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

Pope Francis receives Univ. of Notre Shame officials in audience

Posted on 30 January 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

A delegation from Notre ~~Dame~~ Shame University had an audience with Pope Francis.

Yes, yes. Not everything at Notre Dame is evil. However, we do associate the school with leading the way in the destruction of Catholic education in these USA, the harboring of heretical teachers, the honoring of the most aggressively pro-abortion and anti-Catholic president in history. But I digress…

According to the Cardinal Newman Society (always check their RSS feed on my sidebar) Pope Francis told them:

In a powerful statement encouraging fidelity and strong Catholic identity in Catholic higher education, Pope Francis today urged the University of Notre Dame to be an “uncompromising witness… to the Church’s moral teaching” and to resist “efforts, from whatever quarter, to dilute that indispensable witness,” according to a translation by Vatican Radio.

The Holy Father’s words came today as he met with a Notre Dame delegation celebrating the University’s new Rome Center. Although Vatican Radio does not report whether Notre Dame President Father John Jenkins, C.S.C., was present, a photo of Father Jenkins with Pope Francis accompanying the Vatican Radio translation suggests that he was.

Recalling the University’s founding Catholic mission in “service to the Church and American society,” Pope Francis said, “And this is important: its identity, as it was intended from the beginning. To defend it, to preserve it and to advance it!”

In my Exhortation on the Joy of the Gospel, I stressed the missionary dimension of Christian discipleship, which needs to be evident in the lives of individuals and in the workings of each of the Church’s institutions. This commitment to “missionary discipleship” ought to be reflected in a special way in Catholic universities (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 132-134), which by their very nature are committed to demonstrating the harmony of faith and reason and the relevance of the Christian message for a full and authentically human life. Essential in this regard is the uncompromising witness of Catholic universities to the Church’s moral teaching, and the defense of her freedom, precisely in and through her institutions, to uphold that teaching as authoritatively proclaimed by the magisterium of her pastors. It is my hope that the University of Notre Dame will continue to offer unambiguous testimony to this aspect of its foundational Catholic identity, especially in the face of efforts, from whatever quarter, to dilute that indispensable witness.

[…]

I would preferred that His Holiness cite Ex corde Ecclesiae, which is still in force.

The Holy Father’s full statement is at the Vatican Radio website here.

I would like to see the New Evangelization working at the University of Notre Dame, beginning with an apology for this:

Pope Francis receives Univ. of Notre Shame officials in audience

Comment moderation is ON.

Posted in Francis, New Evangelization | Tagged Notre Dame, Notre Shame, Pope Francis
51 Comments

Papa was a Rolling Stone! Oooo yah!

Posted on 30 January 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I’m just sayin… for you young’uns…

And for all you cats and kitties out there, just because I really like The Temptations… it doesn’t get much better than…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P1x7Yy9CXI&feature=player_embedded

Feeling young again on the blogosphere.

Posted in SESSIUNCULA | Tagged Rolling Stone, The Temptations
18 Comments

Card. Zen on Pope Francis and China

Posted on 29 January 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From Vatican Insider:

Cardinal Zen says destruction of the Catholic Church continues in China

Despite the hopes raised by Pope Francis’ election, Sino-Vatican relations are still at a standstill. China’s new leader, Xi Jinping, has not kept his promises and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association and the Ministry of Religious Affairs are trying to turn bishops and faithful into “slaves”.

This is according to Cardinal Joseph Zen, the Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong who, in an interview with missionary news agency AsiaNews, said that Beijing was carrying on its “work of destruction” against the local Catholic Church.

“With the power position they have acquired in dealing with religions, they are destroying not only the religions but also the good name of our nation,” the cardinal said. “The only purpose of their work seems to be “enslaving” our Church (unfortunately with much success) by forcing our bishops and priests to betray their conscience, their faith.”

“It seems undeniable that [Xi Jinping] has shown a certain determination in reforming his party by fighting courageously the corruption and setting up a regime of austerity and frugality for his communist comrades.” Cardinal Zen added that “clarity of position seems to be a characteristic feature of our Jesuit Pope … Somebody said that Pope Francis likes tango, but it takes two to tango. Can we suppose the same good will in his counterpart?”

