Monday, June 24, 2019
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Will the Latins Be Interested in Real Solutions?
CWR Dispatch: The Paralyzed Church by Dr. Adam A. J. DeVille
The decision the Church faces today is a very simple one: to “approach the future as a friend/without a wardrobe of excuses” in W.H. Auden’s memorable words.
The decision the Church faces today is a very simple one: to “approach the future as a friend/without a wardrobe of excuses” in W.H. Auden’s memorable words.
Saturday, June 22, 2019
Friday, June 21, 2019
Latin Traditionalists Have a Stronger Argument
than proponents of a dumbed down, sentimentalist reformed Roman liturgy.
Crisis Magazine: First Reactions of Teenage Boys to the Traditional Latin Mass by Stephen Snyder
Fr. Z: Priest apologizes to traditional Catholics: “The future of the Church is in her past.”
Crisis Magazine: First Reactions of Teenage Boys to the Traditional Latin Mass by Stephen Snyder
Fr. Z: Priest apologizes to traditional Catholics: “The future of the Church is in her past.”
Thursday, June 20, 2019
The Power of Truth
CWR: A sorely needed theological justification of the truth of the Catholic faith by Eduardo Echeverria
Cardinal Gerhard Müller’s book The Power of Truth addresses the challenges to Catholic doctrines and morals today—not only by the culture at large, but also by elements within the Church.
Cardinal Gerhard Müller’s book The Power of Truth addresses the challenges to Catholic doctrines and morals today—not only by the culture at large, but also by elements within the Church.
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Monday, June 17, 2019
Sunday, June 16, 2019
Saturday, June 15, 2019
The Boundaries of Salvation
OrthoChristian: The Boundaries of Salvation: The ‘Two Natures’ of Communion in Christ
Lecture by Archpriest Peter Heers
Lecture by Archpriest Peter Heers
Friday, June 14, 2019
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Latin Triumphalism Lives!
In Latin traditionalists and zealous converts to traditionalism.
1P5: I Left Eastern Orthodoxy for the Church Led by Pope Francis, and I Don’t Regret It by Timothy Flanders
Was there unanimity across the Church Fathers as to the nature of papal primacy? No. And the author fails to note that both doctrines mentioned were accepted as doctrines not because a majority of Church Fathers held them (they did not explicitly), but because they were proposed by ecumenical councils and received as being expressions of Tradition.
1P5: I Left Eastern Orthodoxy for the Church Led by Pope Francis, and I Don’t Regret It by Timothy Flanders
Another reason these attacks fail is that the Orthodox do not give their own doctrines the same scrutiny they give Catholics’. It is true that although the saints have taught the Roman primacy, it is by no means clearly expressed across the Fathers. Yet the Orthodox are willing to confess many other doctrines like Iconodulism or the homoousios while explaining away (rightly) any lack of patristic clarity on these points.
Was there unanimity across the Church Fathers as to the nature of papal primacy? No. And the author fails to note that both doctrines mentioned were accepted as doctrines not because a majority of Church Fathers held them (they did not explicitly), but because they were proposed by ecumenical councils and received as being expressions of Tradition.
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Monday, June 10, 2019
Sunday, June 09, 2019
The Pope as Language Scholar
The prophet is not guaranteed to be an oracle or a prophet, in the sense that every utterance is directly through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Even in the first millenium, there were misunderstandings about Greek, which arguably was the lingua franca of the early Church. Now, when the bishop of Rome no longer speaks Greek fluently, and many of the apostolic Churches do not use it? At least they have been able to avoid misunderstandings so far in the joint statements that have been released.
Why should we understand the successor of St. Peter as having a special competence as to determining the orthodoxy of some definition of faith or statement in Greek or any other language not his own?
What special competence has he received to ensure that his statements are translated properly into the languages used by the other apostolic Churches for communication? He must rely and trust what scholars and representatives of those churches tell him.
Even when everyone was using Greek, Chalcedon would have not been such a big problem if charity was being exercised in all things, with a prayer for a strong dose of patience with one's brothers, and bishops humbly asked for clarification when in doubt. Now when the representatives of the Apostolic Churches speak other languages (I don't think English is a lingua franca for them but I could be wrong)? This is even more true.
Instead of determining that only one formulation is orthodox, might it be that the bishop of Rome is merely expressing a preference for one statement rather than another, which must be coupled with the fixing of terms and their definitions at that time , or at least including some sort of terminological appendix to any statement so that readers in the future know what the word means? And thus the bishop of Rome plays a role as the final arbiter?
In a Church in which many languages can be used, can any statement of faith be free from problems of translation?
Even in the first millenium, there were misunderstandings about Greek, which arguably was the lingua franca of the early Church. Now, when the bishop of Rome no longer speaks Greek fluently, and many of the apostolic Churches do not use it? At least they have been able to avoid misunderstandings so far in the joint statements that have been released.
Why should we understand the successor of St. Peter as having a special competence as to determining the orthodoxy of some definition of faith or statement in Greek or any other language not his own?
