Professor Leading Research on Shroud of Turin Says Cloth Supports "Resurrection Theory"

According to a May 7 CNA/Europa Press Article,

"Professor Paolo Di Lazzaro, who is head of a group of researchers from the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Development in Italy, noted this week that the latest discoveries on the Shroud of Turin “are not in contradiction with the theory of the Resurrection” of Christ."

For years secular humanists, who believe nothing deeper than their 5 senses, have questioned the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin citing such claims as it being nothing more than a medieval painting by conspirators to hoodwink the world, etc. Because secularists regard science as the Supreme Being and scientific research as the source and summit of all truth, research professors investigating the Shroud are their last hope in bringing their comatose minds back from the pale with this latest conclusion of a 4 year study on the Shroud that analyzed and studied how the image came to appear on the cloth. If secular humanists are fair minded and true to their sensually tangible perception of the world around them, then this latest research finding should consequently bring secular humanists 'back to their senses'.

The article continued:

Di Lazzaro said that scientists have not been able to reproduce an image, similar to the one on the shroud, with any kind of contact technique. While from far away, differences in the replications may appear unnoticeable, under a microscope they appear drastically different, he added.

The peculiarity of the original image lies in the “depth of coloration,” which on Shroud does not go beyond the first layer of strands in the fabric, Di Lazzaro said. Upon observation, his team came to the conclusion that “the image on the Shroud is similar to those some textile manufactures create through the use of laser.”

After years of experimentation, for the first time the team was able to color the outermost strands of a fabric similarly to how the image is present on the Shroud by using “extremely brief but intense ultraviolet light impulses emitted by a special laser.”

Even so, the researchers were only able to reproduce a small portion of the Shroud, as “in order to color the entire image you would need 14,000 lasers, something which for now is impossible,” he said.

Nevertheless, Di Lazzaro said the discovery at least points to a possible physical mechanism that may have resulted in the creation of the image. This mechanism “does not contradict the religious theory of the miracle or the resurrection,” he said, as it could have been the cause of the release of energy that created the image, although “this is an area outside our competence as scientists.”

Nevertheless, Christ finally told the Apostles after Thomas doubted in the Resurrection, "Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.":

So the other disciples were saying to him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."

Then He said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing."

Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."

John 20:25-29

England Resurrects its Institutionalized Anti-Catholic Hysteria of the 1670's

Reminiscent of a die hard prejudice during the persecution of the Catholic Church in England during the 1670's, a Time/CNN article reports on Saturday that "a British Foreign Office memo" contained childish taunts and insults directed at Pope Benedict XVI. The juvenile wording included statements that suggested the Pope should "launch a line of Papal-branded condoms, bless gay marriages and encourage healthy living by doing somersaults with children." The Act of Supremacy of 1535 enacted by Henry VIII institutionalized anti-Catholicism and apparently a "Supremacy" attitude over Catholicism lives on.

. . . bad habits are hard to break.

The Vatican Takes Over the Legionaries of Christ Order

In an article, "Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday took control of the Legionaries of Christ, a powerful and wealthy Roman Catholic religious order whose founder, a close friend of Pope John Paul II, was found to have molested seminarians and fathered several children."

Earth Day - Celebrate Human Life

Liberals are Generous . . . with Other People's Money

In a Washington Times article, we learned that prominent Democrat leaders can be generous when it comes to taking what other people earn in the form of high taxes, legislation, and government fees while they themselves give very little of their own income. The Bidens, apparently in 2009 gave a meager 1.44 percent as donations. Meanwhile, churchgoing Americans give, an expected, 10% of their earnings to their Church. The Obama's in addition gave an improved amount of 5.9% - still short of what American Churchgoers donate per year.

Catholic Haters Banging the War Drums for a Return of the Great Persecution

"Catholic Haters of the world unite and take over."

This is the unspoken mantra of the secularists who are marching in lockstep with each other to persecute any Catholic with principle. Now the hate mongers think by attacking the Pope himself, they are going for the jugular and bringing the 'whole thing down'. According to an AP Report, the Vatican is not afraid to point this out:

"By now, it's a cultural contrast," Sodano told the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano. "The pope embodies moral truths that aren't accepted, and so, the shortcomings and errors of priests are used as weapons against the church."

