Said Reverend Timothy Reilly of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, quoted in "Pope Leo XIV declares a miracle at Rhode Island hospital, crediting prayer with saving baby’s life in 2007" (NY Post).
The baby, Tyquan Hall, was delivered in Rhode Island and expected to die, but the doctor, Juan Sanchez, who was from Huercal-Overa, Spain, prayed for intercession from his region’s patron, Father Valera Parra, who lived in Huercal-Overa from 1816 to 1889.
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69 comments:
Geez, until reading this excerpt I had completely forgotten the new Pope's name, and that he's American. Other things on my mind, I guess.
Do people still fall for this? The Catholic Church is a child rape organization and if you are a member of it, if you are giving money to it, you are an evil person and God will forsake you.
Stop attending this "church." It is a church of the Devil himself.
In 2007, the year this miracle allegedly occurred, there were 69 infant deaths in the state of Rhode Island. The state has an infant mortality rate of 6.2 per 1,000 live births.
How come God killed these 69 kids by not doing a miracle?
People need to stop being idiots.
Opening the day with an anti-Catholic thread the day after your Jewish friends bombed a Church in Gaza close to the late Pope Francis' heart...
Why you haven't had this much fun, missy, you and your Protestant husband, since the day JFK was offed by... Oswald was it? lol
Enjoy your day. So much more to do in life than hate and toss red-meat bait but I get it... that camper van gas tank isn't going to fill itself...
Good luck collecting tips today off the Catholic Church. Somehow, you types always seem to fundraise off our goodness...
That and two card tricks, for three miracles, makes him a saint.
NY Post:
"You may be tempted to quit what you are working on and start something new, and that may be a wise course of action, but don't change your focus just yet. What occurs next week will give you a more profitable range of options to choose from.
This is the horoscope. It's a meaningless and false post. But people "believe" in it, so The Post prints it.
The Post also prints UFO stories, on an almost daily basis that have zero truth in them.
Stop being stupid, people.
FLC, every organization where adults have sway over kids is a "child rape organization," then, because that particular kind of evil person seeks out positions in all of those places: churches, schools, youth clubs like scouting, coaching. The Catholic Church's great sin (as opposed to the great sins of some of its priests) - and it was very great indeed, and because of its nature we can't be sure it isn't still going on in some places - was the cover-up.
Like every other human endeavor, the Catholic Church has a mixed record. But it was the fount of science, sexual and racial equality, abolition; the enemy of infanticide, polygamy, marital infidelity; the vault of knowledge and the champion of education. Dismiss it (and, just a guess here about your feelings, Christianity or maybe religion generally in any form) at civilization's peril, as even Dawkins now admits.
I'm surprised they don't have a picture of Tyquan Hall today and a little bio. Maybe he's not quite 18 yet. Hope he's still thriving.
To those of us bound in time and space, this seems like an even more extraordinary and impossible thing that the usual laying on of hands or holding a special prayer service. But if such a thing is possible at all, then these dramatic circumstances are not even worth mentioning. If God can make a universe, then an ocean's distance would not even register.
As for the possibility and likelihood of miracles, we have to look elsewhere. For the commenters above so proud of themselves for their wisdom, I recommend CS Lewis's "Miracles," which very carefully goes after the various assumptions that people start with.
It's a miracle: Priests no longer have to report child rapes to the cops.
A federal judge has barred Washington state from enforcing a law that would have required priests to report evidence of child abuse learned during confession. The Trump administration had intervened on the side of the Catholic clergy.
https://x.com/kyledcheney/status/1946239650101616847
How come God killed these 69 kids by not doing a miracle? People need to stop being idiots.
There are miracles but there is also a general and universal plan for this life, designed by God. We’re here for the education through experience. The whole creation and plan is a miracle to our understanding. But God doesn’t give us everything we want whenever we want it because a lot of times we would want out of the plan and it’s experiences which we each chose to come and be part of. Or put differently, a lot of times when we ask for help from God, we’re not knowledgeable enough to ask for the right thing.
