The deputation studied the ninety-six amendments proposed at the General Congregations, as well as four-eight that were submitted in writing, and thoroughly reworked the schema. On July 11, Bishop Gasser of Brixen spoke on behalf of the deputation, providing a “quasi-official relatio” that “laid down the basic principles of interpretation which were presumably in the minds of the bishops” on the deputation.[1] He explained that infallibility does not reside in the Pope privately as an individual, but that infallibility is personal insofar as “he is the person of the Roman Pontiff, or public person, that is, the head of the Church in its relation to the universal Church.”[2] Because infallibility is not inspiration or revelation, but simply divine assistance, “the Pope, according to his office and the importance of the matter, is bound to apply the means appropriate for properly investigating the truth and appropriately expressing it.”[3] While consensus of the Church is not required for an infallible pronouncement, the pope nonetheless must exercise his authority through the Church and with the Church. Read the rest of this entry »
When I see the flag, I am reminded of the glory and the sins in the history of America. Patriotism is not only pride in one’s country (not necessarily in one’s State), but it is also criticism of the history of that culture. And there is plenty to be critical of in American history! But an American ought to be cautious in conducting this necessary criticism. After all, the very vantage point, language, resources and means of this criticism have been supplied by American culture!
To love America is appropriate for an American if by love we mean familial affection for our patrimony (patrimony comes from the Latin word for country, patria, which comes from the Latin word for father, pater). For an American to hate this patrimony, I think, is self-defeating and absurd. For an American to criticism his/her government is not necessarily unpatriotic, nor is it anti-American. To refrain from such criticism, I think, is unfreedom.
We’ve been anticipating this one for awhile, but it bears repeating that Pope Benedict XVI’s next encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, is likely to be out this fall. The Vatican’s Secretary of State, Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, suggests that the Pope will not merely reiterate Catholic social teaching, but expand it to include Catholic reaction to globalization, environmentalism, the global food crisis, and climate change.
Apparently, Pope Benedict XVI is in close consultation with Renato Cardinal Martino and Bishop Giampaolo Crepaldi of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, who are assisting the Pope with the writing.
Amazon.com lists September 30 as the publication date of the new encyclical by Ignatius Press. It is currently available for pre-order.
Barack Obama apparently does not feel that government should solve all the social and economic problems in the U.S. Today he stated that he wishes to expand President Bush’s faith-based initiative programs, and even went as far as to say that he supports the decisions of faith-based organizations to hire according faith. More from MSNBC.
CNN reports that Obama is working hard to energize the Christian vote, working among groups, pastors, and churches that have hitherto been neglected (perhaps taken for granted?) by John McCain.
In apologetics circles, one often hears that a fundamentalist’s worst nightmare is a Catholic with a Bible. Analogically, a Democrat with religion is no doubt the worst nightmare of the so-called “Religious Right.”
Confused over the national presidential polls? I am. We have a number of updated poll data amounting to some disparate information. Real Clear Politics has some of the major poll resuts up. The June 23-25 Gallup Poll shows Barack Obama and John McCain at a tie. Yet, the Newsweek and L.A. Times/Bloomberg polls show Obama with a 15% and 12% lead, respectively. 0%-15% is a large margin. Real Clear Politics, taking the average of eight national polls, puts Obama ahead by 6.3%. If we exclude the two extreme polls (Gallup and Newsweek), Obama is ahead by 6% nationally.
By most estimates, the General Election is a tight race nationally. But lest we forget, I will remind us all the popular vote of the United States does not elect the president. Just ask Samuel Tilden, Grover Cleveland, and Al Gore. And in rare circumstances, the House of Representatives decides. Just ask Andrew Jackson. So while some McCain devotees will cling to the fact that, nationally, the two major candidates for 2008 are in what appears to be a tight contest, what really count right now are the States’ votes. And it is there that we find that Obama is well ahead of McCain. Read the rest of this entry »
The subsidiary committees had anticipated the question of papal infallibility despite their intention to exclude it from the Council agenda. Therefore, they drafted a short schema on papal infallibility which could be made available to the Council. It was subsequently added as a fourth chapter to the schema on the primacy of the Bishop of Rome and distributed to the Council Fathers on March 6 when the announcement was made by the Presidents that papal infallibility would eventually be coming before the Council. Nearly 140 comments and suggested amendments were submitted to the deputation de Fide by March 25. The deputation digested and summarized the submissions on the primacy in a 104-page folio for distribution on April 29. The next day, a 242-page folio on infallibility was given to each Council member. Because the question on papal primacy and infallibility was to be considered immediately, the deputation was forced to work daily until May 8 to provide a revised schema to be discussed by the Council.[1]Read the rest of this entry »
Gerard Bradley says he has “an unmatchable record on life issues.” Deal Hudson proclaims: “McCain IS pro-life!” Oswald Sobrino one-ups Hudson, declaring McCain “extremely” pro-life. Maybe these three men are not very informed on McCain’s record on life. Would it be charitable to borrow a term that Christopher Blosser slings at Doug Kmiec and call them suckers? Perhaps ideologues is a bit kinder and more accurate.
