Oh, and While You're at it...

Now that the Vatican has finally taken decisive action against those silly womynpriests, maybe something can be done about this clown (yes, he is a Catholic priest).



His ordinary, Cardinal Francis George, can't seem to bring himself to do it so it may be up to Rome to rein in this nutjob.

Oh, and While You're at it...

Now that the Vatican has finally taken decisive action against those silly womynpriests, maybe something can be done about this clown (yes, he is a Catholic priest).



His ordinary, Cardinal Francis George, can't seem to bring himself to do it so it may be up to Rome to rein in this nutjob.

About Time

General Decree from the Congregation of Doctrine of the Faith:

On the delict of attempted sacred ordination of a woman

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in virtue of the special faculty granted to it by the Supreme Authority of the Church (cf. Can. 30, Code of Canon Law), in order to safeguard the nature and validity of the sacrament of Holy Orders, decreed, on the Ordinary Session of December 19, 2007:

In accordance with what is disposed by Can. 1378 of the Code of Canon Law, he who shall have attempted to confer holy orders on a woman, as well as the woman who may have attempted to receive Holy Orders, incurs in a latae sententiae excommunication, reserved to the Apostolic See.

If he who shall have attempted to confer Holy Orders on a woman or if the woman who shall have attempted to received Holy Orders is a faithful bound to the Code of Canons of the Oriental Churches, he is to be punished with the major excommunication, whose remission remains reserved to the Apostolic See, in accordance with can. 1443 of the same Code (cf. can. 1423, Code of Canons of the Oriental Churches).

The present decree enters in force immediately after its publication in L’Osservatore Romano.

William Cardinal Levada
Prefect
Angelo Amato, s.d.b.
Titular Archbishop of Sila
Secretary

Slowly, steadily and patiently, the Vatican is reasserting authority over innovating renegades running wild in Christ's Holy Church. It will be a lengthy process, taking many years, but with this latest pronouncement we are assured once again, just as our Lord promised, the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small;
Though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all.

Friedrich, Baron von Logau (1604-1655)

(Thanks to William Tighe)

About Time

General Decree from the Congregation of Doctrine of the Faith:

On the delict of attempted sacred ordination of a woman

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in virtue of the special faculty granted to it by the Supreme Authority of the Church (cf. Can. 30, Code of Canon Law), in order to safeguard the nature and validity of the sacrament of Holy Orders, decreed, on the Ordinary Session of December 19, 2007:

In accordance with what is disposed by Can. 1378 of the Code of Canon Law, he who shall have attempted to confer holy orders on a woman, as well as the woman who may have attempted to receive Holy Orders, incurs in a latae sententiae excommunication, reserved to the Apostolic See.

If he who shall have attempted to confer Holy Orders on a woman or if the woman who shall have attempted to received Holy Orders is a faithful bound to the Code of Canons of the Oriental Churches, he is to be punished with the major excommunication, whose remission remains reserved to the Apostolic See, in accordance with can. 1443 of the same Code (cf. can. 1423, Code of Canons of the Oriental Churches).

The present decree enters in force immediately after its publication in L’Osservatore Romano.

William Cardinal Levada
Prefect
Angelo Amato, s.d.b.
Titular Archbishop of Sila
Secretary

Slowly, steadily and patiently, the Vatican is reasserting authority over innovating renegades running wild in Christ's Holy Church. It will be a lengthy process, taking many years, but with this latest pronouncement we are assured once again, just as our Lord promised, the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small;
Though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all.

Friedrich, Baron von Logau (1604-1655)

(Thanks to William Tighe)

If I Had a Hammer...

There's a movement afoot to nominate Pete Seeger, the banjo strumming trust fund socialist, for a Nobel Peace Prize. Well, why not? The once worthy award's currency over the years has been utterly diluted with its presentment to peace lovers like Yassir Arafat and four-flushing enviros like Al Gore. Further damage seems hardly possible awarding the prize to a marginally talented folksinger (if you'll pardon the redundancy) whose only sin, aside from filching a song and attendant royalties from an impoverished black South African and making millions from it, is to be a minor pest; easily ignored except by tiresome relics of the 'sixties who actually took that fiddle-and-banjo crap seriously.

