Security Concerns arise during Patriarchal Visit amid unrelated anti-Trump protests

MINNEAPOLIS 11 November 2016 (ORCNS) - Security concerns arose today when protesters opposed to the election of Donald Trump to the Presidency of the U.S. disrupted traffic in front of the hotel where the Cardinal Patriarch of St. Stephen was staying in Minneapolis today. This marks the third day of such protests in the city, which have stopped traffic on on a major interstate and other roads. The Cardinal was in Minneapolis for diplomatic meetings and was staying somewhere near the government district. Although his visit to the city was entirely unrelated to the Presidential election, the Cardinal's security unit advised precautions, and he was unaffected by the protest.

Protesters opposing the election of Donald Trump
impede traffic in downtown Minneapolis

Statement of H.Em. the Cardinal Patriarch of St. Stephen on the Election of Donald Trump as President of the United States

To those who are concerned about the direction of the United States, or of any other country in the world, or of the world in general, get off your ass and do something positive to help other people. Facebook posts might spread messages, but they aren't action, and they don't give you the right to complain as if you have actually done something. It's no different than hobby priests who play on Facebook and do nothing more than share ready-made memes and articles as if that by itself is real engagement in ministry. What kind of cleric would I be if I sat around all proud of myself for being a successor to the Apostles or waxed poetic in romantic nostalgia about the church in Rome tied to my red hat instead of getting out in the world at least to try to make a difference in other people's lives each and every day? What kind of human being would each of us be if we don't try to make a difference in other people's lives each and every day? If you think there are problems in the world, you're right. There are always problems in the world. Stop complaining and do what YOU can to make things better. You'll lose some friends in the process. You'll gain enemies. Some friends will give you blank stares as you try to encourage them to do what they ought to do. Laziness and lethargy are curses of humanity, but don't let that stop YOU, even if you have to go it alone.

It's time to realize that PEOPLE are what matters - and that's the message of the Holy Church. Countries come and go, so why focus on something transient? If you're an American and claim you serve the Constitution, but forget that the only valid purpose of the Constitution is to serve and protect the real human beings that live in America, then the focus of your service is misguided. The laws of God that uphold human dignity of mankind are eternal. The law of the land - any land - is not. Focus on the permanent. Focus on the eternal. That gives you a solid rock of stability when there is chaos around you.

So, you don't like that Mr. Trump is going to be the next American President? Do something positive to make your country better. Start with your family and community. Make it the place you want to live in. And if you do like that Trump is going to be President, don't act like Trump is the solution to the problems in America or anywhere else in the world. I'll give the same advice as I gave to those who are upset by the result: Get up, get going, and make the place you live the place you want to live in. Turn off the television; turn off the internet; turn off the radio. Engage with people in person on a personal level. Like I said, the internet has its merits, but simply sharing memes and articles of others or venting your frustrations isn't real action.

It's time to realize that WE are responsible for the world we live in. The United States hasn't made it 250 years as a separate country. There were Europeans and indigenous people in America long before that. So stop acting as if the choice of President is the one factor or even the primary factor upon which all good or evil depends. YOU - each and every one of you - have the power to make a difference at least to the people around you. Don't sit back while those who are trying to lead by example end up doing all the work. Get off your asses, roll up your sleeves, pitch in, and get the job done. You want a better country? Build one. You want a better world? Build one. Things are tough? Hang in there and keep going. Even Christ on the Cross didn't give up. Things aren't working as well as you had hoped? Make what progress you can. Don't have enough people with you and you're feeling alone? Keep going and don't be one of the lazy people who have abandoned you. Others are telling you not to do what you're doing to make things better? Ignore them as the irrelevant jerks that they are. Pray for them that their hearts may be turned, but don't give in and turn to hate yourself.

So once again, you want a better society? It's up to YOU. YOU. YOU. Don't try to lay it at the doorstep of the President, a King, or any other leader. That's the weak way out, and if you take that path, don't even think you have the slightest right to complain. To make a better world, love your neighbor. If you love your neighbor, you'll put that love into action. So God bless and get moving.

Statement of H.Em. the Cardinal Patriarch of St. Stephen to the people of the United States of America on the upcoming Presidential Election.

Carissimi,

The election for President of the United States that will take place on Tuesday has been preceded by one of the most contentious campaigns; perhaps the most contentious in history. It has come in a time of great division in America and around the world. The election has created even more polarization, as it has brought to the surface many of the underlying issues.

The issues that voters face in this Presidential election are extremely serious. Many have not decided for whom to vote as they weigh the two leading candidates.

For a Christian, it cannot be a matter of finding the perfect candidate. Who among us is perfect? God has used flawed people to do His will many, many times. The notion of of a perfect candidate must be permanently banished. Rather, we must look for the candidate that is the better of the two, even if only by a small margin. To do so, we must look at the issues at hand and compare the candidates, starting with the most important issue. Voting based on attactiveness, race, sex, or any other factor is foolish and irresponsible, both to yourself and to mankind.

The most important issue is always right to life. All other rights and considerations assume that a person is alive, and therefore life must be considered before any other factor may be considered. If both candidates do not support the right to life, then the candidate that is proportionately more supportive must be chosen. Such decisions are often difficult and require a lot of discernment. On the other hand, if one candidate does not support right to life, then that candidate must be disqualified in the minds of the voters.

When a candidate for office openly supports abortion, that candidate must be disqualified in the minds of the voters, for such a candidate is not fit for office. Christian people cannot vote for a candidate that supports abortion when there is a pro-life candidate available. Such is the case with the present election. Those who vote for a pro-abortion candidate in this election commit grave sin. No other issue can be considered if the issue of right to life is not considered first, and the choice indeed makes itself based on the consideration of right to life. A healthy economy, an effective foreign policy, and many other things being discussed during this election are all irrelevant if the nation that possesses them continues to murder over a million and a half unborn children each year.