Here are two short segments from the Book of Mormon that provide light on this topic.
[When 2 Prophets were in chains and were forced to witness a sort of a holocaust that a wicked society was causing on innocent people]
10 And when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children who were consuming in the fire, he also was pained; and he said unto Alma: How can we witness this awful scene? Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames.
11 But Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day.”
[Then later in the book of Mormon, another prophet explains]
[“20 … the reason why [God] ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.
21 Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth.”
"How come God killed these 69 kids by not doing a miracle?"
Did anyone pray to Father Valera?
I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him."
Wait ... is this the same God who murdered every single person on Earth by drowning them (except Noah and a few others?)
Althouse asked: Did anyone pray to Father Valera?
Quote: ... "Because the doctor called out and called upon his name for help in the situation back in ‘07 on behalf of that little baby, he decided to intervene and ask God for a miracle."
And what miracle did this doctor ask? "Save just this one kid, but not the other 69 kids who will die in 2007 in Rhode Island."
"Just this one kid, please. Don't save any of the rest of them. Thanks be to you, oh merciful God."
And apparently, for the rest of Dr. Juan Sanchez's entire medical career, he never asked Father Valera to save anybody else.
Just that one kid.
IT'S A MIRACLE!
Why don't we openly mock other people's religions? Why, if you don't practice a particular faith, do you feel the need to opine?
I'm waiting for Hanukkah this year. Will miss althouse put up a post inviting people to speculate if the lamp oil really did hold out all that time or if someobody keep feeling the lamps, to ignite their spirits, and make them... "believe".
It's intimate, our faith practices, ann, like our lovemaking. Yours doesn't have to look like mine. That's ok. Have faith, and pray people have goodness in their hearts...
It's the opposite of the daily work you do here, stirring up hate amongst meade's mates that you've assembled over the years. When you're trying to impress a mind like dave begley, man you've already lost!
Leave the Catholics/Christians and their scripture alone now? You're in no position to cite it, and we see what you're doing here making money off of dead Catholics and mocking our miracles. Logging off to pray for Dawn's repose. You ought to put some of your energy toward contributing, not tearing down what others built up and you benefitted from...
You woudn't be alive today I bet if you didn't live in a Christian-built part of the country... Just sayin.
"I'm surprised they don't have a picture of Tyquan Hall today and a little bio. Maybe he's not quite 18 yet."
I wanted to know what happened to the boy who was saved and did some looking. Found 2 individuals with that name (which you might think was more unusual) and one had died as a teenager and the other, I think, had been found guilty of committing crimes, but the dates didn't match.
I don't think it would benefit the "real" Tyquan Hall to be known as the boy who was saved by a miracle, so I'm glad I didn't find him and I hope he's doing really well.
On publishing that, I heard a crash of thunder that went on to the point where I was expressing the opinion that it was the longest thunder I'd ever heard, and it continued even for a while after that.
One of my sisters was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver, she had all of the terrible things (jaundice, etc.) that go along with it. We were told by the medical professionals that there was nothing further that could be done and to make her as comfortable as possible. We gathered as a family at Thanksgiving of 2002, thinking it would be the the last one with her. She received a prayer and a blessing from elders of the church and everything about her condition improved in a short time. Sister lived another 14 years, saw several grandkids kids be born and graced her children, parents, her brothers, sister and many friends with her presence.
The professionals couldn’t explain it. We were and continue to be so thankful. Sometimes wonderful things happen through the power of prayer.
"FormerLawClerk said...
Do people still fall for this? The Catholic Church is a child rape organization and if you are a member of it, if you are giving money to it, you are an evil person and God will forsake you."
If that's true, then we need to close public schools as well. Hardly a week goes by that we don't learn of a teacher raping one or more students. If you support public schools, then you're an evil person and God will forsake you.
I don't think it would benefit the "real" Tyquan Hall...
I agree, but I'm still surprised.
