Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog

Carl's Cuts for May 11, 2013

by Carl E. Olson | CWR blog

For every lengthy and (hopefully) in-depth blog post I write from time to time, there are countless posts I never get around to writing. In fact, I estimate that for every post I do end up writing, I read or skim through five or six dozen articles, essays, reviews, and such. The biggest challenge is simply time, but I also try to avoid simply posting something just to have "something up there". And then there are little stories or miscellaneous items that don't really warrant a full post, but might be of interest to some readers.

In years past, when blogging exclusively on Insight Scoop, I'd occasionally produce a round-up post, with several links, some with little or no commentary and a few with a bit more. That helped clear out the "in box", so to speak, and so I'm going to use the same approach once a week or so here on the CWR blog, under the title, "Carl's Cuts". The word "cuts" is used in a multi-facted way; I'll let you figure out the specific intentions as we move along here.

Some of these links have been around a few weeks. Perhaps you've already seen some of these stories. Whatever the case, they have made the cut for "Carl's Cuts". 

• Educatiional Quote: "If you happen to be Catholic, you can expect to be treated as a curious and repellent heretic, unenlightened about the latest word in sexual politics." It works well as a general summary of the state of things in the West, but it is from a recent New Criterion article, "The case of Bowdoin College", about a $60,000-a-year liberal arts college in Maine that is the poster-college, if you will, for the legacy of the Sixties. Not for the faint of heart, but certainly important reading for the sturdy of mind and soul.

• Signs of the Apocalypse: Prospect Magazine recently conducted a most thoughtful poll: "After more than 10,000 votes from over 100 countries, the results of Prospect’s world thinkers 2013 poll are in. Online polls often throw up curious results, but this top 10 offers a snapshot of the intellectual trends that dominate our age." And the winner is: Richard Dawkins. That does not bode well for the theory of evolution. Among Dawkins' brilliant achievements, the article proffers, is the coining of the term "meme", as well as being "prolific on Twitter." If making up words and using social media are the main criteria for intellectual greatness, we can rejoice in knowing that millions of geniuses are currently in their teens and early adulthood all around the world. Really, what does it say that over half of the top 65 picks are economists, sociologists, political scientists, activists, statisticians, and investment strategists? Nothing very good—and let me statistically analyze the ways and whys.

• Russell Shaw argues that "Leo XIII’s critique [of Americanism] is more substantial than apologists for Americanism care to admit. Much of it, in fact, is pertinent to conditions in American Catholicism today." Indeed, most pertinent.

• Believe it or not, blogger and author Brandon Vogt recently launched a website, StrangeNotions.com, focused on addressing atheism and skepticism. One of my articles, "Did Paul Invent Christianity?" (originally published in This Rock magazine) is on the site. Here is a list of contributors to the site.

• Rev. Robert A. Gahl, Jr., an associate professor of ethics at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, has written an essay for The Washington Post that asks the question, "Can Pope Francis finish the job that Benedict began?" He writes that in the 1990s, "Ratzinger was leading the curial push to decisively deal with perpetrators who were still a threat because of some weak-minded administrators and their policy to move criminals first to treatment and then back into ministry." He also writes:

Ratzinger did not aim for a middle place between the competing interests of the victims and of the accused, but to ascertain the truth, reach a verdict, and impose a just penalty, all while doing everything possible to heal the victims and repair the damage done to the church and society. After noting my concern for judicial due process, he indicated his unshakeable commitment to do everything possible to root out abusive clergy, fully cognizant that he could be criticized by canon lawyers for eliminating traditional steps in ecclesiastical trials designed to protect the rights of the accused.

He concludes, "All signs point to a Pope Francis ready to keep cleaning the house of God." So far, it appears, so good. 

• Do you live in the one of the "20 Most Well-Read Cities" in the United States? ...

Continue reading on the CWR blog.

Proclaiming Christ Through Catholic Radio

Proclaiming Christ Through Catholic Radio | Jim Graves | Catholic World Report

An interview with Steve Gajdosik, president of the Catholic Radio Association

Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City calls it “a bishop’s best friend.”  Bishop of Birmingham Robert Baker says it is an “indispensable tool.”  Archbishop of Denver Samuel Aquila refers to it as “a blessing which helps us to learn our faith and transform our hearts.”

Catholic radio is currently available on AM-FM radio to about 170 million Americans, or a little over half the nation, through about 250 Catholic radio stations. This may sound impressive, but it is dwarfed by the presence of non-Catholic Christian radio programming, which is delivered by 1,700 non-Catholic Christian stations. Additionally, there are still many major media markets—Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta, and Memphis, to name a few—that do not have Catholic radio.

As compared to Protestants, Catholics have been slow to discover the importance of radio in evangelization. Nonetheless, Catholic presence on the airwaves has been steadily increasing in recent years, and, according to Steve Gajdosik, president of the Catholic Radio Association, a unique opportunity to grow that presence has arisen. The CRA is a support organization of Catholic radio network owner-operators, and has the end-goal of helping to “push the growth of Catholic radio” in the United States.

Gajdosik recently spoke with CWR about Catholic radio, its success as an evangelization tool and opportunities to expand its reach in the future.

CWR: Although 170 million Americans have access to Catholic programming via AM-FM radio stations, is there any way to know exactly how many are listening?

Gajdosik: No, we don’t have a direct way to measure the size of our audiences.  Most Catholic stations don’t subscribe to Arbitron [a consumer research company that collects listener data on radio audiences], so we don’t have a lot of data available to us.  One exception, however, is Relevant Radio, a Catholic network that operates in the Midwest.  They subscribe to Arbitron.  The most recent numbers they had for the Chicago market were out of this world.  People were tuning in to the station and staying with it.

