Punditry

I had previously covered this story last week, but pulled it down when Matt. C. Abbot pulled his to do further investigation.

St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary recently sent out two vocation-recruiting catalogs to prospective seminarians. One version � which contained only articles and no advertisements � targeted straight men. The other version � which did contain advertisements, including the one pictured below, with two bare-chested men standing next to each other in a hot tub � targeted homosexual men.

I have, in my possession, a copy of the latter. (This is addressed to those who might cast doubt on the authenticity of the “gay-friendly” version, as certain individuals did with regard to the photos in my June 19, 2007 column.)

The catalogs were also sent to Miami pastors, at least one of whom was infuriated by the advertisements included in the “gay-friendly” version. Incidentally, said version has reportedly been “recalled” � whatever that may mean.

In addition to the hot tub ad, you’ll notice the first paragraph of an ad for a South Florida restaurant, where “you’re given the ultimate excuse to party,” and where there are “lovers bathed in a captivating sanctuary of controlled unrestraint.”

Pictures from the catalogs are here.

In a USA Today article on the investigation of Fr. Peter Phan.

The process of debating theology can be messy, but better to endure the messiness than stifle thought, said Reese, who was forced to resign as editor of America magazine after it published articles challenging church teaching.

That is true up to a point, but when you start denying or diminishing Christ as the unique and universal savior of the world you can cause real damage and lead people to indifferentism – then something needs to be done.

"If you knew a company where the executive leadership was not on speaking terms with the research division, would you invest in that company?" Reese said. "That’s what we have in the Catholic church today. The hierarchy is very suspicious of the theologians and the theologians are very suspicious of the hierarchy. And that’s a very unhealthy situation."

This is just not true that there exists a hierarchy against theologians mindset. Though there might be a progressive theologians against the magisterium mindset. Fr. Reese seems to think all theologians are in the same camp which is funny since previously in this article he complains about an echo chamber mentality in the Vatican. Just because the theologians he surrounds himself with all align together for the most part he seems to think this is the case with all of them.

If you look at the cases the CDF has taken on over the last 30 years you only find a handful of theologians that were investigated and in many cases problems were rectified without disciplinary action. Besides using Fr. Reese’s example if you had a company with a research department that was saying that the products of other companies were superior or equal to their own – which is what Fr. Phan and some others are doing – would you invest in that company? Fr. Reese is talented with the sound bite and so it is no wonder he frequently shows up in the media.

Notice though how Fr. Reese does not take up any aspects of Fr. Phan’s theology and to defend them. This is understandable since so far Fr. Phan has also not defended himself by answering the questions posed by both the CDF and the Bishop’s conference. But I guess asking theologians to explain themselves is unhealthy.

The Rev. Joseph Fessio, a former doctoral student of Pope Benedict whose publishing house is the primary publisher of the pope’s writings in English, said the Vatican is neither heavy-handed nor close-minded in weighing questionable theology. What often fails to be disclosed, he said, is the long process allowing all sides to be heard.

"It’s important for theologians to talk to each other, reflect and try to reformulate and understand more deeply what the church’s belief is," Fessio said. "But if they move outside the realm of the church as soundly defined, then it’s a sign that they have gone beyond their competence as a theologian."

"You can boil it down pretty simply," Fessio said. "Who has the final say in on what Catholics must believe? The answer is, ‘not the theologians.’"

Paragraphs liked that make me admire Fr. Fessio all the more. This is a very succinct and a nicely put explanation of the situation.

(CNSNews.com) – The Miller Brewing Company, a sponsor of this weekend’s homosexual “leather” street fair in San Francisco, has asked to have its logo removed from an advertising poster that has offended some Christians.

The advertisement portrays Christ and his disciples as half-naked sado-masochists.

“While Miller has supported the Folsom Street Fair for several years, we take exception to the poster the organizing committee developed this year. We understand some individuals may find the imagery offensive and we have asked the organizers to remove our logo from the poster effective immediately,” the company told Cybercast News Service on Tuesday.

The group behind the ad said it was not intended to be either “pro-religion or anti-religion,” but the poster — a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper” — continued to draw fire from Christian organizations on Tuesday.

Of course the response of the Folsom Street Fair was not "to be particularly pro-religion or anti-religion with this poster; the image is intended only to be reminiscent of the ‘Last Supper’ painting." I wonder if somebody printed images throughout San Francisco using the half-naked sado-masochists displayed as the The Damned in Michelangelo’s Last Judgment if they would not think that this was an attack?

Brian Saint-Paul at Inside Catholic had commented on this story.