Before I get into this, a brief caveat is in order: I am not interested in comparing McCain’s record on life to that of Obama. They’re both dreadful, and I believe that when Catholics get into the business of trying to determine who is “better” on life they are promoting a concessional and cowardly rather than prudent and principled exercise. That said, this post, like the one I wrote on Obama, ought to be read as a freestanding critique.
We know that McCain has a checkered record on life issues, having fully supported federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. That’s an issue that the pandering Hudson once deemed non-negotiable. Truth is, Bradley, Sobrino, and Hudson (among many, many others) either deliberately marginalize the ESCR issue or they leave it out of the discussion altogether in order boast of McCain’s pro-life cred. Candor has never been the strong suit of the ideologue. When it comes to partisan politics, it appears some will overcompensate by sacrificing honesty and Catholic perspective for the good of the party, using terms like “IS” and “unmatchable” and “extremely” in order to quell any would-be objections from those of us who live in reality and think with our faith. Read the rest of this entry »
Two of my professors on the great American philosopher John Dewey: John McDermott, discusses Dewey’s liberalism, and Gregory Pappas talks about Dewey’s emphasis on “the local” in democracy. These talks given along with others within the greater context of classical American philosophy.
The month of January saw little progress for the work of the Fathers. The schemata on faith and discipline had been so dissected that the deputations were forced to not only revise it, but completely rewrite it in light of the hundreds of amendments proposed by the Fathers. It had become clear that some sort of revision to the rules of procedure was needed to maintain a certain level of efficiency. Butler writes, “The general dissatisfaction found expression in a number of representations addressed to the Presidents and to the Holy Father himself.”[1] Senestréy took the initiative to craft a lengthy statement suggesting a time restriction to each speaker at the General Congregations so that the Council could be more productive and businesslike. Petitions of agreement flooded in to the Congregatio de postulatis, which in turn formulated proposals to the Presidents for possible reforms of procedures. The Presidents announced on February 22, 1870 that, by the order of the Pope, the procedure as outlined by Multiplices inter would be modified. Speakers would have a time limit and any debate could be ended by a vote to closure. Read the rest of this entry »
Laura Bush defended Michelle Obama from those silly charges of not being patriotic. Mike Huckabee told Republicans to stop “demonizing” Barack Obama. Cindy McCain thinks wives should be off limits, and that Michelle Obama is a “fine woman. She’s a good mother. We both are in an interesting line of work right now.”
Run a respectable campaign, GOP, not a tabloid.
Maybe some Catholics should cease promoting propaganda and advocating absurdity by returning to responsible and reality-based political commentary. Criticism of Obama’s platform is fair game (believe me, I amalloverit). But let’s leave the hyperbole and histrionics to Glenn Beck.
Thomas Canon Pope provides the most generous estimate of the number of prelates invited to participate at the council with 1044.[1] The total number of prelates who attended the Council was 793, by far the largest and most ecumenical council in previous Christian history.[2] It was determined beforehand by the Directing Commission that all bishops with Episcopal sees and all Cardinals of the Church were entitled to sit at the Council. In addition to these, titular bishops who were either vicars apostolic or overseeing foreign missions were admitted. Abbots who were ordinaries of a diocese with certain episcopal jurisdiction were admitted, as were those who were presidents of monastic communities. Finally, the Superior Generals of religious orders were permitted to attend the Council.[3] The admission of titular bishops and religious would later become a point of contention from some Minority bishops who were displeased with the size of this particular voting bloc.