CWR: How is Catholic radio programming produced?

Continue reading on the CWR site.

Benedict and Francis: A Lesson in Apostolic Continuity

Benedict and Francis: A Lesson in Apostolic Continuity | William L. Patenaude | Catholic World Report

The differences between the two men give witness to the different gifts of the same Holy Spirit

When Pope Francis visited his predecessor at Castle Gandolfo in March, he said to Benedict XVI that “we are brothers.” This image nicely frames the differences between them. It underscores that the election of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was not a rupture in the Church (as some suggest) but an unexpected lesson in apostolic continuity.

Specifically, both men have illuminated from different perspectives the relation between the primacy of God’s offering of grace in the liturgy of the altar and subsequent encounters of man and neighbor in the liturgies of love in everyday life. While Pope Benedict most often stressed the encounter of God with man—which then calls for and makes possible authentic encounters with neighbor—Pope Francis has stressed man’s interactions with each other, which allows us to bring Christ to a world despairing in atheistic politics and individual spiritualities.

These and other forms of despair are well known to both men. Joseph Ratzinger witnessed it in the rise and fall of Nazi Germany and the brutality of Communist and other explicitly secular regimes. Jorge Bergoglio witnessed it in the poverty and politics of Argentina. He has also echoed Benedict XVI’s concern over a “dictatorship of relativism.”

Providentially, both men share particular theological remedies for all this. In his autobiography Milestones, Ratzinger calls attention to the writings of theologians like Henri de Lubac—the twentieth century Jesuit that is also appreciated by Pope Francis. Ratzinger recalls his delight in de Lubac’s expression of Catholicism as a “social faith, conceived and lived as a we—a faith that, precisely as such and according to its nature, was also hope, affecting history as a whole, and not only the promise of a private blissfulness to individuals.”

Today, Pope Francis is demonstrating the power of these words. He has offered stunning visuals that have captivated international audiences. And he exhorts the faithful to love likewise. In his March 27^th General Audience, he said that “[f]ollowing and accompanying Christ, staying with him, demands ‘coming out of ourselves’, requires us to be outgoing; to come out of ourselves, out of a dreary way of living faith that has become a habit, out of the temptation to withdraw into our own plans which end by shutting out God’s creative action.”

Some who cheer these words groaned eight years ago when the College of Cardinals elected Joseph Ratzinger to succeed Pope John Paul II.

Continue reading on the CWR site.

Of Bishops and Bombers

Of Bishops and Bombers | William Kilpatrick | Catholic World Report

It is time for Catholic leaders to update their thinking on Islam.

In his Sunday homily the week after the Boston Marathon bombing, Cardinal Sean O’Malley said that the action of the bombers was a “perversion of their religion.” We have grown accustomed to hearing such statements from prelates, as well as from presidents and prime ministers. Terrorist have “perverted” their religion or “distorted” it or “misinterpreted” it. But how accurate are such assessments?

On one occasion, Muhammad ordered the beheading of more than 700 Jews who had surrendered to him. On another occasion, when a severed head was tossed at his feet by one of his men, he exclaimed that it was “more acceptable to me than the choicest camel in Arabia.” On still another occasion he exulted, “I have been made victorious through terror.” Indeed, the Qur’an is full of admonitions to terrorize. Was Muhammad perverting the religion he founded? Was he a “misunderstander” of Islam?

Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev felt obliged by their religion to wage jihad. A song on their YouTube playlist is titled “I will dedicate my life to jihad.” Had they misunderstood or perverted the meaning of jihad? Many of Islam’s official representatives in America would like us to think so. They tell us that jihad is simply an interior spiritual struggle or a quest for self-betterment. For example, the Council on American Islamic Relations in Chicago sponsors a bus ad campaign that presents a benign interpretation of jihad.  Sample:  a picture of a young Muslim woman wearing a gym outfit and a hijab accompanied by the caption, “My jihad is to keep fit despite my busy schedule.  What’s yours?”

That’s one possible way to interpret jihad, but it’s not the main way that jihad has been understood in Islamic tradition throughout the centuries. 

Continue reading on the CWR site.

It's Not a Conspiracy, It's a Culture

It's Not a Conspiracy, It's a Culture | Carl E. Olson | Editorial | Catholic World Report

The silence about Kermit Gosnell's trial demonstrates the dominance of the culture of death and moral deafness.

I don't take in much baseball or golf, but I do usually watch some of the World Series and portions of the Master's golf tournament. As sporting events, both have a certain timeless quality (I won't get carried away and use the empty word, "magical"), but also a fair share of sporting drama. Besides, they are mostly free of discussions about politics, although they tend to be increasingly politically correct. Regardless, it was interesting to watch and listen to some of the serious arguments and intense discussions that commenced once news broke that Tiger Woods had dropped a ball (after his tee shot went into the water on the 15th hole on Friday) a full two yards behind his original spot, which led to a two stroke penalty. Mayhem insued, and there were some folks insisting that the #1 golfer in the world should have disqualified himself.

Reflecting on the spectacle of adults arguing over 72 inches of turf, I tweeted the following about 24 hours after the Tiger story broke:

Google news search brings up 39,000 links for "Kermit Gosnell"+"trial" but 145,000 for "Tiger Woods"+"penalty". MSM should be disqualified.