"Sometimes wonderful things happen through the power of prayer."
That's the problem with prayers and miracles. How many have asked and yet God ignored their requests? Surely there are priests everywhere who routinely pray to God for their congregants who then go on to die. Never hear much about them, though, do we?
Funny how you laugh at, sneer, and lie about Catholics and nobody says boo. We don't even have a word for it. Anti-Catholicism? Never heard it.
Poke fun at a Priest in England, and everyone laughs. Poke fun at a Rabbi, and the police will investigate you for a hate crime.
Y'know who really hated Catholics, but kept it hidden? Eleanor Roosevelt. She actually wrote Truman in 1959-1960, that it was bad for the USA to have a Catholic President. That's the real reason she disliked JFK. She had tons of Jews in her inner circle, a Protestant secretary, but no Catholics. Unless they were lesbians.
Wonder how FLC, who’s obviously a man of reason, can prove that it didn’t happen that way.
Go at it FLC. And don’t include phrases like “I believe” or “I don’t believe”. That would only reveal your own “religion”.
Tyquan Hall doesn't exist, was never mentioned in any media prior to 2025, and the hospital where he was allegedly born no longer exists (isn't that convenient).
Dr. Juan Sanchez also seems to have disappeared off the face of the Earth. There is no evidence he exists either.
Funny how you laugh at, sneer, and lie about Catholics and nobody says boo
The Catholic Church routinely hid priests from law enforcement when they were discovered to be raping children. Routinely moving them from diocese to diocese as they raped new children and were accused.
Grok (to summarize):
"There is substantial evidence from multiple investigations, court cases, and media reports that the Catholic Church, in various dioceses, engaged in practices that hid accused priests and, in some instances, facilitated their escape from accountability. This occurred particularly in the context of the child sexual abuse scandals that gained widespread attention in the United States and globally, especially after the Boston Globe’s 2002 investigation, as depicted in the film Spotlight."
That's not me saying anything against the Catholic Church. It's public information available to anyone who wishes to understand what the Catholic church is all about.
because belief is important, its what you hold in your heart,
the Church has been around for 2000 years,
"Wonder how FLC, who’s obviously a man of reason, can prove that it didn’t happen that way."
I am a man of reason. Which is why I understand that it is impossible to prove a negative.
The burden of proof does not lie with me. The burden lies with the Catholic Church, which makes the claim.
Miracles do happen (my opinion, YMMV). But it seems odd to have a declaration of this one due to one man's prayer. Not for me to say.
But there could be a movement for those leftists facing distress to pray to Obama. Then gather all the examples where things turned out well. If enough pray surely a "miracle" or two - or GASP THREE! - will be found.
Saint Obama.... you know you want it. Even beats the Nobel Peace Prize for nothing.
On publishing my comments, no lightening strikes, no thunder. Clear, calm, sunny day. God must be pleased with me and angry with Ann. That lightening he sent all the way from Dubuque (at least according to Ventusky)!
That's the problem with prayers and miracles. How many have asked and yet God ignored their requests? Surely there are priests everywhere who routinely pray to God for their congregants who then go on to die. Never hear much about them, though, do we?
Jesus said, "Father, why have you forsaken me?"
It's a quote in the Bible, and well known among the billion or so Christians walking around. You haven't heard it, because you have no interest in knowing anything about God, or Christ.
“ I am a man of reason. Which is why I understand that it is impossible to prove a negative.”
But you were so sure of yourself.
there will come a mighty judgement upon this nation, because it has forsaken it's faith component, I don't know if Allah or Moloch is the deliverer, but those who have forsaken him for false gods
For BELIEVERS "all other ground is sinking sand" Faith, being the substance of things hoped for, is also an outward force. (HEB 11-1) Possessing the reality of hope supplies believers with the motivation to endure trials and hardships. It results in decisive obedience—the kind that caused the ancient heroes of faith to act upon their hope. Faith, as the substance of things hoped for, activates believers to preach boldly, pray unceasingly, love unconditionally, serve compassionately, and work tirelessly “as long as it is day” (John 9:4). The inward substance of faith moves our hearts while the external reality moves mountains.
is this the same God who murdered every single person on Earth by drowning them
The God who gives us life is the same God who kills us. We all die. There is an afterlife. Death does not mean what you think it means.
