Photos: A Chinese man growing a nose on his forehead

Pope Francis Excommunicates Melbourne Priest for Supporting Gay Marriage and Female Priesthood

Cardinal Pell recently said Pope Francis' popularity with the press was, "too good to last."  That may come sooner than we all thought.  This may send shock waves through the secular media and the dissenting wing of the Church who still don't understand Pope Francis, or that mercy and charity often involve discipline.

Pope Francis just excommunicated a priest in Melbourne.
From The Age in Australia: (Edit - this is quoted text and I'm sure part of it is in error, in particular, when it suggests he was as disciplined for support for 'gays.'" One doesn't get disciplined for supporting people with SSA but that support does not include affirming people in engaging in any sexual activity outside the context of Sacramental Marriage. Google the Courage Apostolate to see how the Catholic Church supports people with SSA. I hope we will see a statement out of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, which I will share)

Dissident priest Greg Reynolds has been both defrocked and excommunicated over his support for women priests and gays - the first person ever excommunicated in Melbourne, he believes. 

The order comes direct from the Vatican, not at the request of Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart, and apparently follows a secret denunciation in the best traditions of the inquisition, according to Father Reynolds. 

The excommunication document - written in Latin and giving no reason - was dated May 31, meaning it comes under the authority of Pope Francis who made headlines on Thursday calling for a less rule-obsessed church. 

Father Reynolds, who resigned as a parish priest in 2011 and last year founded Inclusive Catholics, said he had expected to be laicised (defrocked), but not excommunicated. But it would make no difference to his ministry.

One of the purposes of excommunication is medicinal. It's a way for the Church to say that someone has strayed too  far and is endangering their souls and the souls of others.  Some do reconcile with the Church after the sting of excommunication, when they humble themselves.

The Church does not have the authority to change Scripture or Tradition.  What he is pushing is out of harmony with both.

Don't just gawk at this situation, pray for him.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary and the guardian angel of Mr. Reynolds, enlighten his mind and soften his heart so that he will reconcile with the Catholic Church.

Church Members Mistreat Homeless Man in Church Unaware It Is Their Pastor in Disguise

Pastor Jeremiah Steepek transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the 10,000 member church that he was to be introduced as the head pastor at that morning.
He walked around his soon to be church for 30 minutes while it was filling with people for service, only 3 people out of the 7-10,000 people said hello to him.
He asked people for change to buy food – no one in the church gave him change.
He went into the sanctuary to sit down in the front of the church and was asked by the ushers if he would please sit in the back.
He greeted people to be greeted back with stares and dirty looks, with people looking down on him and judging him.
As he sat in the back of the church, he listened to the church announcements and such.
When all that was done, the elders went up and were excited to introduce the new pastor of the church to the congregation.
“We would like to introduce to you Pastor Jeremiah Steepek.” The congregation looked around clapping with joy and anticipation.
The homeless man sitting in the back stood up and started walking down the aisle. The clapping stopped with all eyes on him.
He walked up the altar and took the microphone from the elders (who were in on this) and paused for a moment then he recited,
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
‘The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
After he recited this, he looked towards the congregation and told them all what he had experienced that morning. Many began to cry and many heads were bowed in shame.
He then said, “Today I see a gathering of people, not a church of Jesus Christ. The world has enough people, but not enough disciples. When will YOU decide to become disciples?”
He then dismissed service until next week.

Pakistan church blast kills dozens

BBC - A twin-suicide bombing outside a church in Peshawar in Pakistan has killed at least 75 people, in one of the worst attacks on Christians in the country.

Two bombers blew themselves up as worshippers were coming out of the city's historic All Saints church after attending Sunday Mass, police say.
Relatives of the victims gathered at the scene to protest against the government's failure to protect them.
Militants linked to Pakistani Taliban have said they carried out the bombing.
The group, Jandullah, said it was in retaliation US drone strikes in Pakistan's tribal northwest.
Sunday's twin attacks targeted Peshawar's historic All Saints Church as hundreds of worshippers were attending Mass.
Witnesses said they heard two blasts, the second more powerful than the first.
Suicide vests were later found outside the church, officials say. More than 120 people were wounded in the bombings.
It is the latest in a series of attacks on Pakistani Christians, who represent about 1.6% of the country's largely Muslim population.
The BBC's Shahzeb Jillani in Pakistan says the attack has outraged many people, but there is also a sense of helplessness about the government's apparent inability to prevent such atrocities.
There were angry scenes outside the church, with friends and relatives denouncing the government.
Demonstrations were held in other cities too.
In Karachi, police fired bullets in air and tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters.

 

 Islamists have been blamed for attacks on Christians in the past

 

 Grieving relatives gathered to identify their relatives

 

The Pakistani Christian minority feels vulnerable to militant attacks

 
Security has been strengthened outside a number of Pakistani Christian

Tunisian Girls Are Coming Home Pregnant After Performing 'Sexual Jihad' In Syria

REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih

A member of the Free Syrian Army stands guard at a checkpoint they took over early on Monday after clashes with pro-government forces in Salqin city in Idlib October 22, 2012.

A number of girls from Tunisia have become pregnant after traveling to Syria to participate in "sexual jihad," according to Lotfi Bin Jeddo, Tunisia's Interior Minister.
The girls “are (sexually) swapped between 20, 30, and 100 rebels and they come back bearing the fruit of sexual contacts in the name of sexual jihad and we are silent doing nothing and standing idle,” Al Arabiya reported he said during an address to the National Constituent Assembly.

"After the sexual liaisons they have there in the name of 'jihad al-nikah' - (sexual holy war, in Arabic) - they come home pregnant," Ben Jeddou told the MPs.
He did not elaborate on how many Tunisian women had returned to the country pregnant with the children of jihadist fighters.
Jihad al-nikah, permitting extramarital sexual relations with multiple partners, is considered by some hardline Sunni Muslim Salafists as a legitimate form of holy war.
Jeddo also said his ministry had taken a number of steps to stem the flow of Tunisians travelling to Syria.
Tunisia's former Mufti (the country's highest religious official) warned earlier this year that 13 Tunisian girls "were fooled" into travelling to Syria to offer sexual services for the rebels. He  described the practice as a form of “prostitution.”
“For Jihad in Syria, they are now pushing girls to go there. 13 young girls have been sent for sexual jihad. What is this? This is called prostitution. It is moral educational corruption,” Battikh said.