Fr. Z's Blog | Catholic commentary by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Not everything is “Rah! Rah! Francis!”, even in the MSM

Posted on 20 September 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

There is a lot of energy swirling around and about the Holy Father’s visit to Cuba and, soon, to these United States. I’ve already heard MSM hype about how Francis is the pretty much the first Pope who has ever smiled or kiss a baby. As a matter of fact, he is the first Pope who has ever thought about poor or who has been nice. He is the most wonderfulest fluffiest Pope ehvur. He’s not like mean old Benedict! He was harsh and Francis is humble!

This is going to get really tiresome.

Meanwhile, not everything is “Rah! Rah! Francis!”, even in the MSM. It is good to know what they are saying as well.

First, check out George Will at WaPo. All I can say is brutal. His piece seems to be a preemptive strike not just against Francis and what he might say to Congress and to the UN about environmentalism and capitalism, but against the lib dems who will try to coopt Francis for cynical political reasons. The libs will accuse Will of shilling for the GOP, but I don’t think that that is what he is doing.

Pope Francis’ fact-free flamboyance

Pope Francis embodies sanctity but comes trailing clouds of sanctimony. With a convert’s indiscriminate zeal, he embraces ideas impeccably fashionable, demonstrably false and deeply reactionary. They would devastate the poor on whose behalf he purports to speak — if his policy prescriptions were not as implausible as his social diagnoses are shrill.

[…]

Pretty rough stuff.

We don’t, by the way, have to accept Will’s simplification of the science and Gallileo issue or about medieval economies.

Next comes something from the Weekly Standard by Jonathan V. Last.

Pope Francis: Menace or Farce?

Back in 1999, The Weekly Standard ran one of my favorite cover lines ever: The New Europe: Menace or Farce? I often think of that question when I watch Pope Francis.

It’s only been two and a half years since Francis assumed the chair of St. Peter, yet he’s already compiled an entire dossier’s worth of . . . interesting . . . incidents.

For instance, the Holy Father seems to have a habit of appearing to endorse all sorts of left-wing political causes. There was the time he posed with environmental activists holding an anti-fracking T-shirt. And the time he posed for pictures holding a crucifix made from a hammer and a sickle. And the time he held up a poster calling for the British to hand the Falkland Islands back to Argentina. In each instance, the official Vatican response has been to suggest that Francis didn’t mean to endorse anything because he’ll pretty much smile and pick up anything you hand him, like some sort of consecrated Ron Burgundy.

[…]

While this piece also indicts the Pope’s handlers, the bucks land on the Pontiff’s desk.

Anyway… it is good to know what else is going on, apart from the cloying sweet stuff.

The moderation queue is definitely ON.

Posted in ¡Hagan lío!, Francis, The Drill | Tagged George Will, Pope Francis, WaPo, Weekly Standard
50 Comments

CQ CQ CQ #HamRadio Saturday – Viva la Habana!

Posted on 19 September 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I CQ CQ CQ #HamRadio Saturday - Viva la Habana! don’t have special news from the last week, since I have been traveling and otherwise busy.

However, as I type, I have the EWTN feed on for Pope Francis’ arrival in Cuba. The EWTN announcer reminded us that since 1993 Mother Angelica had established shortwave broadcasts – which reach Cuba. To this day, perhaps the EWTN broadcasts as well as the Vatican Radio broadcasts, maybe be the only Catholic programming they can receive.

I hear Vatican Radio once in a while in the evening on 40m at 7.305.

The EWTN stations are HERE.

Meanwhile, not long ago, I made a contact with a station in Cuba, T46BC.

Next week I will be in a place that has lots of Ham Radio stuff. Hopefully I will have an opportunity to look at a shop or two.

My antenna is set up for 20m right now. I might try to get on the rig later in the evening.

Meanwhile, feel free to use this thread to set up your own scheds.

Finally… I am closer to getting a vanity call!

Posted in Ham Radio | Tagged Cuba, EWNT, Havana, Mother Angelica, Pope Francis, shortwave radio
53 Comments

SSPX not in schism

Posted on 19 September 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Michael Voris and his initiative Church Militant have been militating pretty hard these days against the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX – a society of priests, not lay people, having a less than perfect canonical status).

