It seems to me that Cardinal Hollerich is advocating the "boil the frog" approach to avoiding pushback/building support for a women's diaconate (echoing Ed, whatever that means).
The U.S. tried its own version of Eurovision just a few years ago. It flopped.
I liken this approach to the widely successful work of secular forces to move the Overton Window on controversial subjects. Push for large, outlandish ideas that strike the majority as being wildly unacceptable, and then graciously accept a more "moderate" resolution. This new resolution, it turns out, is a shift toward the direction the initial antagonists wanted rather than a return to the established norm.
You can see this in our (western) society on a range of moral issues:
Abortion - no longer "safe, legal, and rare" but "my body, my choice" -> a shift toward greater acceptance of not just the practice, but the belief that is a "right" to some nebulous, shifting date
Same sex "marriage" - just give them equal rights that marriages hold (legal contracts, life decisions, etc.) -> they are equal and analogous to traditional marriage and are entitled to every due legal and social right as traditional marriage -> a shift away from passive acceptance to legally enforced compliance on the secular understanding of the meaning and utility of marriage
Trans issues - well, this shift from mental disorder (in the DSM 4 to 5) to an innate state of a person's TRUE self -> you'd have to be blind to see where this shift has taken us
Prelates and advocates like the good Cardinal are attempting to shift the window in the Church, itself. It is a nefarious undertaking covered by the translucent, thin the veneer of compassion and equality.
"But given his decision to leave in place a cardinal who seems comfortable rejecting the immutability of Church teaching and ignoring the pope’s own instructions, it is perhaps the synod we all deserve."
With all due respect, by now the important question is: Which instructions from the Pope--the public ones or the private ones? I find it strains credibility that Cardinal Hollerich somehow does not represent the Pope's views.
Francis seems to think he can achieve plausible deniability by promoting Hollerich to positions of influence on matters Francis wants pushed without leaving his fingerprints on them. But the emperor has no clothes...
“After a couple of contentious results, you’d soon have California and New York demanding an end to the musical electoral college in the face of national opinion poll leads for their acts.”
100 points. This week’s post is even better than the call to return to whaling.
I was out fixing pasture fence that weekend, so I missed my opportunity to comment on the propensity of whales to end up where they shouldn't be found, like the moon.
"We're whalers on the Moon, we carry a harpoon. But there ain't no whales so we tell tall tales and sing a whaling tune"
The Pillar commentors are some of the best on the internet, with the best taste in popular entertainment. Where else can you find people who can tie together the Electoral College, whaling, and fence-fixing with Futurama? +100 internet points for you today, too!
What a wonderful Pentecostal reflection. You have beautifully woven together faith, introspection, and celebration.
Indeed, the concept of “never too late” is a powerful one. Whether it’s Lent, Easter, or any other season, the invitation to turn back to the Lord is always open. Repentance, as you mentioned, isn’t about guilt but about realigning ourselves with God’s love and purpose. It’s a chance to shed what separates us from Him and embrace the joy that comes from being in His presence. True joy is not fleeting happiness but a deep-seated, abiding gladness that comes from knowing we are loved by God.
May all of your readers’ Pentecost be filled with the Holy Spirit’s presence and the joy that comes from being in communion with our loving Creator
To be fair, we did try the American version or Eurovision. It was called the American Song Contest, hosted by Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg, and was exactly as described with all 50 states plus some territories competeing. It wasn't terrible but wasn't well received and didn't get a second show.
I just read about the Attorney General of Washington wanting the records from the 3 dioceses. I just looked at Spokane’s accountability of the clergy. It’s sad that this happened but the records I looked at for some accusations go back 60-70 years. I don’t understand why the Attorney General wants the records of Spokane as they had to show the records when the diocese declared bankruptcy in 2004. I’ve met Bishop Daly and my opinion is that he would not shield his priests.
