Catholic Campuses Head for Showdown Over Obedience to Church, Academic Freedom.

Yahoo News ^ | 5/28/02 | Arlene Levinson

[marshmallow]

NEW YORK - A deadline looms Saturday that could ignite a smoldering conflict over academic freedom between the Roman Catholic hierarchy and theologians at the nation's 235 Catholic colleges and universities.

The winners and losers won't be immediately clear, but in coming years jobs and the shape of Catholic higher learning may be at stake.

Acting on instructions from the Vatican (news - web sites), U.S. bishops have ordered Catholics who teach their faith's doctrine, morality, Scripture, law or history at Catholic schools to obtain a "mandatum" (mandate, in English) from the bishop of the diocese where the college is located.

The document, which the bishops agreed should be obtained by June 1 — this Saturday — attests the theologian teaches only authentic Catholicism.

While some, like the orthodox Cardinal Newman Society, have hailed the mandatum, opponents have derided the requirement as a "loyalty oath." Faculty have complained it tramples their academic freedom.

The penalties dissenters may face is uncertain.

Some bishops warned their colleagues last year they couldn't enforce the requirement. But schools could use the mandatum in rating faculty; it's already affected hiring on at least one campus.

By design, the process is secret; a private matter between each theologian and bishop. For that reason, no one knows how many mandatums have been granted.

Estimates of Catholics teaching religious subjects on church-affiliated campuses range from about 300 to more than 800 priests, nuns and lay professors.

"Everything will depend on the chemistry between a local bishop and the local institutions," said William Loewe, who teaches at The Catholic University of America and heads the College Theology Society. "That leads to a whole wide range of outcomes."

Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II called for certifying professors in a 1990 decree as a way to bolster the religious character of Catholic campuses worldwide, and the issue roiled American theologians in the late '90s.

Despite opposition from many professors and academic groups, the U.S. bishops' conference agreed to require the mandatum and put procedures in place last year. But the bishops gave themselves latitude.

Each bishop can word the mandatum as he likes. He can let theologians seek one, or issue them unasked. Even this week's deadline is not absolute.

More importantly for academics and institutions, the mandatum guidelines leave any related hiring and firing to the schools.

The Rev. Dan Pattee at the conservative Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio displays his mandatum in his office. All 12 of his fellow professors, most of them laity, got one, he said.

"I don't think the mandatum is asking us to do anything new," Pattee said. It's "just kind of formalizing things that Catholic theologians have already been doing for centuries." He wonders why anyone would refuse.

So does his school. Franciscan University requires new hires to get a mandatum and last year rejected a job candidate who declined.

This is what the Cardinal Newman Society wants all Catholic colleges to do, said Patrick Reilly, its president. The mandatum, he said, should serve as "the necessary accreditation to be a Catholic theologian."

That's not the common view, however. Many academics view the requirement with concern.

"I hope nobody's going to lose their job over it, but it is possible," said Monika Hellwig, executive director of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and a theologian.

Wealthy, conservative Catholics could exert pressure on some campuses to fire dissenting professors, even when bishops do not, Hellwig said.

"That is where the threat comes from," Hellwig said. "Self-appointed censors who give the bishops a hard time and write to Rome behind their backs."

Terrence Tilley, dean of religious studies at the University of Dayton, predicted the mandate will diminish Catholic theologians' credibility in the eyes of some of their peers. Some professors will gravitate to secular institutions to teach, or turn away from the discipline altogether, he said.

Or the issue could fade away. That's the prediction of the Rev. Peter Phan, a Catholic University professor and president of the Catholic Theological Society of America.

Many U.S. bishops opposed the mandatum until the Vatican insisted on it, he said. He also noted the risk of lawsuits if a job is lost or tenure is denied for lack of a mandatum. Phan expects most bishops to say "to hell with it."

Sister Mary Ann Hinsdale, a Boston College theologian, agreed, noting the clergy sex-abuse scandal now rocking the church is absorbing the bishops' attention. "I don't think they're thinking about the mandatum," she said.

