Being serious... what achievements in episcopal accountability?
Is Vos Estis really that? Even the optimistic take is "Vos estis cases have been raised" not "bishops are held accountable by Vos Estis"
We still don't know why his right hand man Maradiaga was under Vatican ordered investigation or what it found. Only, like Hyman Roth, he's been dying of the same medical condition ever since. Ditto with McCarrick. Or the situation in Chile.
I like your thoughts on the political sphere. We Christians are called to be in the world not of the world. We should not be attached to any political party. We should however be free to find disagreement with either political party for actions they take and not be accused of being in the tank with the opposing party. As for the Pillar, I hope you will comment when it pertains to issue that regard the faith. You guys are smart and thoughtful journalists. I hold your reporting in high, impartial regard so I like getting your perspective.
When I read the article about Mexico, I thought about what was happening the USA When I read your last notes, I wondered if I should be Catholic anymore. Pelosi and Biden are Democrat and Catholic. They are loved by the USA Catholic hierarchy. So, I guess that Catholics are suppose to be Democrats. But Democrats are pro abortion, pro legalization of drugs, pro euthanasia, pro Sodom and Gomorrah, pro turning little boys/ little girls into little girls/ little boys, and pro welfare (keeps people down). And that is just the start. I want to belong to the Catholic church, but I am against abortion, against the legalization of drugs, against euthanasia, against Sodom and Gomorrah ( that story scares me in the bible), against promoting sex change in small kids, and against welfare ( keeps people down, poor, and dependent on the Government). If my family wanted to remain dirt poor and dependent on a government they would not have come to the USA... But I digress...
I still want to be Catholic, but the Catholic Church seems to be not the Catholic Church that I grew up with... Anyone remember that Catholic Church? It was the Church that said that you were going to hell for everything. Looking back, this kept me on the straight and narrow. I was taught by strict nuns the importance of education. Nuns and priests reminded me that I needed to be a responsible citizen when I grew up. I had a responsibility to others. They, along with my parents, instilled the work ethic in me. You were supposed to work and be useful.... Abortions were murder. Drugs were bad for you. Where do I find that Catholic Church? Thanks for listening!
Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." That is the path to peace. Be the best Catholic you can be where God has planted you and the Church will be a better place. :)
If I may answer as a convert -- as someone who chose to enter this Church of my own free will as an adult -- I didn't become Catholic because of Nancy Pelosi, or Joe Biden, or Fr. James Martin, Pope Francis, Archbishop Athanasius Schneider, Cardinal Sarah, or any Catholic name you'd care to pick. I converted because regardless of what any of those people do, the truth remains to be the truth. I didn't convert for any of these people; why then would I make them the reason I leave? Any failures on their part merely reaffirm to me the weakness and imperfection of man and the need to rely on God, because none of them are sure foundations for my faith and never will be. Our Lord, though, is. And He is worth it.
Why I pay for The Pillar, am grateful it exists, and hope it will continue to exist. Keep on... 🙏
"It seems undeniable to me that many, if not most, outlets supposedly dedicated to covering the news from a Catholic perspective have drunk deep and long from the poisoned well of our partisan politics. It is understandable: Our national political psychodrama dominates our culture, and political “news” with more-than-a-little partisan slant drives clicks.
"Clicks are how most online media — though not The Pillar — make their money.
"And, as I have said before, it is a sad truth that party politics runs right through the Church in this country, right through dioceses and parishes and families, to the point where many American Catholics identify themselves by their political affiliation first, qualifying and filtering their Catholicism through that lens, instead of the other way around. Why wouldn’t Catholic outlets do the same?
"The problem is, it drags the faith, and the word Catholic, through the political mud. It taints the prophetic with the profane, and seeks to make the Church’s evangelical witness an ersatz campaign endorsement."
Yup, this is why I pay too. I have 5 kids under 8 and don't have time to read most of what The Pillar puts out. But the work is so important. It's worth more than what I pay.