If I Had a Hammer...

There's a movement afoot to nominate Pete Seeger, the banjo strumming trust fund socialist, for a Nobel Peace Prize. Well, why not? The once worthy award's currency over the years has been utterly diluted with its presentment to peace lovers like Yassir Arafat and four-flushing enviros like Al Gore. Further damage seems hardly possible awarding the prize to a marginally talented folksinger (if you'll pardon the redundancy) whose only sin, aside from filching a song and attendant royalties from an impoverished black South African and making millions from it, is to be a minor pest; easily ignored except by tiresome relics of the 'sixties who actually took that fiddle-and-banjo crap seriously.

Why They're Calling it "Climate Change"

Because now the earth ain't warming anymore, it's cooling. A piece in the Miami Examiner tells us

- New data produced by more than 3,000 sophisticated ocean buoys scattered across the world’s oceans indicate average water temperatures have been decreasing since 2003, not increasing as would be the case in Gore’s globally warming world. NASA’s Josh Willis, who studies the output of the sophisticated buoys that take temperature readings from thousands of feet below the surface, says the significance of the new data is unclear.

- The average land temperature of the globe dropped precipitously last year, according to the Hadley Center for Climate Prediction. The temperature drop — more than enough to “wipe out most of the global warming of the past 100 years,” according to the online technology publication Daily Tech — was also recorded by NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

My guess is you will not be seeing or reading much about these findings in most mainstream media, it will be an inconvenient truth...for a while. After a spell, however, as the cooling trend continues, we may see a small item in the New York Times, perhaps front page but beneath the fold, that reads similarly to the following.

Scientists and environmentalists are viewing with increasing concern a slow but steady drop in the earth's average temperature and are calling for bold new government initiatives to address what they see as a looming crisis. There are also calls for a United Nations conference so that proposed solutions may be co-ordinated among governments worldwide.

Editorials calling for same will appear later and the fire will be lit. The bold initiatives for global cooling will bear a striking resemblance to these now proposed for global warming: increased governmental control of the economy (in those remaining countries where it is still market-based) and of our daily lives; in short, socialism. Again.

The central-planning enviros must have seen this coming for a while because lately they have backed away from the notion of "global warming" in preference for "climate change," a nicely ambiguous concept that will never become obsolete since the earth's climate is constantly in flux. They may thus continue their prophecies of doom and demands for ever more bold initiatives that push us further down the road to serfdom, while the earth's temperature continues its jolly coursing up and down, just as it always has these four-and-a-half billion years, as the sparks fly upward.

Why They're Calling it "Climate Change"

Because now the earth ain't warming anymore, it's cooling. A piece in the Miami Examiner tells us

- New data produced by more than 3,000 sophisticated ocean buoys scattered across the world’s oceans indicate average water temperatures have been decreasing since 2003, not increasing as would be the case in Gore’s globally warming world. NASA’s Josh Willis, who studies the output of the sophisticated buoys that take temperature readings from thousands of feet below the surface, says the significance of the new data is unclear.

- The average land temperature of the globe dropped precipitously last year, according to the Hadley Center for Climate Prediction. The temperature drop — more than enough to “wipe out most of the global warming of the past 100 years,” according to the online technology publication Daily Tech — was also recorded by NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

My guess is you will not be seeing or reading much about these findings in most mainstream media, it will be an inconvenient truth...for a while. After a spell, however, as the cooling trend continues, we may see a small item in the New York Times, perhaps front page but beneath the fold, that reads similarly to the following.

Scientists and environmentalists are viewing with increasing concern a slow but steady drop in the earth's average temperature and are calling for bold new government initiatives to address what they see as a looming crisis. There are also calls for a United Nations conference so that proposed solutions may be co-ordinated among governments worldwide.

Editorials calling for same will appear later and the fire will be lit. The bold initiatives for global cooling will bear a striking resemblance to these now proposed for global warming: increased governmental control of the economy (in those remaining countries where it is still market-based) and of our daily lives; in short, socialism. Again.