Hinsdale said Boston Cardinal Bernard Law told her faculty he wouldn't ask them to seek mandatums.

An archdiocesan spokesman said Law has yet to reply even to those who did request one. Said the Rev. Christopher Coyne: "It's still an open question."

[marshmallow]

"That is where the threat comes from," Hellwig said. "Self-appointed censors who give the bishops a hard time and write to Rome behind their backs."

Translation: faithful Catholic laity who inconveniently shine a spotlight on the dishonest and duplicitous practices of faculty who want to teach whatever takes their fancy yet retain the privelege of calling themselves Catholic.

This is the next boil that needs to be lanced when the molesters and sodomites have finally been flushed out. Cardinal Law, as usual, is out to lunch.

[Fish out of Water]

*Index Bump

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Phan expects most bishops to say "to hell with it."

Quite a few have already said that about a lot of things besides academia.

[Diago]

bump

[nickcarraway]

This isn't even that strict a regulation, since most bishops probably won't be strict.

[Arleigh]

Is it just me, or is there something obviously wrong with taking students' tuitions in exchange for a Catholic education, and then NOT TEACHING THEM CATHOLIC DOGMA? I mean, wouldn't it be like paying for a French cooking class and then have the instructor teach you Italian recipes because she likes Italian food more than French food?

[american colleen]

"Cardinal Law, as usual, is out to lunch."

Au contraire! (I always wanted to say that) - Cardinal Law is aware of how many wealthy Bostonians he would offend if he required the mandatum. Think of all the Boston Pol's who went to BC... and BC is not a "real" Catholic College anymore.

[american colleen]

...and then NOT TEACHING THEM CATHOLIC DOGMA?

C'mon! We don't want to offend anyone!

[marshmallow]

By "out to lunch", I mean simply that Law is not doing his job.

[Cicero]

The bishops have been dodging this one for more than ten years, and no one expected most of them to do anything now to enforce the rules. But it's possible that the sex-coverup scandal may put some extra pressure on them.

The problem is mostly with theology departments. Monica Hellwig is a heretic, if that term still applies to anyone. Almost the entire Catholic Theological Society consists of liberal dissenters and heretics. McBrien was a typical president.

It's a fairly simple matter. No one should claim to teach Catholic theology unless they teach Catholic theology. This doesn't stop colleges from hiring rabbis to teach Judaism, or Protestant theologians to teach their areas of expertise. It's the Catholic theologians who are the main problem.

And it is a problem. There is a connection between this scandal and the scandal of homosexual priests, because one of the main areas in which Catholic theologians have been unfaithful to the Magisterium is in the area of sexual morality. Charles Curran comes to mind.

[PFKEY]

And if the catholic church and any other denomination followed what the scriptures say is the function of the church there would be no church sponsored schools or hospitals or social groups or...etc.

[SuziQ]

The document, which the bishops agreed should be obtained by June 1 — this Saturday — attests the theologian teaches only authentic Catholicism

Frankly, I think this would come under the heading of 'truth in advertising'. If you're going to call yourself a Catholic college, you need to make sure that what you teach and encourage on your campus is authentically Catholic! That means you shouldn't allow groups to operate with the funding of the college and on the campus which teach and agitate AGAINST the teachings of the Church, i.e. pro-abortion and pro-homosexual groups. Too many Catholic colleges have bought into the 'fairness' attitude which says that they should allow 'all voices' to be heard. Believe me, if the Catholic kids want to hear voices which are against Church teaching, all they have to do is turn on the TV, the radio, or the Internet and they'll get their fill. They shouldn't be forced to have their tuition money pay for classes, professors, or Student activities groups which denigrate their Faith. They could go to a Public college and get that for a lot less money!

[livius]

Hinsdale said Boston Cardinal Bernard Law told her faculty he wouldn't ask them to seek mandatums.

That's because the Church According to Law has done so well it doesn't need this nit-picking interference from Rome.

[american colleen]

By "out to lunch", I mean simply that Law is not doing his job.

I know what you meant, and you are right - but I think Cardinal Law is doing his job as he sees his job - money, prestige, power. If you bow to the things of the world, the things of the world own you.