Unless you watch only CNN or read only the New York Times, you know about the story about the non-story within the story of the murder trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell. The trial has been going on for nearly a month in Philadephia, but has received even less coverage from the mainstream media (MSM) than did the celebration of Easter. One could glibly joke that Gosnell would have garnered far more attention if he were a junior high boy pretending to shoot fellow students with a crooked twig during recess, except that story would have undoubtedly made it on the MSM radar within hours, if not minutes. Last Thursday, CWR's managing editor, Catherine Harmon, explained the particulars of the story and noted the media silence, which was itself fast becoming a story. Since then, the uproar—via e-mails, tweets, Facebook, and so forth—from outraged Americans (and others, I presume) rose to the point that the New York Times finally relented and published an editorial this past weekend on the subject of abortion doctors, abortion clinics, and the fight for goodness and truth:

Continue reading on the CWR site.

What Are Catholics To Do? (Part II)

What Are Catholics To Do? (Part II) | James Kalb | Catholic World Report

In the absence of agreement with the rest of society on human nature and the good life, Catholics must remain a sign of contradiction.

Last month I noted that Catholics need settings in which they can lead a Catholic life among Catholics. For most of us, loving God and living as Christians take schooling and support, which we aren’t going to get from the world at large. That may be one reason the Apostle Paul’s letters focus more on the practical internal life of Christian communities than on evangelism. The ultimate ideal may be the New Jerusalem, in which the distinction between the Church and the World disappears, but we’re not likely to get there any time soon.

Still, those who object to “fortress” or “ghetto” Catholicism have a point. Something of an inward focus may be necessary, because today’s world is so much at odds with the Faith, and we Catholics are not already everything we should be. It should not be exaggerated, however. Christ told his followers to go out and teach all nations, and love of neighbor means engagement with the world both individually and socially.

But how do we engage the world socially when Caesar—and the media—are ever more powerful and anti-Catholic? During the Christian centuries, when social leaders accepted Catholic Christianity as the norm, it was natural for them to recognize the authority of the Church regarding matters on which she has special competence. It was no odder for the king to accept Church authority on faith and morals than it is today for a government to accept the authority of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or defer to the National Academy of Sciences on an engineering question.

Those days are past, and it is less obvious today how the Church can play an effective social and political role. People mostly aren’t Catholic, and social leaders are less so than most. Vatican II, while reaffirming traditional doctrine on the duty of men and societies toward the Church and the true religion, recognized that reality. Ever since, Catholics have been trying to find practical ways to cooperate in building a better social order in a setting that does not accept Catholic doctrine as authoritative.

Cooperative efforts require common ground, and the more complex and comprehensive the effort the more common ground is needed. In the absence of agreement on the most fundamental issues, Catholics have tried to base their cooperation with the extremely complex and comprehensive activities of the modern state and other secular actors on natural law.

Natural law can be developed philosophically in various ways.

Continue reading on the CWR site.

Defending Marriage, and Why It Matters

Defending Marriage, and Why It Matters | Jim Graves | Catholic World Report

An interview with Ryan T. Anderson, co-author of What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense

Ryan T. Anderson, 31, researches and writes about marriage and religious liberty as the William E. Simon Fellow in Religion and a Free Society at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC.  He is also the editor of Public Discourse, the online journal of the Witherspoon Institute in Princeton, NJ.

Ryan T. Anderson

He has emerged as a leading defender of traditional marriage before audiences on college and law school campuses, as well as in the mainstream media (he recently sparred with CNN host Piers Morgan and lesbian financial advisor and motivational speaker Suze Orman, for example).

Anderson was born and raised in Baltimore, and, while he is Catholic, his parents sent him and his four brothers to a Quaker school, “for reasons we still don’t fully understand,” he chuckles.  At an early age he found his views often at odds with those of his classmates, such as on the issue of abortion.  He said, “Being in a minority status makes you examine your positions more thoroughly.”

Anderson’s articles have appeared in numerous periodicals, and he recently co-authored What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense (Encounter Books) with Robert George and Sherif Girgis. He recently spoke with CWR.

CWR: Why is marriage unique from other adult relationships?

Anderson: As we argue in our book, it is unique because it involves a union of hearts, minds, and bodies of a man and a woman, at all levels of their beings, in an act that has the potential to produce new human life.  Marital relationships are not only emotional, but are ordered towards bearing and rearing children.  

If we reject the understanding that marriage should be between one man and one woman, other questions arise. Why, for example, should we limit marriage to two people?  What about “thruples” [a three-person “couple”]?  What’s so magical about the number two?  Perhaps someone believes their marriage would be enhanced with the introduction of a third party.  If we don’t insist that marriage is a distinct, bodily union between one man and one woman, then we leave it up to the spouses to decide.

Also, why should marriage be permanent?  Emotions come and go, so some people might prefer their marriage to be temporary.

CWR: Polls say younger people are more open to same-sex marriage than the overall population. Why do you think many in your generation have this perspective?

Continue reading on the CWR site.

Praise for "Francis: Pope of a New World" by Andrea Tornielli

"And it's Ignatius by a nose." So writes Mark Judge at the start of his review of Francis: Pope of a New World (Ignatius, 2013), by Andrea Tornielli, which is available now as an e-book and in hardcover on April 10:

Since Pope Francis was elected March 13, there has been a breathless scramble by publishers to get anything by or about the pontiff into stores and onto Kindles. The first one out is Andrea Tornielli's Jorge Mario Bergoglio: Francis: Pope of a New World. It's published by Ignatius Press, the popular Catholic house that published most of the books by Pope Benedict XVI.

Francis: Pope of a New World is exactly what you would expect of a book published by a respected house in two weeks: a serviceable primer that uses lengthy quotes from other sources. Still, Tornielli, a writer for the Vatican Insider website, is a good storyteller, and his insane deadline may have contributed to the lucidity of his prose. He's like a hard crime writer who had to chop anything superfluous in the rush to pub date.

