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Sr. Joan’s precious insights on the upcoming encyclical
On the site of the ultra-liberal dissenting NCR Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB shared her precious insights on the text of the Holy Father’s encyclical, about which she can know really very little.
I won’t tire you with the whole sad thing, but this little blurb you should read.
... [E]arly reports indicate that the pope’s upcoming encyclical, Veritas in Caritate (“Charity in Truth,”), [what the… ?!?] clearly argues that the defense of the poor and the defense of unborn life are "necessarily linked."She doesn’t even get the name of the encyclical right. And even if it were entitled Veritas in caritate that wouldn’t be translated "Charity in truth".
Which leaves us in a quandary. Is the attempt by some to ostracize those who seek alternative approaches to the subject of abortion really the most effective—and the most moral position—a Catholic can take? By ignoring—and so minimizing—all other social justice issues, can we possibly consider ourselves sufficiently grounded in a Catholic vision of the world, even in regard to our commitment to this one?
But she knows what the unpublished encyclical says.
Trust her! She knows.
Read what she wrote in the context of President Obama’s attempts to jam through universal abortion through the present UN meeting.
UPDATE 2235 GMT:
It is sure that Sr. Chittister and those of her school – alas a school involving very little Latin – are going to claim that His Holiness’ reception of Pres. Obama will amount His Holiness’ approval of Pres. Obama’s agenda.
Upon these we are pleased to bestow the new WDTPRS "Idi Amin Dada" Award, inaugurated in honor of the 10 September 1975 visit of this famous head of state to Pope Paul VI. The president kept the Pope waiting and the Pope did not bestow upon Idi Amin Dada the honor of a doctorate in law.
Sister should feel free to capture the graphic and put it on her own blog.
Early reports are that the next Encyclical after “Caritas in veritate,” will hopefully make the New Order of Mass safe, legal, and rare.
Comment by Tertulian el Mexicano — 3 July 2009 @ 2:34 pmBut Father! But Father! She’s a Benedictine! She must know her latin or else how does she chant the Office?
Comment by David O'Rourke — 3 July 2009 @ 3:11 pmSince when has this woman given a fig for what any encyclical says? Or any other papal pronouncement for that matter?
Comment by Sarsfield — 3 July 2009 @ 3:24 pmSoon she’ll be resting comfortably in a nursing home. The biological solution will have done its job. By by, Sister Joan. Tom
Comment by TJM — 3 July 2009 @ 3:36 pmSarsfield writes, “Since when has this woman given a fig for what any encyclical says? Or any other papal pronouncement for that matter?”
That was exactly my thought.
Comment by LCB — 3 July 2009 @ 3:51 pmTJM:
Comment by J. Basil Damukaitis — 3 July 2009 @ 3:57 pmYou hit it on the head! She’s already in her own NCReligion decided the pope in Rome is just a silly fallacy, so what does she care??
But then the liberal establishment contradicts itself constantly.
I note that no one, except perhaps Mr John Allen, at the NCR has yet commented upon the Holy Father’s recent challenging, but inspiring, comments on true ‘adult faith’.
Why am I unsurprised?
Comment by Andrew, medievalist — 3 July 2009 @ 4:07 pmWhat exactly would be an “alternative approach” to abortion?
I’d call her duplicitous, but even an illiterate could read her like an open book.
Comment by Thomas — 3 July 2009 @ 4:19 pmSister Joan is a loser and soooo yesterday. But I just read John Allen’s comments (quoting Cdl Cottier) and I think I’m going to upchuck. When He comes, will He find faith on earth?
Comment by EDG — 3 July 2009 @ 4:27 pmWhy can’t these people ever write church with the ‘c’ capitalized when they are speaking of Holy Mother Church? It is so aggravating!
Comment by Jayna — 3 July 2009 @ 4:34 pmUGH! Stuff like this is like a horrific car wreck. You know you shouldn’t look cause its just going to make you upset, but you just can’t look away
Comment by DustyD — 3 July 2009 @ 4:42 pmEDG,
Re: Cottier article. Me too. Wonderful theory (very Thomistic). The “facts” must
Comment by mpm — 3 July 2009 @ 4:42 pmbe either irrelevant, or coming from an alternative universe.
Because they don’t believe She is Holy Mother Church. They don’t believe She has any unique role in Salvation. Properly speaking they don’t even believe in Salvation.
They use Catholic vocabulary, but they don’t give it Catholic meaning. In a way we should be grateful for the dropped capitalizations – they give themselves away and it makes it easier for us to avoid their misdirections.
