Saturday, November 16, 2019
USCCB Prattling
CWR Dispatch: Analysis: The USCCB ‘abortion debate,’ and what came after by JD Flynn
A comment there:
A comment there:
All this noise about a letter that most people and in all likelihood most Roman Catholics won't read...
Clueless bishops - pastoring through useless publishing. Do the laity need another voter's guide for 2020? Bishops do not have any special competence with respect to moral theology, including that area of moral theology which would encompass moral life. Nor is their judgment regarding the conclusions of moral theology infallible. At best, it might be possible that the majority opinion regarding the soundness of a conclusion might be worthy of consideration - so long as they acknowledge that they have the option of abstaining because of their lack of competence. When bishops cannot even get the first principles of political community correct (look at the incomplete state of Roman Catholic social teaching in this regard), does it really matter what they think about political matters. At best they could give discuss evils that are prohibited and what obvious voting choices are prohibited because they facilitate or involve formal cooperation in evil. But they would also have to acknowledge that it is possible that they are ignorant about other voting choices that facilitate evil or involve formal cooperation in evil, as these are known only to the experts in the moral theology.
Friday, November 15, 2019
Veiling
1P5: The Theology Behind Women Wearing Veils in Church by Peter Kwasniewski
It is ok in so far as it goes though I found the talk about "equality" a bit blue-pilled. And the author does not talk at all about the necessity of the virtue of modesty for women, which too is a sign of being blue-pilled.
Also from 1P5: The Catholic Identity Conference: A Call for All Catholics to Rise Up by Timothy Flanders
It is ok in so far as it goes though I found the talk about "equality" a bit blue-pilled. And the author does not talk at all about the necessity of the virtue of modesty for women, which too is a sign of being blue-pilled.
Also from 1P5: The Catholic Identity Conference: A Call for All Catholics to Rise Up by Timothy Flanders
The mouthpiece of Tradition, Bishop Athanasius Schneider, formed the centerpiece of the conference, delivering the keynote address as well as a short talk against Communion in the hand. He has been increasingly vocal against the Vatican II springtime, which has been a welcome relief of honestly facing the crisis as it has been continuing to unravel for decades.
His comments on the liturgy were salient on this. He said the New Mass is “substantially a clear weakening of the truth of the sacrificial character of the Mass.” It represents a “shift to the Protestant meaning and sense of the meal … in the text [of the Mass] itself.” Indeed, “The Novus Ordo is the Extraordinary Form.”
What Would Endo Say Now?
Has anyone attempted to inculturate Christianity in Japan by referring to Christ as the rising sun? Would Endo's objections or doubts about Christianity be eased if he had been exposed instead to a non-Latin form of Christianity? Would a Byzantine soteriology be more amenable to the Japanese mindset, or Endo's at least?
CWR: Catholicism in the Land of the Rising Sun (and declining population) by Ray Cavanaugh
Japanese Catholics are such a small minority—less than half of 1 percent—that sustaining the faith throughout succeeding familial generations has been difficult.
Related:
CWR: Catholicism in the Land of the Rising Sun (and declining population) by Ray Cavanaugh
Japanese Catholics are such a small minority—less than half of 1 percent—that sustaining the faith throughout succeeding familial generations has been difficult.
Related:
Thursday, November 14, 2019
The USCCB VP Speaks
Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit
CNA/CWR: ‘We need to become an evangelizing Church,’ says new USCCB VP
Is what Latin Catholics have to offer to their non-believing neighbors a true witness of Christ or a scandal to those who, even if imperfectly, adhere to the Natural Law better than Catholics who have been infected by liberalism?
CNA/CWR: ‘We need to become an evangelizing Church,’ says new USCCB VP
Is what Latin Catholics have to offer to their non-believing neighbors a true witness of Christ or a scandal to those who, even if imperfectly, adhere to the Natural Law better than Catholics who have been infected by liberalism?
The New Pope
Vulture
Because fiction is more humorous than reality. And it's not real. I hope Pius XIII wakes up from his coma and there is a struggle for the see of St. Peter.
The first teaser...
Because fiction is more humorous than reality. And it's not real. I hope Pius XIII wakes up from his coma and there is a struggle for the see of St. Peter.
The first teaser...
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Ominous Signs for the Latin Churches in the US
But not unexpected -- they continue to travel their path towards irrelevance and rejection.
CWR: ‘I just wanted to be a priest’: Archbishop Gomez elected president of USCCB
The face of the modern American church, aligned with the left on issues of political order in the name of a distorted moral theology that ignores the order of charity and its analogues at the natural level, and hence irrelevant to American “conservatives.”
Only the laity can restore credibility of the Church to their non-believing American neighbors, and they will have to do it by denouncing the pronouncements of the USCCB as not being representative of Tradition or authentic apostolic Christianity. The bishops will not learn, not even if Robert Sarah were to object to their liberalism and globalism.