Maybe I’m jaded, but these artists are running out of ideas. As far as I can tell, all they do is take some recognizable pose or staging from a famous work, and then replace the figures with a bunch of trussed-up gay guys. I mean, that’s the formula here, right?

Well that’s original.

I’m not overly offended, though. This is the kind of tired “provocative” art you’ll find every week, in every City Paper in the country.

He is quite right. Using Jesus in images in a blaspamous way is all to common and about as surprising as seeing commercials while watching TV.

BRUSSELS Compiled from (AFP) and BBC � Catholic bishops in Belgium have protested a TV ad depicting a pot-bellied, hippy Jesus performing miracles and picking up scantily-clad girls up in a nightclub, a church spokesman said Friday.

The ad shows a long-haired hippy Jesus grooving along as he tries to get into a nightclub and is refused entry by the bouncers. Jesus makes the sign of the cross and sweeps aside the bouncers, shrinking them so they are left in his wake as dwarves. This Plug TV version of Jesus then drinks whisky at the bar and magically turns two brown haired frumpy women into blonde babes wearing bikini tops and red horns. The Jesus character then disappears into a huge limousine with the women but his attention is distracted by an advertisement for Plug TV before he is recalled by God who is standing on a cloud, wearing a T shirt with “Number one dad” written on it.

Boooor-ing. The reason that Christians don’t get really realy riled up about this is that there attemps at blasphemy are all so boring. Though once again it is a left-handed compliment towards Christianity. As G.K. Chesterton noted in Heretics.

Blasphemy is an artistic effect, because blasphemy depends upon a philosophic conviction. Blasphemy depends upon belief and is fading with it. If any one doubts this, let him sit down seriously and try to think blasphemous thoughts about Thor. I think his family will find him at the end of the day in a state of some exhaustion.

Old hippie Joni Mitchell bravely confronts Islam’s treatment of women… oh, wait —

"Joni Mitchell is back after nine years, and she’s on the attack. In the title track to her new album, ‘Shine,’ Mitchell takes a nice swipe at the Catholic Church by name.

"’Shine on the Catholic Church/And the prisons that it owns,’ she sings. ‘Shine on all the Churches/that love less and less.’"

Shine on Joni Mitchell/And anti-Catholic bigotry.

Shine on has been singers/And there search for relevance.

I guess I have been on a prophetic boycott of Starbucks since I have never gone to one.

Fragments of a cassock worn by Pope John Paul II have been available from vicariatusurbis.org the site for his beautification cause. The relics were available for free (though postage has to be paid), but next to the relic initiative users can click on "Freewill offering for the cause" towards the beautification.

The scheme is run by the Vicariate of Rome, which is promoting sainthood for John Paul. The faithful also receive a “holy card” with a prayer to “obtain graces through the intercession of John Paul II”.

Maybe they use scheme as a non-pejorative term in England, but judging by the rest of the article this doesn’t appear to be the case. Besides why sneer quotes around holy card?

But the scheme has caused disquiet in the Vatican, which is anxious to discourage the veneration of relics, seen as a medieval practice with no place in the modern church. “Wars were fought over the hunt for relics in the Middle Ages,” said Bishop Velasio De Paolis, secretary of the Apostolic Signature, the Vatican’s top judicial body.

Funny I guess nobody told the writers of the Catechism that it was only a medieval practice. Besides just who in the Vatican is disquieted? I guess you can just take quotes from Bishop Velasio De Paolis that appeared in a La Stampa article and then just assert whatever the heck you want to.

1674 Besides sacramental liturgy and sacramentals, catechesis must take into account the forms of piety and popular devotions among the faithful. The religious sense of the Christian people has always found expression in various forms of piety surrounding the Church’s sacramental life, such as the veneration of relics, visits to sanctuaries, pilgrimages, processions, the stations of the cross, religious dances, the rosary, medals, etc.

Also I wasn’t aware that the medieval ages went all the way back to the earliest days of the Church when relics were taken for St. Polycarp and has been a constant practice throughout the history of the Church including both testaments of the Bible.

�This is not a commercial operation,� said Father Marco Fibbi, spokesman for the Vicariate. Fragments would be sent to those who did not make a payment as well as to those who did.

The relics on offer are known as ex indumentis, meaning cloth that the late Pope touched. The Vicariate said it had been overwhelmed by requests for the relics, and donations to the beatification website had increased to 1,200 a day from 300 a day when it was launched four months after John Paul�s death. Thousands continue to file every day past the late Pope�s tomb in the crypt of St Peter�s Basilica.