[Siobhan]

Amen, Colleen. You said that so well.

[Siobhan]

This is just another part of our desperate need to clean house, excommunicate heretics and enemies of the Church, etc.

Thank God for real Catholic colleges and universities like Magdalen College (NH), Christendom College (VA), Campion College (CA & DC), Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ave Maria University (MI) and a few others...

Does anyone know about the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas? What sort of school is it, friend or foe?

[Salvation]

Acting on instructions from the Vatican (news - web sites), U.S. bishops have ordered Catholics who teach their faith's doctrine, morality, Scripture, law or history at Catholic schools to obtain a "mandatum" (mandate, in English) from the bishop of the diocese where the college is located.

The document, which the bishops agreed should be obtained by June 1 — this Saturday — attests the theologian teaches only authentic Catholicism.

Sounds reasonable to me. Teach the truth or do not teach at these colleges and universities.

[maryz]

I mean, wouldn't it be like paying for a French cooking class and then have the instructor teach you Italian recipes because she likes Italian food more than French food?

Actually, my own observation has been that it would be more like paying for a French cooking class and having the instructor teach you "dumpster diving" for dinner!

[Aquinasfan]

Good heavens! The professors might get mad. (gasp)

Why do I keep thinking of Elmer Fudd saying, "Yoow awah making me vewwy angwy!"

I've had it with these testicle-free bishops!

Hinsdale said Boston Cardinal Bernard Law told her faculty he wouldn't ask them to seek mandatums.

No kidding, huh? That pretty much gives Law the seal of worthlessness.

[ELS]

and a few others...

Like Aquinas College (CA)

[Steve1789]

taking students' tuitions in exchange for a Catholic education, and then NOT TEACHING THEM CATHOLIC DOGMA?

I believe it's called fraud.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Or the issue could fade away. That's the prediction of the Rev. Peter Phan, a Catholic University professor and president of the Catholic Theological Society of America.

Catholic U is a notorious sinkhole of the lavendar clergy, and, as has been pointed out, so is the Theological Society. I believe that makes it pretty clear how likely we are to get Catholic teaching from this man.

[Rita289]

We have two teens who are choosing colleges. Which Catholic colleges would you recommend in the New England area? Thanks!

[Remole]

I have been amazed at the level of ignorance and lack of subtlety in the public statements of Catholic Theologians who oppose the mandatum.

In graduate studies in Catholic Theology, there is a clear distinction made between Positive Theology and Speculative Theology. The former is the presentation of the Tradition of the Catholic Church on some matter, such as Christology or Scripture or Morality; here the instructor reviews the history and the important literature. The latter consists of a review of various unanswered questions on the matter, plus some theories proposed by important theologians over the centuries.

The Mandatum concerns on the former: that the instructor presents the Catholic Tradition fairly and fully and does not consciously propose anything that is contrary to the Tradition as if it were the Tradition.

The Mandatum does NOT concern the latter. The Catholic Theologian is still free to think, speak, and write on matters of Speculative Theology, so long as the person makes clear that what is proposed is not normative Catholic teaching on the matter.

I think the distinction is clear and so I requested and received the Mandatum 10 months ago without fanfare.

[Romulus]

The document, which the bishops agreed should be obtained by June 1 — this Saturday — attests the theologian teaches only authentic Catholicism.

This document is to be issued by AmChurch bishops? Stop; you're killing me.

Faculty have complained it tramples their academic freedom.

There's no freedom in the service of a lie. Alienated autonomy is an act of ontological suicide and as such it's the direct opposite of freedom.

[Cap'n Crunch]

I'm so happy our daughter chose Franciscan U to attend this fall. What a tragedy and a scandal these CINO colleges will not be obedient.

come on crusade, come on crusade, come on....

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

Mood music for our daily dose of "Catholic Adventures in America"

There now.....We can read with calm, steely-eyed equanimity the delightful assertion that a requirement that beauticians, manicurists, dog-groomers, cake bakers, plumbers, carpenters, ear-piercers, tatoo artists, and even lawyers and surgeons submit to---that they actually know something of their advertised service--is, on Catholic Campuses an odious sign of impending inquisitionalism!!! A battle for academic freedom!!!