What special competence has he received to ensure that his statements are translated properly into the languages used by the other apostolic Churches for communication? He must rely and trust what scholars and representatives of those churches tell him.
Even when everyone was using Greek, Chalcedon would have not been such a big problem if charity was being exercised in all things, with a prayer for a strong dose of patience with one's brothers, and bishops humbly asked for clarification when in doubt. Now when the representatives of the Apostolic Churches speak other languages (I don't think English is a lingua franca for them but I could be wrong)? This is even more true.
Instead of determining that only one formulation is orthodox, might it be that the bishop of Rome is merely expressing a preference for one statement rather than another, which must be coupled with the fixing of terms and their definitions at that time , or at least including some sort of terminological appendix to any statement so that readers in the future know what the word means? And thus the bishop of Rome plays a role as the final arbiter?
In a Church in which many languages can be used, can any statement of faith be free from problems of translation?
Saturday, June 08, 2019
Who Needs the CDF?
Sandro Magister: “His Most Egregiously Ambiguous Statement.” A Theologian of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Flunks the Pope
There is no counting, by now, the times in which Pope Francis has refused to ask for or accept the view of the congregation whose task it is to ensure compliance with dogma.
If he had done this with, for example, “Amoris Laetitia,” that exhortation on marriage and divorce would have come out written in a much less imprident manner, without eliciting those “dubia” - endorsed and made public by four cardinals - to which Francis then refused to respond, also imposing silence on the congregation led at the time by Cardinal Gerhard L. Müller.
Friday, June 07, 2019
Eastern Christian Books: Orthodoxy and Ecumenism
Eastern Christian Books: Orthodoxy and Ecumenism
Orthodoxy and Ecumenism: Towards an Active Metanoia by Razvan Porumb (Hachette Paris, 2019)
IOTA presentation
Orthodoxy and Ecumenism: Towards an Active Metanoia by Razvan Porumb (Hachette Paris, 2019)
IOTA presentation
Bad Theology?
Or worse, heretical?
CNA: Holy See confirms changes to Italian liturgical translation of Our Father, Gloria
Links to discussions of the proposed translation of the Our Father can be found here. I am going to focus on the Gloria:
The Lord loves everybody for they can have no good whatsoever unless they first be loved by God. But God loves them even if they sin against him, and sinners do not have peace. Peace can be found only in Christ, for someone who lives in Christ and by extension those who may not be living in Christ yet but are cooperating with God's grace. (Or perhaps they may not have been sacramentally incorporated into Christ but have been done so in some other way.) Hence, "men of good will." A better translation of the original Greek would be "men, with whom God is pleased" -- and with whom is God pleased? Those who are righteous by His grace.
So, is Luke 2:14 to be taken as being in the indicative mood, or is it expressing a command (imperative mood) or a wish/desire? Most interpreters seem to take it as being in the indicative mood. If it is in one of the other moods then the new translation may be more defensible though it would still require a lot of proper catechesis to explain the meaning.
CNA: Holy See confirms changes to Italian liturgical translation of Our Father, Gloria
Links to discussions of the proposed translation of the Our Father can be found here. I am going to focus on the Gloria:
In the Gloria, the line “in térra pax homínibus bónae voluntátis” (on earth peace to people of good will) will be translated “pace in terra agli uomini, amati dal Signore” (peace on earth to men, loved by the Lord). It was translated “pace in terra agli uomini di buona volontà” (peace on earth to men of good will).
The Lord loves everybody for they can have no good whatsoever unless they first be loved by God. But God loves them even if they sin against him, and sinners do not have peace. Peace can be found only in Christ, for someone who lives in Christ and by extension those who may not be living in Christ yet but are cooperating with God's grace. (Or perhaps they may not have been sacramentally incorporated into Christ but have been done so in some other way.) Hence, "men of good will." A better translation of the original Greek would be "men, with whom God is pleased" -- and with whom is God pleased? Those who are righteous by His grace.
So, is Luke 2:14 to be taken as being in the indicative mood, or is it expressing a command (imperative mood) or a wish/desire? Most interpreters seem to take it as being in the indicative mood. If it is in one of the other moods then the new translation may be more defensible though it would still require a lot of proper catechesis to explain the meaning.
Thursday, June 06, 2019
Wednesday, June 05, 2019
A Maronite Diaconal Ordination in Rome
NLM
Rome, liturgical Disneyland for liturgical tourists?
The Maronites are unfortunately content with their Latinizations.
Intra-Latin Debates
How do we reconcile our Latin ecclesiology centered on the bishop of Rome with the pontificate of Francis? On one side, the Latin traditionalists, on the other Latin postconciliar "conservatives" who are not necessarily in agreement on all points.
Mirus's piece is more detailed and some of his rebuttals are on point, and while he is correct about the 20th century liturgical movement, it would be wrong to identify that with the postconciliar reform (which had begun under Pius XII) spearheaded by Bugnini.
Nonetheless, both sides are incorrect in so far as they adhere to that Latin ecclesiology, which informs their perspective on matters pertaining to the patriarchate of Rome.