CNA/CWR: US bishops approve updated seminary program, Hispanic ministry efforts
The Latin churches are bleeding members, and the "new Catholics" are not as Catholic as they hoped. So their solution? To double down on catering to multiculturalism and diversity.
CWR: ‘I just wanted to be a priest’: Archbishop Gomez elected president of USCCB
The face of the modern American church, aligned with the left on issues of political order in the name of a distorted moral theology that ignores the order of charity and its analogues at the natural level, and hence irrelevant to American “conservatives.”
Only the laity can restore credibility of the Church to their non-believing American neighbors, and they will have to do it by denouncing the pronouncements of the USCCB as not being representative of Tradition or authentic apostolic Christianity. The bishops will not learn, not even if Robert Sarah were to object to their liberalism and globalism.
CNA/CWR: US bishops approve updated seminary program, Hispanic ministry efforts
Who exactly do they have to judge effective maturity? "Professionals"? Women? Celibate male clerics who have been part of the system for a while and may be part of the problem? The blind leading the blind. As for the whole sacramental theology surrounding "in persona Christi" the implications, i.e. the priest being "married to the Church like Christ, and being a "spiritual husband" should raise a few eyebrows but Latins are used to this sort of talk by now.
Bishop Felipe de Jesus Estevez of St. Augustine, Florida, in floor discussions preceding the vote, said that in the last two years both he and Bishop Andrew Cozzens, auxiliary bishop of St. Paul, Minnesota, had been working as part of a larger group on a “deepening” of understanding of priestly celibacy in seminary formation.
This understanding of clerical celibacy, he said, is “based on an effective maturity” that is “both spousal and paternal.” Estevez said that he and Bishop Cozzens would be working to publish a book on this called “Spiritual Husbands, Spiritual Fathers.”
The votes were followed by a discussion of the V Encuentro meeting of 2018, a national gathering of more than 3,000 Hispanic Catholic leaders in the U.S. The bishops discussed some of the results of the Encuentro as providing a blueprint for the future of the Church in the U.S., and how the conference needs to incorporate those results at the parish level.
More than a year after the close of the V Encuentro, the bishops voted on Tuesday to start the process of incorporating the meeting’s conclusions and findings into its strategic plan for 2021-2024.
Recently, a Pew Research report on religious identity in the U.S. found that Catholics no longer make up a majority among Hispanics. The percentage of Catholics among Hispanics fell by 10% over the last decade.
Bishop Nelson Perez of Cleveland, Ohio, said a statement from the conference in response to the V Encuentro should emphasize leadership development among Hispanic Catholics, as well as vocations to the priesthood or religious life, successful models of ministry, and a vision of the Church as a defender of social justice and human dignity.
The Latin churches are bleeding members, and the "new Catholics" are not as Catholic as they hoped. So their solution? To double down on catering to multiculturalism and diversity.
Clueless
CNA/CWR: Bishop Barron on how to reach out to the ‘nones’
Urban-dwelling Millenials have been thoroughly in the SJW gospel. We already know the Latins have capitulated on feminism. Will they also capitulate on LGQBT and other identity issues?
Young people, said Barron, do not respond well to some of Catholicism’s teachings – particularly those on sex. What they do seem to appreciate, however, is the Church’s teachings on social justice. Barron suggested that it could be effective to lead with the Church’s teachings on social justice, referring to this as the “path of justice.”
Urban-dwelling Millenials have been thoroughly in the SJW gospel. We already know the Latins have capitulated on feminism. Will they also capitulate on LGQBT and other identity issues?
Latin...
Latin: Living Language, Ancient Rite by Jerry Salyer
If we seek a restoration, it is necessary to promote a renewed appreciation of the ancient liturgy and a revival of Latin-centered education.
Was the rise of nation-states in Europe a problem? Yes. But was the second millenium papacy a solution to that problem? Or an ecclesial monoculture? Could the Germanic tribes have developed a different culture and received their own patriarchate(s) in due time? What could the Church have done to preserve the independence of European polities in the face of nationalism and centralization of power?
If we seek a restoration, it is necessary to promote a renewed appreciation of the ancient liturgy and a revival of Latin-centered education.
For his part, Professor Owens emphasizes that Catholics seeking an explanation for how and why we have moved so far away from this state of affairs should resist the temptation to hastily scapegoat the councilors of Vatican II, as the rise of the modern, centralized nation-state played a role by displacing Latin in favor of national languages. A vicious cycle ensued, for as fewer teachers were able to teach Latin well, fewer teachers were able to, well, teach Latin well.
Was the rise of nation-states in Europe a problem? Yes. But was the second millenium papacy a solution to that problem? Or an ecclesial monoculture? Could the Germanic tribes have developed a different culture and received their own patriarchate(s) in due time? What could the Church have done to preserve the independence of European polities in the face of nationalism and centralization of power?