Posted in Francis, The Coming Storm, The Drill, The future and our choices | Tagged Card. Zen, China
8 Comments

What the cover of Rolling Stone reveals

Posted on 29 January 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Yes, yes… we know that Rolling Stone, which recently featured on its cover the photo of the Boston Marathon terrorist, has now jumped onto the Pope Francis bandwagon.

The real take away from this is that, while Rolling Stone and other liberal outlets go gaga for The Wonderfullest Pope Ehvur (because they think he has abolished the Church’s teaching on homosexuality), other liberals are not so keen. For example, here is the cover of Der Spiegel right now:

Predictably, it’s about sex.

Furthermore:

Not very nice.

The editor of Fishwrap (aka National Schismatic Reporter), Tom Fox, nearly has an embarrassing moment of ecstasy in his commentary on the cover of the Rolling Stone.

Pope Francis continues to take the world by storm. His latest media triumph, a cover story on, yes, the Rolling Stone this week.

“The Times They Are A-Changin’: ?Inside the Pope’s gentle revolution,” is a 7,700-word profile by contributing editor Mark Binelli, who writes, “In less than a year since his papacy began, Pope Francis has done much to separate himself from past popes and establish himself as a people’s pope.”

In the last few months Francis has appeared on the covers of Time (“Person of the Year”), The New Yorker, The Advocate (“The Person of the Year”), and Vanity Fair (Italian issue), among a dozen or more others — to say nothing about Catholic publications such as America and the National Catholic Reporter(Of course). [Such prestigious journals!]

The real climax of the NSR piece comes when Fox quotes the Stoner‘s bashing of Pope Benedict:

After the disastrous papacy of Benedict, a staunch traditionalist who looked like he should be wearing a striped shirt with knife-fingered gloves and menacing teenagers in their nightmares, Francis’ basic mastery of skills like smiling in public seemed a small miracle to the average Catholic.

Don't be fooled. He's not really smiling.

Smiling in public! No Pope ever smiled in public before Francis! Ehvur!

What, however, is the take away from the Rolling Stone thingy?

Yes, yes… we know that Pope Francis is pretty popular with the essentially uncritical MSM and the essentially non-practicing, rank-and-file un-churched Catholic. Perhaps you have met a few people who say, “Oh, I don’t believe what the Church teaches, but I really like this Pope!” We will continue to see lots of mainstream praise for Francis.

I am waiting to see whether The Francis Effect™ brings true conversions in its wake. Time will tell. I sincerely hope so.

Meanwhile, you won’t see praise for Francis from the feminists. You won’t see praise for Francis from the LCWR types.

Pope Francis is not about to change the Church’s doctrine and discipline in substantive matters. He can’t change doctrine, of course. This has already started to dawn on elements of the ‘c’atholic Left.

He isn’t going to approve of homosexual sex…. ehvur. He isn’t going to ordain a woman… ehvur.

Eventually the different lefty factions will turn on each other over Francis. Some on the Left will continue to coo over Pope Fluffy (who – as they imagine – doesn’t demand conversion from their various life-choices). Others on the Left, will get angrier and angrier that Pope Francis isn’t conforming to their expectations. They will start demanding that the other, supportive side of the Left, start criticizing the Pope with them.

Francis is dividing the Left.

Posted in Francis, Just Too Cool, Liberals | Tagged LCWR, Leftists, liberals, Pope Francis, Rolling Stone
52 Comments

SOTU: What Pres. Obama should say, will say, won’t say

Posted on 28 January 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The President’s State of the Union address is tonight.

People are musing about what the President will say or ought to say.

As I see it…

What the President ought to say:

“Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice-President, Members of Congress, the Cabinet, Honorable Justices, my ‘fellow’ Americans, I hereby resign the Office of President of the United States.”

What the President will say:

百花齊放，百家爭鳴… (bǎihuā qífàng, bǎijiā zhēngmíng) … “Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend”

What the President won’t say:

“hope…. change”

What do you think?

What should he say?
What will he say?
What won’t he say?

[UPDATE:]

From CNSNews:

Can you imagine… if he uses the pronoun “I”?

We’re doomed.

