Posted on 05/17/2009 12:03:41 PM PDT by SkyPilot
At the rate things are going, Pope Benedict XVI may find his next trip to the U.S. dogged by airplanes overhead trailing banners with images of aborted fetuses. O.K., that's a bit of hyperbole. But while several prominent conservative Catholics in this country are apoplectic over the University of Notre Dame's invitation of the pro-choice Barack Obama to give the school's commencement address on May 17, the Vatican has stayed completely silent on the matter.
The two very different reactions to the question of whether a Catholic institution should honor anyone who disagrees with the Church's teaching on abortion are just the latest examples of the strikingly divergent responses American Catholic leaders and the Vatican have had to the Obama Administration.
Three-quarters of Catholics either approve of or offer no opinion on Notre Dame's decision to invite Obama, and the same percentage of U.S. bishops have opted to stay out of the fight.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
“... you need to be somewhere else.”
You are likely right. Perhaps there are other doors to Him.
Off to build a chicken coop. ;>)
>>You are likely right. Perhaps there are other doors to Him.<<
Seriously, the Pope wanted a leaner, stronger church.
Vatical?
I have always found The Vatican to be inscrutable.
I'm told He works in mysterious ways.
Come on now, you know in your heart you weren't going to return to the Church. - screwtape
The Church is in the midst of a crisis. For the past 2000 years the Church has faced its storms and periods where many lose their faith, but it has always survived. In England, St. John Fisher was the ONLY English Bishop to publicly oppose Henry VII's Oath which declared him head of the Church.
Although it might now be apparent, the tide is turning in the Church in a positive direction, albeit slowly. Thirty years ago there was a pro-abortion Jesuit priest in Congress. Ten years ago there was no mention of denying pro-abortion politicians communion, now there is.
“Archbishop Burke IS speaking for the Vatican, EVERYTHING he says in his position as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura is an official statement from the Vatican and is done with the Holy Father’s approval.”
That’s right, Pope Benedict PICKED Archbishop Burke to represent the Vatican, and picked Archbishop Burke for a reason.
LMSM is always trying to divide prolifers, and other conservatives, and sadly, it works every time.
My dismay is that everywhere I turn...there are no leaders, no one in authority to battle evil.
I am curious tho...what rational is given from a pro-abort Priest, Bishop?
I don't know the protocol for the Pope intervening in a commencement ceremony in the US. However, anyone who follows what goes on in the Vatican would think that he would not approve of bestowing an award on a pro-abortion President.
Regardless, the point of the MSM is trying to make in this article is not "what is the Pope's position on this?". It's purpose is to use the fact that the Pope did not make a public statement on the matter to paint the protesters, bishops ect al. as somehow "more Catholic than the Pope" and extremists.
In every other instance where even a janitor in Vatican City states something the media headlines are “Vatican says...” Now, even with a prominent Vatican spokesperson making statements trashing the ND/Obama award the media says the “Vatican remains silent”. It is all part of the leftist media’s agenda to destroy Christianity’s influence in society...and some folks, including some here, are just useful idiots repeating it.
The Pope said nothing, and the “Catholic” school introduced Hussein like this:
Others might have avoided this venue for that reason. But President Obama is not someone who stops talking to those who differ with him.
Mr. President: This is a principle we share.
As the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council wrote in their pastoral constitution Gaudium et Spes: “Respect and love ought to be extended also to those who think or act differently than we do in social, political and even religious matters. In fact, the more deeply we come to understand their ways of thinking through such courtesy and love, the more easily will we be able to enter into dialogue with them.”
If we want to extend courtesy, respect and love – and enter into dialogue – then surely we can start by acknowledging what is honorable in others.
We welcome President Obama to Notre Dame, and we honor him for the qualities and accomplishments the American people admired in him when they elected him. He is a man who grew up without a father, whose family was fed for a time with the help of food stamps — yet who mastered the most rigorous academic challenges, who turned his back on wealth to serve the poor, who sought the Presidency at a young age against long odds, and who – on the threshold of his goal — left the campaign to go to the bedside of his dying grandmother who helped raise him.
He is a leader who has great respect for the role of faith and religious institutions in public life. He has said: “Secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square.”
He is the first African American to be elected President, yet his appeal powerfully transcends race. In a country that has been deeply wounded by racial hatred – he has been a healer.
He has set ambitious goals across a sweeping agenda — extending health care coverage to millions who don’t have it, improving education especially for those who most need it, promoting renewable energy for the sake of our economy, our security, and our climate.
He has declared the goal of a world without nuclear weapons and has begun arms reduction talks with the Russians.
He has pledged to accelerate America’s fight against poverty, to reform immigration to make it more humane, and to advance America’s merciful work in fighting disease in the poorest places on earth.
As commander-in-chief and as chief executive, he embraces with confidence both the burdens of leadership and the hopes of his country.
The Vatican did make a public statement on the ND controversy. Archbishop Burke who is The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church besides the Pope himself, who is the supreme ecclesiastical judge. In addition, it is an administrative office for matters pertaining to the judicial activity of the whole Church.
The Archbishop has been very outspoken about this issue. The Pope cannot possibly make a personal comment on every matter that concerns the Church. He is only one man, and his job is enormous. That is why he has a staff. So they can help him to communicate the official Vatican position to the people.
This is just typical of the media, trying to divide Catholics. I can’t stand to see so many people repeating this lie. The Vatican is strongly pro-life and strongly supports the students and Archbishops who are protesting Obama’s honorary degree. There is nothing to be divided about.
Nope. YOU are misinformed (doubly so for believing Time).
Next time, follow your instincts regarding Time.
“I doubt that I will ever return to the Church.”
You are playing right into Time’s hands, my dear. This is the reaction they want.
If only Father Jenkins LISTENED to Pope Benedict’s words:
“As Pope Benedict put it in words Father Jenkins heard in Washington last year: “Teachers and administrators, whether in universities or schools, have the duty and privilege to ensure that students receive instruction in Catholic doctrine and practice. This requires that public witness to the way of Christ, as found in the Gospel and upheld by the Church’s magisterium, shapes all aspects of an institution’s life, both inside and outside the classroom. Divergence from this vision weakens Catholic identity and, far from advancing freedom, inevitably leads to confusion, whether moral, intellectual or spiritual.”
excerpt http://www.ncregister.com/daily/kj_lopez_on_notre_dame
He does not embrace hopes of his country, he has stated he is ashamed of what America "was".
He embraces some socialist view of what America should according to him and his mother.
Pinkos Kommies is what they are/were.
OMG the ignorance on this thread is mindboggling. people who have no concept of the hierarchy of the Catholic church expect to see Benedict out on his balcony decrying Obama at Notre Dame or they won’t believe he is opposed. Add to that, the Catholic bashers who purposefully misconstrue to cast in a bad light and that about covers the lot.
Exactly. Archbishop Burke’s was speaking for the Pope and at his direction, it is normal for world leaders to have aides make statements for them.
What will be most telling is what happens NOW. We have no idea what was told to “Father” Jenkins in private before he did this.
It is still the headline on Drudge.
Obama (the most pro-Abortion President) in history addressed a major Catholic University in American and was even awarded an honorary degree.
If you have any statement from the Vatican or the Pope that was released today, please post it.
Other than that.........
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