I appreciate you sharing your philosophy about keeping our eyes, as Catholic Christians, on Christ and His salvific message, in Catholic journalism and really all areas of our lives. Sometimes your illustrations (like the link to youtube in thus article for example) I would like to see you screen a little better for being offensive. I don’t really care to see scantily clad people with bared navels wriggling to rap, or even hearing rap. Truth, goodness and beauty, lets keep our eyes and minds on those attributes of Christianity as well. 🕊🙏🏼
I am conducting a scientific experiment (on myself, as all victorian-horror protagonists do), and so far it is very easy to just stop consuming social media and news and to be only dimly aware that the state of Florida probably still exists (and probably still exports Florida Man headlines) unless at some point an imaginary state highway project shows up in the Vatican finance trial or there is an interesting Floridian candidate for sainthood (https://martyrsoflafloridamissions.org/beatification hmm not an impossibility)
One of the factors in my conversion (much less important than some other reasons but a reason nonetheless) was my belief that Catholicism is the only Christian faith tradition with the ability to stand up to the American political divide and not be swallowed up by the “national political psychodrama dominates our culture.”
My observation a little over three years on is that while we’re not doing a perfect (or maybe even a good) job of it, we’re still the only one with any real hope of articulating a moral vision different from the two visions that dominate our political divide. Conservative evangelical Protestant churches appear to have adopted the GOP talking points, hook, line, and sinker. From immigration to gun fetishization to positions that hurt the poor, to just plain old cruelty in the way they speak, you’d think Trump was spouting holy scripture to listen to some of these right wing culture warrior preachers. And at the same time, the older so-called mainstream Protestant denominations are in a race to become as woke as possible. And of course, there’s no tolerance for life in the womb.
Keep up the work you’re doing. I don’t always agree with everything you write but I can respect the consistency and the effort you make to avoid being partisans for one side or the other.
Thank you Faulken. I work with a group of Evangelical Christians who cannot understand how I can be Catholic. Why? Super Catholics, Super Democrats, and Super Pro Abortionists Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden. I know Archbishop Cordileone has prevented Mrs. Pelosi from receiving communion. But she is still receiving communion in DC. I know that the Catholic Church has a rich history. I really do not want to leave the church... The core church is what I believe in, but the management of the church seems to be on a different page these days. Thanks for listening
If it wasn't Joe Biden, it'd be the True Presence, or sola scriptura, or confession, or any number of things. There are lukewarm members of every religion, and Catholicism is no exception. Our first Pope denied Our Lord three times. Despite seeing His miracles with his own eyes, he doubted when he exited the boat to walk towards Jesus and sunk into the waters. Judas, one of his Twelve Disciples, betrayed Him. Thomas refused at first to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. We have a long history of leadership not doing what they should, from the Garden of Gethsemane, to Avignon, to the present. To paraphrase a Cardinal's response to Napoleon when he threatened to destroy the Church, there have been clergy who have attempted that for centuries and they have all failed.
If your evangelical coworkers can believe that God will still prevail despite their faults, then they should also acknowledge that God will prevail against the personal failings of priests, bishops, the Pope, and yes, even Catholic politicians.
I love the "It doesn't matter what I think" section of this! Thank you for not feeling the need to air your opinions on every news break. It's really quite refreshing. I need real news on important topics, not opinions on clickbait.
The problem is “it does matter what I think”. It matters what folks think. It also matters that we listen and THINK. It appears many do not think they just react. When our US Bishops stop involving themselves in politics and set the example they should rather than determining what donors will aggrandize them further,I may agree with the “ it doesn’t matter…”statement. Until then I will be keeping an ear to politics and religion.
Being serious... what achievements in episcopal accountability?
Is Vos Estis really that? Even the optimistic take is "Vos estis cases have been raised" not "bishops are held accountable by Vos Estis"
We still don't know why his right hand man Maradiaga was under Vatican ordered investigation or what it found. Only, like Hyman Roth, he's been dying of the same medical condition ever since. Ditto with McCarrick. Or the situation in Chile.
Keep up the good work, Ed.
