CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: SAT. APRIL 10, 2010

CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: SAT. APRIL 10, 2010: HEADLINES-
VATICAN: POPE: SEND TELEGRAM TO POLISH PARLIAMENT OFFERING CONDOLENCES-
EUROPE: POLAND:  COUNTRY IN NEED OF PRAYER AS LEADERS ARE KILLED IN CRASH-
AMERICA: USA: JUSTICE JOHN PAUL STEPHENS RETIRES AFTER 35 YEARS-
ASIA: SRI LANKA: MOBILE CLINIC HELPS THE POOR-
AFRICA: ZAMBIA PRIEST WANTS TO JOIN POLITICS-
AUSTRALIA: BROTHER TO BE DEPORTED TO AUSTRALIA-

VATICAN
POPE: SENDS A TELEGRAM TO POLISH PARLIAMENT OFFERING CONDOLENCES

Radio Vaticana report: Pope Benedict XVI today sent a telegram to Bronisław Komorowski, the Speaker of the Polish Parliament, expressing his sorrow over the death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and all the victims of today’s plane crash in Russia.

The Holy Father offered his sincerest condolences and assured the families of those who perished of his spiritual closeness.
The accident occurred as Polish military and civilian leaders travelled to events marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre of thousands of Polish officers by Soviet secret police. All 96 on board were killed.
http://www.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=371244