Just a pedantic point re Eurovision: it is somewhat misleading to say that X country was awarded zero points, because each country has to pick their 10 favourite acts, with the 10th in that list earning 1 point, and the first earning 10 points. But, that leaves 14 countries to whom they, de facto, award zero points. It's not the same as choosing to give an act 0/10 just to prove that you think they're terrible.
I don't know if the synod is a "sincere work of the Holy Spirit", but - with the approaching feast of Pentecost in mind - I do seem to sense a real movement of the Holy Spirit at work in the world that ties together both the persecution and the growth experienced by the early Church.
There are many threads that I see being woven together, but I'll pull on two of them that are represented in today's Pillar Post: the Croatian Eurovision star and civil authorities cracking down in Belarus and Washington.
First: the crack-downs. For those of us following all the news reported here and at other sites, it's safe to say that persecution of Christians (and Catholics, specifically) is now at the point that it's undeniable. The church vandalism and attacks on clergy across the US, Canada, and in Europe - not to mention the rise in violence against Christians in India - is well documented. In my own backyard, last Saturday saw a young man enter St. Mary Magdalen Church, while First Communion Mass was being celebrated, with a rifle. I'm not equating the current persecution with the persecution of the first couple of centuries, but there certainly is a renewal of the persecuting spirit in the world.
To counter that, I sense a movement of the Holy Spirit in bringing people (or bringing them back) to Jesus Christ. Baby Lasagna is an example of that. But, not just him. We are hearing of other high profile conversions to Christ and to the Catholic Church. And not just high-profile examples. But, we read stories here in The Pillar of significant increases in baptisms in France and Belgium, for example. We also read about conversions from Islam to Christianity in the Muslim world. We also read of the exciting news that Pope Francis may be celebrating the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea with the Patriarch of Constantinople.
These two taken together, for me, point to a rehearsal of sorts for Christ's return. I am not suggesting that anything's eminent. Rather, it seems that we're experiencing some of the birth-pangs of the final tribulation (Mt 24:8). There's a contraction happening. People I talk to can feel that the wheat is being sifted. And the Holy Spirit is being poured out to lead us into all Truth, if only we will be led.
(As an ending note to an already long post (but, if you've gotten this far, one more paragraph probably won't bother you): Baby Lasagna's real name immediately reminded me of US soccer star Christian Pulisic, who's dad is Croatian. Interestingly, the same day that I read the Baby Lasagna story - and thought about Pulisic - a YouTube video appeared on my feed featuring Pulisic's AC Milan teammate, Olivier Giroud, who was speaking in support of the "Come Holy Spirit" chants ahead of the Paris Olympics. As it turns out, Giroud is a committed, practicing Evangelical Christian. He's a world-class athlete who is using his fame to promote worship of God. That's another example of high-profile Christians who are becoming unafraid to speak out in the world.)
I think it's been a few years now so I don't remember if anyone else was worried when the Pope instituted "instituted catechists" -- but afaik the process of instituting them has been really odd. It seems to me they're basically asking Bishops conferences to decide what an instituted Catechist is and then start instituting them. No one seems to have had too much anxiety about that.
But I'm reminded of it from your newsletter. The possibility of female deacons taking a similar path of "everyone wants them but no one knows what they are so we'll let you figure it out". Like in one country they'll be glorified extraordinary ministers, in another they'll be basically priests. The Holy See need only tell people female deacons should not resemble the priesthood in the same way it told people blessing of same sex couples shouldn't look like matrimony.
That's a good point. A couple of years ago I participated in lay ecclesial ministry certification in my diocese and at the beginning of the course they implied that instituted catechists and instituted lectors were coming down the pike shortly. Then a year later as the program was finishing I asked for an update on that and was told it's still years away... that wasn't the impression I'd gotten previously!
> that those things for which I do need to repent are malum in se to God precisely because they lead me away from Him and thus away from my own happiness.