The central-planning enviros must have seen this coming for a while because lately they have backed away from the notion of "global warming" in preference for "climate change," a nicely ambiguous concept that will never become obsolete since the earth's climate is constantly in flux. They may thus continue their prophecies of doom and demands for ever more bold initiatives that push us further down the road to serfdom, while the earth's temperature continues its jolly coursing up and down, just as it always has these four-and-a-half billion years, as the sparks fly upward.

Is it Possible to be More Catholic than This?

Image from the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny.

Permit me to answer that question: No, especially when the Mass is the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Latin), celebrated, as it has been every Sunday (10 A.M.) since 1988, at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Shrine on East 115th Street in East Harlem. Your Bloviator had the pleasure of attending Low Mass (server only, no deacon) there this morning and was awestruck by it all. The church is in superb condition and while the attendance was low, it was heartening to see a contingent of about thirty teenagers, students from the church's nearby school who, it was explained to me, are brought to the Latin Mass twice a month by their teacher (may God richly reward that man for what he is doing). Considering their age and attendant energy, they behaved like lambs; they even got the kneeling, standing and sitting right. The only thing lacking from this exquisite scene was a nun in traditional habit wielding the clicker.

Following the Mass, your Bloviator had the additional pleasure of meeting Professor William Tighe and the celebrant, Fr. John Halborg. Over coffee, the three of us did damage to a box of donuts and discussed matters churchy and theological although your Bloviator felt a bit out of his league among those two learned men.

It would be a good thing if more people attended the Tridentine Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Fr. Halborg told me on a good Sunday around fifty people show up but the Church can probably accommodate twenty times that many. The neighborhood, formerly Italian, went through a wretched stretch from the 'seventies through the 'nineties and fear of crime may still keep people away; indeed, I was last in that part of town a dozen years ago and it was a scary experience. That is no longer the case, nowadays things are considerably improved. I walked a good part of the way to the church and found a peaceful, stable Hispanic neighborhood with mothers and fathers and kids in strollers enjoying the fine May morning. Former Mayor Giuliani's war on crime has reaped rich dividends for the good people of East Harlem.

So if you live in the New York area, take in the Tridentine Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel (and while you're at it, drop some bucks into the basket, I'm sure they can use it). The experience of praying the Mass in the proper language, in such a glorious and inspiring venue, was a precious gift to this newly-minted Catholic. For those veteran fisheaters who rightfully feel discouraged at times by the banalities of modern worship, I urge you: go be refreshed by Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

(To learn more about the shrine visit this marvelous site.)

Is it Possible to be More Catholic than This?

Image from the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny.

Permit me to answer that question: No, especially when the Mass is the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Latin), celebrated, as it has been every Sunday (10 A.M.) since 1988, at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Shrine on East 115th Street in East Harlem. Your Bloviator had the pleasure of attending Low Mass (server only, no deacon) there this morning and was awestruck by it all. The church is in superb condition and while the attendance was low, it was heartening to see a contingent of about thirty teenagers, students from the church's nearby school who, it was explained to me, are brought to the Latin Mass twice a month by their teacher (may God richly reward that man for what he is doing). Considering their age and attendant energy, they behaved like lambs; they even got the kneeling, standing and sitting right. The only thing lacking from this exquisite scene was a nun in traditional habit wielding the clicker.

Following the Mass, your Bloviator had the additional pleasure of meeting Professor William Tighe and the celebrant, Fr. John Halborg. Over coffee, the three of us did damage to a box of donuts and discussed matters churchy and theological although your Bloviator felt a bit out of his league among those two learned men.

It would be a good thing if more people attended the Tridentine Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Fr. Halborg told me on a good Sunday around fifty people show up but the Church can probably accommodate twenty times that many. The neighborhood, formerly Italian, went through a wretched stretch from the 'seventies through the 'nineties and fear of crime may still keep people away; indeed, I was last in that part of town a dozen years ago and it was a scary experience. That is no longer the case, nowadays things are considerably improved. I walked a good part of the way to the church and found a peaceful, stable Hispanic neighborhood with mothers and fathers and kids in strollers enjoying the fine May morning. Former Mayor Giuliani's war on crime has reaped rich dividends for the good people of East Harlem.