Michael is pushing hard that the SSPX is schismatic.

I have been saying for years that the SSPX is not. Canonically screwed up? Yes. Schismatic? No.

So, in a recent piece (HERE) Voris provides the headline:

CM EXCLUSIVE: A Canon Lawyer Speaks on the SSPX
Former canonist for Holy See confirms Society is in material schism

But if you read that piece, which is an interview with a good canonist, Marc Balestrieri, you find that you could post the headline:

Former canonist for Holy See confirms Society is not in de iure schism

Material schism is vague. Maybe they are in material schism. Maybe they aren’t. Formal schism, on the other hand, is not fuzzy. We should not throw “schism” around and about the heads of the SSPX, even though we also should not deny that they are in a decidedly bad canonical situation and confusion abounds about their status.

Some excerpts:

It is the more probable opinion among approved authors that refusal of obedience of a Catholic to the Pope which is not predicated upon a rejection of the principle of his authority as Roman Pontiff as Caput Romanae Ecclesiae constitutes material, not formal schism. However, if those lay faithful receiving the Sacraments from them at any one point in time also severed themselves entirely from, or refused submission in principle to, the Roman Pontiff and per can. 1330 of the Code of Canon Law manifested in word or in deed externally such actions, then they are presumed to have descended into formal schism.

I don’t think SSPX members or followers do that. At least the sane one’s don’t.

The Prefect’s use of the term de facto emphasizes the factual divide in communion between the Holy See and the SSPX Bishops. If he had intended to emphasize clearly the existence of formal schism on their part, he most likely would have employed the term de iure given the context of the assertion.

The absence of the use of such term on his part, however, does nothing to mitigate the gravity of the material schism by which souls are at grave risk of not being saved for as long as the situation perdures.

Agreed. The SSPX is canonically screwed up. But they are not formally schismatic.

Concerning the invalidly of absolution involves, he explains what “common error” is and what it isn’t.

SSPX priests are presumed at Universal Law only to possess jurisdiction or the faculty to absolve from sin in two exceptional circumstances. First, pursuant to the norm of can. 976, “Any priest, even though he lacks the faculty to hear confessions, can validly and lawfully absolve any penitents who are in danger of death, from any censures and sins, even if an approved priest is present.” “Any priest” according to this norm would include validly ordained SSPX priests. Second, in conformity with the norm of can. 144, § 1, whenever (1) Common Error of Fact or Law and (2) Positive and Probable Doubt of Fact or Law have been verified to exist in a certain fact pattern, the Church “supplies” a iure universali the faculty required for SSPX priests to absolve from sins validly. “Error” in this norm means a state of erroneous judgment; “doubt” in this canon means a grave, positive and probable doubt asserted by numerous doctors of Canon Law of unimpaired reputation extant on the part of the SSPX priest acting as confessor.

While canonists find no controversy in the assertion that SSPX priests who are validly ordained and not otherwise impeded have the faculty to absolve the faithful from sin in danger of death of a penitent (cf. can. 976), the jurisprudence of the Roman Rota does provide some rare official light into the other question of whether SSPX priests possess the jurisdiction required to witness marriage validly.

The canonist lays out really well the situation of priests of the SSPX and that they don’t possess faculties (right now) validly to absolve and they cannot witness marriages (thus, making them invalid because of lack of form. He explains that judgments of the Church’s highest tribunal on marriage has consistently ruled that the marriages were invalid because SSPX priests cannot witness marriages.

The thrust here is that the judgments of the Roman Rota has found SSPX marriages invalid because of lack of form. This provides a parallel for understanding also that the SSPX also don’t have faculties to hear confessions. “Error” of judgment is excluded, because the teaching of the Holy See has been clear. “Doubt” is excluded because canonists are in line.

Canon 144 only refers to the Church supplying “potestatem regiminis executivam”, the “executive power of governance”.

Keeping with confession as an example, and one that involves internal forum, can. 144 covers instances wherein a priest who lacks the faculty to hear confessions at all, or he just lacks them in a particular place or situation, nevertheless believes he has the faculty and the penitent also believes he does. Thus, it doesn’t quite cover the situation of SSPX priests, who know very what proper authority as instructed about their state: they lack faculties. They, however, do not obey proper authority. They might honestly believe that they can receive confessions because of some state of “emergency” that the Church is in, but, intellectually, they know that the Church has told them that they don’t. They aren’t ignorant of the facts, though they – even with sincerity – may not accept them. Some lay people are up to date on the controversy, though most are not.

