Joe Biden’s entourage requested permission for the president to attend Mass with Pope Francis during his European visit, which the Vatican “nixed,” according to a Wednesday report from Catholic News Agency (CNA).
The Vatican’s refusal stemmed from “the impact that Biden receiving Holy Communion from the pope would have on the discussions the USCCB [U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops] is planning to have during their meeting starting Wednesday, June 16,” the report stated, citing an unnamed Vatican source.
Tuesday’s report corrects a prior CNA story alleging that the president would meet with the pope on June 15, which will apparently not occur.
I’ve noted more than once that Francis while having some good points is a bit of a lemon as a Pope compared to the Saints but can you imagine his thinking that it’s not convenient to meet Joe Biden, the 2nd Catholic US president?
Ed Morrissey is a tad skeptical because of the single source and notes this:
This sounds a bit too good/bad to be true, but it’s certainly possible. Biden and his team would loooooove to get some political cover with a papal audience, as would most US presidents, and might even expect it with his own status as a practicing Catholic.
It’s not clear why the Vatican would refuse to even meet with Biden, however. Popes meet with world leaders all the time, even those whose agendas cut significantly against Catholic teachings. Except on abortion, there isn’t that much space between Biden and Francis, just as there wasn’t between Francis and Barack Obama, who had no trouble getting a papal audience when in office. And let’s not forget that Obama had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI in Obama’s first year in office, too. That gives some reason for skepticism about the veracity of this report.
It’s pretty clear why the Holy See wouldn’t want to provide Biden with the optic of Pope Francis offering him communion, however. They wouldn’t want to bigfoot the USCCB on this specific issue, assuming the White House requested this at all:
Francis being Francis and the Vatican being the Vatican Biden will eventually get a meeting but the irony here is palitable.
Why you might think the Vatican knows he’s not really in charge or something.
Personally I think he should meet him, after all admonishing sinners is a spiritual work of mercy.
Update: I think it would be much better if Biden asked if he could meet the Pope for Confession, in fact if I was in charge at the Vatican I’d arrange for the Pope to offer confession to any leader pol etc who met with him privately.
Daniel Hughes [PM senior policy advisor]:Jim Hacker will win though with a thoroughly public spirited self sacrificing policy. The PM will probably kick him upstairs: Lord Hacker of kamikaze.
Sir Humphrey:I hardly think that’s funny Daniel or likely
Daniel Hughes: Why not? I mean he [Jim Hacker] ran the leadership campaign against the PM didn’t he? This could be the PM’s master stroke. In one fell swoop, approbation, elevation and castration. In one fell swoop You know the PM’s motto: “In defeat malice, in victory revenge”
Yes Minister: The Writing on the wall 1980
In yesterday’s piece I wrote this quite startling proposition:
This is heading to a place where the people left in the military will be the ones who will when a woke officer decides that a crowd of conservatives are a threat and says “Fire”
This is heading to a place where the people in the police will be afraid to stop a looter or a violent criminal of the left but will not hesitate to fire at or arrest a person of the right defending themselves or their property.
Ashley Babbitt is the future the left wants for us. Her death is not a bug it’s a feature to them.
One enough people realize this is the case all hell is going to break loose.
To a lot of people I’m sure this sounded alarmist just like in the 90”s those of us who saw the logical conclusion that “civil unions” would lead to were told. It took but a generation for the calls for “tolerance” to become an inquisition any who would declare these now dubbed evil words:
The question is how did we get to this point and why are we heading to where we are going.
Easy. We have a society and culture that is divided between it’s Christian component (Traditionally American) and non Christian (Communist Marxist) society.
That is why as I wrote years ago the enemy for the left is always Christianity because the rules of Christianity are anthemia to all that the left wants to achieve:
Love your enemies, Thou shalt not steal, all men are equal before the Lord, Honor your father and mother, male and female they created them, Thou shalt not kill.
