http://www.renegadecatholic.com/blog "The altar cloth of one æon is the doormat of the next." — Mark Twain Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:47:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en What's wrong with this picture? I've neglected this blog a lot. Believe it or not, I've wanted to turn my attention to topics other than clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church. As a gnostic, heretic, and long time sci-fi fan, the religious implications of UFOs, what the Church knows about ... http://www.renegadecatholic.com/blog/2010/03/06/picture-this/ Sometimes the best gifts are those you never ask for, but are given anyway. For instance, I would never, ever have thought of writing to Saint Nick, "Dear Santa, "This year, could you somehow have the pope tackled during a procession? I don't want anybody really hurt, but it would sure brighten ... http://www.renegadecatholic.com/blog/2009/12/26/xmas-omen-of-christmas-future/ [caption id="attachment_190" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="Behind the mask"][/caption] I had a rather peculiar feeling when reading how shocked and dismayed Pope Benedict XVI said he was over the report on Irish abuse.  I was reminded in fact of a scene from the classic film Casablanca (1942). You know the one -- the ... http://www.renegadecatholic.com/blog/2009/12/12/pope-shocked/ [caption id="attachment_180" align="alignleft" width="350" caption="Incorruptible"][/caption] Being pretty much a hermit, it takes a lot to pry me out of my cave. Last night, I was dragged by my sister to see her husband in the opening night of a play, called "Incorruptible", written by Michael Hollinger, put on by a local ... http://www.renegadecatholic.com/blog/2009/12/05/incorruptible/ [caption id="attachment_175" align="alignleft" width="288" caption="Blessing or curse?"][/caption] Here they are, two headlines next to each other this morning on ZENIT, the official Vatican newsfeed. Benedict XVI Defends Young Migrants Encourages Christians to Aid Children and Youth VATICAN CITY, NOV. 27, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is appealing to Christians to reach out to migrants and ... http://www.renegadecatholic.com/blog/2009/11/28/crazytalk/ [caption id="attachment_171" align="alignleft" width="396" caption="Fr. Sanchez -- then and now"][/caption] He's back. They say criminals always return to the scene of the crime; bad pennies always show up again. So perhaps it was inevitable that the person of Robert Fortune Sanchez, the former Archbishop of Santa Fe disgraced by his own admitted ... http://www.renegadecatholic.com/blog/2009/11/10/sanchez-returns/ [caption id="attachment_164" align="alignleft" width="254" caption="Fawker Day - When?"][/caption] Another year gone to hell. Here it is once again November 5, Guy Fawkes Day, or Bonfire Night, celebrating the foiling of the infamous Gunpowder Plot in 1605. In the wee hours on that day, Fawkes was caught red-handed, lurking with a pile of ... http://www.renegadecatholic.com/blog/2009/11/05/remember/ [caption id="attachment_129" align="alignleft" width="230" caption="The Man of Sin"][/caption] The time has come at last. My book is published and available online. I am finally getting a few good reviews — including one I truly treasure from none other than Fr. Tom Doyle, one of the true experts in the field and ... http://www.renegadecatholic.com/blog/2009/10/24/wheres-perrault/ As you can see, that which was dead lives again. In my quest to update all my sites, I somehow managed to hose the upgrade to this, my WordPress blog. D'oh! But I'm back (thanks, Mark!), and as the saying goes, there will be some changes around here. First thing I'm ... http://www.renegadecatholic.com/blog/2009/10/24/back-again/ It's finally done. Sons of Perdition: New Mexico in the Secret History of the Catholic Sex Scandals is now available at Amazon.com and elsewhere. It is an overview of sex and clergy and the roles played by the Inquisition, the pope, and oh yes, my own homeland of New Mexico.You ... http://www.renegadecatholic.com/blog/2009/07/31/sons-of-perdition/