O'Malley--U.S. Like Babylon

And of course since we now occupy the historical Babylon as well, i.e. Iraq.



From TheBostonChannel.com - News - O'Malley: America Hostile To Catholics:



"Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley said American culture is inhospitable to Roman Catholic teaching, and likened preaching to Americans to a form of martyrdom.



'Today, our challenge is simple: to resist the temptation to conform to the culture of death, to consumerism, hedonism, individualism,' O'Malley told about 500 priests and 600 parishioners on Tuesday during Chrism Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. The Mass, which included the blessing of sacred oils, was part of Holy Week, which culminates with Easter Sunday.



O'Malley compared the Catholic Church in the United States to 'exiles in the midst of Babylon.' He said Catholics 'find themselves in a hostile, alien environment where the overriding temptation is to assimilate, the cultural pull is to conform to a dominant cultural influence that is incongruous with our faith and our destiny.'



A Franciscan Capuchin friar, O'Malley spoke at length about the importance of preaching, which was a major preoccupation of St. Francis."