July 14th
Our sympathy to the French on the 218th anniversary of the riots and lynchings that led to the unfortunate state of affairs there.
Year: 2007
More on the pre-Vatican II Church
A correspondent sends the following extracts from Lesson 10, “The Virtues and the Gifts of the Holy Ghost,” in the Confraternity Edition of the Baltimore Catechism, published in the late 1940s. Within living memory, it seems, there were people who did not identify God’s Kingdom with an inhuman secular utopia:
… More ...Love for our neighbor, to
From ontology to sociology
To descend from the sublime to the not-so-sublime, it’s worth noting that a recent Barna Group study finds that Catholics have become mainstream America. There don’t seem to be discernible differences between Catholics and other Americans, except that Catholics take religion and the more austere demands of morality less seriously. They’re more into pornography, … More ...
More Catholic stuff
The Vatican Press Office has released some Observations on the use of the Old Roman Liturgy. It’s not clear just who they’re from or what their status is, but some points may be interesting to Tridentine Mass fans. The release suggests, for example, that the faithful recite or sing the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and … More ...
Motu proprio reverberations
Catholic bloggers, alert to opposition to the Pope’s motu proprio from suspects usual and otherwise, have come up with some notable examples, one by sometime America editor Fr. Thomas Reese quoted at Journey to Vatican III, and another at a weblog devoted to the Spirit of Vatican II that presents the thoughts of … More ...
Rage and reason
When I was in law school I knew nothing about Richard Posner, but it seemed obvious from the sneering remarks of my professors that what he had to say was very important and probably well-founded, at least within the world of late-20th-century American legal scholarship. I still know very little about Posner, but so far … More ...
Love that alters not
According to Robert Conquest, everyone is conservative about what he knows best. When it’s something people not only know but love, like sports, they become downright traditionalist: for proof, see Steve Sailer’s note on the old gaffers they have as sportscasters out in LA.
Turning point
The Pope’s long-rumored Apostolic Letter issued motu proprio (“on his own motion”) facilitating the use of the classical Roman liturgy is now out, along with an explanatory letter from the Pope addressed to the world’s bishops. I’ve commented already on why I think the issue is important and the Motu Proprio has world-historical importance… More ...
Toleration and truth
A poster over at Right Reason has put together an argument for a classical liberal conception of tolerance that has apparently appealed to various independent thinkers alarmed by 20th century fanaticisms. It’s more sober than the usual praise of tolerance found today but still an attempt to get something—a reliable guide for conduct—out of nothing—a … More ...