So who prayed to which saint to protect Donald Trump back in 2024? Did they pray to St. Gabriel Possenti, the patron Saint of firearms? Or did they pray to St. Barbara, who protects against thunder, lightning, and sudden death? Somehow that bullet was moved just three tenths of an inch to the left and for some reason Trump himself doesn’t understand, he started talking about his chart — and twisting his head to look at it — at that point in his speech when normally he did the chart near the end of his speech.
Sometimes the inexplicable just happens.
That's the problem with prayers and miracles. How many have asked and yet God ignored their requests? Surely there are priests everywhere who routinely pray to GoGodor their congregants who then go on to die.
And this would be a compelling argument if one believes that the purpose of life is simply to keep breathing for your three score and ten.
Keep whaling away at those straw men, FLC!!
Let it be noted that I am not trying to change what you believe, if there is anything that you would admit to believing (and you could be the most hardcore atheist* in the world, which surely constitutes a belief system). All I'm saying is that maybe you don't understand the purpose of prayer, on either the supplicant's or the Answerer's part, if the latter exists. Maybe you don't have kids - I have no information about that. But a person with children understands prayer a lot better than you seem to.
* It seems to me that the only truly consistent philosophical position, for the person for whom rationality is the paramount virtue, is agnosticism - wherein you admit that you do not and cannot know whether a god exists. Maybe you're agnostic.
The Catholic Church is a child rape organization
Since you're a man of reason, sir, maybe you would care to comment on all the public school teachers who have molested kids. As CBS points out, the numbers are shocking.
Are you actually motivated by a love for children, and an urge to protect them?
Or do you just hate Catholics?
"is this the same God who murdered every single person on Earth by drowning them"
It's called justice. You might check into what mankind was up to when God decided He'd had enough. And then you might do a bit of digging into what mercy means. Hint, God didn't have to save anyone or anything.
My link is to an editorial published by CBS. Unfortunately, the journalists at CBS are just as bad as everyone else.
Mirac? (tag)
I've come to assume that a grown man--religious or secular, athletic or cultural--who chooses to work among kids is likely to be a perv.
You can’t prove the factual status of religion, if you could, then what would be the value of faith. In hippie culture there is great interest in the Buddha and such, meditation and mindfulness are recommended by many in medicine, however Catholicism is despised by want to be cool kids.
I suspect this relates to elites despising Irish and Italians in the past. Religion is an ancient set of heuristic rules and if you follow them you will of course have a better life, get married, love others, be charitable, work for yourself and your family. But some people hate it.
There's a miracle/"miracle" at the heart of Burgess's "Earthly Powers" that's similar to this story. In that one the youngster saved by prayer (by a future pope) from a lonely death grows up to be a real rotter.
“ I've come to assume that a grown man--religious or secular, athletic or cultural--who chooses to work among kids is likely to be a perv.”
And half the grown women, see public school teachers who seduce kids and child psychologists of the recovered memory era.
"And half the grown women . . . ."
Hard to argue with that.
"That's the problem with prayers and miracles. How many have asked and yet God ignored their requests? Surely there are priests everywhere who routinely pray to God for their congregants who then go on to die. Never hear much about them, though, do we?"
This was answered in my favorite scene from the entire MASH series.
https://youtu.be/9KX9nWu24yE?feature=shared
"It's called justice. You might check into what mankind was up to when God decided He'd had enough."
God literally murdered every child on Earth. Every newborn. Every 1 year old. Every 2 year old. All their mothers and fathers. Everybody.
I don't think those kids were up to anything nefarious.
Quayle said...