CWR: Infiltration, innuendo, and the longing for certainty by Jennifer Roback Morse
We must not cling to certainty beyond what the facts allow. Infiltration, under-researched and over-stated, fails to meet this standard.
Infiltration: An idiot’s guide to the problems of the Church by Dr. Jeff Mirus
Mirus's piece is more detailed and some of his rebuttals are on point, and while he is correct about the 20th century liturgical movement, it would be wrong to identify that with the postconciliar reform (which had begun under Pius XII) spearheaded by Bugnini.
Nonetheless, both sides are incorrect in so far as they adhere to that Latin ecclesiology, which informs their perspective on matters pertaining to the patriarchate of Rome.
CWR: Infiltration, innuendo, and the longing for certainty by Jennifer Roback Morse
We must not cling to certainty beyond what the facts allow. Infiltration, under-researched and over-stated, fails to meet this standard.
Infiltration: An idiot’s guide to the problems of the Church by Dr. Jeff Mirus
Tuesday, June 04, 2019
Some Latin Soteriology?
CWR: Pope Francis, the uniqueness of Christ, and the will of the Father by Fr. Thomas G. Weinandy, OFM., Cap.
Given the pluralism of world religions, many contemporary academics and pundits argue that Christianity can no longer claim itself to be the one true religion. Not only do those who profess other religious beliefs question [...]
Given the pluralism of world religions, many contemporary academics and pundits argue that Christianity can no longer claim itself to be the one true religion. Not only do those who profess other religious beliefs question [...]
Monday, June 03, 2019
Overstating the Case
The Case for Confucianism in America: How an Ancient Chinese Philosophical Tradition Could Save Our Fraying Democracy by Alexander Zubatov
Was Confucianism sufficient by itself to prevent the Chinese imperial government from turning it into a state ideology and using it to support the imperial system? Or, for that matter, is it preventing the Chinese Communists from attempting to do the same? Confucianism does not address the origin of political authority, nor the nature of the relationship between ruler and ruled, and whether equality between the two is possible. Confucianism, as it currently exists in the classics and whatever tradition of commentary, simply does not have the resources to support republicanism. Perhaps someone can develop the tradition in that direction, though it will be the case that such novelties will be contested by some as not being part of the original tradition, even if the additional premises can be shown to be in harmony with the principles found in the classical texts.
Was Confucianism sufficient by itself to prevent the Chinese imperial government from turning it into a state ideology and using it to support the imperial system? Or, for that matter, is it preventing the Chinese Communists from attempting to do the same? Confucianism does not address the origin of political authority, nor the nature of the relationship between ruler and ruled, and whether equality between the two is possible. Confucianism, as it currently exists in the classics and whatever tradition of commentary, simply does not have the resources to support republicanism. Perhaps someone can develop the tradition in that direction, though it will be the case that such novelties will be contested by some as not being part of the original tradition, even if the additional premises can be shown to be in harmony with the principles found in the classical texts.
Sunday, June 02, 2019
Saturday, June 01, 2019
Friday, May 31, 2019
Thursday, May 30, 2019
The Origin of Religious Freedom
First Things: Rethinking the History of Religious Freedom by Robert Louis Wilken
Any account of the rise of religious freedom must give a large place to the intellectual contributions of Christian thinkers.
Any account of the rise of religious freedom must give a large place to the intellectual contributions of Christian thinkers.
Wednesday, May 29, 2019
A Summary, of Sorts, of Tierney
Crisis Magazine: The Medieval and Catholic Roots of American Democracy by Andrew Latham
Adam DeVille on the Ascension and Pentecost
CWR Dispatch: Ascension, Pentecost, and the excesses of an inefficient God by Dr. Adam A. J. DeVille
God is not content with merely satisfying some soteriological “debt” as it were. He does not merely restore us to life on earth, but takes us from earth into heaven.
God is not content with merely satisfying some soteriological “debt” as it were. He does not merely restore us to life on earth, but takes us from earth into heaven.
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
When will we have an investigation of the chain of communication?
Where is the transparency?
CNA: Pope Francis: ‘I knew nothing about McCarrick’
Dispatch: Correspondence confirms Benedict XVI placed restrictions on McCarrick in 2008
While confirming some elements of the allegations made last August by former Vatican nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, Monsignor Figueiredo’s report does not answer key questions about what Pope Francis knew about McCarrick’s actions.
Related:
Former aide details how McCarrick ignored Benedict’s sanctions, met with Francis
CNA: Pope Francis: ‘I knew nothing about McCarrick’
Dispatch: Correspondence confirms Benedict XVI placed restrictions on McCarrick in 2008
While confirming some elements of the allegations made last August by former Vatican nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, Monsignor Figueiredo’s report does not answer key questions about what Pope Francis knew about McCarrick’s actions.
Related:
Former aide details how McCarrick ignored Benedict’s sanctions, met with Francis
An Orthodox Exlanation of the Antichrist
Preachers Institute: The AntiChrist: An Orthodox Perspective from the Church Fathers by Fr. Andrew J. Anderson
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