April 19, 2005
More on Pope Benedict XVI
The caterwauling from the libs is unbelievable. Mort Kondrake on the roundtable portion of Brit Hume's show on Fox all but popped a blood vessel. He sputtered that then Cardinal Ratzinger had once said that other non-Catholic Christian churches were not the equal of the RMC. It took Charles Krauthammer, who I think is Jewish, to point out the obvious that every church thinks of itself has having the divine truth. The current soundbite in liberal pack pundit analysis is Benedict is a "transitional Pope" whatever that means. Let there be no mistake about it, the newest successor to St. Peter is every bit as conservative as his predecessor and will appoint ("create" in Vatican lingo) cardinals who will be like-minded who in, turn, will choose his successors. Benedict could easily reign for a dozen years. Pope John Paul the Great was very much a pastoral figure and was reluctant to fire people (Cardinal Bernard Law comes to mind); his successor knows quite a bit about Church administration and knows where the rot is. My hope is that he cleans house when it comes to the Lavender Mafia that holds sway in so many seminaries and dioceses. He made the prayer list tonight when I put my children to bed.
Posted by LMC at April 19, 2005 08:24 PMHe made the prayer list for my kids as well. Long Live Pope Benedict XVI!!!
Posted by: KMR at April 19, 2005 09:34 PMI don't think you could call Mort Kondracke a liberal---by any stretch of the imagination.
Posted by: Kathy at April 19, 2005 10:20 PMI'm no Catholic and I'm thrilled. Any anti-lib Pope is a friend of mine.
Posted by: giasen at April 19, 2005 11:44 PMKathy-ordinarily I would not call Mort a lib, but the way he was carrying on last night he sounded like he had been possessed by Juan Williams.
Posted by: LMC at April 20, 2005 08:45 AMIs it 'liberal caterwauling' to be dismayed that a former Hitler Youth member has been elected head of one's Church?
Posted by: Dan at April 20, 2005 10:34 AMI could use a little clarification, and please forgive me for being presumptuous, but if I'm to finish your thought off, you wouldn't ordinarily call Mort a lib but...because he has issues with Pope Benedict he's now a liberal?
Am I inferring something that I shouldn't be here? Or I have I not had enough coffee yet? ;)
Posted by: Kathy at April 20, 2005 10:35 AMKathy-Mort is not a lib on most things which made his sputtering on Ratzinger's comment about his view of the RCC as compared the other Christian churches all the more surprising, hence the reference to being possessed by Juan Williams. Almost every church that I can think of sees its view of Christianity as the most true interpretation of the New Testament. The Eastern Orthodox churches split over the question of papal authority (rooted in the Gospel) and Martin Luther launched the Reformation over what he saw as hopeless corruption of the RCC of his day and the doctrinal differences between the RCC and the Lutheran churches make eventual reunification problematic. Consequently, I am mystified by Mort's indignation since it echoes the Cokie Roberts/CNN line. I am not suggesting that you should be lumped into the lib camp because you might have preferred another cardinal so by all means finish your coffee in peace. (BTW, if I could change one practice in the RCC, it would be to allow priests to marry as priests in the Eastern Rite are allowed to do. The celibacy rule dates back to the 11th or 12th century, not all the way back to the time of the Apostles.)
Posted by: LMC at April 20, 2005 11:41 AMOkedokey, then.
Posted by: Kathy at April 20, 2005 12:29 PMMort is a lib on embryonic stem cells big time, because of his late wife's illness, for which he looked to ESCR for a cure.
Posted by: Ed at April 20, 2005 12:39 PMLMC, the strictly juridical/canonical rule for western clerics dates to c. 11th c., but complete continence/celibacy for bishops, priests and deacons - even married men - is extremely ancient, arguably apostolic. Married men were ordained, but if a single man was ordained, he could not marry. If a married was widowed he could not re-marry.
Posted by: Charles A. at April 20, 2005 03:38 PM