>>How come God killed these 69 kids by not doing a miracle? People need to stop being idiots.<<
>There are miracles but there is also a general and universal plan for this life, designed by God.<
So did God just draw one name out of 70 out of a hat, or what?
I hope adult Tyquan buys lottery tickets.
"Since you're a man of reason, sir, maybe you would care to comment on all the public school teachers who have molested kids."
The National Education Association is an organization of perverts and child molesters and we should outlaw it.
Absolutely.
Having said that, there is little evidence that they actively have moved teachers around from school to school and hid the ones who were doing the raping. Priests and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church did that and I would argue that this is worse.
"This was answered in my favorite scene from the entire MASH series."
Oh yeah, I remember that one. That's the one where the soldier felt so guilty for killing gooks that he decided that he was Jesus Christ.
Sydney put that kid in the nuthouse.
it is impossible to prove a negative.
This is a negative assertion. You see the problem, no?
God didn't quite drown everyone, did he? He went took some trouble to allow Noah (and maybe his family; can't recall) to survive. Else the Bible would have been much shorter and no one would have read it.
Judas was an apostle; there has been corruption and grave evil at the highest levels of the Church right from the beginning. It's natural that devils, should such things exist, would be especially interested in corrupting the clergy (and to a lesser extent the Congress). This is very bad but not, on its own, sufficient reason to reject the Church's teaching.
Perhaps God will intervene to save the Althouse comments by rendering FLC's Internet connection non-functional.
Geez. FLC is a busy little boy/girl/man/woman/other/bot, no? Difficult to keep up...
"FormerLawClerk said...
Do people still fall for this? The Catholic Church is a child rape organization and if you are a member of it, if you are giving money to it, you are an evil person and God will forsake you."
Any girls raped by priests? Just boys?
Suspect less homosexual priests now thanks to out and proud movement, so that is a benefit of rainbow acceptance.
All I know is that the silver chain of my mother’s rosary beads turned gold on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje.
FormerLawClerk should read up on the Miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe, or the Miracle of Lanciano (or any of hundreds of others) and maybe re-evaluate his/her position. But then again, I think FLC is the one referred to in Mathew 13:13.
" It seems to me that the only truly consistent philosophical position, for the person for whom rationality is the paramount virtue, is agnosticism - wherein you admit that you do not and cannot know whether a god exists."
Does that also hold for the Tooth Fairy?
A "miracle" is an event which contravenes the established order -- something which cannot happen, but does. If miracles are desirable, then the established order is undesirable. Right? So God really, really fucked us over, mostly, but once in a while, if you tug on his robe, he'll do you a favor. Got it.
The Muslim theologists hold that there is no established order, and everything that happens, happens because Allah wills it. I think that actually makes more sense, from a logical point of view. If you're God, why would you bother to make a whole bunch of rules for the material Universe to follow, and then break them once in a while, on a whim?
Even if God did make a bunch of rules for the material Universe to follow, it would still be His will that makes the Universe follow them. Especially since he can break them whenever he gets a wild hair across his throne.
The Deists held that God had created the universe, but then, perhaps because he regarded it as perfect, he took no further role in its affairs. This enabled them to reconcile the obvious fact, that the Universe is designed, with the equally obvious fact that you don't always get what you pray for.
Perhaps God will intervene to save the Althouse comments by rendering FLC's Internet connection non-functional.
Amen.
Whats all this stuff and nonsense about "Miracles". I refuse to believe an all-powerful God that created life and entire world, could break the rules of physics. Its unpossible!
Someone may be interested in re-reading Carlos Eire's They Flew.
"Everyone has to believe something. I believe I'll have another drink."
“ The Catholic Church is a child rape organization and if you are a member of it, if you are giving money to it, you are an evil person and God will forsake you.”
According to commonly accepted Biblical exegesis, Mary was around 14 when she gave birth to the Son of God, which makes God Himself a child rapist.
agnostic here...so I can say with impartial and dispassionate observation that FormerLawClerk is a dickhead.
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