Monday, November 11, 2019
What Lessons to Be Drawn Here?
about the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and the failure of immigrants to assimilate except to a degraded form of nationalism in the 20th century?
Last Rites for Local Parishes: On the Decline of Catholic Chicago by Nathan Worcester
Last Rites for Local Parishes: On the Decline of Catholic Chicago by Nathan Worcester
For Veteran's day
The Blob: Still Chasing After Pax Americana by Andrew J. Bacevich
When ‘High Body Count’ Was an American War Policy by Nick Turse
Why We Must Reclaim ‘Armistice Day’ by Danny Sjursen
The original spirit was 'never again.' Now in an era of forever war, we celebrate vets with a mere ‘thank you.’
Veterans’ Cancer Rates Are Spiking by Kelley Beaucar Vlahos
VA data reveals shocking level of new diagnoses among Iraq and Afghanistan-era patients
When ‘High Body Count’ Was an American War Policy by Nick Turse
Why We Must Reclaim ‘Armistice Day’ by Danny Sjursen
The original spirit was 'never again.' Now in an era of forever war, we celebrate vets with a mere ‘thank you.’
Veterans’ Cancer Rates Are Spiking by Kelley Beaucar Vlahos
VA data reveals shocking level of new diagnoses among Iraq and Afghanistan-era patients
Making an Idol out of Sacred Authority?
First Things: Sacral Presidency by Peter J. Leithart
One could argue that the authority of the husband over the wife and of the parents over their children is sacred as well, being derived ultimately from God. But we don't think about that much, and with that authority comes duty and accountability to God, as well as the responsibility to make sure one has the appropriate virtues to use that authority properly.
A semi-imperial presidency seems inevitable, though not because of gaps in the Constitution or the vulgar tastes of American voters. Benjamin Franklin may have been closer to the mark when he observed there’s a “natural inclination in mankind toward Kingly Government.” Whether they are monarchs or not, and whatever the constitutional limits placed on them, powerful leaders take on royalish trappings because politics is ineradicably sacral. Since the president is the “one,” he ought to transcend the sturm und drang of swamp politics, standing above sectional interests and faction as one president for one people.
A solitary executive may lurch in an autocratic direction; l’etat, c’est moi. But in Christian and even post-Christian Europe, monarchs are sacred because they represent a divine authority to which they themselves are accountable. Presidents have served as the unordained priests of American religion. They take their oath of office on the Bible, often with the addition of “so help me God,” and end speeches with “God bless the United States of America.” President George H. W. Bush’s first act as president was to offer prayer. By comparison with the pageantry of Christendom, the sacral aura is dim—no anointing, no crown or cross. But it’s there. And properly so, since, as the solitary symbol of one nation, the president signifies the nation’s under-Godness.Is fallen man inclined to making an idol out of political authority, especially since the mistake or distortion is made so easily, attributing to the man who rules god-like status? The farther one is from his fellows in status and power and most importantly, accountability (and mutual respect), the more likely the exaggeration?
One could argue that the authority of the husband over the wife and of the parents over their children is sacred as well, being derived ultimately from God. But we don't think about that much, and with that authority comes duty and accountability to God, as well as the responsibility to make sure one has the appropriate virtues to use that authority properly.
Sunday, November 10, 2019
We Shall See Tomorrow
CWR Dispatch: Analysis: USCCB elections and the Church’s theological vision By JD Flynn
The Latin bishops listed may be of the "Communio" school with respect to theology but on political issues, they are compromised to one degree another by liberalism and feminism. That has more of a bearing on the future of the Church than their theological preferences, which most lay people don't care about.
The bishops will elect a new president Monday, almost certain to be Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, the conference vice president. The uncertain question is who they’ll elect as vice president, but Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City and Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the military archdiocese are largely considered the front-runners, and one of them is likely to win.
But the surprise of the candidates’ list, released Oct. 21, is that nearly all the bishops eligible to be elected president or vice president are typically classified, at least by secular media, as “conservative.”
Ordinarily, candidates represent a cross-section of the theological and socio-political perspectives within the conference. But this year, each of the candidates, save for one, has been described as a “conservative,” and, to some extent, the label fits.
The Latin bishops listed may be of the "Communio" school with respect to theology but on political issues, they are compromised to one degree another by liberalism and feminism. That has more of a bearing on the future of the Church than their theological preferences, which most lay people don't care about.
The China-Vatican Agreement
CWR: Understanding the 2018 China-Vatican agreement a year later by Anthony E. Clark, Ph.D.
The present Sinicization campaign has grown more determined since Xi Jinping’s rise to power in 2012, and the government control of Catholicism has reached its highest level since the death of Mao in 1976.
The present Sinicization campaign has grown more determined since Xi Jinping’s rise to power in 2012, and the government control of Catholicism has reached its highest level since the death of Mao in 1976.
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