Posted in Liberals, Pò sì jiù, The Coming Storm, The Drill, The future and our choices | Tagged Affordable Care Act, Pres. Obama, SOTU, State of the Union Address, The First Gay President
76 Comments

Pete Seeger remembered

Posted on 28 January 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I hear that singer songwriter and erstwhile Communist Pete Seeger has died. He was 94. May God be merciful to him and to all who pass to their eternal judgment, each and everyone.

Once upon a time here on this blog I had the occasion to post a variation of one of his songs performed by the eclectic artist in residence Zuhlio. You may remember it:

From 2012… long time agoooo…..

___________

The Official Parodohymnodist of Fr. Z’s Blog has inspired – I don’t know how he does it – has inspired – or even why he does it – has inspired to emerge from retirement

ZUHLIO!

Yes, after the triumphant reemergence from retirement last time to produce his hit song “Lady Tambourine Priest“, after his even bigger hit song “Aging Hippie Paradise“, the urban rapper Zuhlio is back, experimenting with yet another genre.

Zuhlio inexplicably seems to be going back in time in exploring musical styles. Well… what can we say?

We present, in honor of liberal, less and less remembered dissident nuns everywhere,

Where Have All the Sisters Gone? (in the style of the Kingston Trio)

As the Parodohymnodist himself quipped: “Get out your guitars and autoharps.”

Where have all the Sisters gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the Sisters gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the Sisters gone?
All dissenters, ‘cept for some.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have all dissenters gone?
Long time passing
Where have all dissenters gone?
Long time ago
Where have all dissenters gone?
Call to Action conventions.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where has all the action gone?
Long time passing
Where has all the action gone?
Long time ago
Where has all the action gone?
Lifeless ‘cause of contraception
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where have contraceptors gone?
Long time passing
Where have contraceptors gone?
Long time ago
Where have contraceptors gone?
Hopeless rest homes, or passed on.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Where then has our hope all gone?
Long time passing
Where then has our hope all gone?
Long time ago
Where then has our hope all gone?
Young nuns who put habits on.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

___________

Fr. Z says:

¡Vaya lío!

UPDATE:

Meanwhile, MSW on behalf of the Fishwrap (aka National Schismatic Reporter) pays musical tribute to Pete Seeger by posting videos of Seeger’s translation/version of the “Internationale”, the global Communist anthem.

I promise… I am not making this up.

What is the “Internationale”? HERE for history and variations of the lyrics. Some of them are right up NSR’s alley! The official anthem of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and of China.

Here is the original French version’s 2nd stanza, literally rendered:

There are no supreme saviours
Neither God, nor Caesar, nor tribune.
Producers, let us save ourselves,
Decree the common salvation.
So that the thief expires,
So that the spirit be pulled from its prison,
Let us fan our forge ourselves
Strike the iron while it is hot.
CHORUS: This is the final struggle
Let us group together, and tomorrow
The Internationale
Will be the human race.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BIvqbyku5g&feature=player_embedded

No wonder MSW hates the Acton Institute so much!

To honor the passing of Pete Seeger you might consider buying a copy or two of Gregg’s books.

Even just to annoy the Fishwrappers. It’s worth it.

Samuel Gregg’s Tea Party Catholic: The Catholic Case for Limited Government, a Free Economy, and Human Flourishing which, remarkably, has very little to do with the Tea Party as such.

Click me.

Also, take a look at the other book MSW mentioned: Becoming Europe: Economic Decline, Culture, and How America Can Avoid a European Future.

Comrades! Unite! Throw of their liberal oppression and make a donation here!

BTW… did you know that Acton Institute was recently ranked as one of the best think tanks in the world? HERE

Zuhlio – Where Have All The Sisters Gone?

Posted in ¡Hagan lío!, Liberals, Lighter fare, Linking Back, Parody Songs, Women Religious | Tagged Acton Institute, Internationale, Pete Seeger, Zuhlio
29 Comments

Notre Shame prof wants Pope Francis to “Rethink Abortion”

Posted on 28 January 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From the Cardinal Newman Society (see their RSS feed box on my sidebar):

Notre Dame Professor Wants Pope Francis to Allow Some Abortions

A philosophy professor at the University of Notre Dame published an opinion piece at the New York Times arguing that Pope Francis should reconsider the Catholic Church’s stance on abortion.