EUROPE
POLAND: A COUNTRY IN NEED OF PRAYER AS LEADERS ARE KILLED IN CRASH

CNN report: Polish President Lech Kaczynski was killed early Saturday along with his wife, several top military officials, and the head of the national bank when their plane crashed at a western Russian airport, officials said.
"There are no survivors," said Sergey Antufyev, the governor of Smolensk, where the plane was trying to land when it crashed. Russian emergency officials said 97 people died. Kaczynski was 60. Parliament Speaker Bronislaw Komorowski took over as acting president and declared it "a time for national mourning."
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the country would hold two minutes of silence at midday Sunday for the victims. Russia has declared Monday as a day of mourning.
Kaczynski had been traveling with the Polish delegation to Russia for the 70th anniversary of the massacre of Polish prisoners of war in the village of Katyn. Some 20,000 Polish officers were executed there during World War II. The Polish military plane originated in Warsaw, the Polish Defense Ministry said. It was approaching the airport at Smolensk -- just a few miles east of Katyn -- and probably hit some trees at the end of the runway, said Piotr Paszkowski, a spokesman for the Polish Foreign Ministry.
The Investigation Committee of the Russian prosecutor's office said the plane, a Tupolev-154, was trying to land in heavy fog.Russian President Dmitry Medvedev appointed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to head an inquiry commission and sent Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu to the scene of the crash, the Kremlin said.The flight recorders were found Saturday afternoon the Interfax news agency reported. "The flight recorders have been discovered. Their examination has already begun and it should shed light on the causes of the accident," Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"The trajectory of the flight, which I traced twice today, indicates that there was a deviation from the runway, not only in terms of altitude, but also width of no less than 150 meters," Shoigu said.
Kaczynski's Law and Justice Party released a list of some of those it said were killed in the crash.
They included Aleksander Szczyglo, the head of the National Security Office; Jerzy Szmajdzinski, the deputy parliament speaker; Andrzej Kremer, the deputy foreign minister; and Gen. Franciszek Gagor, the army chief of staff, according to the party. The party also said that Slawomir Skrzypek, head of the National Bank of Poland, was killed. "The entire top military brass, including the chief of defense and all the services, were on the plane," said Tomas Valasek, of the Center for European Reform. "If that is true, then you're looking at a situation, in effect, of the decapitation of the military services."
Pictures from the scene showed parts of the airplane charred and strewn through a wooded area. Some pieces, including one of the wheel wells, were upside down. The crash happened around 10:50 a.m. (2:50 a.m. ET) on the outskirts of the town of Pechorsk, just outside of Smolensk, the Investigation Committee said.
The plane was refurbished and repaired last year, according to the general director of the company that performed the service. Alexei Gusev, the general director of Aviakor Factory, told CNN that the plane received major refurbishing and repair in December 2009.
The work included rebuilding all of the engines, he said. His company also provided the Polish government with repair and maintenance parts for the next six years.
"The plane has been in use very little since that major repair," he said. "Speaking openly, we believe that this tragedy could not have been caused by equipment failure.""This is a time of great national tragedy," Komorowski told reporters. "At this time there are no political differences, left or right. This is a time of national mourning." Kaczynski had been president since December 2005 after he defeated rival Tusk in the second round of voting.
The two men did not have a good relationship. In Parliamentary elections in 2007, Tusk's Civic Platform beat the Law and Justice Party of Kaczynski's twin brother, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who was prime minister at the time. Tusk put any political differences aside as he spoke to the nation Saturday. "I wanted, in the name of all the Polish people, to pass words of condolences to the familiy of the Polish president, to his daughter, to his mother, to his brother, and to all the families of all the victims," Tusk said.
Crowds gathered at the presidential palace in Warsaw to lay flowers and light candles for the president, whose death raises questions for Poland's government.
"Everything has changed today," said Jan Mikruta, a reporter for TV Polsat.
Tusk and Polish Cabinet ministers were holding a special meeting Saturday morning to discuss the situation, said a spokeswoman for the Polish Parliament, who declined to be named because she was not authorized to speak publicly.Elections must now be held within 60 days, said Dariusz Rosati, Poland's former foreign minister."There is going to be a huge gap in public life in Poland," said resident Magdalena Hendrysiak. "The most important people are dead."At the same time, Hendrysiak said, the president's death may have a unifying effect. "I think it will be one of those situations that no one will care about their political preferences," she told CNN. "I think we're going to end up as pretty united in the face of such a tragedy."
Valasek pointed out, however, that the Polish president is the head of state, not head of government -- meaning essential services will continue to run.
"The role of the Polish president is not quite ceremonial ... he has some very real powers, but at the end of the day, the day-to-day running of the government is in the hands of the prime minister and the (cabinet) ministers," Valasek said. "Continuity is assured in ways that would not necessarily be assured in the case of the death of the U.S. president."
Tusk said that as head of the government, he will take care of the families of the victims and handle the investigations.
"We won't extinguish the pain, but we have our duties, and the Polish state must function and will function," Tusk said.
He appealed to everyone in Poland to "behave in an appropriate way" during the time of mourning.
Condolences poured in from around the world Saturday, including from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.
U.S. President Barack Obama, said: "President Kaczynski was a distinguished statesman who played a key role in the Solidarity movement, and he was widely admired in the United States as a leader dedicated to advancing freedom and human dignity.
"With him were many of Poland's most distinguished civilian and military leaders who have helped to shape Poland's inspiring democratic transformation. We join all the people of Poland in mourning their passing." French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he learned of Kaczynski's death with "great emotion and a deep sadness" and expressed his sympathy to the families of the president and other victims.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai also expressed his condolences, as did the chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
"I offer my deepest condolences to the Polish people and to the families of those killed in this tragic accident. Our hearts go out to you in this difficult time," said OSCE Chairman Kanat Saudabayev, who is also the secretary of state and foreign minister of Kazakhstan.
Valasek said the crash is a tragic coincidence, since the Polish officials were on their way to commemorate the deaths of top Polish officials at Katyn 70 years ago.
"The very fact that he was on his way to (commemorate) the massacre suggested that Polish-Russian relations, which of course had been very poor over the past 20 years, were on the way towards improvement," Valasek said.
"A shared tragedy of this sort could give a boost to further improvement in Polish-Russian relations, which ... were on the mend, and this tragedy might accelerate that trend."
The partial list of those killed published on the Web site of President Lech Kaczynski's Law and Justice Party includes:
Lech Kaczynski -- Polish president
Maria Kaczynska -- The president's wife
Ryszard Kaczorowski -- Poland's last president-in-exile
Aleksander Szczyglo -- head of the National Security Office
Pawel Wypych -- presidential aide
Mariusz Handzlik -- presidential aide
Jerzy Szmajdzinski -- deputy parliament speaker
Andrzej Kremer -- Deputy Foreign Minister
Gen. Franciszek Gagor -- head of the army chief of staff
Andrzej Przewoznik -- minister in charge of WWII memorials
Slawomir Skrzypek -- head of the National Bank of Poland
Janusz Kurtyka -- head of the National Remembrance Institute
Przemyslaw Gosiewski -- lawmaker
Zbigniew Wassermann -- lawmaker
Grzegorz Dolniak -- lawmaker
Janusz Kochanowski -- civil rights commissioner
Bishop Tadeusz Ploski -- army chaplain
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/04/10/poland.president.plane.crash/index.html?hpt=T1


AMERICA
USA: JUSTICE JOHN PAUL STEPHENS RETIRES AFTER 35 YEARS

Catholic Online report – On Friday, April 9, 2010 a significant retirement announcement made the National news, Justice John Paul Stephens is leaving the bench. His departure must be a rallying cry for all those who recognize the true fundamental human rights issue of our age, the right to life from conception to natural death.