So if you live in the New York area, take in the Tridentine Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel (and while you're at it, drop some bucks into the basket, I'm sure they can use it). The experience of praying the Mass in the proper language, in such a glorious and inspiring venue, was a precious gift to this newly-minted Catholic. For those veteran fisheaters who rightfully feel discouraged at times by the banalities of modern worship, I urge you: go be refreshed by Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

(To learn more about the shrine visit this marvelous site.)

An Act of Sanity from an Unlikely Source

(Image from Breibart.)

Sean Penn, one of the loopier players in the Hollywood cavalcade, struck a blow for reason yesterday, at the Cannes Festival (of all places).

US actor and director Sean Penn lit up and led a minor revolt at the Cannes film festival against France's draconian new anti-smoking laws.

Penn, the head of the jury that will pick the best films, pulled out a cigarette and puffed on it at a press conference with fellow jury members, in defiance of laws in place since January that ban smoking in public enclosed spaces.

Your Bloviator gave up smoking a decade ago and doesn't miss the dirty habit one bit. Just the same, I find it irksome so many of my fellow baby boomers (and gen-xers, too), who managed to co-exist for years with those who smoked, somehow and mysteriously developed an allergy to cigarette smoke sometime during the second Reagan administration. The evidence of the deleterious effects of so-called "second-hand smoke" is laughable; the real reason for the spate of laws directed against users of a product that at last check was still legal is an old, familiar tale: "Your activity offends me so you can no longer do it."

Good for Sean Penn. Now, if he could use that scintilla of reason he seemingly possesses to reconsider his unearthly views on topical issues, he just might redeem himself. Sadly, and more likely, Penn will one day kick the habit himself and quickly become the world champeen of anti-smoking zealots, his wackadoodle worldview blisfully unscathed.

(h/t the Corner at NRO.)

An Act of Sanity from an Unlikely Source

(Image from Breibart.)

Sean Penn, one of the loopier players in the Hollywood cavalcade, struck a blow for reason yesterday, at the Cannes Festival (of all places).

US actor and director Sean Penn lit up and led a minor revolt at the Cannes film festival against France's draconian new anti-smoking laws.

Penn, the head of the jury that will pick the best films, pulled out a cigarette and puffed on it at a press conference with fellow jury members, in defiance of laws in place since January that ban smoking in public enclosed spaces.

Your Bloviator gave up smoking a decade ago and doesn't miss the dirty habit one bit. Just the same, I find it irksome so many of my fellow baby boomers (and gen-xers, too), who managed to co-exist for years with those who smoked, somehow and mysteriously developed an allergy to cigarette smoke sometime during the second Reagan administration. The evidence of the deleterious effects of so-called "second-hand smoke" is laughable; the real reason for the spate of laws directed against users of a product that at last check was still legal is an old, familiar tale: "Your activity offends me so you can no longer do it."

Good for Sean Penn. Now, if he could use that scintilla of reason he seemingly possesses to reconsider his unearthly views on topical issues, he just might redeem himself. Sadly, and more likely, Penn will one day kick the habit himself and quickly become the world champeen of anti-smoking zealots, his wackadoodle worldview blisfully unscathed.

(h/t the Corner at NRO.)

Look Who Got Religion!

UPDATE. A press release from NARAL, the pro-abortionists: "Today, NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC is proud to endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president. Sen. Obama has been a strong advocate for a woman's right to choose throughout his career in public office."

Doing the Lord's work, eh Senator? (h/t M.)

Just imagine the outraged howls from the petulant left if Chimpy McBush had attempted a cynical stunt like this. It's Obama, though, so you won't see a thing about it in the New York Times. No you won't, don't bother looking.

Look Who Got Religion!

