Posted on 05/11/2014 3:28:06 AM PDT by NYer
Modern media, especially the modern Catholic media, has brought the pope into our homes, across the radio, in television, and into our niche media world. He's in the browser of many Catholics every day. And conservative Catholic media relies heavily on the inflated imaginative role of the papacy, just like British tabloids rely on the royals. The pageantry, mystery, and fame attached to the office are a great way of selling magazines, getting clicks, or raising funds. He is the worldwide celebrity that represents "us." He's the reason the Faith gets talked about by others.
From Michael Brendan Dougherty's article link
Good point. Up until recently, few followed the pope. Now, every move and word is analyzed.
Yes - every word - because the crazy cacophony of individual interests are looking for any opening, any possibility to gain a foothold against the traditional stand of the Catholic Church.
We have crazed and militant homosexuals, we have diehard abortionists, we have arch-feminists and all sorts of other outliers staring at every word to see if they can make inroads against one of the last bastions of Christian religious normalcy remaining.
Look what happened to the Lutherans, the Anglicans, the Methodists and so many others when they allowed even a toehold by these groups. This world is hurtling towards the toilet at supersonic speed and there are only a few faiths holding on by their fingertips.
Ironic that one Pope was canonized and known for standing up to communism and the current one is an advocate of it.
The Jesuits should have been dissolved a long time ago. A bunch of stinking liberals. The whole order.
Before the Catholic bashers start pouncing, mind your own business or get baptized.
Really excellent point. As a kid, the Pope barely registered in Catholic school.
The Jesuits should have been dissolved a long time ago. A bunch of stinking liberals. The whole order.
"Popes do not issue marching orders daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly. No person who is well-instructed in the Catholic Faith, and is sincerely practicing it, needs to follow the Pope’s doings and sayings. A Catholic is at liberty to like or dislike any Pope."If he dislikes a Pope, he should try to remain unaware of the day-to-day news about the Pope. The notion that all Catholics must “heed the call” of the Pope to conversion, or spiritual renewal or growth, etc., and must therefore read all of the Pope’s interviews and daily homilies, is silly. The call to all those good things is in Scripture and the constant teaching of the Church."
Interesting article. However, I think she confuses the processes of evaluating historical impact and determining personal holiness. The former definitely requires the passage of time, and it never really reaches a resolution. Historians are still debating Alexander the Great.
On the other hand, the Church is uniquely qualified to rule on individual sanctity, and her criteria are very different from those used in analyzing a historical figure.
Up until recently, few followed the pope. Now, every move and word is analyzed.
More good advice to those who go bonkers about everything that attacks their sensibilities. We don't need to try to fight every front that seems unholy/immoral to us. As a departed, but prescient old friend used to to say (probably a paraphrase of the paragraph from Acts, "If God ain't in it, it cannot stand; If God is in it, it cannot fail."
What a nice reminder of Who is really in charge and in control.
On the other hand, the Church is uniquely qualified to rule on individual sanctity, and her criteria are very different from those used in analyzing a historical figure.
That's something I needed to understand. Thanks for posting...
That's true.
However (to elaborate my original point, rather than disagree with yours), we may with confidence recognize that a person is in heaven, and that he lived an exemplary life, without reaching a conclusion regarding the prudence of his every act or every impact of his life.
These are the kinds of questions always open to re-examination. Policies of President George Washington are still debated, for example, and there's no reason they shouldn't be.
That is quite an accusation. Please cite and source documentation to justify it.
You guys sound like jihadists.
When’s the meeting?
Kudos to Arthur McGowan for the initial comment and to you for sharing it on this particular thread. It is most relevant. Happy Mother’s Day!
I agree with your point that canonization does not in fact endorse all aspects of the policies, but rapid papal canonization tends in that direction. No popes have been elevated this rapidly in at least the past 1400 years, and it seems to me the rush is more a self-administered pat on the back to assure ourselves that things are ok rather than because the ones being canonized stand head and shoulders above all their predecessors—and pseudo-equivalent canonization in the case of John XXIII (waiving the requirement of a miracle after beatification), makes this seem even more the case.
The rush to canonize made feasible through the easing of the traditional standards makes it so that the quite good and truly outstanding get lumped together and makes it more likely that the person will not be seen in historical perspective. Four miracles, or three miracles and martyrdom, was a much taller standard.
http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350746?eng=y
Well here’s one for starters. I know the LSM is going to spin it however they want, but what is the Pope doing talking to the UN about wealth redistribution?
He’s guilty of being economically and politically ignorant for opening his mouth about things he doesn’t fully comprehend.
Wealth redistribution from the business end of a gun is not charity.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3154218/posts
Nothing prevents the mistranslated and misunderstood Pope from unambiguously clarifying EXACTLY what he means.
“Ironic that one Pope was canonized and known for standing up to communism and the current one is an advocate of it.”
It amazes me how people make things up out of thin air - like claiming the pope advocates communism.
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