Scripture and marriage I would like to address Latia Stanley’s letter , “Who defines marriage?” (CR, Aug. 25). She approaches the issue of homosexual marriage from a liberal perspective and does not agree with the mixing of religious morality and legal definition. I would like to point her Romans 13:1-6, which states “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. It is clear that God intended there to be government and that governments, in their most noblest form, were instituted from on high to carry out God’s justice here on earth. I know this is not always the case. However, this is why we should care about what laws are made and put into effect. While there is separation of church and state in this country, there is never separation of state and Christian. From a social justice point of view, consider the absolute increase in taxes and commodities homosexual marriage will cost society. In Genesis, God said, “Let us make them in our image, male and female we shall make them.” If we lose sight of this, we will lose sight of God and ourselves. Archbishop Dolan WYD homilies now downloadable Archbishop Timothy Dolan's during his homily at the U.S. Mass in Madrid (Photo by Matt Palmer) Many people have asked me about the ability to download some of the audio files from Archbishop Dolan’s various catechesis sessions, homilies and question and answer sessions at World Youth Day. I’m happy to report that they are now downloadable here at The Welcome Matt! In case you missed Archbishop Dolan’s U.S. Mass homily in Madrid, it’s here. Just click on the downward arrow on the Soundcloud box to download. Redemption on the ice Peyton Manning, stem cells and where Catholics really stand Peyton Manning (image from FoxSports.com) Earlier today, FoxSports.com reporter Jay Glazer broke the news that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning went to Europe for a non-embryonic stem-cell therapy. Glazer reported a desperate Manning underwent the procedure, not allowed in the U.S., to heal his ailing neck. The Super Bowl winning quarterback has since had surgery on the neck and could miss the 2011 NFL season. Glazer said the procedure “took fat cells, probably out of his belly, and they put it in a culture. They try to turn back the almost hands of time with these cells and they inject them in the neck hoping these cells regenerate the area, regenerate the nerves.” Manning, Glazer said, is just trying to get back to the field. The story of how this happened, and what exactly happened, has yet to be fully revealed. As far I know, the Catholic Church and the U.S. Bishops have not made a comment on this particular story yet. Of course, those with agendas on the Internet have taken to comments sections below blogs and stories talking about Manning and stem cells and are saying people of faith oppose stem-cell research. They’re blaming people of faith for Manning’s decision to go to Europe. It’s ironic.Here’s the thing: the Catholic Church has opposed embryonic stem cell research, but has supported work regarding adult stem cells. Baltimore’s own Bishop Denis J. Madden said in April of 2010, “We are very supporting of adult stem-cell research and we feel that this is an area that has great promise.” Baltimore’s Mercy Medical Center, a Catholic facility, recently started an umbilical chord blood banking program. Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, now the apostolic administrator of Baltimore, clarified the church’s stance on stem cells when Mercy launched the program in October 2010. “There’s a common misconception that the Catholic Church is opposed to stem cell research,” he said. “That is wrong. The church has long supported adult stem-cell research, but is opposed to embryonic stem-cell research, which destroys human embryos and which has yet to cure a single disease.” Who knows where this Manning saga is going, but just know that the church has “long supported adult stem-cell research,” while opposing embryonic research. Peyton Manning New minibus service allows pilgrims to visit Vatican Gardens VATICAN CITY – Visitors and pilgrims wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of modern Rome or the crush of tourists in the Vatican museums can now take a ride through the Vatican Gardens. But, of course, the eco-friendly rides on a methane-fueled minibus will not be offered in the late afternoon or early evening when Pope Benedict XVI takes his rosary beads into the gardens and strolls as he prays. The Vatican Gardens have been a place of papal prayer, quiet and rest since 1279 when Pope Nicholas III moved the papal residence from St. John Lateran to the Vatican and had workers plant fruit trees, a lawn and a formal garden. Today, 30 gardeners and laborers care for the trees, flowers, shrubs, shrines and fountains that cover almost half of the Vatican’s 109 acres. The new bus tour is sponsored by the Rome diocesan tourism agency and the office governing Vatican City. Tickets for adults cost about $20 and include a one-hour ride with an audio guide in Italian, English, French, Spanish or German. The minibuses leave every half hour between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily, except Wednesdays when the pope holds his weekly general audience, Sundays and Vatican holidays. Djibouti bishop happy that Mogadishu cathedral ruins are helping Somalis NAIROBI, Kenya – Djibouti Bishop Giorgio Bertin, who oversees Catholics in neighboring Somalia, said he is happy that the ruins of Mogadishu’s only Catholic cathedral are housing hundreds of displaced Somalis. “In Mogadishu there are hundreds of camps for displaced people. The cathedral area is one of them,” the bishop said in an email interview. “I think that at least 300 could easily fit in, but I have no real figures.” The U.N. officially has declared a famine in parts of Somalia, including the internally displaced communities in Mogadishu, the Somali capital. More than 100,000 Somalis poured into the capital searching for food within a two-month period this summer. Somalia has had a civil war since 1991, and the famine-hit areas are plagued by a lack of security because of a weak central government and the presence of various political factions that control parts of the country. The instability and resulting violence severely limit the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis have fled to Kenya. Bishop Bertin said the best solution would be to help the displaced people within Somalia, “but the problem is often that where they are either they are unsafe or we cannot reach them.” In 1989, Italian-born Bishop Pietro Salvatore Colombo of Mogadishu was killed at his cathedral. After the murder, the Vatican eliminated the post and now oversees Somalia through neighboring Djibouti. “The cathedral has not been used since Jan. 9, 1991, when it was ransacked” and set on fire, said Bishop Bertin. “It remained open to anybody and was never locked.” Baltimore Holy Name Union to host national convention, mark centennial The Baltimore Holy Name Union will celebrate its 100th anniversary during the 41st annual National Holy Name Convention, to be held at the Tremont Plaza Hotel in Baltimore Sept. 21-24. The theme of the convention is “Service in His Holy Name” and will include talks, the election of officers and a photo presentation of the last 100 years of Holy Name ministry in Baltimore. Bud Cope, a nationally known expert in prison ministry, will join Father Charles Canterna, prison minister in Baltimore, for a Sept. 23 seminar on prison ministry. Paulist Father John E. Hurley, Department of Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, will speak on evangelization within the Holy Name Society Sept. 24. Bishop Denis J. Madden will celebrate a 5:30 p.m. Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sept. 24, and a banquet will be held that evening. William Harris Jr., first vice president of the National Holy Name Society and former president of the Baltimore Holy Name Union, said the presentations and liturgy are open to the general public. The Holy Name Society was founded to promote reverence for the sacred names of God and Jesus and has been active in supporting parish ministries and social outreach. “(The Baltimore Holy Name Union) was founded at St. Gregory the Great,” said Harris, a parishioner of Our Lady of the Fields in Millersville. “It’s grown and gone through expansion and contraction. We are very much trying to increase the size.” There are approximately 20 parishes in the Baltimore archdiocese that have Holy Name societies. For more information about convention events, call 410-923-2596. Good things can happen to good people Once upon a time, on one of the coolest blocks in Baltimore City, a group of neighbors came together to show their thanks and to bring a little joy to someone’s day. A message was circulated that Miss Jenny, a very kind soul and a very good Catholic, had been nominated to win a bouquet of locally grown flowers. Miss Jenny is one of the first people anyone meets when they move onto the block and is gracious enough to collect all the UPS and FedEx packages for residents. She has been taking care of her husband, Mr. Ed, for years. He is wheelchair-bound and recently had a stroke as well as undergoing some other medical complications.