The first gathering of the bishops was at a Pre-synodal Congregation held in the Sistine Chapel on December 2, 1869. It was a strict meeting addressing the formalities of the Council. Read the rest of this entry »
A name that has been whispered among the many for Barack Obama’s ticket is Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson. Nelson is a moderate Democrat, widely respected among Republicans and members of his own party. Nelson is one of four pro-life Democrats currently in the Senate, and he has shown himself to be an unwavering defender of life. He has been endorsed by both the Nebraska Right to Life PAC and Nebraskans United for Life. If he were to be selected as Obama’s running mate, I would consider voting for Obama this November with the hope that Nelson would not only mitigate Obama’s strong position in favor of legalized abortion, but also bolster the growing presence and effect of Democrats for Life within the party.
Why would Obama select Nelson? It’s a long shot, but the dividends from such a choice are obvious: Read the rest of this entry »
Don’t let the simple title fool you. Amazing Grace, a new Catholic blog devoted to literary and spiritual themes, promises to be a witty and intellectually stimulating experience. It’s run out of the London by Grace Andreacchi. Stop by for a change of blogging pace.
The National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) has a beautiful tribute to the late Tim Russert on account of his strong support and unyielding promotion of Catholic education in the United States. NCEA has also put up a picture page that contains some candid shots of Russert in action.
The news of the Council brought about mixed responses within the Church. Conservative circles tended to desire a strong reaffirmation of the centrality of the See of Rome, and a forceful condemnation of the rampant European liberalism. The more progressive camps were far less enthusiastic about the significance of the Council, and tended to react against the conservative actions. The chief element of Catholic conservatism was neo-ultramontanism, and its champion certainly stood in the person of Cardinal Manning.
Before leaving Rome during the summer of 1867, Manning met with Msgr. Ignatius von Senestréy of Ratisbon. Together, they swore an oath on June 28 at the grave of St. Peter to do all that was possible to ensure a definition of the doctrine of papal infallibility at the Council, for “Manning believed it was his mission to pursue the dogmatization of papal infallibility.”[1]Read the rest of this entry »
I think speculating on which Supreme Court Justices a potential president may appoint is a waste of time. I do not think it should be a major factor in how one chooses which candidate to support. As I have noted before, if twelve years of purportedly conservative, “pro-life” presidencies (Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush) with five Supreme Court appointments (Sandra Day O’Connor, Anthony Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, and Clarence Thomas) do not result in a repeal of Roe v. Wade, then I do not think anyone can reasonably place much hope in potential Supreme Court nominees, let alone argue that others should vote accordingly.
But one thing that I can not and will not ignore is the more direct power the president has to codify certain abortion provisions. This leads me to Barack Obama. Read the rest of this entry »
On a post on abortion and the Supreme Court over at the Fidelis blog, Cranky Con left the following comment:
I would remind those that harp on the GOP’s supposed failure to appoint Justices who would protect innocent human life by overturning Roe about one thing. Ronald Reagan originally selected Robert Bork to be on the Court in 1987. The new Democratic majority in the Senate rejected Bork, and Regan was forced to go with the more moderate Anthony Kennedy. Five years later, in Casey v. Planned Parenthood, a 5-4 majority upheld Roe, with Kennedy voting in the majority. We know with pretty much 100% certainty (because he’s said as much) that Robert Bork would have voted to overturn Roe. So while GOP presidents have disappointed in their SCOTUS selections, it because these appointments have voted contrary to the President’s wishes.
There subsists a myth, perpetuated here, that Justice Anthony Kennedy, in changing his mind last minute, is singly responsible for the upholding of Roe in the Casey v. Planned Parenthood case (1993). Read the rest of this entry »
In honor of the imminent beatification of John Henry Newman, and in light of the so-called “Acton University,” whose namesake became a dissident in the Catholic Church because of his ideas on liberty, I am posting here the first graduate theology paper I ever wrote. It was not until I researched Vatican I that I realized how cataclysmic and capricious ecumenical councils could be. Compared to Vatican II, Vatican I was far more chaotic and divisive, and I marvel at how individuals such as Lord Acton are celebrated by Catholic organizations grappling with a poor historical memory.