UPDATE. A press release from NARAL, the pro-abortionists: "Today, NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC is proud to endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president. Sen. Obama has been a strong advocate for a woman's right to choose throughout his career in public office."

Doing the Lord's work, eh Senator? (h/t M.)

Just imagine the outraged howls from the petulant left if Chimpy McBush had attempted a cynical stunt like this. It's Obama, though, so you won't see a thing about it in the New York Times. No you won't, don't bother looking.

Obama's American History

Barack Obama (via the Instapundit): "I trust the American people to understand that it is not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but to our enemies, like Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did."

For all his extensive and exquisite Ivy League education, it astonishes Obama wasn't able to squeeze in a history elective, or two. I am in no way ready to call the Democratic nomination for Obama, not so long as Hillary Clinton has a pulse. If he does manage to grab it, however, appalling displays of ignorance like the above should persuade most voters the man has no business whatever heading the most powerful nation on earth; having his finger near the button. It will be a debacle for the Democrats proportionate to the Nixon-McGovern rout of 1972.

Obama's American History

Barack Obama (via the Instapundit): "I trust the American people to understand that it is not weakness, but wisdom to talk not just to our friends, but to our enemies, like Roosevelt did, and Kennedy did, and Truman did."

For all his extensive and exquisite Ivy League education, it astonishes Obama wasn't able to squeeze in a history elective, or two. I am in no way ready to call the Democratic nomination for Obama, not so long as Hillary Clinton has a pulse. If he does manage to grab it, however, appalling displays of ignorance like the above should persuade most voters the man has no business whatever heading the most powerful nation on earth; having his finger near the button. It will be a debacle for the Democrats proportionate to the Nixon-McGovern rout of 1972.

Here, There & Everywhere

Damian Thompson, writing in the Telegraph, reports the Pope wants the Extraordinary Form (the Latin Mass) celebrated in every parish whether it is requested or not, so that (to quote Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, head of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei) "everyone may have access to this treasure of the ancient liturgy of the Church." Thompson, in his characteristically demure style, opines: "The idea of young people discovering the ancient Mass, said entirely in Latin with zero opportunity for congregational showing-off, will truly horrify with-it bishops and their Sandalista worship leaders." I think Thompson may be onto something there.

His Holiness seems to be picking up the pace reforming the "reforms."

(h/t the Catholic Knight.)

Here, There & Everywhere

Damian Thompson, writing in the Telegraph, reports the Pope wants the Extraordinary Form (the Latin Mass) celebrated in every parish whether it is requested or not, so that (to quote Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, head of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei) "everyone may have access to this treasure of the ancient liturgy of the Church." Thompson, in his characteristically demure style, opines: "The idea of young people discovering the ancient Mass, said entirely in Latin with zero opportunity for congregational showing-off, will truly horrify with-it bishops and their Sandalista worship leaders." I think Thompson may be onto something there.

His Holiness seems to be picking up the pace reforming the "reforms."

(h/t the Catholic Knight.)

Do Come Home, All is Forgiven

The Catholic Herald (UK) reports that Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council of Christian Unity, has issued a challenge to the Anglican Church on the eve of its Lambeth Conference to "choose between Protestantism and the ancient churches of Rome and Orthodoxy."

Speaking on the day that the Archbishop of Canterbury met Benedict XVI in Rome, Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Pontifical Council of Christian Unity, said it was time for Anglicanism to "clarify its identity".

He told the Catholic Herald: "Ultimately, it is a question of the identity of the Anglican Church. Where does it belong?

"Does it belong more to the churches of the first millennium -Catholic and Orthodox - or does it belong more to the Protestant churches of the 16th century? At the moment it is somewhere in between, but it must clarify its identity now and that will not be possible without certain difficult decisions."

He said he hoped that the Lambeth conference, an event which brings the worldwide Anglican Communion together every 10 years, would be the deciding moment for Anglicanism.