"I refuse to submit to this ghastly, authoritarian requirement of scientific mandatum and, by god, if I want to dig around in a man's brain I'll do it with liberty or I'll die!!"---Doctor Candy Highsmith--Finkleborough being led to prison for performing full frontal lobotomies as treatment for migraine headaches in Slops-on-Swan, England.

Oh God!!! Is every Catholic woman who opens the black hole on the front of her face and speaks for the record about Church matters required by law to be a bimbo!! God almighty!!! Listen to this one:

"....Wealthy, conservative Catholics could exert pressure on some campuses to fire dissenting professors, even when bishops do not,said Monika Hellwig, executive director of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and a theologian....."

This is such a typical example of the sheer stupidity, the complete lack of familiarity with human nature that progressive female Catholics routinely evince; It is the exact opposite you cretin!! It is the poor who are most likely to be "conservative" (whatever the hell that may mean to this sirocco-head). It is only the rich who can afford to pay their way through the minefield of spinelessness, limpness, chaos, dopiness, and ugliness that is Christianity in America.

Oh no! Another one!! It's never ending! Is his name really the Rev. Peter Phan??? Is the scourge of our humiliation never to end?

Peter Phan--and, one assumes, the rest of the Lost Boys---predict the issue could fade away. It's the ANTI-Tinker-Belle. We clap our plump, flabby, sweaty hands and the issue will just fade away. Ta-ta nasty, ugly mean-spirited suffering, sacrifice, death, atonement and resurrection. Hello wispy angels and smiley-faces and tinker-belles on their toes.

"... That's the prediction of the a Catholic University professor and president of the Catholic Theological Society of America...."

And that's my prediction too. There is no hope for us. A healthy, middle-aged class of parasites is now feeding to its heart's content and We the People do not have the stomach to do what must be done. Vampires never leave of their own accord. They don't set out and found new dispensations. They are not pioneers. They just feed until the host is gutted and dessicated....

Mood music for our daily dose of "Catholic Adventures in America"

[ThomasMore]

U.S. bishops have ordered Catholics who teach their faith's doctrine, morality, Scripture, law or history at Catholic schools to obtain a "mandatum"

Not an unreasonable request. Would you go to a doctor for health reasons that didn't have his "mandatum" hanging over his desk?

[ThomasMore]

opponents have derided the requirement as a "loyalty oath."

"DUH"

[ThomasMore]

"Self-appointed censors who give the bishops a hard time and write to Rome behind their backs."

Too effin bad, Monica. Pardon my french. If the SOB heretic that has been teaching "Sacraments" and "Ecclesiology" at Providence College is still teaching there after June 1, I also will contact Rome and work towards his dismissal. 'Nough's enough!

[ThomasMore]

Some professors will gravitate to secular institutions to teach, or turn away from the discipline altogether, he said.

I'll start a fund to expedite the process.

[ThomasMore]

Or the issue could fade away. That's the prediction of the Rev. Peter Phan

I don't think so. The remnant clergy and laity have had enough. We'll let the bishops set the time table, then if no action is taken, we will force the issue. There is rumor that some very heavy orthodox hitters are waiting in the wings until the bishops meet in June on the sex scandal issue. If it's "business as usual" they are going to organize.

[Steve1789]

Some professors will gravitate to secular institutions to teach, or turn away from the discipline altogether, he said.

I'll start a fund to expedite the process.

I'll gladly contribute to it.

[Antoninus]

"I hope nobody's going to lose their job over it, but it is possible," said Monika Hellwig, executive director of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and a theologian. Wealthy, conservative Catholics could exert pressure on some campuses to fire dissenting professors, even when bishops do not, Hellwig said. "That is where the threat comes from," Hellwig said. "Self-appointed censors who give the bishops a hard time and write to Rome behind their backs."