I like your thoughts on the political sphere. We Christians are called to be in the world not of the world. We should not be attached to any political party. We should however be free to find disagreement with either political party for actions they take and not be accused of being in the tank with the opposing party. As for the Pillar, I hope you will comment when it pertains to issue that regard the faith. You guys are smart and thoughtful journalists. I hold your reporting in high, impartial regard so I like getting your perspective.
Um, no, I identify with the Republican party. The Democrats have so many platforms that are anti-Christian this can hardly be discussed.
hardly be ignored I meant to say.
Hahahaha
When I read the article about Mexico, I thought about what was happening the USA When I read your last notes, I wondered if I should be Catholic anymore. Pelosi and Biden are Democrat and Catholic. They are loved by the USA Catholic hierarchy. So, I guess that Catholics are suppose to be Democrats. But Democrats are pro abortion, pro legalization of drugs, pro euthanasia, pro Sodom and Gomorrah, pro turning little boys/ little girls into little girls/ little boys, and pro welfare (keeps people down). And that is just the start. I want to belong to the Catholic church, but I am against abortion, against the legalization of drugs, against euthanasia, against Sodom and Gomorrah ( that story scares me in the bible), against promoting sex change in small kids, and against welfare ( keeps people down, poor, and dependent on the Government). If my family wanted to remain dirt poor and dependent on a government they would not have come to the USA... But I digress...
I still want to be Catholic, but the Catholic Church seems to be not the Catholic Church that I grew up with... Anyone remember that Catholic Church? It was the Church that said that you were going to hell for everything. Looking back, this kept me on the straight and narrow. I was taught by strict nuns the importance of education. Nuns and priests reminded me that I needed to be a responsible citizen when I grew up. I had a responsibility to others. They, along with my parents, instilled the work ethic in me. You were supposed to work and be useful.... Abortions were murder. Drugs were bad for you. Where do I find that Catholic Church? Thanks for listening!
Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." That is the path to peace. Be the best Catholic you can be where God has planted you and the Church will be a better place. :)
If I may answer as a convert -- as someone who chose to enter this Church of my own free will as an adult -- I didn't become Catholic because of Nancy Pelosi, or Joe Biden, or Fr. James Martin, Pope Francis, Archbishop Athanasius Schneider, Cardinal Sarah, or any Catholic name you'd care to pick. I converted because regardless of what any of those people do, the truth remains to be the truth. I didn't convert for any of these people; why then would I make them the reason I leave? Any failures on their part merely reaffirm to me the weakness and imperfection of man and the need to rely on God, because none of them are sure foundations for my faith and never will be. Our Lord, though, is. And He is worth it.
Why I pay for The Pillar, am grateful it exists, and hope it will continue to exist. Keep on... 🙏
"It seems undeniable to me that many, if not most, outlets supposedly dedicated to covering the news from a Catholic perspective have drunk deep and long from the poisoned well of our partisan politics. It is understandable: Our national political psychodrama dominates our culture, and political “news” with more-than-a-little partisan slant drives clicks.
"Clicks are how most online media — though not The Pillar — make their money.
"And, as I have said before, it is a sad truth that party politics runs right through the Church in this country, right through dioceses and parishes and families, to the point where many American Catholics identify themselves by their political affiliation first, qualifying and filtering their Catholicism through that lens, instead of the other way around. Why wouldn’t Catholic outlets do the same?
"The problem is, it drags the faith, and the word Catholic, through the political mud. It taints the prophetic with the profane, and seeks to make the Church’s evangelical witness an ersatz campaign endorsement."
Amen. This is why I’m a paying subscriber.
Yup, this is why I pay too. I have 5 kids under 8 and don't have time to read most of what The Pillar puts out. But the work is so important. It's worth more than what I pay.
You guys are the best. Really. Thank you.
Here here!
Your "It doesn't matter what I think piece"...yes, oh yes!
I appreciate you sharing your philosophy about keeping our eyes, as Catholic Christians, on Christ and His salvific message, in Catholic journalism and really all areas of our lives. Sometimes your illustrations (like the link to youtube in thus article for example) I would like to see you screen a little better for being offensive. I don’t really care to see scantily clad people with bared navels wriggling to rap, or even hearing rap. Truth, goodness and beauty, lets keep our eyes and minds on those attributes of Christianity as well. 🕊🙏🏼
I don’t care to see that either. That’s why I didn’t click “play”.