The bishop of Orléans soberly made his way to the last meeting with his fellow Minority prelates in Rome. What was left to determine was just how the Minority would represent themselves at tomorrow’s Public Session. The Holy Father would be present, so the stakes were much higher. The sun had already set on this evening of July 17th, 1870. He was late. No matter; the fire in his soul had long been extinguished. This evening’s gathering would not bequeath the fury and motive that previous gatherings had. Read the rest of this entry »
My archbishop, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI this week to the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples. This is rather appropriate given Cardinal DiNardo’s strong solidarity with the migrant communities in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. I have blogged previously on Cardinal DiNardo’s efforts to change unjust immigration law in the United States. I do not think it too much of a stretch to say that this appointment is a papal validation of Cardinal DiNardo’s pastoral and social work.
I am a third of the way through Deal Hudson’s new book, Onward Christian Soldiers: The Growing Political Power of Catholics and Evangelicals in the United States. I started reading the book with high expectations, and I continue to be impressed with how Hudson portrays the inception of the “Religious Right” in the United States, especially in terms of its Evangelical roots. As a Catholic, Hudson is also intent on describing the role Catholicism in the U.S. has played in the religious conservative moment. That is precisely where things get messy.
A serious problem with his book is one with which I think any thinking Catholic would take issue irrespective of his/her political leanings. Read the rest of this entry »
The simplistic guitar riff that characterizes the song; the portrayal of technology that facilitates the dehumanization of images; expressionless human faces; forms of violence; escapism and flight…what, if anything, are the following music videos representing? If art is a commentary on humanity, what are we seeing/hearing here?
Via Catholics in the Public Square, I came across a rather fascinating generalization offered by the usually dependable Fr. Joseph Fessio which purports there are no incongruities between Catholic social teaching and President Bush’s social policies. You read that right. Here’s the snippet: Read the rest of this entry »
May I fairly characterize George Weigel and Deal Hudson as “conservative Catholics”? Whatever you may think, I want to take a moment to praise the two of them for exhibiting in recent publications a degree of honesty in their evaluations of the U.S. and Europe that I appreciate and respect.
While sitting at the ER today, waiting for treatment for a brown recluse spider bite, I worked through a few chapters of Weigel’s The Cube and the Cathedral. While Weigel tends to conflate European politics, state politics, cultural movements, and the opinions of the mass populations of Europe, he reaches a real moment of honesty in the chapter “A Disclaimer” that really impressed me. Instead of setting up a “Europe is a degenerating culture and continent” as a foil for “America is the greatest society in the world,” Weigel dispels any myths that the United States may boast of its moral, cultural and political superiority to Europe: Read the rest of this entry »
Earlier this week, we were informed that an Irish priest ministering in the United States will be deported to Ireland on account of a rejected green card application. Today we find out that seventeen year-old Arthur Mkoyan, valedictorian at Bullard High School in Fresno, will be deported to Armenia with the rest of his family. He’s been in the United States since 1995 when he was five years old, but his family’s request to remain in the U.S. was recently denied.
Southern California is seeing a bit of a vocation boom. Roger Cardinal Mahony ordained twelve men for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles ranging from 29 to 49 in age. That is the largest group for the archdiocese since 1998, and the largest for any diocese in the United States this year. In the Diocese of San Bernadino, six men were ordained by Bishop Gerald Barnes, which is the largest number in its history. To the north, the Archdiocese of San Francisco will ordain two men in the coming weeks.
Whether we like it or not, the Democratic Party has made legalized abortion a central tenet of its platform. While such a claim is practically a platitude, it is important to note that the Democratic Party addresses legalized abortion not only as an matter of individual liberty, but also a matter of entrenched partisanship. This is what really makes me sick. Straight out of the The 2004 Democratic National Platform for America: Read the rest of this entry »
Bill Donohue, president of the “non-partisan” Catholic League, decided to inject himself in the Barack Obama/Fr. John Pfleger matter. Do read Donohue’s entire statement.
Why Donohue needed to comment on the matter and slam Fr. Pfleger is not at all clear to me. Some thoughts: Fr. Pleger is not as “divisive” as Rev. Jeremiah White. What does the “color of their skin” have to do with evaluating or criticizing the social and theological ramifications of their respective ministries? Does Donohue really have an issue with state money going to Catholic social programs or just with state money going to St. Sabina’s social programs? Why did Donohue have to issue his comments afterBarack Obama denounced Fr. Pfleger’s remakrs, afterFr. Pfleger apologized, and afterCardinal George rebuked Fr. Pfleger and the latter promised not to help the campaign of any candidate? The priest in question has apologized and his bishop has swiftly handled the matter. It’s a closed issue. Why bring it up in the media and perpetuate the story if not for partisan reasons? Read the rest of this entry »
Via Jay Anderson, I came across a relatively new blog today called Fidelis. It has a lot of interesting content, though it appears to line itself up unabashedly on the conservative, Republican side of things. Parenthetically, I was surprised and disappointed to see a link to Michelle Malkin and another to Blogs for Victory. Whatever may be its initial leanings, I intend to visit Fidelis regularly. Here’s part of its underlying outlook:
Fidelis (Latin for faithful) is the universal name for a group of Catholic-based political, legal, research and educational organizations whose collective mission it is to formulate, promote, and defend public policies that uphold religious freedom, human life from conception to natural death, and the traditional institutions of marriage and family.