All of these principles are deadly to the left but the worst of all is the Unity of belief in Christ in Christ and the brotherhood of man. Many passages of scripture are hated by the left but none more than this one:
One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them, asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?”
Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, ‘He is One and there is no other than he.’ And ‘to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself’ is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
And when Jesus saw that (he) answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
Mark 12:28-34
Love of God, the idea that there are principles and rules beyond ever changing memes and the love of neighbor not limited by the division of rich and poor, of race, of national origin, or of sex all of these are poison to he left. As Paul Wrote:
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendant, heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:27-29
You can’t divide and conquer if all men are brothers , nor can you wreak vengeance if you embrace empathy and tradition:
Shame not a repentant sinner; remember, we all are guilty.
Insult no man when he is old, for some of us, too, will grow old.
Rejoice not when a man dies; remember, we are all to die.
Spurn not the discourse of the wise, but acquaint yourself with their proverbs; From them you will acquire the training to serve in the presence of princes.
Reject not the tradition of old men which they have learned from their fathers; From it you will obtain the knowledge how to answer in time of need.
Kindle not the coals of a sinner, lest you be consumed in his flaming fire.
Let not the impious man intimidate you; it will set him in ambush against you.
Then Peter approaching asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
Matthew 18:21-22
For forgiveness is what checks hate and division and once you have forgiveness, once you seek 1st the kingdom of God then ends and means goes out the window. And you can find no better description of the tactics of the left than the parable that followed that passage:
That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. 22 He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt.
Matthew 18:23-30
This is the left all over. Begging for tolerance when they are weak and wreaking vengeance when they are strong but it That is what the left is, that is what the left always will be and that is why they must be fought while we still can. Our willingness to stand up and having courage to fight against this will be our second greatest test.
It, like the parable started above will end bad for them.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”
Matthew 18:31-35
And it it does end bad for them, either by our courage to fight it now or by the courage of our our children and grandchildren who will throw off their yoke, our greatest test will be to forgive them after we prevail.
Be generous to all the living, and withhold not your kindness from the dead.
Sirach 7:33
A couple of days ago at work I was listening to music on my very old iPod that I bought off my son’s friend about 15 years ago when I suddenly had the thought to put on Manheim Steamroller.
That might seem an odd choice as Christmas is half a year away but we are asked to keep the spirit of Christmas in our hearts all year long so I put on the album while I was working. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it and the concerts I had gone to with my wife and kids the latest being at the Colonial in Boston before this insanity took place
As I was doing my work it occurred to me that this pleasure along with the joy of those concerts was one more thing that I and millions of others owed to Rush Limbaugh who had introduced Chip Davis and his music to his audience and thus to the country and world. I found myself thinking about the impact he had on the nation culturally and politically from the initial victory of the GOP breaking the 40 year run of Democrat control of the house in 1994 to his role along with Sarah Palin in the 63 seat red wave in 2010.
One might consider this a debt we can’t repay as he’s been dead now for several months but by an odd coincidence as I was thinking of all I owed him I remembered a project that I’m working on The Indulgence Calendar.
I’ll be writing more about the indulgence Calendar (along with some downloads) on Memorial day but the bottom line is that if you are a Catholic there IS something you can do for Rush Limbaugh: You can earn an indulgence for him.
Now Rush wasn’t Catholic but that doesn’t matter. You can earn an indulgence for any deceased person and the merits of said indulgences do not depend on if the subject was Catholic thus I propose:
Every Catholic Earn An Indulgence for Rush Limbaugh Day
Sunday May 30th 2021
I propose this date because
I will be starting the indulgence Calendar June 1st and want to sneak this in before it.
Holy Communion is necessary for an indulgence (see #1 below) so a Sunday maxes out the number of Catholics.
Finally I think Rush would not want to make Memorial Day (May 31) about him rather than vets who gave their lives
Now to earn an indulgence there are certain norms that must be followed here are the ones that apply from my indulgence calendar
Communion on the day of an indulgence. This can be applied to any amount of indulgences that day.
