COMMENCEMENT STATEMENT
Cardinal Sean
May 10, 2013
Because the Gospel of Life is the centerpiece of the Church’s social doctrine and because we consider abortion a crime against humanity, the Catholic Bishops of the United States have asked that Catholic institutions not honor government officials or politicians who promote abortion with their laws and policies.
Recently I learned that the Prime Minister of Ireland, the Hon. Mr. Enda Kenny was slated to receive an honorary degree at Boston College’s graduation this year. I am sure that the invitation was made in good faith, long before it came to the attention of the leadership of Boston College that Mr. Kenny is aggressively promoting abortion legislation. The Irish Bishops have responded to that development by affirming the Church’s teaching that “the deliberate decision to deprive an innocent human being of life is always morally wrong” and expressed serious concern that the proposed legislation “represents a dramatic …More

Deacon Scott Carroll has been battling cancer for some time. Although he looked forward to joining his classmates for ordination on June 22, 2013, it became clear this week that an earlier ordination might be prudent.
On Wednesday morning, Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo, Ohio, ordained Fr. Scott to the Order of Presbyter. The ordination took place at his parent’s home with immediate family present. It was a beautiful occasion and Fr Scott was much at peace.
In addition to his ordination, Fr Scott has been named Associate Pastor of Maumee St. Joseph his health permitting.
On Friday, Fr. Scott passed away about 40 hours after his priestly ordination.Right before his death, he had just finished offering the Mass. When it was over, he fell asleep and died shortly thereafter.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) the 2012 Annul Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. A chart contained in it shows that child abuses in the United States started building up in the 1950ies and reached its peak during and after the Second Vatican Council.

JERUSALEM - Des militantes féministes juives ont prié vendredi pour la première fois en toute liberté et sous la protection de la police devant le Mur des Lamentations à Jérusalem, où des ultra-orthodoxes qui ont tenté d'entraver leur action ont été arrêtés.
Le porte-parole de la police Micky Rosenfeld a déclaré à l'AFP que 1.000 ultra-orthodoxes avaient été tenus à l'écart d'un grand groupe de l'association Femmes du Mur qui faisaient leur prière mensuelle en portant notamment le châle de prière, après une décision de justice les autorisant à le faire.
Les protestataires ont tenté de forcer le passage, certains qualifiant les policiers de nazis, d'autres lançant des insultes aux militantes. Ils ont jeté des bouteilles d'eau, des sacs de poubelles, des chaises en plastique et des oeufs aussi bien sur les policiers que sur les femmes, selon un correspondant de l'AFP sur place.
Deux policiers ont été légèrement blessés.
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La editora católica Ignatius Press publicó el 7 de mayo, el libro “El Oído del Corazón: el viaje de una actriz de Hollywood hacia sus santos votos” (The Ear of the Heart: An Actress’ Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows, título original en inglés) que narra detalles de la decisión por la vocación a la vida de clausura de la Madre Dolores Hart, una ex actriz de Hollywood que protagonizó en el año 1957 el primer beso cinematográfico con Elvis Presley.
Cuando entró al monasterio benedictino en 1963, la actriz de 24 años sorprendió a sus amigos, familia y al resto de Hollywood ya que ella estaba comprometida para casarse y tenía un contrato cinematográfico multimillonario con Metro Goldwyn Mayer, y recibía cinco mil dólares a la semana.
En diálogo con ACI Prensa el 6 de mayo, la Madre Dolores relató que una noche después de su fiesta de compromiso, su novio Don Robinson sentía que había “algo o alguien más” en el corazón de ella y le propuso darse un tiempo para que esté segura antes del …More

Find below the full text of Pope Francis’ address to the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt, Pope Tawadros II, whom he met on Friday May 10, at the Vatican
Your Holiness,
Dear Brothers in Christ,
For me it is a great joy and a truly graced moment to be able to receive all of you here, at the tomb of Saint Peter, as we recall that historic meeting forty years ago between our predecessors, Pope Paul VI and the late Pope Shenouda III, in an embrace of peace and fraternity, after centuries of mutual distrust. So it is with deep affection that I welcome Your Holiness and the distinguished members of your delegation, and I thank you for your words. Through you, I extend my cordial greetings in the Lord to the bishops, the clergy, the monks and the whole Coptic Orthodox Church.
Today’s visit strengthens the bonds of friendship and brotherhood that already exist between the See of Peter and the See of Mark, heir to an inestimable heritage of martyrs, theologians, holy monks and …More

By Fr Raymond A. Schroth SJ
Barack Obama has changed. About six years ago I stood two feet away from him in the St. Peter’s College, Jersey City Gym, which he had rented for a campaign rally, and watched him deal one by one with the crowd that squeezed around him and told myself that maybe this was the one we had been waiting for who might restore to America the character that George W. Bush had drained away.
In his major speeches — Inaugural Addresses, State of the Union, etc. and in his heart-felt campaign for gun control— he has come across as a Christian humanist, a man of compassion, deep feeling, high democratic ideals.
But recently as the “war” president he has morphed into an indifferent, pragmatic utilitarian. The man who once taught Constitutional law seems to have forgotten the relationship between law and morality. He seems to have shelved the basic Christian principle of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” which in philosophy resembles a rule from Immanuel …More