thoughts in and out of season
The Pope’s recent World Day of Peace message suggests that Archbishop Martino, while perhaps one-sided in his statements, wasn’t speaking altogether in a vacuum. In his message, the Pope reviewed with approval the thought of his predecessor John XXIII in Pacem in Terris. He can’t help but present the encyclical as somewhat of a … More ...
Every word is true, but why put it in a way no one will understand? European Union Cannot Be Reduced to a Market, Cautions Pope. The EU, he says, “must promote a model of society that honors the fundamental dignity of the whole person and his rights, that favors relations based on justice, mutual … More ...
The Catholic faith becomes the property of the faithful through the traditions that give it definite form and stability. It is through those traditions that a refined system of thought, feeling and observance works its way into the life of the people, and the people lay hold of the central truths of religion. Without them … More ...
Sentiment in Catholic blogdom seems—at least from what I see—to be running strongly in favor of the war. It occurs to me that the reason may be the nature of blogging about current events. The activity favors those with articulate opinions on everything. Those are usually people with strong attachments and clear comprehensive views, applicable … More ...
A traditionalist rant on why it’s OK to denounce heresy and also find fault with the Pope, Vatican II and what not else:
… More ...Today people lump all disputes with superiors together and call them “dissent.” That’s a mistake because it confuses questions of truth and obedience to rightful authority with the question of whether one
The Pope says that violence cannot be invoked in the name of God. Cardinal Ratzinger adds that “God is reconciliation and peace. He must be seen as the one who unites us and not as the one who separates us and justifies violence.” [The quotation is from an emailed Zenit.org story that I can’t find … More ...
Here’s an initial draft of my letter to Cardinal Arinze (see previous entry). Any comments would be very welcome:
… More ...Your Eminence:
I write to urge you and other responsible officials to be as generous as possible in making the traditional Latin mass freely available to the faithful.
I am a very recent convert to Catholicism.
Michael Davies has written a letter to member associations of Una Voce asking for letters to be sent to Cardinal Arinze in support of the Tridentine mass. It appears that Rome is considering something major, possibly a public statement confirming that every priest has a right to use the traditional rite when he chooses. It … More ...
Whither traditionalist Catholicism? One answer is that if God thinks it’s good it’ll end up doing OK, and if He doesn’t it won’t. It’s also possible to view the thing from a strictly human standpoint, though. And from the latter standpoint traditionalism does have certain strengths:
A good article by John Rao: “Why Catholics Cannot Defend Themselves: The Religious and Cultural Suicide of a Conquered People”. Or at least one that’s helpful to me. Before I was a Catholic I wrote a couple of things on liberalism and pluralism that are in line with Dr. Rao’s views, but he develops … More ...