“Pope Francis has raised expectations of a turn away from the dogmatic intransigence that has long cast a pall over the religious life of many Roman Catholics,” writes Gary Gutting in his column, “Should Pope Francis Rethink Abortion?”

While Gutting acknowledges that the Pope seems “unyielding” on the abortion issue, he argues why he believes the Holy Father should reconsider.

“I want to explore the possibility, however, that the pope might be open to significant revision of the absolute ban on abortion by asking what happens if we take seriously his claim that ‘reason alone is sufficient’ to adjudicate this issue,” he writes. “Revising the ban on abortion would not contradict the pope’s overall commitment to the ‘value of the human person.’” [?!?]

[…]

Read the rest there. There is a lot more.

Fr. Z is appalled, but not surprised.

Meanwhile, does anyone in academia ever pay attention to Ex corde Ecclesiae?

UPDATE:

Fr. Fessio takes this Notre Shame prof to pieces HERE.

Posted in Emanations from Penumbras, Francis, Liberals, Our Catholic Identity, Pò sì jiù, You must be joking! | Tagged abortion, Gary Gutting, Notre Dame, Notre Shame
39 Comments

Islamists slaughter dozens in Nigeria, also during Mass

Posted on 28 January 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

More about The Religion of Peace from Jihad Watch:

Nigeria: Islamic jihadists murder at least 62 people, including 22 at church service

Shhh! “Talk about extreme, militant Islamists and the atrocities that they have perpetrated globally might undercut the positive achievements that we Catholics have attained in our inter-religious dialogue with devout Muslims.” — Robert McManus, Roman Catholic Bishop of Worcester, Massachusetts, February 8, 2013

“UPDATE 2-Gunmen kill at least 62 in Nigeria, including in church,” by Imma Ande for Reuters, January 27 (thanks to Filip):

YOLA, Nigeria, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Suspected insurgents armed with guns and explosives killed at least 62 people in northeast Nigeria, including at a church service, in a region where Islamist sect Boko Haram is resisting a military crackdown, witnesses said on Monday.

They killed 22 people by setting off bombs and firing into the congregation in the Catholic church in Waga Chakawa village in Adamawa state on Sunday, before burning houses and taking residents hostage during a four-hour siege, witnesses said.

[…]

Boko Haram, which wants to impose sharia law on a country split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims, has killed thousands over the past four and a half years and is considered the biggest security risk in Africa’s top oil exporter and second largest economy after South Africa.

Its fighters’ favourite targets have traditionally been security forces, politicians who oppose them and Christian minorities in the largely Muslim north.

The spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Yola, Reverend Father Raymond Danbouye, confirmed 22 people killed in the church were buried at a funeral on Monday.

[…]

Read the gruesome rest there.

Sts. Nunilo and Alodia, pray for us.

Posted in Modern Martyrs, Our Catholic Identity, The Coming Storm, The future and our choices, The Last Acceptable Prejudice, The Religion of Peace | Tagged Boko Haram, Islam, Nigeria, Sts. Nunilo and Alodia, The Religion of Peace
20 Comments

Coooo… coooo…. AIYEEEEEEE!

Posted on 28 January 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Not all liberals are happy.

You can’t make up a headline like this.

Pro-animal groups appeal to pope over dove attack

ROME — Animal rights groups on Monday appealed to Pope Francis to end the practice of releasing doves from a Vatican window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, a day after a pair of the peace symbols were attacked by a seagull and crow while a crowd including thousands of children watched below.

The National Animal Protection Agency published an open letter Monday reminding Francis that domesticated doves are easy prey for predators like gulls. [I say… KILL THE GULLS. The damned flying vermin kept me awake for years in Rome. Rats with wings.]

Gulls nest atop the colonnade of St. Peter’s Square, near the Tiber River, and scavenge for garbage in Rome. The animal protection agency, known as ENPA, said freeing doves in Rome is like “condemning them to certain death.” [Death to gulls.]

“Animals born in captivity, not being wild animals, aren’t able to recognize predators as such and are thus incapable of fleeing from possible dangerous situations,” ENPA said, adding it was launching a signature petition to garner the pope’s attention.