These people are amazing. They think they have some 'right' to teach dissent at Catholic universities. This woman should herself be fired immediately for not supporting the Mandatum. Then, there's this...

Many U.S. bishops opposed the mandatum until the Vatican insisted on it, he said. He also noted the risk of lawsuits if a job is lost or tenure is denied for lack of a mandatum. Phan expects most bishops to say "to hell with it." Sister Mary Ann Hinsdale, a Boston College theologian, agreed, noting the clergy sex-abuse scandal now rocking the church is absorbing the bishops' attention. "I don't think they're thinking about the mandatum," she said. Hinsdale said Boston Cardinal Bernard Law told her faculty he wouldn't ask them to seek mandatums. An archdiocesan spokesman said Law has yet to reply even to those who did request one.

Is there any doubt remaining that Cardinal Law tolerates/encourages dissent? Aside from coddling pedophiles, homosexuals, pro-aborts, and those with heterodox opinions of Church teaching, WHAT EXACTLY HAS THIS GUY BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST 15 YEARS!??!

[Antoninus]

Some interesting information about the aforementioned Dr. Hellwig

[Antoninus]

Oops! My previous post containing the link should have a major

BARF ALERT

warning attached to it...

[Antoninus]

YET MORE ON MONIKA THE MODERNIST

by James Likoudis

It was Pope St. Pius X who observed of the modernists: "They seize upon chairs in the seminaries and universities and gradually make of them chairs of pestilence. From these sacred chairs they scatter, though not always openly, the seeds of their doctrines; they proclaim their teachings without disguise in congresses; they introduce them and make them the vogue in social institutions" ( no. 43).

Anyone observing the current Catholic university and college scene, the "systematic theology" taught in seminaries, and the activities of the religious education establishment the last three decades, cannot help but comment on the obvious erosion of Catholic identity and solidarity that has taken place in North America. This phenomenon has adversely affected the faith of millions.

Leading the neo-modernist attacks on Catholic faith and morals has been a "para- magisterium" of theologians, academics, journalists, and religious educators thoroughly dissatisfied with the "Church of the encyclicals" and seeking to accommodate traditional Catholicism to the "modem mind." Boasting of their scholarly "expertise" and with their own "modern minds" betraying both philosophical confusion before a world of bewildering cultural change as well as a loss of faith in irreformable Catholic doctrine, this "New Class" of theological innovators has sought to grasp the reins of Vatican II renewal from the Magisterium itself.

The supreme authority of the Pope has been regarded as the main obstacle to their doctrinal revisionism and "new morality." Thus the contempt they have heaped upon the 1989 Oath of Fidelity, and most recently,

For many years, Monika Hellwig has distinguished herself as one of the leading spokesmen for the "para-magisterium" in the Church, lecturing especially to religious educators, priests, and many adult groups. On the occasions when lay people dared to protest the forums given her suspect teachings, it was they who were discredited by diocesan authorities, and not Georgetown's award-winning professor with her peculiar reluctance to speak plainly of Christ as God. In she again is found questioning our Lord's true divinity. For example, she declares that Jesus admitted "there were things he did not know, gradually becoming more fully aware of his own mission and destiny. The whole New Testament shows Jesus gradually becoming more fully aware of all human existence, within a good creation.... Jesus struggled to express [his mission] in Aramaic words" (pp. 36-37).

In this and her other books there is a serious question as to whether Dr. Hellwig believes in the pre-existence of Christ as the Eternal Son of God. In this latest work she even voices her satisfaction that a few new books in Christology now are able to avoid the question whether Jesus is properly named the only savior" (p. 146). After attending Hellwig's lecture in Auckland, reporter Carolyn Moynihan observed that "Dr. Hellwig's 'Jesus' is at best of only doubtful divinity.... She belongs to the school of theologians who give a radically new meaning to traditional Catholic concepts" ( August 12th, 1992).