Confession within two weeks of the day of an indulgence. Applies to all indulgences during that period
Prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father (an Our Father, Hail Mary or any appropriate prayer) once per day of indulgence.
To earn an indulgence you must be in a state of grace (no unconfessed mortal sin) at the time of the indulgenced act….
11. No unbaptized person nor any Christian who is currently under the penalty of excommunication may earn an indulgence.
12. You must ACTIVELY seek and or state your intention to obtain an indulgence for the act or prayer that carries it to be valid.
So if you are a Catholic going to mass and receiving communion on Sunday all you have to do, in addition to receiving communion to earn an indulgence for Rush Limbaugh Sunday May 30th is:
Declare your intention to do so
Make sure you go or have gone to Confession sometime between May 11th and June 19th
Say an Our Father and a Hail Mary for the intentions of the Pope that day
And do any act or prayer that carries an indulgence (outside of mass) from reading scripture to Praying the Angelus or even the sign of the cross.
Additionally Earning an indulgence for the dead in purgatory is a spiritual work of mercy so in doing this for Rush we are also helping ourselves along our path to Christ.
Oh and fyi, there is no limit to the number of partial indulgences that you can earn in a day as long as you declare your intention to earn it so feel free to obtain multiple indulgences for Rush and maybe one for yourself.
If you want to learn more about indulgences stop by on May 31st and I’ll introduce you to my Indulgence Calendar Project which launches June 1st.
The rather amusing piece from the NYT via Redstate saying that the GOP risks losing 100 prominent republicans over Trump and start their own party is great fodder for the Time’s readership that wouldn’t know a conservative if it bit them.
The problem for these brave intrepid rebels is that they’re caught between two fires.
If there goal is to be the next Lincoln project and make a bundle for themselves and their family then it’s easy. They can form a party, they can get financed by the left and they can make proclamation that will get some coverage but unfortunately will not be all that newsworthy because they will in fact be a party with no actual voter base, no candidates running anywhere and no people actually bein led.
No what they really want to be are the unfaithful nuns that I wrote about years ago back in April 2013 when the Pope backed up the findings of the investigations (begun under Benedict) on Catholic Nuns in America:
The LCWR will not choose to leave the church, they will go along, slowly, struggling and resisting but they will go along. The moment they leave the church, they change from brave dissenters within the church to just another splinter group with their own set of beliefs and while the media will make a fuss the first day and maybe the first week, they would no longer be worthy of the pulpit that they would raise them on
And a year later I wrote about what Fr. Z said about what happened to one such group that did in fact leave:
Consider if you will the group NCAN, an even more radical splinter group of the LCWR, which has fulfilled Sr. Joan’s dream of being without canonical structure. Their site is HERE, though it has not been updated since 2009 when they gave their coveted Margaret Ellen Traxler Award to Sr. Louise Lears, SC, whom then-Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis placed under interdict for her support of the ordination of women and her attending a fake “ordination”. These days the NCAN types are reduced to holding chat sessions in gated communities for three cats and a tumbleweed rather than in hotels for hundreds of sisters. For example, HERE is the flyer for a May 2012 meeting with the pro-choice Sr. Donna Quinn. (See my post NUNS GONE WILD!)
As long as the NYT 100 remain in the GOP, they can speak as party members, attend GOP events and even CPAC with the tag (R) next to them. , you can have them on CNN or MSNBC or quote them as “Republican officials” when they hit the party or Trump or conservatives or any other GOP member who you know actually pushes the agenda that GOP voters want.
They will be the LCWR until they like them begin to die out.
The moment they leave that is no longer the case.
So it remains to be seen if they choose the former or the latter, I suspect they will choose the later because the leftists who would pay them to form their new party can still pay them sub-rosa for speaking engagements or phony book sales to have the money flowing.
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