Posted on 12/23/2003 5:40:34 AM PST by ultima ratio
Edited on 07/12/2004 4:11:14 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
Pope John Paul II does not have long in this world. No medically savvy observer of the man can deny the signs of anemia and hints of organ failure. With fresh press reports about kidney dialysis and spreading cancer, it is hardly shocking to hear cardinals talk openly of his demise and the subsequent conclave to elect a successor. Some outspoken Church liberals suggest the pope should resign, a move that was unthinkable before the liberalizing Second Vatican Council of 1962-65. Today, politicking for the chair of St. Peter is less hidden than ever before.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
Your understanding of papal infallibility is in error. The pope can invoke infallibility, but not every moral utterance of the pope carries such weight. The statements about Iraq certainly did not.
However, to your broader point, I agree. Infallibility aside, the Pope and the Vatican squandered a great deal of moral authority defending an Islamic Stalinist dictatorship. I believe the pope intended to use this as an opportunity to teach a greater moral lesson (and I also believe that lesson would not ultimately refute the war, but quibble about the particulars leading to it), but he personally lacks the energy he used to be able to bring to such issues.
Left to his subordinates, the "moral lesson" might as well have been delivered by the French foreign minister, or a U. N. committee. It had the decidedly secular flavor of modern Europe, with scarce reference to traditional Church teaching.
What I don't understand is why McCaffrey's publishing company sells all kinds of "JPII We Love You" books. He offers such an eclectic mix of traditional, semi-traditional and neo-Catholic books that it makes you wonder why McCaffrey is supporting the cult of personality around this "left-center" pope?
Incorrect, although the communist secular press would have you believe that. Check out the archives at www.zenit.org, or this forum. The Pope said, consistent with Traditional Just War doctrine, that the use of force should be a "last resort". It was. We (USA, UK, et al.) tried various forms of diplomacy. They failed. So we tried bombs, tanks and soldiers. Very successful. And we took appropriate steps, as John Paul II reminded us we should, to minimise civilian casualties and damage. This Pope is more supportive of justifiable warfare and capitalism than the commie press wants to let on.
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