These remarks from the Cardinal are striking indeed and highlight the "special relationship," similar to that with Great Britain and the United States, between Rome and Canterbury; the genuine concern and affection the Holy Catholic Church has, from the Pope on down, for the souls of the Anglican schismatics. Just the same, however, Cardinal Kasper, as well the Holy Father, must be aware what parlous shape the Anglican Communion is in these days and that the chances of it "clarifying its identity" (something that has eluded her for 474 years), especially now, under the present impotent leadership of His Grace, Rowan, are nil. So we must wonder the underlying purpose of the Cardinal's remarks.

It is hard to say but it could be that Cardinal Kasper (and, by extension, the Holy Father) are giving notice they no longer have confidence in the continued viability of the Anglican Communion, that the upcoming Lambeth Conference could well be her last. Traditionalist Anglicans, therefore, should be thinking long and hard about the wisdom of staying within the fold of a organization that is on the verge of fracture.

Last year, one of the many breakaway "alphabet soup" Anglican organizations, the Traditional Anglican Communion, petitioned the Pope to be admitted, en masse, into the Holy Catholic Church. The Church has a tradition of moving glacially slow on requests of that sort but I suspect the TAC may receive a reply soon and that it will be positive. Cardinal Kasper's recent comments could be serving as ground preparation for the TAC and other disaffected Anglicans, at least those of Catholic leaning; an announcement that the Holy Catholic Church will no longer be shy about openly welcoming Anglicans into the One True Fold. Let us hope that is the case and that Anglicans will follow suit. They would bring a rich tradition of worship into the Catholic Church and she would benefit immensely from it.

(h/t William Tighe.)

Do Come Home, All is Forgiven

The Catholic Herald (UK) reports that Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council of Christian Unity, has issued a challenge to the Anglican Church on the eve of its Lambeth Conference to "choose between Protestantism and the ancient churches of Rome and Orthodoxy."

Speaking on the day that the Archbishop of Canterbury met Benedict XVI in Rome, Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Pontifical Council of Christian Unity, said it was time for Anglicanism to "clarify its identity".

He told the Catholic Herald: "Ultimately, it is a question of the identity of the Anglican Church. Where does it belong?

"Does it belong more to the churches of the first millennium -Catholic and Orthodox - or does it belong more to the Protestant churches of the 16th century? At the moment it is somewhere in between, but it must clarify its identity now and that will not be possible without certain difficult decisions."

He said he hoped that the Lambeth conference, an event which brings the worldwide Anglican Communion together every 10 years, would be the deciding moment for Anglicanism.

These remarks from the Cardinal are striking indeed and highlight the "special relationship," similar to that with Great Britain and the United States, between Rome and Canterbury; the genuine concern and affection the Holy Catholic Church has, from the Pope on down, for the souls of the Anglican schismatics. Just the same, however, Cardinal Kasper, as well the Holy Father, must be aware what parlous shape the Anglican Communion is in these days and that the chances of it "clarifying its identity" (something that has eluded her for 474 years), especially now, under the present impotent leadership of His Grace, Rowan, are nil. So we must wonder the underlying purpose of the Cardinal's remarks.

It is hard to say but it could be that Cardinal Kasper (and, by extension, the Holy Father) are giving notice they no longer have confidence in the continued viability of the Anglican Communion, that the upcoming Lambeth Conference could well be her last. Traditionalist Anglicans, therefore, should be thinking long and hard about the wisdom of staying within the fold of a organization that is on the verge of fracture.

Last year, one of the many breakaway "alphabet soup" Anglican organizations, the Traditional Anglican Communion, petitioned the Pope to be admitted, en masse, into the Holy Catholic Church. The Church has a tradition of moving glacially slow on requests of that sort but I suspect the TAC may receive a reply soon and that it will be positive. Cardinal Kasper's recent comments could be serving as ground preparation for the TAC and other disaffected Anglicans, at least those of Catholic leaning; an announcement that the Holy Catholic Church will no longer be shy about openly welcoming Anglicans into the One True Fold. Let us hope that is the case and that Anglicans will follow suit. They would bring a rich tradition of worship into the Catholic Church and she would benefit immensely from it.

(h/t William Tighe.)

Oh Dear.

It looks as if they celebrated another Clown Mass at Trinity Church Wall Street.