Justice Stevens is by all accounts a gentleman and an intellectual. His demeanor has earned him the respect and admiration of many, including his colleagues on the bench who disagreed with many of his judicial opinions. The most notably wrong among those opinions was his support of the majority in the horrendous 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v Casey. In that case the Court left in place the egregious holding foisted upon the Nation in the opinions of Roe and Doe, essentially denying the preeminent and fundamental human Right to Life to an entire class of persons, our youngest neighbors, children in the womb.
Two sentences from that horrid opinion call to light the fundamental failure of the current Jurisprudence which is undermining true liberty in of our Nation, "At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life. Beliefs about these matters could not define the attributes of personhood were they formed under compulsion of the State." Talk about what Pope Benedict rightly identified as the "Dictatorship of Relativism"!
There can be no doubt of how the supporters of killing children in the womb under the newspeak pretext of "choice"- and having it protected as a "right" by the Police Power of the State - consider Justice Stevens' significance. Just note what Nancy Keenan, the President of the National Abortion Rights Action league, now calling itself "NARAL Pro-Choice America" said upon his announcement. She noted "Stevens is among the strongest supporters of the right to choose currently serving on the Supreme Court, and his retirement serves as yet another stark reminder of the important role the court plays in our everyday lives."
Make no mistake. There is no "Abortion Right". The "Right to choose" does not apply to a right to take innocent human life. Some choices are always wrong. Our criminal code is filled with examples. There is no other class of persons over which we recognize an alleged right to kill. Additionally, Abortion is an action.It has no "rights". Human Persons are the recipients of rights, endowed upon them by the God who is their source and not manufactured out of thin air by a Court. The first and fundamental Right, revealed by the Natural Law, is the Right to Life. Without that Right there can be no other Rights because there is no human person to be their recipient.
And, what about those other Fundamental Rights which we purport to recognize, such as Liberty!
The proper understanding of "Liberty" which had for centuries inspired our Nation and made it the envy of the world, has been discarded and replaced by the Court. Justice Stevens also concurred in that Casey opinion with the these inane words "Liberty finds no refuge in a jurisprudence of doubt. Yet, 19 years after our holding that the Constitution protects a woman´s right to terminate her pregnancy in its early stages, Roe v. Wade (1973), that definition of liberty is still questioned." What does that mean? In other words, the architects of a new definition of liberty as a libertine license to take the lives of our first neighbors now insist that legal abortion is a foundation stone which must not be removed lest we foster what they call a "jurisprudence of doubt." Get the switch here? A "conservative" approach to jurisprudence now requries the protection of the status quo under a misunderstanding of "stare decisis".
I am a constitutional lawyer, though my work in Moral Theology and other work has curtailed my functioning much in that capacity these days. For a good part of my 30 year legal career I had the privilege of heading up a public interest law firm called the American Center for Law and Justice, serving as its Executive Director. During those years, I served with one of the great Pro-Life Constitutional Lawyers of our Age, the ACLJ Chief Counsel, Jay Sekulow, who now leads the ACLJ. I was co-counsel with him on several major cases at the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the Right to Life, Family and Religious Freedom. I learned how vitally important that Court truly is in this Nation which has lost its moral compass, rejected the Natural Law and forgotten the Separation of Powers doctrine. The selection of Supreme Court Justices really, truly matters.
The high sounding "chatter" has begun already. President Obama, who has the constitutional power to appoint, ..also has a Congress all but joined to his hip. That means he has the probable power to confirm. He will now talk incessantly about "judicial temperament" and "restraint". In fact, his first comments concerning Stevens´ tenure of service given on the day of the announcement of his retirement signal the talking points of his administration. Referring to Justice Stevens service he said "During that tenure, he has stood as an impartial guardian of the law. He has worn the judicial robe with honor and humility. He has applied the Constitution and the laws of the land with fidelity and restraint…." He spoke of selecting someone who has "… an independent mind, a record of excellence and integrity, a fierce dedication to the rule of law, and a keen understanding of how the law affects the daily lives of the American people. It will also be someone who, like Justice Stevens, knows that in a democracy, powerful interests must not be allowed to drown out the voices of ordinary citizens."
Oh, it all sounds so noble doesn´t it? Unless you are a child in the womb.Most of those calling themselves "conservatives" will also now use their own talking points. They will speak of the need for a "strict constructionist" and a "judicial conservative" who" interprets rather than makes the law…." to replace Justice Stevens. Oh, I know it sounds a little better, but what do the labels "liberal" and "conservative" really mean any longer? Particularly, when it comes to Supreme Court appointments? In an insightful interview the retiring Justice gave in 2007 to Jeffrey Rosen of the New York Times (The Dissenter Jeffrey Rosen, New York Times. Sept 23, 2007) Justice Stevens said ""I don´t think of myself as a liberal at all….I think as part of my general politics, I´m pretty darn conservative."