People of faith, you will be held accountable to almighty God for the way that you vote. It is not a personal choice independent of others. Your vote is your voice, and it impacts millions of people in the United States and around the world. Do not forget that the United States does not exist in a vacuum. Its actions impact others, and the people of other nations cannot simply be disregarded as irrelevant. We cannot claim to respect life if that respect stops at a national border.

Our duty to God is always first. Any national duty must be merely an extension of our duty to God. Therefore, pray for guidance that you may make the right choice according to the laws of God.

Walsingham Guard Officer & Medical Doctor Receives Medal of Humanitarian Service

Mgr. Archprc. Keith Steinhurst, MD, was awarded the Walsingham Guard Medal of Humanitarian Service for service in Africa in 2014 to stop the spread of the Ebola virus. Mgr. Steinhurst participated in a multinational humanitarian operation during a critical time for world health. The operation involved military and health personnel from several nations.

Mgr. Steinhurst in Uganda

Mgr. Steinhurst is a senior official of the Patriarchal Curia and First Marshal of the Guards. His efforts in Africa were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Walsingham Guard in service to humanity.

Medal of
Humanitarian
Service

ARRCC Priest Gets Young Couples Started in a Life with Christ

HARDIN, Ill. 28 August 2016 (ORCNS) - Monsignor Douglas is a priest with a mission - help young couples get started right in marriage. "I don't like young couples going to judges and getting married," he says, "The Church is the best option." The Very Rev. Mgr. Douglas Deffenbaugh v. Aschaffenburg, who is also Chancellor of the Court of St. Mary of Walsingham, has been helping couples for years start their life together with a sacramental Christian marriage. In fact, he has even married two generations of the same family - the parents and one of the children. 

Mgr. Douglas Deffenbaugh (left), helped by an altar server,
officiates at a wedding.

Some of the couples he finds are military (Deffenbaugh is a U.S. Army veteran and served in Afghanistan - he continues to serve in the Church's Walsingham Guard). With looming deployments, some military couples plan to handle their marriage at the courthouse. When Mgr. Douglas hears that, he offers them an alternative. Usually they take it. 

What drives Mgr. Douglas? After all, it isn't unusual for a priest to perform weddings. Deffenbaugh cited a decline in morality that goes with declining religious participation in the United States. "I am just doing my part to fix that in God's name," he said. 

Talk at Harvard by Cardinal Patriarch on Poverty and Wealth

Mgr. Rutherford, Cardinal
Patriarch of St. Stephen

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. 1 August 2016 (ORCNS) - Mgr. Rutherford Johnson, Cardinal Patriarch of St. Stephen, gave a presentation on poverty, wealth, and moral issues in the Global Financial Crisis to a multinational, multicultural, and interfaith audience during a conference held at Harvard University today. His presentation began with a background of ethical problems during the financial crisis and continuing to the present. The Cardinal then discussed the problem of greed leading to such unethical behavior and the possibility that wealth itself could actually stimulate that greed. "When such outcomes result in the leaders of government and commerce," Mgr. Rutherford said, "it places the poor at even greater risk. Furthermore, those who were otherwise financially stable may end up experiencing a decline in their financial well-being due to unethical actions of others."

The presentation continued with methods to include ethics and influence in economics models of consumer decision strategies. Individuals in the economy may be influenced by others. Groups within the economy of individuals that think along the same lines may form, which then may exert influence on others. That may interact with existing individual belief, the Cardinal posited, and change the way individuals behave in the economy. The poor, he said, are particularly vulnerable when either government and industry leaders or large numbers of individuals overall undergo a shift in decision strategy away from that which leads to ethical outcomes.

Mgr. Rutherford also holds a Bachelor's degree in Applied Physics and a Master's degree in economics from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), and also a PhD in agricultural economics from the University of Kentucky.

People of the Patriarchate of St. Stephen Honored by Alabama Governor

Governor Bentley

MONTGOMERY 27 July 2016 (ORCNS) - Hon. Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, has issued a proclamation declaring 3 August 2016 as Patriarchate of St. Stephen and Humanitarian Day in the State of Alabama. In the proclamation, the Governor recognized the Old Roman Catholic Patriarchate of St. Stephen's long history of providing humanitarian and charitable service through its mandate of mission, service, and charity, following the example of Saint Stephen the Deacon and Protomartyr. The Patriarchate's promotion of selfless service through its own and other organizations and its valuable contributions to the preservation of ecclesiastical and secular history were also acknowledged. The Governor further remarked that the Patriarchate remains an important historical remnant of ancient Christian ecclesiastical history and has served in diverse ways within the State of Alabama.

The third of August, also known as "Ferretruria," is considered the principal Feast Day of the Patriarchate. It is of particular significance to the people of the Stephenian Patriarchate that they received this high honor from the Governor of Alabama on that particular day. Mgr. Rutherford, Card. Patriarch of St. Stephen, said, "We are humbled at this tremendously kind gesture by the Governor of Alabama. Our people service quietly and without fanfare in diverse and significant ways. The Governor's recognition heralds their achievements."

Built on the traditions of Christian chivalry, the See of St. Stephen is an Old Roman Catholic Patriarchate with Anglican Patrimony descends from the Roman Catholic See of Utrecht and is the successor to the legacy of Pope Leo X in Florence, Italy, the spiritual and temporal home of the Patriarchate. The See of Utrecht, Netherlands, has remained independent since 1145, when the Holy See in Rome granted autonomy. Today the Patriarchate, which continues that autonomy of government, serves around the globe in fulfillment of its mandate of mission, service, and charity.