Posts Tagged ‘war on God’

Bishop will not attend

Posted: March 24, 2009 by datechguy in catholic
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Well D’Arcy has decided to skip the Commencement:

On Friday, March 21, Father John Jenkins, CSC, phoned to inform me that President Obama had accepted his invitation to speak to the graduating class at Notre Dame and receive an honorary degree. We spoke shortly before the announcement was made public at the White House press briefing. It was the first time that I had been informed that Notre Dame had issued this invitation.

President Obama has recently reaffirmed, and has now placed in public policy, his long-stated unwillingness to hold human life as sacred. While claiming to separate politics from science, he has in fact separated science from ethics and has brought the American government, for the first time in history, into supporting direct destruction of innocent human life.

This will be the 25th Notre Dame graduation during my time as bishop. After much prayer, I have decided not to attend the graduation. I wish no disrespect to our president, I pray for him and wish him well. I have always revered the Office of the Presidency. But a bishop must teach the Catholic faith “in season and out of season,” and he teaches not only by his words — but by his actions.

My decision is not an attack on anyone, but is in defense of the truth about human life.

I have in mind also the statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops in 2004. “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” Indeed, the measure of any Catholic institution is not only what it stands for, but also what it will not stand for.

As for Professor Glendon:

I have spoken with Professor Mary Ann Glendon, who is to receive the Laetare Medal. I have known her for many years and hold her in high esteem. We are both teachers, but in different ways. I have encouraged her to accept this award and take the opportunity such an award gives her to teach.

Even as I continue to ponder in prayer these events, which many have found shocking, so must Notre Dame. Indeed, as a Catholic University, Notre Dame must ask itself, if by this decision it has chosen prestige over truth.

A very classy statement.

Over to you ND.

Lets see what the Bishop does

Posted: March 24, 2009 by datechguy in catholic
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I haven’t posted on the Notre Dame scandal because frankly if you read this blog at all you know what I’d be thinking and why. There is plenty of loud Catholic outrage on that subject (all likely better Catholics than me) so other than signing the petition I haven’t posted on it, but today the American Papist states that Bishop D’Arcy will be putting out a statement on the subject.

Now that I would like to comment on when it happens.

Damion Thompson backs up “vatican insiders” sort of…

Posted: March 23, 2009 by datechguy in catholic
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This article states that Vatican insiders think the pope is a disaster. Damion Thompson doesn’t proclaim it a false it just defines “insider“:

We learned this morning that “Vatican insiders” consider Benedict XVI “a disaster”. It’s true. They do think that. He’s a disaster for them, and their determination to turn the Catholic Church into a touchy-feely forum in which uncomfortable teachings and traditions are “modernised” to impress non-Catholics.

He elaborates for those who might be unclear on the concept:

Actually, Professor, if you’re a Catholic you should know that Benedict can be God’s spokesman and hold views unaccaptable to the religion page of the Washington Post… but there’s no point in arguing.

The point is that Benedict’s most relentless critics, the ones who are determined to extract every last ounce of rhetorical advantage from his predicament, are liberal Catholics. These days, for example, I can hardly bear to visit Andrew Sullivan’s brilliant website because he has constructed a caricature of a gay-bashing fundamentalist Pope that collapses as soon as you read what Joseph Ratzinger has actually written.

That’s the think about arguing against truth, it’s very hard. Much easier to argue against a pseudo truth than the real thing. It’s the favorite tactic to combat the church.

Tim Graham says the magic words

Posted: March 19, 2009 by datechguy in catholic
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At Newsbusters Tim Graham touches on “catholic” Bob McEvliane’s attempt to flog his new book at the Washington Post by attacking the Pope.

There’s a word for people who do not recognize the Pope as an authority: they’re called Protestants.

And that is the point that needs to be made over and over again. If your book is ranked 178,178th on Amazon it might be useful to get a page on the Post to hit the pope. Hitting the pope is almost a guarantee to get space on any liberal paper these days, but if you want to be a Catholic rejecting the church’s teaching on birth control and abortion in print isn’t the way to go.

As much as foes of the Church would like to pretend otherwise, this isn’t Saudi Arabia and nobody is going to behead you if you want to leave the Catholic Church. Feel free to do so, sell as many books as you like, enjoy the talk show circuit. I’m sure you will be feted and respected by the right people for the rest of your life…

…after that you’re on your own

Update: The American Papist talks Excommunication.

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