Rosen noted: " …It may seem surprising that such a passionate leader of the court´s liberal wing bristles when he is called a liberal. But the fact that Stevens sees himself as a conservatively oriented centrist makes perfect sense given what judicial liberalism has become. There was a time, years ago in the Warren Court era, when liberal justices like Stevens´s predecessor William O. Douglas saw themselves as on a mission to recreate American society along boldly egalitarian lines by discovering newly minted constitutional rights. But for better or worse, this ambitious conception of judicial liberalism has been replaced, like much of political liberalism in America, by a more modest, conciliatory and technocratic sensibility. Even the most liberal justices today have little appetite for the old approach.
"Judicial liberalism, in other words, has largely become a conservative project: an effort to preserve the legal status quo in the face of efforts by a younger generation of conservatives to uproot the precedents of the past 40 years. Stevens, who wrote or supported many of those precedents, understandably objects when he feels they are distorted or mischaracterized by justices who were in college when he was appointed to the court. At the same time, merely conserving the achievements of the past is less than what many liberals today ultimately hope for. Can Stevens provide a model for a new vision of legal liberalism in the 21st century?"
The "800 pound Gorilla" in the room in the coming selection and appointment of a replacement for Justice John Paul Stevens is this legal construct called an "Abortion Right." Its' manufacture by the Supreme Court out of what it called the "penumbra" of the 14th Amendment began the current Cultural Revolution in the United States. The "Culture of Death" it unleashed has spread throughout the West. It also set up the ongoing misuse of the 14th Amendment´s "Equal Protection of the Law" as a cover for what amounts to a radical remaking of the culture through judicial opinions. I hear the defenders of the so called "Abortion Right" practicing their toxic song already.For example, I listened to Chris Matthews last night opine about whether or not the newly selected Justice would recognize the "Equal protection" clause as supporting the newest tool of the cultural revolutionaries, the effort to equalize with the force of law the relationship between practicing homosexuals and true marriage.
Make no mistake, Justice John Paul Stevens, with his gentlemanly demeanor, was a proponent of the "Culture of Death". He is also the poster child for what masquerades as "conservatism" in some circles these days, upholding the "status quo", even when it is wrong, under the facade of a misapplication of "stare decisis". For example, calling what can never be a right, Abortion, a right. Actions do not have rights, people do! Abortion is always and everywhere the wrongful taking of an innocent human life. In that same interview Justice Stevens addressed the barbaric practice of infanticide euphemistically called "Partial Birth Abortion". Rosen writes:
"On the issue of abortion, however, Stevens has failed to persuade Kennedy to vote consistently with the liberals. I asked Stevens about the decision last term in which Kennedy, writing for the five more conservative justices, upheld the federal ban on partial-birth abortion. Stevens said that the federal ban was deeply flawed and that Kennedy´s rhetoric about the need to protect women from the emotional trauma of abortions was frustrating. But he noted that the real-world effect of the defeat was minimal because of the widespread availability of alternative abortion procedures. "The statute is a silly statute," he said. "It´s a silly statute." He added, "It´s just a distressing exhibition by Congress, but what we decided isn´t all that important." "I asked whether Stevens thought the right to abortion recognized in Roe v. Wade would survive in his lifetime. "Well, it´s up to Justice Kennedy," he replied. "I don´t know about the two new justices" — Roberts and Alito — "but I kind of assume it may well be up to him." Abortion rights supporters may take solace in the fact that Stevens indicated that Kennedy seemed to view the regulation of so-called partial-birth abortions as consistent with Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld the central holding of Roe v. Wade. "I don´t think he thinks this" — the recent abortion opinion — "requires him to change his views at all," Stevens said. "We´ll have to wait and see. I suppose there are a lot of people out there praying I get out of the way."Justice John Paul Stephens is now "getting out of the way". It is a different time in our Nation than what existed in 2007 during that interview. Those who have the "upper hand" in the nomination and confirmation of his replacement defend the indefensible, the taking of innocent human life as a sort of "Super Right." I know this President will not nominate a Pro-Life candidate. I am not naive. I hear the multitude of cynical voices already responding to this article. However, we must raise the loudest cry ever heard! We must insist upon the selection and appointment of a new Justice who recognizes the fundamental human Right to Life. Only that kind of Justice will do what needs to be done, reverse Roe v Wade. The Cries of the Children Must be heard. We must give them our voice! We Need a Pro-Life Justice. http://www.catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=36116&page=2