More HERE.

I thank Mr. Voris, because he laid out with this interview many of the issues that plague the sacramental life of followers of the SSPX and he explodes the claim that the SSPX is formally schismatic.

I’ll repeat also what I have written may times. I look forward to the complete reconciliation of the SSPX. They have great contributions to make. I also think that Pope Francis might be the one to resolve this formally. It took Nixon to go to China.

Posted in Francis, SSPX | Tagged "Nixon goes to China", de facto, de iure, Marc Balestrieri, Michael Voris, schism, SSPX
83 Comments

Like a Rolling Stone

Posted on 18 September 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I have had a tough week with travel and lots of bad news. Bad news even this morning. So, just to break things up a little, and because Rolling Stone was mentioned elsewhere today, here are videos for your amusement.

First, Muddy Waters – Rollin’ Stone:

Next, Bob Dylan, of course… dig that groovy Hammond organ!

And because I am in a black mood…

I am not in that much of a black mood… creepy song.

For kicks, but really bad audio, Bob Dylan with the Rolling Stones doing Like a Rolling Stone, HERE

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
23 Comments

“Pius later sent rosaries to all the Catholic tars on ‘Old Ironsides’”

Posted on 18 September 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

In my other day job I am the captain of HMS Surprise. Therefore I took note of something I read about Bl. Pius IX and USS Constitution. You will recall from your reading of The Fortune of War that Jack and Stephen were aboard HMS Java in its battle with Constitution. Thus, the link.

In George Weigel’s bit about Popes in These United States (thanks, George, for the “These”, which is was I now always write), I read this:

1848 was a year of upheaval throughout Europe; in November of that year, Pius IX fled Rome and took refuge at Gaeta, a harbor town south of Naples. A month later, U.S.S. Constitution, “Old Ironsides,” sailed for Europe to show the flag and protect American interests and citizens amidst the political turmoil. After stops in Tripoli and Alexandria, the big frigate cruised into Italian waters and in August 1849 was berthed in Gaeta. The ship’s surgeon invited the pope and Kind Ferdinand II of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to visit Constitution, where the two rulers were duly welcomed with all honors. Pius IX blessed the Catholics in the crew, who were lined up on the gun deck, and after being entertained by the captain in his quarters, was seen off with another 21-gun salute. Pius later sent rosaries to all the Catholic tars on “Old Ironsides,” and gave the ship’s captain, John Gwinn, a medal with the papal image and coat-of-arms.

Which it’s a great anecdote, as Preserved Killick would say.

And just because I am getting tired of Jesuits and all who give them aid and comfort…

In the Reverse of the Medal, Dr. Maturin, Stephen, a master of invective, flashed out some brilliance concerning Jesuits. Context: Jack Aubrey has met a son, fathered many years before out of wedlock, but he is distressed to learn that he is godforbid a Papist. He wonders if he was godforbid also trained by Jesuits.

Jack speaks to Stephen (a Papist, of course):

‘You remember the Gordon riots, and all the tales about the Jesuits being behind the King’s madness and many other things. By the way, Stephen, those Fathers were not Jesuits, I suppose? I did not like to ask straight out.’

‘Of course not, Jack. They were suppressed long ago. Clement XIV put them down in the seventies, and a very good day’s work he did. Sure, they have been trying to creep back on one legalistic pretext or another and I dare say they will soon make a sad nuisance of themselves again, turning out atheists from the schools by the score; but these gentlemen had nothing to do with them, near or far.’

The Complete Aubrey/Maturin Novels (Vol. 5 volumes) (Aubrey/Maturin Novels) UK link HERE

Posted in O'Brian Tags, Preserved Killick | Tagged George Weigel, HMS Surprise, Jesuits, Patrick O'Brian, USS Constitution
7 Comments

Fr. Z’s Voice Mail – A book and a frustrated Catholic

Posted on 18 September 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I have received a few more voice mails.

Since I pay a fee for the two phone numbers, USA and UK, I am glad when they are used.

