The chief exorcist of Rome is “a random priest”? He is not someone with real knowledge and experience of the demonic, of evil? Wow. As the chief exorcist of Rome, he is the exorcist of the pope's diocese.
You're comparing the chief exorcist of Rome with Fr. Pfleger? Wow.
“While not infallible, Vatican officials have more authority to speak on matters which are their specialty.”
Yes, and the Pontifical Council on Culture has as its specialty is not film or book reviews, but rather, in a theological sense, how the Church interacts with culture, the various cultures of the world, and to study indifference in religion. The mandate of this council is to promote cooperation and understanding between those who are not believers but who are open to engagement with the Church. It isn't to determine the moral acceptability of individual works of literature.
Even so, you're elevating spontaneous remarks made by a priest in an interview to the level of authoritative teaching.
“Are you saying that Father Pfleger has just as much authority to speak on Catholicism as a Vatican official?”
When Fr. Pfleger isn't flogging heresy, when he is offering his prudential judgment (and that's all we're talking about here - prudential judgment of different priests), an appeal to authority isn't the appropriate response. Rather, an appeal to reason, to objective teaching, to rational argument. The problem with Fr. Pfleger isn't that he isn't an authority, but rather that he is disobedient to his bishop and that much of the stuff he says is lunatic, evil, or even against the authoritative teachings of the Church.
“It’s a very slippery slope.”
Only when one has greased the soles and heels of one’s shoes.
sitetest
>>Yes, and the Pontifical Council on Culture has as its specialty is not film or book reviews<<
Please go back and read through the interviews. Mgsr Fleetwood is not some random priest.
Pontifical Council on Culture are experts on New Age/cults. It states that in the Vatican link I posted. Peter Fleetwood declared HP not new age AT a New Age conference. It can’t be any plainer. He also took the time to explain in detail to another author of an Anti-HP book WHY this is so. Comparing literature to New Age practices? Yes, he is an expert.
This is a slippery slope and those that disregard the Vatican to follow other priests homilies from 2001! or an Author selling books, are simply looking to prove a point. One can see the same rational over on the Religion Forum against us.