Comment by Thomas — 3 July 2009 @ 4:43 pmmpm – I’m going with the alternative universe theory myself.
Comment by EDG — 3 July 2009 @ 4:59 pmIts hard to believe that tosh was written by a nun.
Comment by Kenny — 3 July 2009 @ 5:06 pmVery sad, let us pray for all religious who are not faitful, our poor Lord must be weeping to see His brides who are unfaithful.
Comment by Alex — 3 July 2009 @ 5:13 pmDisappointing but not surprising. Not anymore.
What is it though with the Benedictines and Jesuits? Why all the homegrown weirdos and nutbags in those communities? Hey to be to equal opportunity, I hear Blessed Father Damiem’s order, the SS.CC, are pretty much a freak show of their own. Like John Paul wrote, if an order doesn’t follow its charism, it dies off.
Comment by Matt Q — 3 July 2009 @ 5:58 pmThis article got posted on the Australian ‘Cathnews’ site 2 days ago (noting time differences) [http://www.cathnews.com.au/ – only garners others stories, leans heavily to the progressivist agenda but does on occasion post other good things].
I tried to post a comment on NCR but they don’t seem to have a very dmocratic policy on that …
‘Sr’ Joan is, as other commenters point out, not really Catholic at all. But she has amazing sway around the world:
From the website of the Good Samaritan sisters in Australia:
Joan Chittister OSB to visit Australia
Arguably the best-known Benedictine religious in the world, Sister Joan Chittister OSB, will be one of the international speakers at the Parliament of the World’s Religions, in Melbourne, from December 3-9, this year.
This information was received as this edition of The Good Oil was about to be posted. Further information will be in the July edition (out July 14).
Comment by Peter — 3 July 2009 @ 6:24 pmUpon these we are pleased to bestow the new WDTPRS “Idi Amin Dada” Award, inaugurated in honor of the 10 September 1975 visit of this famous head of state to Pope Paul VI.
I’m not clear: Is this award supposed to reflect badly on Sr. Chittister and her ilk or on His Holiness Pope Paul VI?
Comment by Matthew W. I. Dunn — 3 July 2009 @ 6:33 pmMatthew,
It is to illustrate that the actions “meeting” and “honoring” are 2 different things.
Meeting with someone does not mean honoring them, nor does it mean agreeing with them.
But, as with most things, theological liberals bring darkness where there once was light and confusion where there once was clarity, and so the common spin is now “The Pope endorsed Obama by meeting with him.”
Comment by LCB — 3 July 2009 @ 6:41 pmMatthew: Is this award supposed to reflect badly on Sr. Chittister and her ilk or on His Holiness Pope Paul VI?
For heaven’s sake! Why should it have to reflect badly on anyone? It certainly doesn’t reflect badly on Paul VI! Popes really ought to meet with world leaders, after all.
Comment by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf — 3 July 2009 @ 7:07 pmSr. Joan? Is this a “Dead or Canadian?” question? Does this mean she’s Canadian?
Comment by Boko — 3 July 2009 @ 7:17 pmBefore bashing Benedictines, remember, the Benedictines are more often an example of what is “right” in the Church, rather than what is wrong.
Technically the Benedictines are NOT AN ORDER!! There is no major superior. The Abbot Primate is only a lobbyist basically and has litttle or no power over monasteries. Therefore the crazy monasteries are truly crazy. But then there are places like Fontgombault, St. Louis Abbey, and others that are doing well.
You could rightly blame other proper orders like the Jesuits and the Dominicans who have a “top down” hierarchy. The Trappists and Cistercians are in the Benedictine family and ARE an order.
Important distinctions.
Sr Joan was the head of her congregation for years.
Comment by J. Basil Damukaitis — 3 July 2009 @ 7:23 pmFr. Z wrote: Popes really ought to meet with world leaders, after all.
Should they? Didn’t some world leaders refuse to meet with Idi Amin based on his woeful human rights record?
Comment by Matthew W. I. Dunn — 3 July 2009 @ 7:23 pmTHE POPE isn’t just another world leader. Let politicians be politicians and let popes be (universal) pastors.