Yes; at some point I saw someone point out somewhere that "God's wrath" is basically God letting people do what they want for a while. It is not "I am mad at you and I am punishing you until you knuckle under" wrath, it is something slightly more horrifying ("I know what is best for you and you absolutely refused to do it", how often I wanted to gather you as a hen gathers chicks, etc. *but you would not.*)
"It will look nothing like the synod Pope Francis promised. "
That might be a problem, because one could say Francis has promised all things to all people about what the Synod is supposed to be. I'm not sure he even knows or has given serious thought to what its supposed to be. Its Trumps version of "good deals" or "infrastructure week", a nice sounding slogan that is increasingly running into hard roadblocks in reality.
To me, the synodal process is so open-ended that it invites a discussion of the hot-button issues of the day, which leads to an overshadowing of divisiveness and upset. If the aim of a synod is to bring Catholics together to foster unity within the framework of tradition, there has to be an agenda .It can propose new pastoral strategies to address the needs of the faithful, such as improved catechesis, support for families, youth engagement, and outreach to marginalized communities. It can focus on ways to strengthen parish communities, enhance liturgical life, and foster a deeper sense of belonging among members of the Church . It can develop new methods for evangelization and provide guidance on modern moral and ethical issues, such as bioethics, technology, AI, and human rights.
While remaining within the boundaries of doctrinal teachings, a synod can effectively address these and other critical issues, fostering a more vibrant and responsive Church.You just need an agenda. Without one you have a chaotic confusing process that produces nothing .
At some point we have to stop letting Pope Francis off the hook for Hollerich's nonsense. He appointed him, and has continued to leave him in his post.
"I hope you’ve been keeping up the feasting for the full 50 days — I’ve probably been doing about as well as I did with the fasting during Lent"
- So, is a Keto Brick considered a fast (a purgatorial experience) or a feast (eat as many as you want)?
Mercifully I did not join JD on that little adventure.
penitential fast.
A penitential feast?
Not just purgatorial but possibly even purgative!
It seems to me that Cardinal Hollerich is advocating the "boil the frog" approach to avoiding pushback/building support for a women's diaconate (echoing Ed, whatever that means).
The U.S. tried its own version of Eurovision just a few years ago. It flopped.
I liken this approach to the widely successful work of secular forces to move the Overton Window on controversial subjects. Push for large, outlandish ideas that strike the majority as being wildly unacceptable, and then graciously accept a more "moderate" resolution. This new resolution, it turns out, is a shift toward the direction the initial antagonists wanted rather than a return to the established norm.
You can see this in our (western) society on a range of moral issues:
Abortion - no longer "safe, legal, and rare" but "my body, my choice" -> a shift toward greater acceptance of not just the practice, but the belief that is a "right" to some nebulous, shifting date
Same sex "marriage" - just give them equal rights that marriages hold (legal contracts, life decisions, etc.) -> they are equal and analogous to traditional marriage and are entitled to every due legal and social right as traditional marriage -> a shift away from passive acceptance to legally enforced compliance on the secular understanding of the meaning and utility of marriage
Trans issues - well, this shift from mental disorder (in the DSM 4 to 5) to an innate state of a person's TRUE self -> you'd have to be blind to see where this shift has taken us
Prelates and advocates like the good Cardinal are attempting to shift the window in the Church, itself. It is a nefarious undertaking covered by the translucent, thin the veneer of compassion and equality.
"But given his decision to leave in place a cardinal who seems comfortable rejecting the immutability of Church teaching and ignoring the pope’s own instructions, it is perhaps the synod we all deserve."
With all due respect, by now the important question is: Which instructions from the Pope--the public ones or the private ones? I find it strains credibility that Cardinal Hollerich somehow does not represent the Pope's views.
Francis seems to think he can achieve plausible deniability by promoting Hollerich to positions of influence on matters Francis wants pushed without leaving his fingerprints on them. But the emperor has no clothes...
“After a couple of contentious results, you’d soon have California and New York demanding an end to the musical electoral college in the face of national opinion poll leads for their acts.”
100 points. This week’s post is even better than the call to return to whaling.
Much better. We don't need more whaling than what Japan is doing. We need ships to stop speeding.
