Our new archbishop was installed yesterday. Gosh. Makes him sound like a drain pipe or cable or something. But yes, it's an official ceremony.

I wasn't able to be there but I heard about is first words. Apparently they've made quite an impact with his first words to his new congregation. He stated, with warm open arms, that Catholics are called to have a life agenda. So many Catholic believe that being pro-life is only anti-abortion. But pro-life, according to our new archbishop, also means anti-war, anti death-penalty, anti-euthanasia. Life means all life. Even the lives of animals.

So few people understand euthanasia. Euthanasia isn't the right to die. Euthanasia is when your doctor decides to kill you. People read all about Terry Schiavo and ran out to get living wills. Living wills don't stop a doctor from offing you if they opt out of therapy for you as Terry's husband did. Many people opt for death if they contemplate coming to a point where they are vegetative. In making this call, many doctors opt for what is essentially murder. THEY decide thereapy would be of little good.

So few people understand partial birth abortion. Partial birth abortion is where a doctor pulls a perfectly viable full term child feet first out of the mother. Just up to the head. Because according to society in general - you're not a person til you're all the way out. With the infant's head still inside the mother, the doctor takes a pair of large scissors and cuts open the baby's head. Using a vaccum removes the baby's brain. The dead child is then pulled out of the mother.

In 1999, Pope John Paul II stated that animals possess a soul and men must love and feel solidarity for our smaller brethren. He stated that our furry friends are fruit of the creative action of the Holy Spirit and as such merit our respect. He reminded us that animals are as near to God as we are and that we should treat them with the same spirit of love as St. Francis of Assisi. That means that Catholics at large should be against factory farming where animals are torturned.

Have a life agenda. I like that.