Oh Dear.

It looks as if they celebrated another Clown Mass at Trinity Church Wall Street.

Good Riddance

Boris Johnson has defeated the clownish thug Ken Livingston to become the new Mayor of London and Archbishop Cranmer is dancing for joy. Warm congratulations, Your Grace.

Good Riddance

Boris Johnson has defeated the clownish thug Ken Livingston to become the new Mayor of London and Archbishop Cranmer is dancing for joy. Warm congratulations, Your Grace.

Just What Does it Take?

Cardinal Egan of the Archdiocese of New York showed gratifying spine recently when he hauled Rudy Giuliani on the carpet for receiving at the recent Papal Mass in New York, despite his abhorrent views on abortion. All to the good but His Eminence's bold action left many of us wondering if his counterpart in D.C., Archbishop Wuerl, would react similarly to the not less then four distinguished politicos who received at the Papal Mass in Washington: Chris Dodd, Teddy Kennedy, John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi, all enthusiastic proponents of the suction machines.

His Grace has spoken at last and alas, it is doesn't look as if he's made of the same stuff as Cardinal Egan. In the Archdiocese newspaper the Catholic Standard, Archbishop Wuerl writes

A decision regarding the refusal of Holy Communion to an individual is one that should be made only after clear efforts to persuade and convince the person that their actions are wrong and bear moral consequences. Presumably this is done in the home diocese where the bishops and priests, the pastors of souls, engage the members of their flock in this type of discussion. In the case of public figures who serve in Washington as representatives of other parts of the nation, this dialogue and any decisions would take place within their home diocese.

I have always respected the role of the local Church and the ministry of the individual bishop as shepherd of the Church entrusted to his care. For that reason, I have not accepted the suggestions that the Archdiocese of Washington or episcopal conferences have some particular role that supersedes the authority of an individual bishop in his particular Church.

In other words, the Archbishop punted, leaving the matter to be decided by the offending parties' respective bishops. Well, fine. Let us hope those respective bishops will eventually do something about it (although if they haven't by now, it doesn't seem likely they will). One question should be asked of Archbishop Wuerl: if, at a Mass you were celebrating, a notorious and unrepentant mass-murderer haling from a diocese not yours presented himself for communion, would Your Grace permit him to receive, barring instruction to the contrary from that murderer's bishop?

(h/t Catholic World News.)

Just What Does it Take?

Cardinal Egan of the Archdiocese of New York showed gratifying spine recently when he hauled Rudy Giuliani on the carpet for receiving at the recent Papal Mass in New York, despite his abhorrent views on abortion. All to the good but His Eminence's bold action left many of us wondering if his counterpart in D.C., Archbishop Wuerl, would react similarly to the not less then four distinguished politicos who received at the Papal Mass in Washington: Chris Dodd, Teddy Kennedy, John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi, all enthusiastic proponents of the suction machines.

His Grace has spoken at last and alas, it is doesn't look as if he's made of the same stuff as Cardinal Egan. In the Archdiocese newspaper the Catholic Standard, Archbishop Wuerl writes

A decision regarding the refusal of Holy Communion to an individual is one that should be made only after clear efforts to persuade and convince the person that their actions are wrong and bear moral consequences. Presumably this is done in the home diocese where the bishops and priests, the pastors of souls, engage the members of their flock in this type of discussion. In the case of public figures who serve in Washington as representatives of other parts of the nation, this dialogue and any decisions would take place within their home diocese.

I have always respected the role of the local Church and the ministry of the individual bishop as shepherd of the Church entrusted to his care. For that reason, I have not accepted the suggestions that the Archdiocese of Washington or episcopal conferences have some particular role that supersedes the authority of an individual bishop in his particular Church.

In other words, the Archbishop punted, leaving the matter to be decided by the offending parties' respective bishops. Well, fine. Let us hope those respective bishops will eventually do something about it (although if they haven't by now, it doesn't seem likely they will). One question should be asked of Archbishop Wuerl: if, at a Mass you were celebrating, a notorious and unrepentant mass-murderer haling from a diocese not yours presented himself for communion, would Your Grace permit him to receive, barring instruction to the contrary from that murderer's bishop?