That’s good to know.
I read The Pillar because it is a respite from politics - Church politics and man's politics.
What is also satisfying is that neither of you JD and Ed, wear your politics as a badge of honor.
Thank you for what you do. I find The Pillar mentally challenging, and spiritually edifying.
Keep doing what you do, and I'll keep getting my political news somewhere else.
The Pillar is about Church politics at times, but it isn’t an exercise in Church partisanship.
Ed’s opinions are too strong to put up with any party line.
I am conducting a scientific experiment (on myself, as all victorian-horror protagonists do), and so far it is very easy to just stop consuming social media and news and to be only dimly aware that the state of Florida probably still exists (and probably still exports Florida Man headlines) unless at some point an imaginary state highway project shows up in the Vatican finance trial or there is an interesting Floridian candidate for sainthood (https://martyrsoflafloridamissions.org/beatification hmm not an impossibility)
One of the factors in my conversion (much less important than some other reasons but a reason nonetheless) was my belief that Catholicism is the only Christian faith tradition with the ability to stand up to the American political divide and not be swallowed up by the “national political psychodrama dominates our culture.”
My observation a little over three years on is that while we’re not doing a perfect (or maybe even a good) job of it, we’re still the only one with any real hope of articulating a moral vision different from the two visions that dominate our political divide. Conservative evangelical Protestant churches appear to have adopted the GOP talking points, hook, line, and sinker. From immigration to gun fetishization to positions that hurt the poor, to just plain old cruelty in the way they speak, you’d think Trump was spouting holy scripture to listen to some of these right wing culture warrior preachers. And at the same time, the older so-called mainstream Protestant denominations are in a race to become as woke as possible. And of course, there’s no tolerance for life in the womb.
Keep up the work you’re doing. I don’t always agree with everything you write but I can respect the consistency and the effort you make to avoid being partisans for one side or the other.
Thank you for your statement about the current furor involving Mr. Trump. Let all that play out in the secular press.
Thank you Faulken. I work with a group of Evangelical Christians who cannot understand how I can be Catholic. Why? Super Catholics, Super Democrats, and Super Pro Abortionists Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden. I know Archbishop Cordileone has prevented Mrs. Pelosi from receiving communion. But she is still receiving communion in DC. I know that the Catholic Church has a rich history. I really do not want to leave the church... The core church is what I believe in, but the management of the church seems to be on a different page these days. Thanks for listening
If it wasn't Joe Biden, it'd be the True Presence, or sola scriptura, or confession, or any number of things. There are lukewarm members of every religion, and Catholicism is no exception. Our first Pope denied Our Lord three times. Despite seeing His miracles with his own eyes, he doubted when he exited the boat to walk towards Jesus and sunk into the waters. Judas, one of his Twelve Disciples, betrayed Him. Thomas refused at first to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. We have a long history of leadership not doing what they should, from the Garden of Gethsemane, to Avignon, to the present. To paraphrase a Cardinal's response to Napoleon when he threatened to destroy the Church, there have been clergy who have attempted that for centuries and they have all failed.
If your evangelical coworkers can believe that God will still prevail despite their faults, then they should also acknowledge that God will prevail against the personal failings of priests, bishops, the Pope, and yes, even Catholic politicians.
Thanks!
Thank you Miss Janet
I love the "It doesn't matter what I think" section of this! Thank you for not feeling the need to air your opinions on every news break. It's really quite refreshing. I need real news on important topics, not opinions on clickbait.
The problem is “it does matter what I think”. It matters what folks think. It also matters that we listen and THINK. It appears many do not think they just react. When our US Bishops stop involving themselves in politics and set the example they should rather than determining what donors will aggrandize them further,I may agree with the “ it doesn’t matter…”statement. Until then I will be keeping an ear to politics and religion.
Is there any update on the Knoxville diocese?
Not that the people in Knoxville have heard.