Thus, we get a general sketch of Jorge Bergoglio, the man who would become pope. His parents were Italian immigrants to Argentina. They were devout Catholics, and during a confession when he was a young man Jorge felt the call to the priesthood. He joined the Jesuits because he liked the tough language of the order that called itself "the pope's Marines" (of course, today they're more like Obama's army).

He felt a particular compassion for the poor, and insisted on living simply even as moved up the ranks. He cooked for fellow priests and rode the subway to work. He moved up to Archbishop of Buenos Ares, and then was appointed a cardinal by John Paul II.

Tornielli relies on a lot of long block quotes, but his choices are always interesting. Very soon a picture emerges, and it is one that reveals just what a tonic, in fact how revolutionary, Francis may turn out to be.

Read Judge's entire review on the RealClearBooks.com site.

Over at National Review Online, Michael Potemra also offers praise for the biography:

Ignatius Press has just released an insta-book that is an impressive account of the recent papal transition. ... The author, prominent Italian Vaticanista Andrea Tornielli, provides the key details of the resignation of Benedict XVI and the subsequent papal election and inauguration, as well as a biography and character study of the new pope.

Tornielli does a good job of assembling the existing Spanish-language and other sources into a coherent portrait of a humble but strong pastor: “someone who came to serve and not to lord it over [people,] a man . . . who came to facilitate their encounter with Jesus. Nearness, mercy, gentleness, patience: These are the words of Father Bergoglio.” ...

There is also a hint that the new pope is less interested in church controversies about such matters as liturgical rubrics and canon law than in more basic issues of the church’s presence in the external world. Talking to a young priest who wanted to know whether he should wear a cassock, he said: “The problem is not whether or not you put it on but whether you roll up the sleeves to work for others.”

Tornielli was recently interviewed by ZENIT about the book:

ZENIT: You are an expert on the Vatican, but our new Pope comes from afar. How did you set about studying this new subject, and so quickly?

Tornielli: It was not so difficult for me because I've known him for 10 years, and met with him a few times in Rome. I also interviewed him one year ago, in February 2012. ...

ZENIT: Related to question two, now that Francis is under global scrutiny, seemingly small choices -- say, the color of shoes, or style of chair -- might be given far-reaching interpretations, something along the lines of "He is using a simpler white chair, so he's making a break with his predecessor (or predecessors.)" What's your perspective on Francis' choices in these first days as Pope?

Tornielli: I don't agree with the analysis about the breaks with his predecessor. Gossip over continuity and breaks with previous popes based on mozzettas, ermine furs and red shoes is threatening to overshadow the reality of true continuity between Benedict XVI and Francis. Theirs is a continuity that finds proof in several passages, in small deeds and acts that were seen and heard during the first few days of this pontificate: the humility shown by both, their shared knowledge that the Church is ultimately led by God, and their sense of peace.

ZENIT: Tell us some of the things readers might be surprised to learn about Francis from your book?

Tornielli: I think first of all, to discover that Francis is a Church man so rigorous with himself but also merciful to others. He is a very humble and poor man, a real witness of the Gospel. In one of the chapters of my book, I share the story about his last Mass in the residence for priests of via della Scrofa in Rome, in which he lived before the conclave. He concelebrated Mass every day with the other priests, but the last day he wanted to concelebrate serving a Mass presided by a priest, with the cardinal serving as "altar boy."

Read the entire interview.

Priest recipient of next week’s Medal of Honor subject of new book

Fr. Emil Kapaun’s incredible story now available 

ATLANTA, April 3, 2013 – Fr. Emil Kapaun will receive the Medal of Honor from the President of the United States next Thursday at the White House, nearly 60 years after he heroically gave his life in the Korean War. The Vatican is also considering him a possible candidate for Sainthood.

And today, his life, service and hero’s death is the subject of an incredible new book, The Miracle of Father Kapaun: Priest, Soldier and Korean War Hero, published by Ignatius Press.  One of the most remarkable aspects of his story surrounds the atypical movement of support for both his sainthood cause and his Medal of Honor award.  The witnesses to both his sanctity and his bravery have come from non-Catholics, men of Jewish faith, Muslim faith and Protestant tradition, who served with Fr. Kapaun in battle or in the brutality of conditions where he drew his last breath – a prisoner of war camp. They have spent years petitioning the Vatican to elevate him to Sainthood because of what they witnessed on the battlefield. 

In tracking down the amazing story of Fr. Kapaun first for the Wichita Eagle newspaper, authors Roy Wenzl and Travis Heying uncovered a paradox. Kapaun’s ordinary background as the son of Czech immigrant farmers sowed the seeds of his greatness.  This is a true patriot’s story. Says author Roy Wenzl, “Kapaun’s friends do not consider themselves experts on miracles, but they know what they saw, and as far as they are concerned, the man himself was something like a miracle. By the time we talked to most of them, the secretary of the Army and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had learned enough about the already decorated U.S. Army captain to recommend him, posthumously, for the highest military honor in the United States. The Pentagon is in the business of declaring war heroes, not saints. But to many of Kapaun’s eyewitnesses, they amount to the same thing.”

To schedule interviews with the authors, or to receive a review copy, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com) of Carmel Communications.