In his message for the 97th Deuschter Katholikentag meeting, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged Catholics to take active part in political and social life. Here is the Vatican News Service write-up:
VATICAN CITY, 22 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was the Holy Father’s Message for the 97th “Deutscher Katholikentag” ecclesial meeting, which was inaugurated yesterday in the German city of Osnabruck. The event, attended by some 50,000 people, is due to come to an end on Sunday. Read the rest of this entry »
At the conclusion of the Trinity Sunday liturgy at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Houston, the retiring pastor, Fr. John Morfin, announced that the Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, has transferred the current rector of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Fr. Troy Gately, to St. John Vianney to be the replacement pastor. Today, at the conclusion of the Corpus Christi liturgy at St. John Vianney, Fr. Morfin asked the congregation to pray that a peaceful and edifying resolution to the controversy over Fr. Gately’s removal from the Co-Cathedral may come. Stunned and intrigued, I looked into what appears to be, at least initially, a impasse among Fr. Gately, some important benefactors, and Cardinal DiNardo. Here’s what I have found thus far:
On Friday, the Houston Chronicle ran an article entitled “Parish donors angry over pastor’s transfer” in which it was revealed that a number of donors for the Co-Cathedral’s capital campaign have requested a private meeting with Cardinal DiNardo to discuss the transfer of Fr. Gately. Fr. Gately, rector of the old Co-Cathedral from 1999 through the dedication and opening of the new Co-Cathedral, has been overseeing its major fundraising projects. Read the rest of this entry »
First he ticked off the Nazi’s. Now he’s aggravating the KGB. Russian Communists are calling for a boycott of Indiana Jones the week before the United States celebrates Memorial Day. What are they thinking?!?
Senate Democrats have attached a provision to the Iraq supplemental bill that would allow university healthcare centers and some Planned Parenthood facilities to receive a discount on abortion drugs such as RU-486. Presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) introduced a similar stand-alone bill (S. 2347) in November “to restore and protect access to discount drug prices for university-based and safety-net clinics.”
My original claim was two-fold: 1. “Liberal” Supreme Court Justices alone are not to be blame for Roe; 2. Republican-appointed Justices over the past 35 years not only were responsible for Roe, but also were responsible for sustaining Roe. I shall expand on the second aspect of my claim in another post. Here I will attempt to diffuse the mist of a revisionist history that deems the 1973 Supreme Court a “liberal” Bench. Read the rest of this entry »
Did liberal justices hijack the Supreme Court in 1973, forcing legalized abortion on the whole country? A quick look at the Justices who made that horrendous decision seems to suggest otherwise.
With Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court voted overwhemingly to support legalized abortion in the United States 7 to 2. Who was in the Majority and who was in the Minority? Read the rest of this entry »
Well, it was one year ago today that a small group of bloggers, unsatisfied and discouraged by the lack of balance in cultural and political analysis among Catholic blogs, launched Vox Nova. Our ambition was large, our expectations were small. We’ve received a great deal of praise and a whole lot of criticism for our efforts since, and I think I speak for all when I thank our readers–and I do mean every one of them–for their time, thought and passion. I’ve learned a great deal from my fellow bloggers and from our commentators.
To commemorate the occasion, we’ve selected our favorite post by each Vox Nova contributor from the past twelve months. Enjoy!
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Vox Nova
"In their patriotism and in their fidelity to their civic duties Catholics will feel themselves bound to promote the true common good; they will make the weight of their convictions so influential that as a result civil authority will be justly exercised and laws will accord with moral precepts and the common good."
Second Vatican Council, Apostolicam actuositatem 14
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Happy Independence Day to all our readers. Here are a few oldies to mark the day: