I an interview with Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review Online conducted on February 25th, George Weigel shared some thoughts about the challenges facing Pope Benedict’s soon-to-be-named successor. I initially intended to comment upon the interview shortly after it was published, but taking a look at it now with the benefit of hindsight is a lot more fun.
LOPEZ: Not to be Pollyannaish, but how do Church institutions become worldly and even corrupt? Ought there to be a sanctification there? Can there be?
WEIGEL: … As for the situation right now, a distinguished Italian historian said to me, shortly after I arrived in Rome, that Italy had become a “corrupt society and culture” and that, with the deep and broad Italianization of the Roman Curia over the past half-decade, similar patterns of incompetence and malfeasance had penetrated the Leonine Wall. That strikes me as true, and it needs to be said…
Maybe it’s just my Italian heritage at play here, but this is just plain idiotic. Are we to believe that somewhere in the world there exists a “society and culture” that is devoid of corruption, providing the Church with a veritable farm system from which to draft faithful prelates? Let me guess… Latin America!
LOPEZ: Why is the Vatican a state? Doesn’t that bring with it all kinds of opportunities for distraction from her mission?
WEIGEL: It’s long been understood that the pope, as Universal Pastor of the Church, cannot be the subject of any worldly sovereignty.
LOPEZ: What are the kinds of questions cardinals must be asking themselves and one another as they prepare for the conclave?
WEIGEL: …Does this man have good judgment in people? That is, can he draw to himself the collaborators who will give his mission real effect? And is he willing to correct errors in judgment about people when they become clear?
LOPEZ: How can — and must — a pope convey “sacramental seriousness” at a time when holiness is being pushed to the sidelines by a secularism that all too many within the Church have bought into? Can the cardinals convey it in their choice?
WEIGEL: I think a pope does that in two ways. If he celebrates the liturgy in a dignified and reverent way, he offers the jaded world an experience of beauty which just might open up a discussion about truth and goodness.
LOPEZ: Can the Church — from the pope to her priests and all the faithful — reintroduce itself and what Christ proposes through her to a world that has seen much unseriousness and disappointment and even evil from those who call themselves Catholic?
WEIGEL: No comment from Weigel necessary.
LOPEZ: Has Pope Benedict set some markers in terms of liturgical reform the next pope can build on?
WEIGEL: As I explain in Evangelical Catholicism, he’s accelerated the reform of the reform of the liturgy, and with what seem to me to be notable results. There are exceptions, of course, but the liturgical silly season is over.
I wonder if George is having any second thoughts?
LOL, look like there may be a revival of liturgical silly season. I pray not!
Why was the “Muslim queen” allowed to be veiled in white in the presence of Our Holy Father.
.
Veiling in white in the presence of Our Holy Father is a privilege reserved for Catholic Queens.
.
Only.
.
Always.
.
ALL women that are not Catholic Queens are to be veiled in Black.
Why does a Pope bow before a “Muslim Queen”?
Pictures speak louder than words. Thanks for this , Louie
Is my Neopolitan blood being caused to boil over for no reason? Methinks not. Are we being too hard on the current Pontiff? Not.
Am I getting used to feeling nauseous about all this? No.
I am still in utter flabbergastery, to be quite honest. No. That is not a word.
Do I actually dread the fact that my Lutheran friends, who show some signs of converting after years of solemn nonsense proselytism from me, will ask me where to go because they’re ready for instruction? Yes!
Is this a normal way for a Catholic to feel? No !!
Where will I send them? SSPX, of course. But it’s too remote geographically for them. I ordered Rosary books for them last week from a solid, orthodox Catholic publisher. But even therein I read “highly favored one.”
I’ve decided Angelus Press is the only place one can go. When I called Angelus press and began to cry while the young nun was taking a new order from me, she consoled me.
Please forgive, I’m so weary. But I know I am among friends.
When will these ‘men’ put their ‘pride’ in their pocket, and serve only One Master. They no longer know how to talk Catholic, they have exhausted all means of ‘excuses’, ‘false flattery’ for the ‘new Advent church’, for the ‘new conciliar church’, for the ‘second Pentecost, the Second Vatican Council’…..
How long more must the holy Church and the ‘faithful suffer for……so, these ‘new evangelization Catholics’, come to their senses, and become what for centuries Catholics always were……..TRADITIONAL.
There’s still much work to be done, the conversion of the Jews, the conversion of the Muhammad’s, the conversion of the heretics, the conversion of the atheists, the conversion of the ‘pagans’………..the Gospel must be preached in TRUTH, forget about the ‘fuzzy’ so-called Catholicism, that is according to your whims, to your conscience……….
……Memento Mori…….Dear Christian you have but one soul to save. ONE GOD to love and serve. One eternity to expect. Death will come soon. Judgment will follow, and then HEAVEN or HELL FOREVER…….(sorry, no universal salvation!)…
Jesus Mary Joseph save us, lest we perish!
Pope to the queen, ‘Pull my finger.’
queen to the pope, ‘Am I wearing black or white? It all seems grey to me.’
***
Pope, ‘Your corporial act of charity is too generous, Padre.’
‘Not at all, Papa. It is simply not right that you should have to listen to yourself speak mindbending informalisms all day as well.’
***
Pope to the Tie-die altar servers, ‘I told you we cannot hold a mass for Teletubbies – they’re not really real.’ ‘Yeah, man, but what IS real…really?’
***
Pope to the beach ball, ‘you’re just a bag of stale air, you’re riddled with holes and won’t float, but who am I to judge?’
***
‘Ole, ole, ole, ole, ole, ole, ole, ole, feeling not not not….Roman Catholic.’
***
p.s. May God bless the soldiers of the One True Faith, who never drop the ball, never mix black and white to make grey, know what is real, never perform crypto-catechesis on the masses, and know it is a great privilege and responsibility to be a member of the Body of Christ, with the responsibility to call anyone and everyone else to the narrow path. Christus Vincit, Christus Regnat, Christus Imperat.
Pope to queen, ‘See, it’s not really a kippah.’
Due to circumstances out of my control today I`ll be heading off to the local Novus Ordo parish for 7:30 mass . God forgive me I feel like I`m going to have a tooth pulled. I`ll be praying the rosary through it all and reminding myself that Our Sweet Crucified Jesus is truly present in the tabernacle.
Theresa – Unfortunately for me, 75% of the time I have no choice but to attend a NO Mass. I live on Long Island, New York, and if you don’t have a car you’re stuck because the TLM is way out in Suffolk County. There is a Byzantine Eastern Rite Church that is accessible by bus and train that I try to go to once a month. The Divine Liturgy is beautiful! And like the TLM there’s no doubt WHO is at the center of the Mass/Liturgy. When I go back to the NO Mass it’s such a let down. Our current bishop, Bishop William F. Murphy, will retire in two years. I hope the next bishop will make the TLM more available.
linda stella zentner wrote:
“Do I actually dread the fact that my Lutheran friends, who show some signs of converting after years of solemn nonsense proselytism from me, will ask me where to go because they’re ready for instruction? Yes!
Is this a normal way for a Catholic to feel? No !!
Where will I send them? SSPX, of course.”
You are not the only one having this problem. From the SSPX’s Easter European Autonomous House’s newsletter Mater Misericordiae, the following is written:
“We are also in contact with about 12 Lutheran Pastors who regularly attend
retreats and spiritual direction in Warsaw. These Pastors are very close to converting, but many difficulties still stand in their way.”
You just have to wonder how many hurting souls are out their in the world crying out for help, and we have the Vicar of Christ on this earth saying that
proselytism to the one true Faith is “solemn nonsense.”
This is way beyond believable, and NO, this is not NORMAL!