An umbrella group of animal rights advocates, the Italian Federation of Animal and Environment Rights Associations, carried a text of the letter on its website.

The two doves tossed into the air by two children flanking the pope at an open window of the Apostolic Palace Sunday didn’t go far, landing at first on ledges of the building. In separate dives, first a seagull and then a large black grow swept down and grabbed a dove by the tail. Feathers fluttered over the square but the doves shook off their attackers. It wasn’t clear what then happened to the birds.

The Vatican earlier Monday didn’t reply to an AP query about whether it might abandon the practice.

Pope John Paul II began the dove releases as a symbol of peace. Since then, children from an Italian Catholic group have been invited to join popes at the window overlooking the square for the dove release, which takes place the last Sunday in January. Sunday wasn’t the first time a dove was attacked by a seagull after a release.

[…]

This story has some legs, I guess.

I received one message from a smart friend who wrote:

The whole incident on Sunday was allegorical. Pope of Peace launches dove symbolizing Vatican’s idealistic (ideological?), clichè-ridden peace teachings (“jamais plus la guerre”), meanwile a sea gull and a crow make short shrift of the dove, symbolizing the Real World.
All this right in front of the Pope of Peace. And thousands of Catholics. And live on TV.

By the way… I contend that it was one of these stupid dove release stunts that finally did in John Paul II. In his weakened state he did one of these dopey things on a cold day and was never the same again. That was the beginning of his end.

The article continued:

ENPA’s open letter to Francis noted that the pontiff is writing an encyclical, a formal church document, on ecology. “We know that the pontiff said he was sensitive to protecting the environment and the creatures that share it with us,” the animal protection organization said.

In solidarity with the environmentalists, I call on Francis to go green, reduce his carbon footprint, and use the sedia gestatory, just like his fluffy predecessor, the People’s Pope, the Good Pope, soon-to-be-Saint John XXIII.

UPDATE:

It had to happen….

More photos at WaPo, including:

Posted in Francis, Lighter fare | Tagged dove, John Paul II
29 Comments

New art from Daniel Mitsui: Our Lady of Walsingham!

Posted on 27 January 2014 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The Catholic sacred artist Daniel Mitsui sent me a beautiful rendering of Our Lady of Walsingham.

The 7″ x 10″ print is ready for ordering HERE.

Those saint in the corners are Catherine of Alexandria, Margaret of Antioch and Lawrence of Rome.

From his website:

The print was made on a Heidelberg Windmill press at Rohner Letterpress (Chicago, IL). The printing method involves pressing a piece of paper against a hard plate whose raised surfaces are inked; this is essentially the method invented by Gutenberg that remained dominant until the 20th century. Graphic Chemical & Ink (Villa Park, IL) supplied a traditional printing ink made from linseed oil & furnace black. The paper was handmade from cotton rag pulp at Twinrocker Handmade Papers (Brookston, IN). It is a laid paper, which means that it has a slight ribbed texture, from the wires in the papermaking mould. Laid paper was the only type of paper manufactured in Europe until the mid-18th century.

A few details.

A squirrel!

A nice reminder that her shrine is a pilgrimage place.

The Middle English at the bottom is from a 15th c. poem in honor of Our Lady. You have to go to his site to read that…. yes… just go there.

I had an earlier version of this, on vellum, but he has a reworked it. The printing is crisp. It jumps out at you. Very nice. I plan to frame it and give it as a gift to someone who is a convert to Holy Church from Anglicanism.

I wish he’d sent one of the colored versions! Spiffy!

But the monochrome is still striking.

Also, in Mitsui’s email to me, he mentioned their daughter, Alma, was recently discharged from the hospital. I think she was in the hospital for quite a while. I am morally certain that they have a lot of medical bills now.

Therefore… buying some of his fine sacred art would benefit you and those to whom you might give it, as well as this family, who are contributing to beauty in the expression of our Catholic identity.

Lot’s of stuff to consider… go have a look!

One piece I saw when rummaging around was a fascinating version of the Battle of Heaven with the archangels as Japanese samurai putting the smack down on Ol’ Scratch. Very cool.