Are traditionalists paranoid? (Catholic Caucus)

First off are the letters pages in the Catholic press. Letter writers can act as the attack dogs of a newspaper since while editors have complete freedom to choose what to publish, they can still disclaim responsibility for it.

There is the busy Martin Elsworth, mainly in The Universe (traditionalists are 'cafeteria Catholics' for preferring the EF) and Tom MacIntyre in the Catholic Herald ('The Old Rite's individualist allure has intensified with postmodern vogues for the antique, the "retro" and the exotic in religion.'), who rejoiced in 47 letters published in just 44 months.

Well, there is Dr John Casey, in the pages of The Tablet, called us 'dissidents', 'rubricists', 'ideologues' and 'misogynists'.

Nice. But Casey has got all liberal in his old age, hasn't he? Isn't that kind of vituperation to be expected?

Maybe, but we we also were edified by George Weigel characterising us in terms of 'Maniples, lace albs and Latin liturgies', and John Haldane as 'nostalgic and slavish', in the same paper

That was the The Tablet, right? That would never happen in a conservative paper, would it?

Perhaps not - until, in The Catholic Herald, Stuart Reid told us to 'abandon the Church and join the SSPX', and that we are 'not on [Pope] Benedict's team'. Not a loopy letter-writer, you understand, a man with a prestigious regular column.

Dr Raymond Edwards said in one that we were characterised by a 'defensive "ghetto" mentality', and a 'fondness for dressing up', and are connected with 'hard right' and anti-semitic politics'.

I need hardly add the things which Mgr Basil Loftus lobs at us in The Catholic Times.

"Some of the above writers have criticised liberals alongside trads, and others lump trads and conservatives together for abuse: we get it from both directions. But it goes beyond that. In terms of intensity, frequency, and the prestige of the writer and the forum, it is open season on traditionalists in a way it never is on other groups in the Church.

The Tablet has never published such an extraordinary screed, like Dr Casey wrote about us, about conservatives; nor has the Catholic Herald printed anything remotely as embittered and personal attacking liberals, as the stuff provided by Stuart Reid about trads. The same is true of the letters pages, the CTS, and academics addressing conferences. It's just not done, old boy.

One might assume this is a hang-over from the time when trads were assumed to be schismatic, but the attacks have actually intensified since Summorum Pontificum. Before then we were more often ignored. Now, it seems, we are a threat.

While this state of affairs continues, please don't accuse us of paranoia."

Liberal Catholics are the same as every other kind of liberal... they deny matters of legitimate freedom in order to force everyone to take part in their “enlightened” project, so that everyone may end up as miserable as they are.

# 2

GCC Catholic wrote:

“Liberal Catholics are the same as every other kind of liberal... they deny matters of legitimate freedom in order to force everyone to take part in their “enlightened” project, so that everyone may end up as miserable as they are.”

You make a good point, I never thought of it in that way...

†Dominus vobiscum†

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.