"Behind the unjust attacks on the pope are visions of the family and of life that run contrary to the Gospel," Sodano said. "Now the accusation of pedophile is being brandished against the church."

He noted that past popes have also been criticized, including the "offensive against Pius XII for his conduct during the last World War as well as that against Paul VI" for his encyclical against birth control, the cardinal said.

"There are those who fear the media campaign of anti-Catholic hatred can degenerate," Vatican Radio said.

It noted anti-Catholic graffiti on walls of a church outside Viterbo, a town near Rome, and reminded listeners that a bishop was attacked by a man during Easter Mass in Muenster, Germany. The bishop fought back with an incense bowl.

The radio likened the recent campaign to the persecution suffered by early Christian martyrs. "The crowds, incited by the slanders of the powerful, would lynch the Christians," the radio said.

So now the secularists, frothing at the mouth, are looking to tear down the walls that they believe keep their 'artistry' hemmed in. Dismantling the traditional family, imposing their degenerate lifestyle onto those who would rather love God, campaigning for unethical medical practices, making abortion a sacrament, establishing a new selfish-man centered religion without a Supreme Being, making man the source of all truth, criticizing anybody who loves God more than selfishness, etc. are just a few examples of the utopia liberals are trying to impose on the world. What they hope to dismantle, they hope to replace with something new and, secularists believe, something better. Something without God and something without conscience where the only laws that exist are selfishness, self indulgence, the suppression of any ideas of morality, and imposing heavy penalties - even the death penalty on anyone who believes in the One True God and His Teachings and dares to defend the Creator.

U.S. Bishops Make Final Plea to Stop Pro-Abortion Health Care Bill

From a CNA article:

In a final, urgent plea to prevent the passage of the current form of the Senate health care bill, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on Saturday evening sent a letter to Congressmen asking them to vote “no.”

“For decades,” the letter says, “the United States Catholic bishops have supported universal health care. The Catholic Church teaches that health care is a basic human right, essential for human life and dignity.”

" . . . First, the bishops argue that health care reform “must protect life and conscience, not threaten them." The Senate bill "extends abortion coverage, allows federal funds to pay for elective abortions (for example, through a new appropriation for services at Community Health Centers that bypasses the Hyde amendment), and denies adequate conscience protection to individuals and institutions."

"Simply put," the letter to Representatives continues, "health care reform ought to continue to apply both parts of the Hyde amendment, no more and no less."

The bishops also argue that, despite claims to the contrary, "the status quo prohibits the federal government from funding or facilitating plans that include elective abortion. The Senate bill clearly violates this prohibition by providing subsidies to purchase such plans."

"While the Senate provides for one plan without abortion coverage in each exchange, those who select another plan in an exchange to better meet the special needs of their families will be required to pay a separate mandatory abortion fee into a fund exclusively for abortions. This new federal requirement is a far more direct imposition on the consciences of those who do not wish to pay for the destruction of unborn human life than anything currently in federal law."

" . . . The bishops regret that the House leadership is “ignoring the pleas of pro-life members for essential changes in the legislation.”

“Apparently they will not even try to address the serious problems on abortion funding, conscience protection and fair treatment of immigrants."

"We are bishops, not politicians, policy experts or legislative tacticians. We are also pastors, teachers, and citizens. At this point of decision, we cannot compromise on basic moral principles. We can only urge -- and hope and pray -- that the House of Representatives will still find the will and the means to adopt health care reform that protects the life, dignity, conscience and health of all.

“The legislation the House adopted, while not perfect, came closer to meeting these criteria. The Senate legislation simply does not meet them," the bishops say.

"With deep regret, but clear in our moral judgment, we are compelled to continue to urge House members to oppose the Senate bill unless these fundamental flaws are remedied. At this critical moment, we urge Representatives to take the steps necessary to ensure that health care reform respects the life and dignity of all, from conception to natural death," the letter concludes."