I was out fixing pasture fence that weekend, so I missed my opportunity to comment on the propensity of whales to end up where they shouldn't be found, like the moon.
"We're whalers on the Moon, we carry a harpoon. But there ain't no whales so we tell tall tales and sing a whaling tune"
The Pillar commentors are some of the best on the internet, with the best taste in popular entertainment. Where else can you find people who can tie together the Electoral College, whaling, and fence-fixing with Futurama? +100 internet points for you today, too!
What a wonderful Pentecostal reflection. You have beautifully woven together faith, introspection, and celebration.
Indeed, the concept of “never too late” is a powerful one. Whether it’s Lent, Easter, or any other season, the invitation to turn back to the Lord is always open. Repentance, as you mentioned, isn’t about guilt but about realigning ourselves with God’s love and purpose. It’s a chance to shed what separates us from Him and embrace the joy that comes from being in His presence. True joy is not fleeting happiness but a deep-seated, abiding gladness that comes from knowing we are loved by God.
May all of your readers’ Pentecost be filled with the Holy Spirit’s presence and the joy that comes from being in communion with our loving Creator
To be fair, we did try the American version or Eurovision. It was called the American Song Contest, hosted by Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg, and was exactly as described with all 50 states plus some territories competeing. It wasn't terrible but wasn't well received and didn't get a second show.
Maybe federalism really did die. Insert emoji here.
I just read about the Attorney General of Washington wanting the records from the 3 dioceses. I just looked at Spokane’s accountability of the clergy. It’s sad that this happened but the records I looked at for some accusations go back 60-70 years. I don’t understand why the Attorney General wants the records of Spokane as they had to show the records when the diocese declared bankruptcy in 2004. I’ve met Bishop Daly and my opinion is that he would not shield his priests.
Just a pedantic point re Eurovision: it is somewhat misleading to say that X country was awarded zero points, because each country has to pick their 10 favourite acts, with the 10th in that list earning 1 point, and the first earning 10 points. But, that leaves 14 countries to whom they, de facto, award zero points. It's not the same as choosing to give an act 0/10 just to prove that you think they're terrible.
Oh that’s helpful context, thank you!
<Please forgive the long post in advance>
I don't know if the synod is a "sincere work of the Holy Spirit", but - with the approaching feast of Pentecost in mind - I do seem to sense a real movement of the Holy Spirit at work in the world that ties together both the persecution and the growth experienced by the early Church.
There are many threads that I see being woven together, but I'll pull on two of them that are represented in today's Pillar Post: the Croatian Eurovision star and civil authorities cracking down in Belarus and Washington.
First: the crack-downs. For those of us following all the news reported here and at other sites, it's safe to say that persecution of Christians (and Catholics, specifically) is now at the point that it's undeniable. The church vandalism and attacks on clergy across the US, Canada, and in Europe - not to mention the rise in violence against Christians in India - is well documented. In my own backyard, last Saturday saw a young man enter St. Mary Magdalen Church, while First Communion Mass was being celebrated, with a rifle. I'm not equating the current persecution with the persecution of the first couple of centuries, but there certainly is a renewal of the persecuting spirit in the world.
To counter that, I sense a movement of the Holy Spirit in bringing people (or bringing them back) to Jesus Christ. Baby Lasagna is an example of that. But, not just him. We are hearing of other high profile conversions to Christ and to the Catholic Church. And not just high-profile examples. But, we read stories here in The Pillar of significant increases in baptisms in France and Belgium, for example. We also read about conversions from Islam to Christianity in the Muslim world. We also read of the exciting news that Pope Francis may be celebrating the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea with the Patriarch of Constantinople.
These two taken together, for me, point to a rehearsal of sorts for Christ's return. I am not suggesting that anything's eminent. Rather, it seems that we're experiencing some of the birth-pangs of the final tribulation (Mt 24:8). There's a contraction happening. People I talk to can feel that the wheat is being sifted. And the Holy Spirit is being poured out to lead us into all Truth, if only we will be led.