Comment by Thomas — 3 July 2009 @ 7:41 pmMoreover, Bl. Pius IX (a truly great Pope) refused to meet with Victor Emanuel, and refused to even acknowledge him king of Italy because of all the evils he had done the Church and the people. On the other hand Pius IX was willing to meet with the French Ambassador’s of Napoleon III who was little different from Emanuel except he was willing to make compromises with the Pope. Obama with his rabid abortion agenda is at least as bad as Victor Emanuel. I don’t think the Pope needs to meet with any world leaders if they aren’t willing to talk serious political business and make some serious compromises.
Comment by Athanasius — 3 July 2009 @ 7:45 pm“...alternative approaches to the subject of abortion” translates to “Don’t bother me with this stuff.”
Comment by Athelstane — 3 July 2009 @ 9:04 pmWow! Reading her article is so…so….
Is it me or she an angry white chick? I get the distinct impression that disagreeing with could be…dangerous.
Comment by Daniel Cox — 3 July 2009 @ 9:28 pmJoan C’s article is a pre-emptive strike to get people to ignore what the encyclical really says when it comes out because they have already been told it’s true”spirit” by people like Sr. Joan.
I went over & read her article & it sounded like she had been given an advance copy, something that is definitely impossible.
Comment by Al — 3 July 2009 @ 10:53 pmFather, it seems in your update you obliterated all the previous commentss :-(
[Ummm…. really? They seem to be there.]
Comment by Peter — 4 July 2009 @ 4:59 amSister Chittister misstates the pro-life groups’ approach to all other social justice issues, when she accuses them of “ignoring – and so minimizing” these other problems.
One can argue that pro-life groups see a hierarchy among all social justice issues. Here, abortion and euthanasia are at the pinnacle of concern, and other issues, such as minimum wage, ecology, etc. are not seen to be of the same caliber as ignoring – and so minimizing, the humanity of the unborn, the sick, and the elderly.
I would not question the sincerity of Sister Chittister’s concern for all those who suffer in some way – I would say that her perspective on the relative importance of the many issues afflicting us today seems skewed, thus her efforts to fix the many wrongs likewise appear to be out of balance. Why that is so, is not for us to know.
Comment by Mark VA — 4 July 2009 @ 6:53 amWho is this Sister Joan character? I mean I know of a Joan Chittister but she long ago stopped being a nun if, in fact, she ever was. [Tut, tut. As far as I know Sr. Chittister is in good standing with her own Benedictine community, FWIW.] By their fruits, ye shall know them. And she is one of the fruitiest of the bunch. Seriously, the way to treat these characters IMHO is by not giving them a platform as a religious for they don’t deserve it. The sad part is they have many followers. Egads, what has happened to Holy Mother Church?
Comment by Paul Haley — 4 July 2009 @ 8:34 amLets just hope she is one of the ones that gets one of those investigative visits.
Comment by Peregrinus — 4 July 2009 @ 9:52 amWhat bothers me is all this pre-assumption of what the encyclical will say. Not knowing what the translation of the title is, how on earth will she be able to understand anything else? Her article gets filed under blah, blah, blah.
Comment by Kimberly — 4 July 2009 @ 11:11 amBut, Father, Father,Father, you are cunning, and I love you for it.
Comment by tim mccarthy — 4 July 2009 @ 11:49 amIdi Amin Dada what memories that name brings back, like eating his enemies, of course cooked, or his syphlitic reasoning. Perhaps President Obama will earn one and become President for life. The phrase for life should not be confused with any pro-life position much as Sister Joan is not. Long live Idi Amin Dada President in Uganda for life.
Maybe I am just dense, but why does the first person seem to want to equate that the New Order of the Mass is the root of some of the problems of our time? Even though Sr. Joan is off the map regarding most of her theology, where is charity in all of this?
Comment by Anthony — 4 July 2009 @ 2:22 pmThe sister’s Latin aside, perhaps we can forgive her a bit for the wrong title. I Googled the wrong title, and a ZENIT article from June said the Pope’s new encyclical would be called “Veritas in Caritate”. So perhaps she was using outdated information (and thus, its a miracle she knows the content of the encyclical).
Comment by Trevor — 4 July 2009 @ 7:14 pmA mistake anyone could make, huh?
You can google the title, huh?
Cut her a little slack?
hmmmmmm
Nah. Nice try, though.
Comment by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf — 5 July 2009 @ 12:55 amPius XI left Rome (for Castelgandolfo) when Hitler came in visit. Just to make things clear.
Comment by Domenico — 6 July 2009 @ 8:28 amOn the other hand it is impossible to make comparisons with Hitler, ceteris paribus.
Comment by Domenico — 6 July 2009 @ 8:46 am