You just got to love the ignorant media coverage of the Church. Also recently Jeff Israely once again did some ignorant coverage for Time in the assertion that Pope John Paul II requested euthanasia and he said that “Catholics are enjoined to pursue all means to prolong life.” It is quite obvious that one source religion reporters never use when covering the Church is the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

I am always glad when my skepticism about a story proves right and in this case I hadn’t covered the Kathy Saile’s USCCB appointment because of a spidey sense about the story.

Mark Shea’s got the goods.

Though I am rather surprised about myself that I even had any skepticism about a story that purported that the USCCB had supposedly appointed someone who was pro-abortion for the Director of Domestic Social Development.

Though while I am certainly glad she is pro-life, just judging from some of her past statements I don’t align myself with her previous statements on domestic policy and liturgy.

Earlier Amy Welborn linked to The Provincial Emails on a program called "Energizing Our Vibrancy" to increase Mass attendance in the Diocese of Milwaukee. This looks like another misguided program.

Sherry W at Intentional Disciples looks at the program and this problem in an post well worth reading.

Christian culture is not self-sustaining. Christian culture is the fruit of personal faith. Without the preaching of the kerygma and personal conversion which is the source of renewal in every generation, Christian culture ultimately withers away and dies.

A statement from the Diocese of Pittsburgh regarding Bodies … The Exhibition.

…With the assurances that the affidavits provide over the source of the bodies and fetuses, and the understanding that it is morally ethical that bodies unclaimed over a definitive period of time can be used for medical study and education, the Diocese of Pittsburgh concludes the following:

1. Bodies � The Exhibition� can provide worthwhile and effective opportunities to promote learning and to explore issues in the natural sciences, morality and spirituality;

2. �Bodies � The Exhibition� is certainly not appropriate for all audiences. Individuals in general and parents in particular must consider their own and their children�s sensitivities when determining whether or not to attend the exhibit;

3. The discussion generated in the public arena in anticipation of this exhibit is a valuable one that has raised serious questions about the dignity of the human person and how that dignity is expressed, protected and promoted. We applaud this public discourse on a matter so important to the fostering of a good society. We encourage continued dialogue on these important topics and welcome the opportunity to participate in them over the course of the exhibit�s stay in Pittsburgh.

The statement seems to me to be lacking in some of the moral issues concerning this display that go well beyond whether the bodies were obtained legally. Skinning bodies and posing them for entertainment value at the cost of admission is not exactly the same thing as the use of donated bodies for medical use.

Using the excuse that it can provide worthwhile discussions on morality and spirituality seems to be the same old excuse that is thrown out whenever they can’t justify it morally. The same excuse used by some to defend the Da Vinci Code movie and other events. Besides if worthwhile moral discussion were important then why aren’t any made in this letter besides the issue of where they got the bodies?

I would think at least that the dignity of the body would be discussed especially in the context of what has become a billion dollar plus exhibit. Or whether these so-called unclaimed bodies from the unreliable Chinese government really are treated with the respect and charity as specified in the Catechism. Archbishop Burke in St. Louis cancelled Catholic school field trips to the exhibit, but left it up to the parents as to whether this exhibit contradicted the Catholic faith.

First Things magazine had serious discussion on this exhibit with Robert T. Miller (anti) and Claire V. McCusker (pro) on the subject. Maybe this exhibit can be moral, I just wished the diocese letter attempted to address those issues.

Hat tip to the reader that sent this to me and Power Blog.

Both the Vatican and the U.S. bishops are investigating a book by a prominent American Catholic theologian, Vietnam-born Fr. Peter Phan of Georgetown University. The book raises issues about the uniqueness of Christ and the church, issues that were also behind recent censures of other high-profile theologians, as well as a recent Vatican declaration that the fullness of the Christian church resides in Catholicism alone.

The case confirms that no subject is of greater doctrinal concern for church authorities, including Pope Benedict XVI, than what they see as “religious relativism,” meaning the impression that Christ is analogous to other religious figures such as the Buddha, or that Christianity is one valid spiritual path among others.

John Allen Jr. writes that the investigation by the CDF has been ongoing since 2005 and so far Fr. Phan has not yet responded to questions given by Archbishop Angelo Amato.

As is always the case the CDF is slow and deliberate by giving theologians every opportunity to explain and to correct where necessary. It is rather interesting that Bishop William Lori, chair of the Committee on Doctrine for the U.S. bishops, is conducting a separate investigation with their own set of questions.

Carl Olson covers Hans Kung latest interview and his latest distortions of the Catholic faith and not surprisingly taking the media line on the new CDF document. We also learn that Kung is releasing yet another biography. Once again it is Hans Kung against the Church so he should be called Hans Solo.

Whereas the best theologians have done their theology on their knees, you get the idea that Hans Kung does his in front of a mirror.