Meet Fr. Roderick Vönhogen, the "podcasting priest"

Fr. Roderick Vönhogen and the author in St. Peter's Square.

by John Paul Shimek | Catholic World Report

Known as the “podcasting priest,” Fr. Roderick Vönhogen is a pioneer in the new social media. His podcast program “The Catholic Insider” draws an audience from around the globe. Each week, listeners in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand tune in to his hour-long show. It was his audience’s enthusiasm for the show that inspired him to launch the Star Quest Production Network (or, SQPN), one of worldwide Catholicism’s most popular media platforms in the service of the new evangelization. 

Last week, I had a chance to sit down to dinner with Fr. Roderick near the Vatican. Over Italian pizza, pasta, patate fritte, and vino rosso, we talked about the challenges and promises of a digitized Church.
 
Although Fr. Roderick hails from Holland, his English is flawless and his imitations of Australian and British accents are pitch-perfect. While he can proclaim the Gospel in numerous national languages – he speaks Dutch, German, French, and Italian – it is his infectious cheerfulness that best communicates the message of Christ and the Church. Several times, our dinner table shook as we busted up laughing. More than a media mogul with exceptional talent, Fr. Roderick is a priest alive in Christ Jesus – a man who has been surprised with the generous love of God. And, he communicates the goia Christiana like few others.

Since Fr. Roderick launched his English-language podcast program in 2005, he has traveled the world, broadcasting Christ’s message to countless listeners. He has done shows in his native Europe, North America, Latin America, and Africa. He will be in Rio de Janeiro for the 2013 World Youth Day, which is scheduled for July 23-28. Along the road, Fr. Roderick has had some surprising adventures and he has encountered some demanding challenges, as well. In 2005, just moments after Pope John Paul II died, he broadcast a high-speed bike chase toward St. Peter’s Square where he joined pilgrims beneath the windows of the papal apartment.

Fr. Roderick got started in media when he studied social communications at the Pontifical Gregorian University here in Rome.

Continue reading on the CWR blog.

A Week of Firsts

A Week of Firsts | Michael Severance | Catholic World Report

The “Bergoglio comeback” and insights from Vatican-watchers into what we can expect from Pope Francis

Some of the less-experienced journalists covering the papal conclave were right on the money one week ago. As wrote in my report last Monday, many of these young vaticanisti covering their first conclave believed that Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio had a strong chance of surging from behind to beat leading papabili such as Cardinals Scola and Ouellet. 

They were convinced the Argentine would have his rivincita—his comeback—in the 2013 conclave. Their rookie rhyme was not without reason.

Their plain and simple reasoning, not appreciated by the most experienced Vatican scholars and journalists, was essentially this: here is a man who was the apparent runner-up in 2005, and 50 of the cardinal electors from 2005 would be present again in the Sistine Chapel. Surely a good portion of them, say 30 to 40, would team up to recast a Bergoglio ballot for pope. Certainly many cardinal electors still felt wronged for having lost and desired retribution. Thus, they came to battle for their chosen leader.

Even if this wasn’t exactly what played out behind the closed doors of the conclave, a man known as “the quiet thunder” would indeed come roaring from behind to be chosen in the 2013 papal election.

To their credit, expert papal scholars and veteran vaticanisti, such as John Allen, Jr., did have a hunch: namely, the next pope would come from a developing country, most likely from the New World, and with little or no Curia experience, thus being positioned as an objective reformer without the local friends or nepotistic considerations that can fuel corruption.

Like other experts, Allen thought the most likely scenario involved a New World candidate who is Euro-compatible, that is, a polyglot with plenty of first-world experience and Continental heritage. Thus there was strong support for the Brazilian of German extraction, Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer. Bergoglio was seen as too old, especially considering Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had apparently indicated the need for a younger, more energetic successor.

All said and done, it is a fairly safe bet that Cardinal Bergolgio had very strong support on the first vote and that he enjoyed a wave of momentum until the white smoke blew after the fifth round on day two.  It is also a safe bet to say the Holy Spirit gently nudged cardinal electors to reconsider Bergoglio when, during the last of the pre-conclave general congregations, he urged his colleagues to revitalize the Church’s sensitivity to poverty, renew her virtue of austerity in a consumerist-materialistic society, and rid herself of sinful corruption.

The rest is now history.

A week of firsts

Certainly, last Wednesday was not the first time many faithful had personally witnessed the exciting Habemus Papam! pronounced from St. Peter’s loggia.

Many folks, just like me, were right there in St. Peter’s Square only eight years ago when a shy Benedict appeared before a spill-over crowd. Still others, now graying and with grandchildren, were there on John Paul I’s or John Paul II’s first day nearly 35 years ago.

Notwithstanding, this past week proved a historic week of “firsts” for many other noteworthy reasons.

Continue reading on the CWR site.

The Pope and the Poor

The Pope and the Poor | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. | Catholic World Report

A Jesuit reflects on the new pontificate and the problem of poverty

The day following the election of the archbishop of Buenos Aires to the papacy, I must have received fifty e-mails from friends and family asking if I knew the man or had any comment on him. What struck me was how little we knew about him. If he has a paper trail (the previous three popes had extensive ones), it is yet to reach us, though I did read the following comment from a statement in Buenos Aires a couple of years ago: “We hope legislators, heads of state, and health professionals, conscious of the dignity of human life and the rootedness of the family in our peoples, will defend and protect it from the abominable crimes of abortion and euthanasia, that is their responsibility.” I presume Ignatius Press is busily translating and preparing what we do have for English publication. What we do have are actions taken and gestures made while he was Jesuit provincial and a bishop in Argentina. He rides the bus, leads a simple life, and loves the poor.