(h/t Catholic World News.)

The Catholic Time Machine

Those of a certain age will recall a TV program produced by legendary sci-fi schlock producer Irwin Allen called "The Time Tunnel." Lasting but one season and canceled in 1967, it told the tale of two intrepid heroes who, via a malfunctioning machine with a twirly thingy painted on it, manage to go astray in the chronological mists and are doomed to "tumble helplessly toward a new fantastic adventure somewhere along the infinite corridors of time (brought to you by Kent, with the exclusive Micronite Filter™)."

Your Bloviator is mindful of this endearing bit of 'sixties ephemera and time travel after being made aware of, to his absolute astonishment (thanks to Uncle Diogenes), the existence of a real time machine, one that will efficiently and with minimum fuss transport its users back to an earlier age. This wondrous device is known as the Catholic Action Network. Through the technological marvel of the hyperlink, a mere click of the mouse will whisk you to a magical world where it is perpetually 1967 and forever the Summer of Love. Feel the pangs of nostalgia (if you are old enough) as you check out the tempting array of activist offerings on the CAN website: "Justice for Women in the Catholic Church; International Justice & Peace; Working for Social Justice in the Catholic Church; and Spirituality & Justice." What a perfect primer for the young activist-to-be as well as a vital tune-up for the seasoned veteran of the protest march.

Perhaps, however, the pièce de résistance of the CAN website is the page featuring photos from the their 2nd Annual Hootenanny (yep, hootenanny: you read that right), replete with guitars, bongos and folksingers. And while observant viewers may notice an awful lot of graybeards among the participants (alas, the otherwise marvelous CAN time machine seems unable to thwart the effects of aging on those at least as old as your Bloviator), their youthful vigor cannot be denied. You can almost hear the lusty shouts of "HO HO HO CHI MINH, THE NLF IS GONNA WIN!"

A splendid thing, the Catholic Action Network: it effectively disproves Mr. G. B. Shaw's adage that youth is wasted on the young.

The Catholic Time Machine

Those of a certain age will recall a TV program produced by legendary sci-fi schlock producer Irwin Allen called "The Time Tunnel." Lasting but one season and canceled in 1967, it told the tale of two intrepid heroes who, via a malfunctioning machine with a twirly thingy painted on it, manage to go astray in the chronological mists and are doomed to "tumble helplessly toward a new fantastic adventure somewhere along the infinite corridors of time (brought to you by Kent, with the exclusive Micronite Filter™)."

Your Bloviator is mindful of this endearing bit of 'sixties ephemera and time travel after being made aware of, to his absolute astonishment (thanks to Uncle Diogenes), the existence of a real time machine, one that will efficiently and with minimum fuss transport its users back to an earlier age. This wondrous device is known as the Catholic Action Network. Through the technological marvel of the hyperlink, a mere click of the mouse will whisk you to a magical world where it is perpetually 1967 and forever the Summer of Love. Feel the pangs of nostalgia (if you are old enough) as you check out the tempting array of activist offerings on the CAN website: "Justice for Women in the Catholic Church; International Justice & Peace; Working for Social Justice in the Catholic Church; and Spirituality & Justice." What a perfect primer for the young activist-to-be as well as a vital tune-up for the seasoned veteran of the protest march.

Perhaps, however, the pièce de résistance of the CAN website is the page featuring photos from the their 2nd Annual Hootenanny (yep, hootenanny: you read that right), replete with guitars, bongos and folksingers. And while observant viewers may notice an awful lot of graybeards among the participants (alas, the otherwise marvelous CAN time machine seems unable to thwart the effects of aging on those at least as old as your Bloviator), their youthful vigor cannot be denied. You can almost hear the lusty shouts of "HO HO HO CHI MINH, THE NLF IS GONNA WIN!"

A splendid thing, the Catholic Action Network: it effectively disproves Mr. G. B. Shaw's adage that youth is wasted on the young.