Jumping Without A Chute

Gone Until Monday

Off to Gettysburg for a few days. I've always liked it there. A place to remember ancestors (who fought on both sides.) I first visited Gettysburg when I attended Mount Saint Mary's. It is someplace I would love to retire to. See you on Monday after my APFT. Also Monday...Chapter 1.

More On The New Pope

Sandro Magister writes an interesting article that looks at the speed with which the new Pope is moving.

Coming Soon!

Ever wonder what happens when a theologian goes off the reservation? Ever wonder who it is that gets sent in to fix the situation? Ever picture a Catholic Version of "Apocalypse Now"? Well, I have and will soon be sharing it with you here. Pay attention over the next couple of days for the first installment of "Apocrypha Now."

More On Benedict XVI And His Views

about the importance (or lack thereof), of Bishops' Synods and the problems with the Liturgy today can be read here.

Week Of April 26 Dookie Award Goes To

Jeff Severns Guntzel for his melodramatic column "An Anniversary of Warmaking" in the Online Edition of the National catholic Reporter online. Mr. Guntzel begins by making the de rigeur (and factually incorrect) comparisons of Vietnam and the present Iraq war. he says:

"It has become impossible for me to resist standing the two wars next to each other."

   That's because you're incapable of independent thought that allows you to view the conflicts beyond the filtered lens of political and historical bias. Comparisons of Macnamara and Rumsfeld are also incorrect. A cursory comparison of the two men shows that one ran a car company. the other has been involved with various aspects of defense since before Mr. Guntzel's bohemian facial hair was nothing more than peach fuzz. 

   Mr. Guntzel then breathlessly tells us that he will be interviewing Vietnam era protester and crybaby Ron Kovic of "Born on the Fourth of July" fame. (NOTE: That interview will probably also be awarded a Dookie.) He then goes through several paragraphs of navel gazing his perpsective on war and then quotes French author Francois Birzot, a former prisoner of the Khmer Rouge. If Mr. Guntzel had a basic grasp of human behavior, he would understand that Msr. Birzot's book was nothing more than a literary manifestation of stockholm Syndrome. then he says:

"It is a difficult notion when you see an American soldier all smiles and thumbs up standing over the murdered body of an Iraqi prisoner just as it is a difficult notion when you see a Holy Warrior removing his enemy's head on a made-for-television broadcast."

   That's because you know nothing of the context wihtin which the photo was taken. Was this a prisoner or an insurgent about to kill innocent civillians? The terrorists (they are not holy warriors any more than you are an objective journalist) commit indiscriminate acts of murder to play on the overly feminized sensitivities of peace at any cost appeasers like yourself. People like you make dhimmitude possible.

   Finally, Mr. Guntzel's column meets the criteria of the award and I have to ask:

   What does this have to do with Catholicism?

   What does this have to do with Catholicism in the world?

   Your sixties era writing style is rather boring.

   the Dookie is in the mail.   

John Allen's Change Of Heart

Over at The Benedict XVI Fan Club, Christopher Blosser has put togther a great thread on the subject of John Allen and his changing perspective over time of the new Pope. Read the Thread entitled "John Allen Jr.'s Turnabout." As one of those who has been extremely hard on Mr. Allen in the past for his partisan behavior, I was very surprised by the tone and content of his statements.

Progressives Make Overtures Towards Pope Benedict

Vatican, Apr. 26 (CWNews.com) - Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, a prominent leader among the Church's "progressive" prelates, has said that he expects Pope Benedict XVI to surprise observers who base their expectations on the conservative reputation of the former Cardinal Ratzinger. "It is certain that Benedict XVI has some surprises in store for us, in light of the stereotypes by which he has been defined a bit too hastily," said the retired Archbishop of Milan. Speaking to the Italian daily La Repubblica , he said that the new Pope is "a man of great humanity, courtesy, and gentleness, ready to listen, even to ideas different from his own."

"I am sure the new Pope will not be rigid, but will listen and reflect," said that Italian prelate, who now lives in retirement in Jerusalem.

"Stereotypes by which he has been defined a bit too hastily"? Would those be the stereotypes that the progressives threw at him during the reign of John Paul the Great, during the Interregnum, during the Conclave, and immediately after his election?

   Talking heads like Greeley and McBrien could be found all over the MSM aided and abetted by progressive catholics like Chris Matthews and Maureen Dowd and progressive catholic periodicals like Commonweal and the National catholic Reporter. Now that the progressive element has suffered yet another setback (remember JPII: "Error destroys itself"), there is a scramble to maintain at least some type of visibility. "We're still relevant!" The progressives are telling us. their words seem louder simply because the rooms they are speaking too are more empty, this creates echoes. I haven't seen the membership numbers of Voice of the Faithful or Call to Action or subscriptions to the National catholic Reporter increase as a result of this election. The only thing that is increasing with these organizations is the median age of their members.

 

Will Benedict XVI Reform The Synod of Bishops?

   Cardinal Mahony seems to think so...

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony said he would be surprised if Pope Benedict XVI did not reform the church's process for the Synod of Bishops.

Cardinal Mahony said that the way the pope, who was dean of the College of Cardinals, ran cardinals' meetings before the conclave indicates he knows and understands how to get a real, representative exchange going.

"He certainly has heard enough over the years about the format and process of the synod," Cardinal Mahony told Catholic News Service April 22. "It needs to be rethought, and there needs to be a way for far more interaction."

Many cardinals and bishops have said that the current format of the Synod of Bishops -- every participant speaking for eight minutes on any subject, without the interventions being thematically organized and without time for questions or discussion in the synod hall -- dilutes the impact of the discussion.

We Need More Bishops Like This

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Praised for his "courageous defense of the sanctity of all human life," Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver received the Proudly Pro-Life Award from the National Right to Life Educational Trust Fund April 20 in Washington. Wanda Franz, president of the National Right to Life Committee, presented the award to the archbishop, a former chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities. In his acceptance speech, Archbishop Chaput paid tribute to two former recipients of the Proudly Pro-Life Award -- the late Cardinal John J. O'Connor of New York and the late Bishop James T. McHugh of Rockville Centre, N.Y. -- as "my two heroes among bishops." He said, "I am not worthy to walk in the footsteps of these two great men."

  I pray that one day we will see Archbishop Chaput become Cardinal Chaput.

A New Blog!

   Frequent commenter Colleen has been bitten by the blogging bug. She has started her own blog which I encourage you to visit.