Though Cardinal Bergoglio was reportedly a contender in the previous conclave, his age and health seemed to militate against him, but in retrospect only “seemed.” They turned out to be advantages. We are reminded that Pope Leo XIII was elected as a sort of interim pope but he lasted twenty-five productive years. With the voluntary retirement of Benedict XVI, the whole issue of a pope’s health has changed. I have heard it said that Pope Francis has only one lung. Well, I figure if Schall can get by with one eye, the man on the Chair of Peter can get by with one lung!

Two things immediately strike us about Pope Francis: he is from Argentina and he is a Jesuit. Neither one of these may mean much in the long run. He is now in an office that transcends both, but does not necessarily bypass them. Pope Francis will clearly, I think, have cordial relations with Benedict XVI, as well as with the Jesuit General and the Latin American Bishops’ Conference, not to mention the Franciscans. He is a friend of Opus Dei. With John Paul II and Benedict, we have become used to the attention paid to the various Orthodox traditions, and this connection will continue. Francis was a friend of the Ukrainian Catholic community in Argentina, and he will be meeting this Wednesday with delegates from several Eastern Catholic Churches. 

It seems pretty well settled that Francis is Francis of Assisi, not Francis Borgia, Francis Xavier, or Francis de Sales. Yet probably every Francis is ultimately named after Francis of Assisi.

Continue reading on the CWR site.

Piers, Penn, and the Essence of Catholicism

by Brian Jones | CWR blog

At the end of a Wednesday evening class last semester, one of my students approached me to ask a question. After hesitating somewhat, he proceeded in the following manner: “Professor, I really have enjoyed your class, but you always teach as though Catholicism is true. You rarely talk about other religions, of which I was actually hoping to learn more about.” I reminded the troubled young man that he should re-read the syllabus, since “Teachings of the Catholic Church” is actually the official course title. The humorous encounter reminded me of Walker Percy’s response to the question of why he became a Catholic: “What else is there?” How ironic, yet typical of most university students, that someone would be taking a course on Catholicism and simultaneously be disgruntled that this is precisely what he is getting. 

The history of Catholicism has thankfully shown us that there is a tremendous pedagogical character regarding the nature of error: it helps us achieve greater clarity on a particular matter that may have, up to that point, been otherwise. Moreover, error also helps us to see whether or not the one committing it has willfully chosen it. It would be safe to say that the latter is a hallmark of many post-modern Catholics. The student mentioned in the beginning was, in my estimation, suffering from a high degree of excusable ignorance; he did not have a full grasp of what he was asking, and seemed more the result of a cultural that had groomed him to accept relativism a priori. Others, have fallen away from the faith, not by an excusable ignorance or happenstance, but by a mode of living that refuses to conform itself to the demands of the faith.  

These preliminary points came to mind last week as I watched the brief exchange between Piers Morgan and Penn Jillette (easily accessible on YouTube). 

Continue reading on the CWR blog.

Conclave Bingo!

From CatholicMemes.com:

The Catholic Church is Out of Touch with its Members? Say What?

Catholic experts available to respond to controversial survey on the state of the Catholic Church

ATLANTA, March 8, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Numerous clergy, religious and lay Catholic experts are prepared to address the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute's recently conducted survey that found that 52 percent of American Catholics believe the Church is moving in the right direction, but 52 percent also said Church leaders were out of touch with American Catholics. Fifty-five percent of the 497 Catholics who were surveyed said the next pope should move the church in new directions.
According to the controversial survey, released Friday, majorities of Catholic Americans also believe the Church needs to change its stance on several hot-button issues, including its ban on contraception (64 percent), marriage among priests (62 percent) and the ordination of women (62 percent).

"The survey doesn't adequately reflect the distinction between practicing and non-practicing Catholics," said Mark Brumley, president and CEO of Ignatius Press. "And while it is helpful to know what people say they think, what is right or wrong isn't determined by a survey. The confused results show that the Church needs to be clearer, firmer and more persuasive in presenting her message, and not let people with little understanding of that message call the shots. Jesus' teaching was not initially well-received by the establishment of his day. It should come as no surprise that the Church's continuation of that teaching meets with opposition among today's establishment, sometimes even among people who identify themselves as Catholics."

Dr. Pia de Solenni adds, "If polls and news outlets want a real story, ask the people who regularly attend Mass what they believe. Start here in the U.S. But also ask people around the world, like the 350,000 who recently protested same-sex marriage in France. If you want to get really interesting, ask Anglicans in the African nations what they think about the Catholic Church's teachings on marriage."

Dr. Pia de Solenni, Mark Brumley and over a dozen other experts, including priests, lay experts and women religious, are prepared to speak on the inadequacies and inaccuracies of Catholic surveys conducted by Quinnipiac and other polling institutes.
Contact Lisa Wheeler (770-591-0045 or LWheeler@CarmelCommunications.com) or Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com) of Carmel Communications to schedule interviews with our Catholic experts.

The Last of the Giants?

The Last of the Giants? | Carl E. Olson | Catholic World Report

It is too early to judge the pontificate of Benedict XVI, but Joseph Ratzinger's brilliance and holiness cannot be denied.

“Church as ours and ours alone is a pointless game in a sandbox.” — Fr. Joseph Ratzinger, 1970

This morning, as I watched live video of Pope Benedict XVI flying from the Vatican to the Castel Gandolfo, I felt, for the first time really, a deep sense of sadness. As the Holy Father stepped from the helicopter, his fatigue and frailty appeared quite obvious, even while his gaze seemed as focused and intent as ever. Then, a few moments later, he appeared on the balcony to make his final, brief address as pontiff.