ASIA
SRI LANKA: MOBILE CLINIC HELPS THE POOR

Asia News report: Archdiocese of Colombo renews an aid project for over 200 needy. Medical care, specialist visits and medicines provided through the efforts of the Church and help of 10 government doctors. For the future the goal is to expand to the nearby district of Gampaha.

Kandana (AsiaNews) - A mobile clinic to treat the poor and needy, provide medicines and provide free specialist visits. This is the initiative launched this Easter by the parish of Kandana, Diocese of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
In the past the parish of San Sebastian, in Kandana, had organized mobile clinics for the poor. The Easter initiative was made possible thanks to the participation of 10 government doctors, some from the far away districts of Kurunegala and Puttalam.
Despite torrential rain, people queued all day asking people for medications, specialist visits or free check-ups. Fr. Mahendra Gunatilake, pastor of the church of San Sebastiano, spoke to over 200 poor people who benefited from the medical care.
A woman of 73 thanked the local church and doctors because she now has a pair of glasses, which have helped to resolve her vision. "I used this chance – she tells AsiaNews – so as not to be a burden on my children, who already have their own family problems." Lawrence Perera, 77, is grateful for the medicines received, that his daughter can not buy regularly.
The initiative will not stop with Easter, but will continue in the future and will have an even wider scope. Rohan Jayasinghe, a Buddhist and the social worker in charge of the organization, forsees that, "in the future we will extend this project to the district of Gampaha”.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Kandana:-at-Easter,-a-mobile-clinic-to-treat-the-poor-of-the-parish-18108.html


AFRICA
ZAMBIA PRIEST WANTS TO JOIN POLITICS

All Africa report: FORMER deputy minister in charge of the Vendors' Desk at State House Josiah Chishala yesterday said Change Life Zambia executive director Frank Bwalya's Red Card Campaign is a clear indication that he wants to join partisan politics.

Mr Chishala, who was a minister in second Republican president Frederick Chiluba's government said Zambians should reject Father Bwalya's campaign and denounce his priesthood because he had decided to join politics.
Mr Chishala said in a statement that he had demoted Fr Bwalya from being a Catholic father to a mere Mr Bwalya because he had taken a back seat in his Christian calling.
"Mr Frank Bwalya has chosen to enter politics siding with the Patriotic Front (PF)/United Party for National Development (UPND) pact presumably with the backing of the Catholic Church," he said.
Mr Chishala said the Government should not take Fr Bwalya's campaign lightly because he seemed to harbour a hidden agenda with other people.
He challenged the Catholic Church to denounce Fr Bwalya's acts if it was not in agreement with the programmes the priest had embarked on.He said Fr Bwalya's 'change or die policy' was an indication that he had declared war against the Zambian Constitution.
And Fellowship Christian Churches president Simon Chihana has said President Rupiah Banda has a right to congregate in any church in the country.Bishop Chihana, who was reacting to Fr Bwalya's statement that the president should not go to the Catholic Church, said that it was against the law to hinder the head of State from fulfilling his duties.
He said it was saddening to note that some people wanted to stop others from attending certain churches without any justifiable reasons.
Meanwhile, Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) has said it is not part of the Red Card Campaign spearheaded by Change Life Zambia executive director Frank Bwalya.
FODEP information officer, Macdonald Chipenzi said yesterday that the organisation was still awaiting a decision by the board on whether to participate in the campaign or not.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201004090318.html


AUSTRALIA
BROTHER TO BE DEPORTED TO AUSTRALIA

Cath News report: An Australian brother from the St John of God Order convicted of sexual abuse in New Zealand is expected to be deported to Australia next year.