Here is a lady who gives voice to the frustration that quite a few Catholics have right now.

Next, from across the pond, some consolation and a book alert.

I deeply appreciate the prayers. Here is the book he is talking about. Prayer by Benedict XVI.

UK link HERE

It was five years ago right now that Pope Benedict made his wonderful State Visit to Scotland and England. Who can forget the image of him with the Blessed Sacrament in Hyde Park? HERE Who can forget the incredible addresses in Westminster (wearing a stole with the arms of Leo XIII)? HERE and HERE

And Tu es Petrus by James MacMillan in Westminster Cathedral.

Times have changed.

Please leave me voice mail. I don’t call back, but I listen to it. You have three options:

WDTPRS

020 8133 4535

651-447-6265

TIPS for leaving voice mail.

Don’t shout. If you shout, your voice will be distorted and I won’t be able to understand you.
Don’t whisper. If you have to whisper, maybe you should instead be calling the police.
Come to your point right away.

By the way, if you emphatically say at the beginning of a message, or anywhere else in a message for that matter, not to use your message in a post or a podcast… then I (probably) won’t. But then don’t complain that you didn’t see something about it on the blog. ‘kay? Yes, that happens.

Posted in HONORED GUESTS | Tagged voice mail
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Welcome Aboard New Registrants!

Posted on 18 September 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

To participate in the combox here, you must be registered and approved (by me).

Since the blog is under constant attack by spammers and nefarious ne’er-do-wells, I use the “about you” field in particular to screen registrations.

Welcome aboard recent registrants! (I think I got everyone.)

judyagordon
marthajerome
dwbrew
millstone13
Eleanor
akdo
SherryDee
lasalle
Ken_H
PhilOFS
CatholicConvert72
eonofrio
chrisgaffrey
Dr. B
chelo52336
billy15
mar4joy
Adaquano
BenjaminiPeregrinus
FatherEvansJulce
MichaelfpiusQuinn10
aenira
DeaconT
Hardworkingman
Pandora

NB: Pay attention to your password. If you screw up logging in 3 times, the software thinks you are an attacker and you get locked out for a period of time.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
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The Rolling Stone of Catholic journalism and MS Winters’ Fainting Couch

Posted on 18 September 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I bring to the readership’s attention a piece by Fr. Robert Sirico of Acton Institute. He responds to a ridiculous piece in Rolling Stone, in which Acton and he are mentioned. HERE

Rolling Stone, that bastion of journalistic professionalism, declined to publish Sirico’s response.

The Rolling Stone piece depended in part on the musings of MS Winters of the National Schismatic Reporter (aka Fishwrap). Winters, the Wile E. Coyote of liberal catholicism, is obsessed with Acton and Sirico to the point of spittle-flecked nutties.

I was amused by this paragraph in Sirico’s response to Rolling Stone. Great line here:

The deeper journalistic problem with this piece is its sheer superficiality in understanding Catholicism or what the Acton Institute (which, incidentally, is an ecumenical organization that works with people ranging from like-minded Evangelicals to observant Jews) does. This is understandable given that Mr. Benelli relies to a great extent for his research on the hyperbole from the fainting couch of one M.S. Winters who writes a breathless blog for the Rolling Stone of Catholic journalism, the National Catholic Reporter.

NB: Fainting Couch. HERE

Speaking of hyperbole, in yet another loooong piece today the venomous MS Winters drew a moral equivalence between those who don’t think that our borders should simply be opened to illegal immigrants, or business owners who have to fire employees, and Planned Parenthood workers who sell baby parts. HERE Just so that you know how the liberal mind works:

We are called to solidarity with the unborn and with the undocumented and with the unemployed, people who are defined by what they are not, but we are also called, hard though it may be, to be in some measure of solidarity with the Planned Parenthood worker, or with the opponent of immigration reform, or with the employer who sometimes fires workers.

Think about the employer “who sometimes fires workers”.

What possessed him to add the adverb “sometimes”? What does “sometimes” add to the thought?

Is there something wrong with firing a worker “sometimes”? How about “anytime? What if the employee is dangerous and incompetent? Example: How about that reporter fired by his TV station who then shot two of his former coworkers?