“You know that today is different from others”, he said, “as of eight pm I will no longer be the Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church. I will simply be a pilgrim who is beginning the last part of his pilgrimage on earth.” Those familiar with the writings Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI will recall the collection of his essays, Pilgrim Fellowship of Faith: The Church as Communion (Ignatius Press, 2005), presented to Cardinal Ratzinger on the occasion of his 75^th birthday. The title and subtitle captures, in just eight words, an essential focus of the thought and work of Ratzinger. In his final general audience, given two days ago, Benedict thanked those who had written him notes in recent weeks, reflecting on the meaning of those gestures of love and support:

In this you can touch what the Church is—not an organization, not an association for religious or humanitarian ends, but a living body, a communion of brothers and sisters in the Body of Jesus Christ who unites us all. Experiencing the Church in this way and being able to almost touch with our hands the strength of His truth and His love is a reason for joy at a time when many are speaking of its decline. See how the Church is alive today!

That passage came to mind as I watched the FOX broadcast of events at the Vatican and Castel Gandolfo. One of the reporters, who was obviously a Catholic, was asked a question about the heart of the Catholic Faith: what is it? She referenced the Church’s rich intellectual tradition and the Church’s stand for human rights, but she never mentioned the person of Jesus Christ. This stood out to me because Benedict himself, since announcing his resignation, has spoken several times about the relationship between Jesus Christ and his Church, a relationship that is all about a communion of life and love.

Perhaps the best example of this can be found in his lengthy and fascinating address to priests and clergy on February 14^th, a talk that might be described as a papal history of Vatican II:

Continue reading on the CWR site.

The McAleese Report shocker you'll not hear about in the MSM

by Carl E. Olson | Catholic World Report blog

Don't expect to hear much inthe U.S. media about the stunning McAlleese Report, especially not since the mythology of vicious, vile, and abusive Irish nuns running the the Magdalene Laundries has been so firmly established by Hollywood and the lame-stream media in recent years. The 1,000-page long "Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee to establish the facts of State involvement with the Magdalen Laundries" is the result of an in-depth and wide-ranging investigation into the infamous Laundries (a big ht to Dave Pierre, Jr., of TheMediaReport.com). 

The atheist Brendan O'Neill, who is editor of spiked! (and whose journalistic integrity has long impressed me) summarized the Report recently in a blog post for The Telegraph:

The publication last week of the Irish government's McAleese Report on the Magdalene laundries has proved kind of awkward for Catholic-bashers. For if McAleese's thorough, 1,000-page study is to be believed, then it would appear that those laundries were not as evil and foul as they had been depicted over the past decade. Specifically the image of the laundries promoted by the popular, much-lauded film The Magdalene Sisters – which showed them as places where women were stripped, slapped, sexually abused and more – has been called into question by McAleese. This has led even The Irish Times, which never turns down an opportunity to wring its hands over Catholic wickedness, to say: "There is no escaping the fact that the [McAleese] report jars with popular perceptions."

In the Irish mind, and in the minds of everyone else who has seen or read one of the many films, plays and books about the Magdalene laundries, these were horrific institutions brimming with violence and overseen by sadistic, pervy nuns. Yet the McAleese Report found not a single incident of sexual abuse by a nun in a Magdalene laundry. Not one. Also, the vast majority of its interviewees said they were never physically punished in the laundries. As one woman said, "It has shocked me to read in papers that we were beat and our heads shaved and that we were badly treated by the nuns… I was not touched by any nun and I never saw anyone touched." The small number of cases of corporal punishment reported to McAleese consisted of the kind of thing that happened in many normal schools in the 1960s, 70s and 80s: being caned on the legs or rapped on the knuckles. The authors of the McAleese Report, having like the rest of us imbibed the popular image of the Magdalene laundries as nun-run concentration camps, seem to have been taken aback by "the number of women who spoke positively about the nuns".

As O'Neill points out, the approach taken by many media members now is that, well, hey, even if many or all of the more sensational accusations were false or wildly embellished, at least they did good by pointing out problems. He writes, "The idea of the 'good lie', the lie which helps open people's eyes to the existence of wickedness, should be anathema to anyone who cares about getting history right and establishing the truth." You would think. But, of course, the approach taken is a tried and true one. Just look at the example of Pope Pius XII, who no one thought was responsible for the persecution and death of Jews—until an anti-Catholic German playwright wrote "The Deputy" in the early 1960s, setting in motion the now prevalent—and false—image of an anti-Semitic, passive pontiff. 

I've not, of course, read the entire Report, but here are a couple of important passages; first, from Chapter 19, which describes living and work conditions:

Continue reading on the CWR blog.

Sometimes you simply have to laugh...

... otherwise you might be forced to take seriously the foolishness that seems to dominate the internet, the airwaves, and the supposedly serious, important newspapers of note. So, as something of a humor break (and, no, I'm not going to reference the Grammys or the State of the Union Address, despite the ripe material), here are three stories that had me chuckling recently.

• On the day the news broke in Rome, Cliff Kinkaid of the conservative group, Accuracy in Media, penned a rather breathless piece titled, "Pope’s Possible Successor Promotes Marxist for Sainthood". When I first saw the headline, I thought it must be refering to some Italian or French Cardinal. Nope, not at all:

American Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan, reported to be in the running to replace Pope Benedict XVI as the head of the Roman Catholic Church, is usually described as a “conservative” because he has strongly criticized President Obama’s attacks on religious liberty and federal intrusions into church affairs. But Dolan is also the leader of the campaign to promote Marxist Dorothy Day for Sainthood.

One report asks, “Could Timothy Dolan Become The First American Pope?” Dolan, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB,) is considered the voice of U.S. Catholicism.