The Georgetown professor's disdain for the Church's dogmatic definitions is reflected in such statements as: "What is central and enduring is not a collection of ready- formulated eternal and unchanging truths" (p. 42). For her the Vatican appears continually engaged in "blocking the action of the Holy Spirit," especially when "frequently punitive actions" are taken against dissenter theologians. Her "anti-Roman complex" leads her to applaud those dissidents by making "pastoral decisions on the basis of local experience and local discernment" (see pp. 63-64). Her distorted notion of "collegiality" makes her hostile to the proper exercise of papal authority in safeguarding Catholic faith and morals. Vatican I's and Vatican II's teaching on papal authority and infallibility offends her democratist understanding of the nature of the Church. It is obvious that she regards as "oppressive" efforts of the hierarchical Church to suppress dogmatic pluralism and doctrinal dissent. Dissenters who cause "anxiety in Rome" are heralded as among those "Catholic believers" who "take more responsibility for their own decisions and their own lives" (p. 133).

Many of her assertions are couched in a studied ambiguity, but even under the guise of continued questioning and speculation, her views cannot fail to disturb Catholics. On page 132, she states baldly, "What Jesus taught was in no way a new code of behavior." On page 131 she writes, "The New Testament does not give us a code of behavior." She scorns the idea that the Popes can give "definitive interpretations of the natural law" (p. 130). Giving vent to the more radical forms of liberation theology, she expresses far more concern for "the transubstantiation of the world about us" than for the Church's effort to maintain orthodox belief in the Eucharist via the doctrine of transubstantiation (see p. 73).

What we have in is Monika Hellwig's testimony of personal indebtedness to and fervent eulogy of the major dissenter theologians wreaking havoc in the Church: Hans Kung, Charles Curran, Karl Rahner, Edward Schillebeeckx, Luis Bermejo, Piet Schoonenberg, Mary Collins, Gerard Sloyan, Leonardo Boff, Juan Luis Segundo, Gustavo Gutierrez, Ernesto Cardenal, Jon Sobrino, and their myriad followers and imitators.

Her book breathes a poisoned atmosphere. It serves, however, as a handy checklist of the most significant writers spreading serious errors in the Church and contesting the Magisterium. In this sense, Monika the Modernist's book is an invaluable resource for identifying today's "chairs of pestilence."

This article was taken from the June 23, 1994 issue of "The Wanderer,"
201 Ohio Street,
St. Paul, MN 55107.

Is anyone else amazed at how these newspaper reporters managed to find the most liberal dissenters within the Catholic Church to quote for their articles?

[Antoninus]

mhellwig@accunet.org

Anyone care to give Ms. Hellwig a little wake-up call? I think it's about time that the libs hear that we're mad as heck and aren't going to take it anymore! Ms. Hellwig looks like a classic example of a liberal dissenter who managed to climb the ladder in spite of (because of?) her heterodox teachings. It's just her type we need to excise from leadership positions.

Visit the ACCU Website

[ThomasMore]

They think they have some 'right' to teach dissent at Catholic universities. This woman should herself be fired immediately for not supporting the Mandatum.

A few centuries ago we would've toasted her. Where is Sherman and the way-back machine?! LOL!

[ThomasMore]

Fordham and Georgetown are Jesuit run. I'm not sure of Notre Dame and CUA. But aren't these Universities under the authority of the Jesuits and not the local ordinaries? And aren't the Jesuits only under the authority of their own order and the Pope? IMO, the Pope needs to squash the Jesuits big time. Same with all the other orders. These guys are really getting away with murder(first degree heresy).

[Antoninus]

IMO, the Pope needs to squash the Jesuits big time.

I'm researching the Jesuit fathers in North America now for work. It's absolutely appalling to see how far that once magnificent order has decayed. They've gone from being willing to suffer the most horrible tortures for the Faith, to a group of swishy, limp-wristed, haters of the Catholic Church.

Perhaps we should pray to St. Isaac Jogues for a swift and thorough purge of his now-derelict order. May the intecession of St. Isaac lead to the installation of Father Fessio as general of the order.

[ThomasMore]

When I teach on the problem of Modernism to our RCIA Catechumens, I use the following as one example of the heresy.