In the View From the Fainting Couch employers who fire employees – sometimes – are morally equivalent to big-business abortion execs who sell baby parts.

At least we can guess that MS Winters is against selling baby parts. After all, that’s as bad as controlling our borders and sometimes firing employees.

I guess mercy now means that employees can never be sometimes fired.

There is, by the way, a galaxy of distance between the selling of baby parts and, on the other hand, employment practices and border control.

Finally, what does this mean for Fishwrap‘s English counterpart The Tablet who fired Winter’s liberal counterpart Robert Mickens? Maybe that’s what MS Winters had in mind. Perhaps Wile E. is worried about his job with the Rolling Stone of Catholic journalism.

Posted in Fr. Z KUDOS, Liberals, The Drill | Tagged Acton Institute, fainting couch, Fr. Robert Sirico, Michael Sean Winters, Rolling Stone, Wile E. Coyote
14 Comments

Read here the words of St. Francis Admonition to the Clergy

Posted on 17 September 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From a letter by St. Francis of Assisi (trans by Fr. K. Esser, O.F.M.)

Read Here the words of St Francis Admonition to the Clergy..

“Let us attend, all clerics, to the great sin and ignorance, which certain men have concerning the Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the most holy Names and His written words, which sanctify the Body. We know, since there cannot be a Body, unless first it is sanctified by the word. For we have and see nothing corporally of the Most High Himself, in this age, except the Body and Blood, Names and words, through which we have been made and redeemed from death and life (1 Jn 3:14). However all those who minister such holy mysteries, should consider within themselves, most of all those who minister illicitly, how vile are the chalices, corporals, and altar linens, where the His very Body and Blood are sacrificed. And by many in vile places He is placed and abandoned, borne about in a wretched manner and consumed unworthily and ministered to others indiscretely. Even His Names and writted words are sometimes tred under foot; since the bestial man does not perceive the things that are of God (1 Cor 2:14). Is not our piety stirred concerning all these things, when the pious Lord Himself offers Himself into our hands and we handle Him and consume Him each day with our mouth? Or are we ignorant that we must (one day) fall into His Hand? Therefore let us correct quickly all these things and the others; and wherever the Most Holy Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ has been illicitly placed and abandoned, let Him be removed from that place and let them be placed in an honorable place. All these things all the clerics together are bound to observe according to the precepts of the Lord and the constitutions of Holy Mother Church. And those who will not have done this, let them know that they must render an account before the Lord on the day of judgement (cf. Mt 12:36). This has been written so that it may better be observed; let them know themselves to be blessed by the Lord God, who would have it copied.”

Posted in Priests and Priesthood | Tagged St. Francis of Assisi
12 Comments

My View For Awhile: Home again, home again

Posted on 17 September 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I was tempted to take a later shuttle to the airport, seeing that 0600 is a tough gig sometimes. After speaking to a group I’m usually a bit worn out. That said, I’m glad I came early.

This is the Pre-Check line!

After what you can see there are the switchbacks of what you can’t.

I believe we were fibbed to on the way in. We were told there were “equipment problems” at Pre-Check. A few questions to some worker bees along the way confirmed that, no, it was like this all the time. Last night my ride told me to get to the airport early. “I have Pre-Check”, quoth I. “No, really,” quoth he. So I took an earlier shuttle…

… even after watching the end of the GOP debate and some of the autopsy.

So it’s DTW to MKE and then a soothing drive in their morning rush hour.

I spoke to a Legatus chapter about the Synod. It wasn’t a happy joy joy joy presentation. It is my intention to get people a little anxious about this one. A little fear may help some overcome the inevitable onset of Synod Fatigue™ which has already struck hard in some quarters.

Meanwhile the adventure continues. Next to me:

“George! Hurry up and sit down!…. You just sat on the water bottle and broke it.”

“No. I didn’t.”

“Look there’s a blanket… these seats are different…. why is this thing so low?… There’s a hole here. Did you know there was a hole here?

“No.”

“There’s a hole here.”

This might be a long short flight.

Meanwhile something beautiful from the CMA:

By Zurbaran. Mary contemplates in anticipatory sorrow, cheeks streaked with tears, her Son as He contemplates the drop of Blood elicited from the thorns He twisted into a foreshadowing circle.