But Carol Byrne, author of The Catholic Worker Movement (1933-1980): A Critical Analysis, says Dolan manipulated a vote by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops last November to move forward with the canonization of Dorothy Day, even though The New York Times itself noted that some of the Bishops said “she had an abortion as a young woman and at one point flirted with joining the Communist Party.”

In other news, it was recently revealed that one of the Church's greatest Doctors was a New Age-y gnostic who had a longtime mistress. But, hey, who cares about St. Augustine's life prior to conversion when we have Dorothy Day's life prior to conversion? The funny thing, however, was that Pope Benedict XVI, in his February 14th Ash Wednesday general audience, said the following:

Continue reading on the CWR blog.

A Figure of Impossibility

A Figure of Impossibility | Carl E. Olson | Editorial | Catholic World Report

The pontificate of Benedict XVI has been a short, bracing, and often surprising journey in discipleship.

“The rejection of the primacy of St. Peter has driven men on to a slippery course, where all the steps are downwards.”— Lord Acton

It has been quite a week. My head is still spinning, and I'm sure that only half of it is due to the flu, fever, and medication I've been fighting, enduring, and imbibing (respectively) since last Sunday afternoon.

I.

Where to start? How about with the head of the Catholic Church?

Consider: He is brilliant, yet enigmatic. Some find him inspiring; others think he is frightening. Some insist his reign is the result of mythology, superstition, and ignorance. Others claim he is the personification of humility, service, and true charity. In some corners, he is rejected for his politically incorrect views about marriage and sexuality, and his insistence that only certain men, no women at all, can be priests or bishops. His talk of sin and of eternal judgment has upset many, but his call to discipleship, sacrifice, and humble worship resonates with countless millions.

But there has often been talk of scandal. One of those closest to him betrayed his trust, exposing him to ridicule. There was even talk of arrest and prosecution. Some within his inner circle have apparently been more interested in pursuing power than in service. He is, in short, controversial—a lightning rod for debate, discussion and, sadly, division.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

Guess who's cashing in on contraception?

David Catron writes that the "central issue of the public debate over the Obama administration’s contraception mandate" has been that of religious freedom, a focus that is "hardly surprising." But why, he asks,

would the Obama administration, having won the legislative struggle to get Obamacare passed and fought a brutal legal battle to prevent it from being overturned by the Supreme Court, risk another visit to that fickle tribunal by insisting on this egregious mandate?

As the old saying goes, "Follow the money!"

Contraception is big business, and the HHS mandate promises to turn it into a cash cow for companies like Barr Laboratories. How? Avik Roy explains: “Under the current system, drug companies have an incentive to compete on price.… Under the new mandate, this price incentive disappears.” Insurance policies that covered contraception prior to the mandate encouraged patients to forego pricey products by charging higher co-pays than for generic equivalents. The HHS mandate forbids such co-pays, so there is no incentive to choose “Brand X.”

Roy goes on as follows: “Drug companies will be able to market ‘branded’ contraceptives at premium prices, knowing that women are free to choose the most expensive, designer product because it will cost them the same as the cheapest generic.” In other words, the contraception mandate is a license to steal for Big Pharma. Does that explain why President Obama and his Commissar of HHS, Kathleen Sebelius, are willing to endure another round of legal battles? Yep. The fix was obviously in at least as far back as 2009.

Read Catron's entire column on the American Spectator site. Roy, in his March 2012 piece for The Atlantic, highlights the fiscal insanity of the situation, which essentially boils down to the Big Government artificially driving up costs so that both Big Government and Big (Drug) Businesses benefit:

Under the current system, drug companies have an incentive to compete on price. If you have health insurance that covers birth control today, your insurer is likely to charge you a higher co-pay for expensive, "branded" versions of birth control over cheaper, generic ones. If you don't have health insurance, and you're buying the Pill directly from the pharmacy at Wal-Mart, you have even more incentive to shop on price.

Under the new mandate, this price incentive disappears. Insurers will be required to pay for any and all oral contraceptives, without charging a co-pay, co-insurance, or a deductible. This "first dollar coverage" of oral contraception kills the incentive to shop based on price.

If history is any guide, this significant change will drive up the price of oral contraception. Today, Tri-Sprintec costs $9 a month. In 2020, don't be surprised if it costs $30. Drug companies will be able to market "branded" contraceptives at premium prices, knowing that women are free to choose the most expensive, designer product because it will cost them the same as the cheapest generic. Prepare yourself for multi-million-dollar Super Bowl ad campaigns from competing manufacturers.

If you were surprised that PhRMA, the pharmaceutical trade group, backed Obamacare, now you can see why: the HHS contraception mandate alone will be a multi-billion-dollar boondoggle for the pharma industry. If your health insurance plan allowed you to buy a television, of any price, without any cost-sharing on your part, would you buy a 13-inch CRT or a 60-inch flat screen?

Roy concludes, "The contraception contretemps is a case study in how thoughtless laws and policies drive up the cost of health care, making it less accessible to those who are most in need. The path to truly affordable health care involves moving in exactly the opposite direction: restoring the notion that health insurance is meant as protection for catastrophic costs, and letting people buy birth-control pills for themselves."

But how "thoughtless", really, are these laws and policies? Most people associate "crony capitalism" with Republicans, and not without good cause in many cases. However, cronyism really knows no bounds in D.C., a town that thrives on power, which ultimately boils down to controlling as many aspects and details of citizens' lives as possible. Aaron M. Renn, in a recent essay for City Journal, examines the current prosperity enjoyed in D.C., writing:

Continue reading on the CWR blog.