(As an ending note to an already long post (but, if you've gotten this far, one more paragraph probably won't bother you): Baby Lasagna's real name immediately reminded me of US soccer star Christian Pulisic, who's dad is Croatian. Interestingly, the same day that I read the Baby Lasagna story - and thought about Pulisic - a YouTube video appeared on my feed featuring Pulisic's AC Milan teammate, Olivier Giroud, who was speaking in support of the "Come Holy Spirit" chants ahead of the Paris Olympics. As it turns out, Giroud is a committed, practicing Evangelical Christian. He's a world-class athlete who is using his fame to promote worship of God. That's another example of high-profile Christians who are becoming unafraid to speak out in the world.)
I think it's been a few years now so I don't remember if anyone else was worried when the Pope instituted "instituted catechists" -- but afaik the process of instituting them has been really odd. It seems to me they're basically asking Bishops conferences to decide what an instituted Catechist is and then start instituting them. No one seems to have had too much anxiety about that.
But I'm reminded of it from your newsletter. The possibility of female deacons taking a similar path of "everyone wants them but no one knows what they are so we'll let you figure it out". Like in one country they'll be glorified extraordinary ministers, in another they'll be basically priests. The Holy See need only tell people female deacons should not resemble the priesthood in the same way it told people blessing of same sex couples shouldn't look like matrimony.
That's a good point. A couple of years ago I participated in lay ecclesial ministry certification in my diocese and at the beginning of the course they implied that instituted catechists and instituted lectors were coming down the pike shortly. Then a year later as the program was finishing I asked for an update on that and was told it's still years away... that wasn't the impression I'd gotten previously!
Reading Ed trying to explain British concepts to Americans should be a newsletter in itself. Much edification!
'According to the German bishops’ portal, the teaching on sacramental ordination being reserved to men alone “isn’t infallible doctrine,”'
It would be interesting to see what the German bishops DO think is infallible doctrine.
Seems to be the right to private interpretation. Aka Protestantism.
> that those things for which I do need to repent are malum in se to God precisely because they lead me away from Him and thus away from my own happiness.
Yes; at some point I saw someone point out somewhere that "God's wrath" is basically God letting people do what they want for a while. It is not "I am mad at you and I am punishing you until you knuckle under" wrath, it is something slightly more horrifying ("I know what is best for you and you absolutely refused to do it", how often I wanted to gather you as a hen gathers chicks, etc. *but you would not.*)
I've heard hell described as you spending your life saying "my will, not thine, be done", and then God saying "OK" at your judgement.
"It will look nothing like the synod Pope Francis promised. "
That might be a problem, because one could say Francis has promised all things to all people about what the Synod is supposed to be. I'm not sure he even knows or has given serious thought to what its supposed to be. Its Trumps version of "good deals" or "infrastructure week", a nice sounding slogan that is increasingly running into hard roadblocks in reality.
I have come away from the newsletter title convinced that either the Synod is eurovisionality or Eurovision is synodality. I am just not sure which.
To me, the synodal process is so open-ended that it invites a discussion of the hot-button issues of the day, which leads to an overshadowing of divisiveness and upset. If the aim of a synod is to bring Catholics together to foster unity within the framework of tradition, there has to be an agenda .It can propose new pastoral strategies to address the needs of the faithful, such as improved catechesis, support for families, youth engagement, and outreach to marginalized communities. It can focus on ways to strengthen parish communities, enhance liturgical life, and foster a deeper sense of belonging among members of the Church . It can develop new methods for evangelization and provide guidance on modern moral and ethical issues, such as bioethics, technology, AI, and human rights.
While remaining within the boundaries of doctrinal teachings, a synod can effectively address these and other critical issues, fostering a more vibrant and responsive Church.You just need an agenda. Without one you have a chaotic confusing process that produces nothing .
At some point we have to stop letting Pope Francis off the hook for Hollerich's nonsense. He appointed him, and has continued to leave him in his post.