 

On Monika the Modernist

By JAMES LIKOUDIS

---

EDITORIAL NOTE:   Laity in the Diocese of Buffalo have found incomprehensible our diocesan Christ the King Seminary having awarded Dr. Monica Hellwig an honorary Doctorate in 1998. Among her many other achievements "Monika the Modernist" has distinguished herself as Georgetown University's longtime advocate of "Liberation Theology". In her position as Director of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities she has been an outspoken critic of the Holy See's efforts to implement Pope John Paul II's "Ex Corde Ecclesiae", a document attempting to re-establish the Church's control over Universities and Colleges that still profess to be Catholic but have become hotbeds of Dissent and Disobedience and politically-correct Secularism among the faithful.

---

While travelling in the Midwest recently on a speaking tour for various CUF Chapters, I was handed a copy of Monika Hellwig's "What Are They Saying About Death and Christian Hope?" (Paulist Press, 1978). The priest who handed me this slight paperback said that copies of this strange book had been sent to all the priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by the Religious Education Department. Apparently, this is part of the theological up-dating required of priests of the Archdiocese by avant-garde religious educators itching to promote the latest theological novelties.

the rest here

[KissOfTheSith]

>On page 131 she writes, "The New Testament does not give us a code of behavior."

Matthew 5:3-12 --

Blessed are those who struggle with their spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you,
and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad,
for great is your reward in heaven,
for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

It's difficult to see how this wouldn't be considered a code of behavior. But it's equally difficult to see how the Catholic Church could hold itself to this code of behavior random collection of words.

-- Kiss of the Sith

[ThomasMore]

Perhaps we should pray to St. Isaac Jogues for a swift and thorough purge of his now-derelict order.

I love the North American Martyrs, especially Jean de Brebeuf. He suffered terribly at the hands of the Iroquois. Would that I have the courage of this man!

A Prayer to the North American Martyrs

Dear Sts. Isaac Jogues, Jean De Brebeuf, Gabriel Lalemant, Charles Garnier, Anthony Daniel, Noel Chabanel, Rene Goupil, Jean LaLande, we beg of you -- pray for the priests of this vast country of ours, especially those priests and religious who are members of the Society of Jesus.

Through your fidelity to the Church and your Order, you brought the true faith of our Fathers to many Native Americans.  Intercede for us now in the hour of our need.  Ask Jesus to send to us living saints who are worthy to bear the torch of orthodoxy and once again bear witness to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic faith that has been handed down to us unchanged for 2000 years. And pray for us, that this great evil that has infiltrated our hierarchy, be cast out and destroyed. AMEN!

 

[ELS]

Quite a disappointing and disturbing (but not surprising) article on Ms. Hellwig. However, I was pleased to see the final paragraph:

Perhaps more Australian bishops might also consider the precedent set by at least one American bishop, Bishop John Myers of Peoria, Illinois, who during 1991 invited Dr Hellwig to "explain" her previously published views on women's ordination, before permitting her to speak in his diocese. She declined the invitation, effectively barring herself from the Peoria Diocese (Newsweek, August 5,1991).

I am going to the NJRTL dinner tonight where Archbishop Myers is the main speaker. It should be interesting.

[Aquinasfan]

Excellent post from The Wanderer.

[Aquinasfan]

IMO, the Pope needs to squash the Jesuits big time.

How about turning their schools over to the Legionnaires? Wouldn't that be fun?

[ThomasMore]

For starters, that's a good idea!!

[SoothingDave]

But aren't these Universities under the authority of the Jesuits and not the local ordinaries? And aren't the Jesuits only under the authority of their own order and the Pope?

The way I understand ex corde ecclesia, the mandatum is to be issued by the local ordinary in whose territory any university is found. The practices and whatnot of the University may be under the jurisdiction of the orders, but the right to present oneself as a "Catholic theologian" is reserved for review by the local ordinary.

SD

[nickcarraway]

On page 132, she states baldly, "What Jesus taught was in no way a new code of behavior." On page 131 she writes, "The New Testament does not give us a code of behavior."

Wow, that's a new one by me. So, does she think it's okay to kick poor people and steal their bread?