Rodger William Moloney, who went to New Zealand in the 1970s to establish a school for boys in Christchurch, has been released from prison after serving 13 months of a 33-month sentence. He will now serve a year on parole in New Zealand, before being deported here, The Australian reported.
The order of St John of God in Sydney will provide a home for him. Spokesman for the order, Simon Feely, said Moloney, 74, would be retired and would have "no choice" as to the restrictions placed on him.
Moloney was head of Christchurch's Marylands School for boys with learning difficulties. In 2008, he was found guilty of seven charges of sex abuse against boys and jailed. The brothers have previously apologised for Moloney's actions. He was released on parole in September 2009. He will be deported to Australia when his parole expires in April 2011, AAP reported, quoting a New Zealand Herald report. http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=20532




TODAY'S SAINT

St. Fulbert

BISHOP
Feast: April 10
Information:Feast Day: April 10
Born: between 952 and 962
Died: 10 April 1028 or 1029
Bishop, b. between 952 and 962; d. 10 April, 1028 or 1029. Mabillon and others think that he was born in Italy, probably at Rome; but Pfister, his latest biographer, designates as his birthplace the Diocese of Laudun in the present department of Gard in France. He was of humble parentage and received his education at the school of Reims, where he had as teacher the famous Gerbert who in 999 ascended the papal throne as Sylvester II. In 990 Fulbert opened a school at Chartres which soon became the most famous seat of learning in France and drew scholars not only from the remotest parts of France, but also from Italy, Germany, and England. Fulbert was also chancellor of the church of Chartres and treasurer of St. Hilary's at Poitiers. So highly was he esteemed as a teacher that his pupils were wont to style him "venerable Socrates". He was a strong opponent of the rationalistic tendencies which had infected some dialecticians of his times, and often warned his pupils against such as extol their dialectics above the teachings of the Church and the testimony of the Bible. Still it was one of Fulbert's pupils, Berengarius of Tours, who went farthest in subjecting faith to reason. In 1007 Fulbert succeeded the deceased Rudolph as Bishop of Chartres and was consecrated by his metropolitan, Archbishop Leutheric of Sens. He owed the episcopal dignity chiefly to the influence of King Robert of France, who had been his fellow student at Reims. As bishop he continued to teach in his school and also retained the treasurership of St. Hilary. When, about 1020, the cathedral of Chartres burned down, Fulbert at once began to rebuild it in greater splendour. In this undertaking he was financially assisted by King Canute of England, Duke William of Aquitaine, and other European sovereigns. Though Fulbert was neither abbot nor monk, as has been wrongly asserted by some historians, still he stood in friendly relation with Odilo of Cluny, Richard of St. Vannes, Abbo of Fleury, and other monastic celebrities of his times. He advocated a reform of the clergy, severely rebuked those bishops who spent much of their time in warlike expeditions, and inveighed against the practice of granting ecclesiastical benefices to laymen.
Fulbert's literary productions include 140 epistles, 2 treatises, 27 hymns, and parts of the ecclesiastical Office. His epistles are of great historical value, especially on account of the light they throw on the liturgy and discipline of the Church in the eleventh century. His two treatises are in the form of homilies. The first has as its subject: Misit Herodes rex manus, ut affligeret quosdam de ecclesia, etc. (Acts 12:50); the second is entitled "Tractatus contra Judaeos" and proves that the prophecy of Jacob, "Non auferetur sceptrum de Juda", etc. (Genesis 49:10), had been fulfilled in Christ. Five of his nine extant sermons are on the blessed Virgin Mary towards whom he had a great devotion. The life of St. Aubert, bishop of Cambrai (d. 667), which is sometimes ascribed to Fulbert, was probably not written by him. Fulbert's epistles were first edited by Papire le Masson (Paris,1585). His complete works were edited by Charles de Villiers (Paris, 1608), then inserted in "Bibl. magna Patrum" (Cologne,16l8) XI, in "Bibl. maxima Patri." (Lyons, 1677), XVIII, and with additions, in Migne, P.L., CXLI, 189-368. SOURCE http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/F/stfulbert.asp



TODAY'S SAINT

Mark 16: 9 - 15
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9 Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.

10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept.

11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

12 After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country.

13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they sat at table; and he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.

15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation.