Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog

Michael O'Brien writes about the "Split in Consciousness...

... Split in Conscience" he sees in some of the responses so far to Caritas in Veritate:

As Cardinal Josef Ratzinger pointed out more than 25 years ago, the political terms “liberal” and “conservative” are grossly misleading when applied to the Kingdom of God. They are especially so when applied to the ongoing evangelical mission of the Church, which is to draw all men to Christ, to work while the light lasts, to be a “light to the Gentiles.”

The most destructive aberrations in social and political thought of the post-war era have arisen from the application of these artificial constructs to the human community: left versus right, liberal versus conservative, neo-liberal versus neo-conservative, love versus truth, justice versus mercy, etc, etc. These adversarial templates present to us as fact certain images that function in the mind much the same way as does myth, faith systems, and symbols. But myths, if they are not based in reality, can create artificial dichotomies that derive from damage done to man’s concept of himself and his societies. They alter consciousness, the psychology of perception at its very roots. And thus they alter conscience. This in turn largely determines the choices we make and the actions that come from them.

While the templates may have a strictly limited value in their particular sphere of reference, they become destructive to the degree that they displace or negate “the whole truth about Man.” The slow mutation of the crucial templates since the end of the Cold War has not brought about the end of dehumanizing forces at work in the world. It is part of our current state of delusion to think that the fall of major Marxist regimes has ushered in a new era in which freedom largely reigns, and in which the spread of democracy has taken a leap forward in a determined historical process.

The truth is that the errors inherent in all forms of Materialism, including Marxism, varieties of Socialism, and certain kinds of exploitive Capitalism, have now spread throughout the world as the great leveler and engine of societies. Theocratic tyrannies (radical Islamicism being the most obvious) are a different category, yet they and the Materialist societies have one thing in common, and it is a decisive thing, a most deadly thing: In their anthropology and practice, each in their way minimalize, where they do not negate altogether, the value of man—every man, any man from conception to natural death.

Pope Benedict’s stunning new encyclical cuts across all ideological lines, calling all mankind to an examination of conscience regarding our fundamental approach to the meaning of the human person. He does not speak about mankind in the abstract, not as “the masses”, not as geopolitical statistics or economic utilities, but as the entire community of human beings in this world, each possessing inherent rights and duties. We are, he says, “the Family of Man.” Thus, the encyclical challenges human enterprises of every sort to see farther and deeper than we have until now, to understand that the development of a truly human world can only be based in solidarity with all members of the community: “The truth of development consists in its completeness: if it does not involve the whole man and every man, it is not true development.” (C in V, n. 18)

The Pope warns that globalization’s principle new feature, the “explosion of worldwide interdependence,” presents colossal risks, for “without the guidance of charity in truth, this global force could cause unprecedented damage and create new divisions within the human family.” (C in V, n. 33).

To summarize the rich material in this encyclical is a daunting task; indeed it can be properly understood only with careful study and reflection. Yet in essence the Pope is critiquing every form of governance, economics, and culture that denies the humanity of some human beings, be they the pre-birth child or the aged and infirm, or the poor in underdeveloped countries, in fact anyone. For East and West, North and South, an examination of conscience is urgently needed if we hope to avoid the proliferation of untold human misery and historical disasters.

Read the entire piece over on the LifeSiteNews.com website.

• Michael O'Brien's author page on Ignatius Insight

"Its Principal Driving Force": More from Fr. Schall on the encyclical

Caritas in Veritate: "Its Principal Driving Force" | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. | July 14, 2009 | Ignatius Insight

"Charity in truth, to which Jesus Christ bore witness by his earthly life and especially by his death and resurrection, is the principal driving force behind the authentic development of every person and of all humanity." -- Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, (#1).

"The Trinity is absolute unity insofar as the three divine Persons are pure relationality. The reciprocal transparency among the divine Persons is total and the bond between each of them complete, since they constitute a unique and absolute unity. God desires to incorporate us into this reality of communion as well: 'that they may be one even as we are one' (Jn. 17:22). The Church is a sign and instrument of this unity. Relationships between human beings throughout history cannot but be enriched by reference to this divine model. In particular, in the light of the revealed mystery of the Trinity, we understand that true openness does not mean loss of individual identity but profound interpenetration." -- Caritas in Veritate, (#54).

I.

The publication of a social encyclical is a significant event both in the Church and in the world. Many people will have heard even the Latin titles, which are the names given to the most famous of them, Rerum Novarum, Quadragesimo Anno, Mater et Magistra, Pacem in Terris, Populorum Progressio, and "Centesimus Annus, not to mention "Gaudium et Spes, a decree of the Second Vatican Council.

We read in Scripture that a difference is found between the world and the Church. This difference often becomes clear in the way the world understands and receives a social encyclical. The world often considers its relative autonomy to be absolute so that no guidance or advice from outside its own control will be admitted. In not a few countries in the world, even today, opposition to the Church's presence and freedom is juridical and intense. But even in countries where freedom of the press is guaranteed, an encyclical is often interpreted in an unrecognizable or ideological way.

For its part, a social encyclical tries to say something significant and meaningful to the world about the world in terms of truth and human worth. Within it, we often find words like politics, economics, market, violence, profit, capitalism, socialism, justice, technology, development, corruption, rights, freedom, constitution, duties, and any number of other words we see or hear every day in the media. In general, unless it absolutely has to, the Church does not like to be "polemical." But it does have to be truthful. It seeks to make common ground on some one or more basic points on which agreement of principle or practice is feasible and coherent.

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The love transcending all understanding

Ephesians 3:19: And to know the love of Christ that transcends knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

In the Lord's Incarnation, in his sojourning among us, in his words and deeds, his love for us was expressed in a way we could grasp. Knowing the forms of this love that can be grasped, the Christian also realizes that they are produced by that love which dwells not only in the world but also in God and which therefore remains not only comprehensible but also eternally greater and incomprehensible—the love with which God the Father loved us from eternity in the Son. Whoever speaks of Christ's love must include mention of the triune love among Father, Son, and Spirit. When Paul opened just now the whole range of the four dimensions, he was ultimately talking about God's triune love, which transcends all understanding, as it was revealed and given to be known in the Son. We can know it as the love of Christ, but we see it as such only when we discover behind the love of the Father and the Spirit and, in turn, understand the whole triune love as the origin of the Incarnation of the Son and of his connection with us.

It is the love transcending all understanding. Our understanding remains bound to our powers of comprehension; for this reason it runs up on all sides against limits that are set by our human nature. But because the love o fChrist, despite his Incarnation, remains the divine, triune love, it surpasses every understanding. Whenever we think we are going to finish understanding something, the love of the Lord points beyond it, because this love is divine and is constantly ready to lead on to the Father and to the Spirit. It is contained to such a degree in the triune God that the omnipotence of God and his eternity, which are both limitless, belong to it in the fullest sense.

From The Letter to the Ephesians, by Adrienne von Speyr (Ignatius Press, 1996).

"This thoughtful literary thriller addresses weighty and timely themes..."

Christine Sunderland of CatholicFiction.net reviews The Death of a Pope by Piers Paul Read:

This thoughtful literary thriller addresses weighty and timely themes: not only challenges to belief in an unbelieving world, but the devastation of AIDS and sexual license, the disparity between first and third worlds, rich and poor, and the role of a Church guided by tradition. Secular versus religious, Muslim versus Christian, new versus old: who are the real combatants today? Our world is complex.

The author has chosen his characters wisely. An idealistic London reporter becomes enthralled with a charismatic relief worker, getting more than she bargained for. Her uncle, a conservative priest, watches over her, praying, guiding. A young British agent from Scotland Yard is pulled into the plot, as he seeks to thwart a terrorist threat. The stories intertwine in a fast-paced plot in which the smuggling of nerve gas is set against the death of John Paul II and the papal election. We move from London to Rome to Uganda to Cairo and back to Rome. With its careful syntax and spare structure, the story progresses to a profound and unforgettable conclusion. ...

The Death of a Pope, although fast paced and possibly too short at 215 pages, gives the reader much to contemplate. Then again, its tight structure may add to its potency and poetry, creating a thoughtful thriller, a rare gift in today’s literary world.

Read the entire review.

For links to more reviews and further information about the novel, visit DeathOfAPope.com.

Fr. Thomas Berg: Legionaries need "to engage in an honest and objective self-critique"

"In two days," Sandro Magister notes, "the announced apostolic visitation of the congregation of the Legionaries of Christ will begin." (One of the five visitors is Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver, who is responsible for the United States and Canada.) Magister interviews one of the more well-known former Legionaries of Christ priests, Fr. Thomas Berg, director of the Westchester Institute for Ethics and the Human Person, who left the Legionaries this past April:

Q: When you recently left the Legion, you expressed in a statement your sympathy for the congregation in which you were formed as a priest. What are your hopes now that the apostolic visitation to the Legion of Christ has been announced?

A: I, like the vast majority of persons in the Church, try to remain positive and hopeful for the Legion and Regnum Christi movement. We only want the best for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We understand that this might involve taking some tough medicine, but I believe it is possible for a majority of these wonderful men and women will rise to the occasion because they really do have a profound love for Christ in their hearts. I would like to insist again that I bear no hatred, anger or resentment toward the Legion. Much less, do I spend every waking hour thinking about the Legion. I am getting on with my life. Nonetheless, your initiative in posing these questions has afforded me the opportunity to say a number of things that in conscience I believe need to be said at this juncture.

Q: How do you predict the visitation will go?

A: It would really be foolish of me to even begin to speculate on this.

Q: What would be your suggestions to the five visitors?

A: I will limit myself to one overall suggestion: help the Legionaries to engage in an honest and objective self-critique. What I have found most unsettling of late is the kind of group-think that has settled in among the Legionaries: "We really don't think there is anything wrong with the internal culture of the Legion, but if the Holy See tells us to change things, we will." The docility to the Holy See, though laudable and correct, masks a huge internal flaw: the Legion's corporate inability to engage in a healthy self-critique. This is no time for a business as usual approach, but that has been the impression one generally gets from the Legionaries over the past five months of the crisis.

That inability to see and honestly recognize the flaws and errors that so many people outside the Legion are able to see speaks volumes. The Legionaries should be reminded that it is not the task of the Holy See to reform the Legion. The Legion will only be genuinely reformed when it reforms itself from within. But that can only begin with a self-examination that arises from within the Legion and owns up to the Legion's errors.

Read the entire interview.

The Dull, Dissenting Americanism of Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

(15) The inspiration of the Spirit can be discerned in a variety of religious, political, and cultural movements which appear to be progressive. Failure to join in these movements is consequently a form of infidelity.

(19) The Church is primarily a political reality, whose value is determined to the degree that it promotes social change and progress.

(20) Action in the world is therefore the principal vocation of the Christian, and contemplation and the spiritual life are at best accessories to this. Salvation, if such is possible, is achieved through politics.

(25) After centuries of obscurity, the true meaning of the Gospel is now being discovered by progressives. ...

— From "Twenty-Six Heretical Notions Characterizing Radical Catholicism," an appendix to The Decline & Fall of Radical Catholicism (Herder and Herder, 1971), by James Hitchcock

People who pretend to be Catholics, who assume offices in the Church, are seeking from within, under the banner of reform and progress, to destroy the Church. Completely different from these people are those who do not want to destroy the Church as such, i.e., who do not seek the disappearance of the Church, but who rather want to transform the Church into something which completely contradicts her meaning and essence. This includes all those who wish to make the Church of Jesus Christ into a purely humanitarian society, to rob her of her supernatural character, to secularize and desacralize her. They share that camouflage of the enemies of the Church which comes from using the shibboleths of "reform," "progress," and "adaptation to modern man." But they do not want to eliminate the Church. The catchwords "reform" and "progress" are not mere tricks which they use; the really believe them. ... Henri de Lubac, S.J., pointed this out with forceful and penetrating words: "One becomes conscious that the Church is confronted with a grave crisis. In the name of a "new" Church, a "post-conciliar" Church, some people are attempting to found another Church than that of Jesus Christ; an anthropocentric society, which is threatened by an 'immanentist apostasy,' and which can be drawn into a movement of general surrender under the cloak of rejuvenation, ecumenism, or adaptation."

— From the Introduction to The Devastated Vineyard (Franciscan Herald Press, 1973), by Dietrich von Hildebrand

How interesting that two of the best responses to Kathleen Kennedy Townsend's recent op-ed in Newsweek, "Without a Doubt: Why Barack Obama represents American Catholics better than the pope does" (July 9, 2009), were published nearly forty years ago. What to make of it? For starters, it indicates the simple truth expressed long ago by the author of Ecclesiastes: "Nothing is new under the sun" (Eccl. 1:9). It also highlights what might seem, at first glance, contradictory facts: the beliefs of Townsend and Co. are both dangerous and dull. Dangerous because they are false and destructive; dull because they are clichéd and intellectually empty.

Dr. Hitchcock's book is both a helpful overview of the turmoil of the late Sixties and a measured, devastating critique of the flawed and, yes, heretical perspectives of progressives who sought and fought to remake the Church according to the latest leftist ideologies and fads. One of the primary themes, as the quotes above indicate, is how progressives, in employing an ecclesiology that is thoroughly secular in nature and horizontal in scope, attack and destroy the heart of Catholicism, which is a life-changing, supernaturally-transforming encounter with Jesus Christ, who is King of Kings and—oh, by the way—the giver of the keys of the Kingdom to a certain St. Peter and his successors.

Dr. von Hildebrand's book, which is a companion of sorts to his earlier (and equally excellent) work, Trojan Horse in the City of God (Franciscan Herald Press, 1967), covers similar ground as Hitchcock's book, but more through philosophical critique and theological reflection. Especially notable, regarding Townsend's essay, are von Hildebrand's chapters on authority and democracy, especially "Democratization of the Holy Church," where he states, "The idea that one can make the Church more accessible to the spirit of the times by this 'democratization,' or that this 'democratization' represents an improvement, has sometimes a pernicious, sometimes a naive character—but it is always an illusion. One can call for the democratization of the holy Church only if one has lost all sense for the true nature of this sacred institution."

So, then, what to make of Townsend's piece, which is getting plenty of attention, deserved or otherwise? Frankly, Townsend's essay is not worth reading because it is worth reading, but because it is the sort of worthless reading that a wide swath of readers do actually read and, apparently, agree with to some degree or another. To put it another way: if Townsend's views actually expressed the formal, legitimate, and authentic teachings of the Catholic Church, there wouldn't be a Catholic Church. But, in fact, Townsend's views are simply a tired, dull, boring, and empty riff on the radical Catholicism exposed by Hitchcock and the collapsed immanentism referred to by de Lubac and von Hildebrand. These beliefs are so banal and naive in nature ("the drivel of heretics," says von Hildebrand) they make the recent address of the Episcopalian "presiding bishop" Katharine Jefferts Schori seem downright dazzling, edgy, and mature in comparison (Schori, after all, has the audacity to refer to "heresy," which is soooo exclusive and judgmental, don't you think?).

Here is the heart of Townsend's argument:

In truth, though, Obama's pragmatic approach to divisive policy (his notion that we should acknowledge the good faith underlying opposing viewpoints) and his social-justice agenda reflect the views of American Catholic laity much more closely than those vocal bishops and pro-life activists. When Obama meets the pope tomorrow, they'll politely disagree about reproductive freedoms and homosexuality, but Catholics back home won't care, because they know Obama's on their side. In fact, Obama's agenda is closer to their views than even the pope's.

(As for President Obama's "pragmatic approach to divisive policy," see my previous post, "The President's hovering, morally superior political rhetoric", July 6, 2009). A key issue, obviously, is authority. American Catholics, Townsend insists, are agreed with Obama on several important matters, over against the pope, "vocal bishops and pro-life activists." The sloppiness of the argument is apparent. If the bishops and so-called activists are Catholic, then not all American Catholics are in agreement with the President. But if she assumes that they aren't really Catholic, on what basis does she make her judgment? Because she doesn't agree with them?

Townsend's argument, as it were, implicitly denies the supernatural character of the Church's authority and reduces everything to the level of politics and personal rights. (She also seems to have purposefully fashioned her approach upon the tact of Sr. Theresa Kane, mentioned in her piece, who said ten years ago that then-President Bill Clinton was doing more for social issues than the American bishops.) It is sometimes said that certain ("right wing") Catholics are "more Catholic than the Pope"; Townsend's approach is more that her Catholicism is morally superior to the Catholicism of the Pope—apostolic succession and Magisterial teaching be damned. Why worry about those things when you have polls?:

Yet polls bear out that American Catholics do not want to be told by the Vatican how to think. Despite the rhetoric of love and truth, the Vatican shows disdain (if not disgust) toward gays. But 54 percent of American Catholics find gay relationships to be morally acceptable, according to a 2009 Gallup poll. Meanwhile, against all scientific evidence and protestations from clergy on the ground, the pope claims that condoms aggravate the spread of AIDS. Seventy-nine percent of American Catholics disagree, according to a 2007 poll by Catholics for Choice.

When Sen. John Kerry, a pro-choice Catholic, ran for president in 2004, several bishops decided to deny him communion. A poll done at the time by Time magazine showed that 73 percent of American Catholics disagreed with that decision, and 83 percent said the bishops' move wouldn't change their vote. In fact, more than two thirds said the church shouldn't try to influence the way Catholics vote at all or tell candidates—even Catholic ones—what stance to take.

Americanism lives! Pope Leo XIII described it this way in his January 1899 letter to James Cardinal Gibbons:

The underlying principle of these new opinions is that, in order to more easily attract those who differ from her, the Church should shape her teachings more in accord with the spirit of the age and relax some of her ancient severity and make some concessions to new opinions. Many think that these concessions should be made not only in regard to ways of living, but even in regard to doctrines which belong to the deposit of the faith. They contend that it would be opportune, in order to gain those who differ from us, to omit certain points of her teaching which are of lesser importance, and to tone down the meaning which the Church has always attached to them.

Yep, shaping the Church's teachings "in accord with the spirit of the age." Sounds about right. As for the various numbers used by Townsend, a closer look reveals this essential fact: Catholics who attend Mass on a weekly basis (that is, according to the Church's directives), are both better informed about issues and far more in accord with Magisterial teaching: "The divide between more-observant and less-observant Catholics over abortion is stark, however," notes an April 30, 2009, Pew Forum poll, "Weekly attending white Catholics overwhelmingly oppose abortion, with 63% saying it should be illegal in all or most cases and only 30% saying it should be legal. Conversely, less-observant white Catholics support legal abortion by a 61% to 29% margin." Which means—shockingly!—that Catholics who are less likely to observe Church teachings in their lives are also less likely to offer public support of the same teaching. Amazing. Who would have thought it so?

(As a quick aside, it's worth noting that in the 1980s Townsend, according to her book's website, "founded the Maryland Student Service Alliance to make Maryland the first, and still only state that requires young people to engage in community service as a condition of graduation." So, she believes students should perform involuntary volunteer work [??] in order to earn the state's approval, but she's against the Church saying Catholics need to adhere to Church teaching in order to be Catholics in good standing. That about says it all.)

Speaking of abortion, Townsend is typical of liberal Catholics who downplay the significance of the issue while claiming to be all about caring about the least among us. In a March 27, 2007, interview about her book, Failing America's Faithful, Townsend stated,

We face great challenges in the United States—a war in which Americans have tortured prisoners and have neglected our own soldiers. Iraq itself has been ripped apart with millions of refugees searching for safe havens. Income inequity has grown so that while the few have gotton richer, many families lack health care, children suffer from a poor education and pensions have been cut. We are harming the earth that we should steward. Yet, the churches have focused their attention not on these large issues but on abortion, same sex marriage and stem cell research. They are shrinking God—and using faith to divide, to justify mean spirited attacks and to hurt and hate rather than love our neighbor.

And then, in the next breath, she added:

Q: You write of the possibility of another Great Awakening in the faith community, “a discussion of what a just society could look like.” What does a just society look like to you and what do you believe the next Great Awakening entail?

A: The short answer is that a just society has a commitment to the dignity of every man, woman and child. We are connected to one another as children of God—who loves and cherishes each of us. It is incumbent on us to work for the common good so that work is rewarded, health encouraged, education honored, public resources treasured and families supported.

Except, of course, when it comes to the killing of unborn children and the resulting destruction of families and family life. Not surprisingly, Townsend was endorsed by NARAL and Emily's list in her unsuccessful 2002 bid to become governor of Maryland. But you may have already guessed such was the case since she comes from one of the most famous pro-abortion families in American, the Kennedy clan. Coming full circle, at least for my purposes, a recent piece about Townsend's uncle, Sen. Edward Kennedy, who sent a private letter to Pope Benedict via the hand of President Obama, contained these interesting quotes:

“I find it quite moving,’’ said the Rev. Robert P. Imbelli, a Catholic theologian at Boston College. “Clearly, when one Catholic asks another to pray for him, this is a sign both of vulnerability and of trust. To have the opportunity to ask that of the pope is, in addition, a sign of devotion and respect for the one Catholics hold to be the successor of St. Peter with a special role in maintaining the unity and apostolic tradition of the church.’’

Catholicism runs deep in the Kennedy clan, “as a cultural and ethnic identity,’’ said R. Scott Appleby, a historian at the University of Notre Dame, said, “Among individual members, the depth of commitment to the church itself varies, as with many Catholic families. It seems clear, and it is poignant and instructive, that Senator Kennedy seeks peace and reconciliation with ‘Holy Mother Church’ as he nears the end of his earthly life.’’ [emphasis added]

Pardon my dry eyes, but I find it hard to see anything done by a Kennedy in recent years as being "poignant and instructive." Yes, I do pray that Ted Kennedy, like all wayward Catholics, will seek peace and reconciliation with the Church—preferably long before they spend thirty or more years ardently supporting abortion and other anti-life actions. But, really, isn't it about time that the mythologies and nonsense about the Kennedy clan go away forever? They aren't glamorous, they aren't obviously intellectual, they seem to struggle dramatically with basic moral teachings, and they aren't altogether Catholic, at least not based on their public actions and statements. Townsend, for her part, displays the sort of vague and confused rhetoric that is perfectly fitting for a mediocre politician, but is not terribly appealing coming from an alleged Catholic:

Notre Dame awarded the president an honorary degree because it saw the need to highlight the best of Catholic teaching as applied to politics: the ability to open the eyes of those who would prefer to keep them closed, and to open the hearts of those who would prefer not to know the pain that their actions cause. The pope has a lot to learn about Catholic politics in America. Barack Obama can teach him.

No, he can't. But there's no doubt in my mind that Townsend has been learning from her private pontiff, President Obama. That's unfortunate, because there is a lot that Townsend could learn about Catholicism from the real Pope.

UPDATE: A couple of interesting, if not revelatory, remarks left by Townsend on her book's blog in March 2007:

Some have asked why I remain a Catholic since I disagree with some of the pronouncement by the hierarchy.  The Church has endured for two millennia because of its theology, its hierarchy and its laity.  There are always disagreements.  But that is what makes it so rich—-and it allows the Church to grow and endure.  In the fifties, John Courtney Murray was silenced for its advocacy of democracy and freedom of religion.  Less than a decade late, he was recruited by the Vatican to write the Second Vatican Council’s statement on the value of Freedom of Religion.  So, just because one disagrees today, does not mean that the Church will not embrace the very same position tomorrow.  I see my duty to help a male hierarchy know and understand women.

And:

Still, I am disappointed that he has agreed to meet with George Bush…Let’s see if he allows himself to be photographed with him. Pope John Paul II had allowed himself to be photographed with President Bush two months before the last presidential election.  While some claimed that this gave the Pope the opportunity to criticize Bush for the War in Iraq, most political observers said that the picture of the two men meeting was a big political plus for the President. The picture being worth a thousand words.  It sent the signal that abortion trumps war. My hope is progressive Catholics will write the Pope to register our protest.  To be with President Bush will be used by Karl Rove as an endorsement of him, his politics and his power to prolong this incompetent war.

Hmmm, what a slogan this could make: "Kathleen Kennedy Townsend: Against Incompetent Wars! For Incontestable Abortion!" Or: "When It Comes to Killing Your Young, Count on a Kennedy!"

• Also see: "Kennedy-Townsend in Newsweek: Obama 'More Catholic' Than Pope", by Matthew Balan of Newsbusters.org.
• "Jesuit: Obama is 'the most effective spokesperson' for 'the spirit of Vatican II'" (Insight Scoop, June 3, 2009)

Related IgnatiusInsight.com Articles:

• Authority and Dissent in the Catholic Church | Dr. William E. May
• Curran's Attack on John Paul II Rebutted | Dr. William E. May
• Is Heresy Heretical? | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• Conservative Bishops, Liberal Results | Dr. James Hitchcock
• A Religion the New York Times Can Love | Donna Steichen

Whittaker Chambers on St. Benedict

St. Benedict | Whittaker Chambers | From Saints For Now, edited by Clare Boothe Luce

Queen Victoria left this world almost at the moment that I chanced to enter it. Her memory, when I was old enough to identify it, fell thinly across my earliest childhood. People still spoke of "the Queen", as if in all history there had been only one and everybody must know at once that Queen Victoria was meant. Somewhat later, I sensed that her going had stirred a deep-set uneasiness, as if with her a part of the mainland of human experience had sunk into the sea and no one quite knew what further subsidences and commotions to expect. Yet, in those far off days, no one ever chanted to me that grim line of the Queen's favorite poet:

And the great aeon sinks in blood:

though I was not very old when I had the "Death of Arthur" read to me in full, and, after the depressingly long glories of the winter moon, I noted with relief that

The new sun rose, bringing the new year.

With the rest of my generation, I grew in that sun's illusory light. For the historical skies of my boyhood were only in frequently troubled, chiefly by a triad of figures powerful and unpredictable enough to thrill from time to time the nerve of reality. They were, of course, in America, Theodore Roosevelt; in England, King Edward VII; and, on the continent of Europe, bestriding it like a self-inflated colossus, the German Kaiser. Each had a characteristic motif; too, like a Wagnerian hero: a little repetitive phrase that set the historic mood or forecast that each, for good or ill, was about to vault again upon the world stage, to give some new tingling turn to the plot. Thus, from the heart of Europe, would come characteristic variations on the Bismarckian theme of Blut und Eisen. In America, rose blithe shouts of "Bully! It's bully!" While Edwardian England had reversed the plea in which Swinburne exhorted Walt Whitman to "send but a song oversea to us", and both shores of the Atlantic rocked to the surge and thunder of Tarara-boom-de-ay.

Long before I had the slightest notion what the barbaric sounds might mean, as language or destiny, I listened fascinated to people chanting:

A Brussels carpet on the floor:
An elevator at the door:
Tarara-boom-de-ay; Tarara-boom-de-ay!

It was not only because of its gayness that it embedded it self in my memory. For what others found gay, I found indefinably ominous, as fixing a tone, a touch of dissolution that, even as a sensitive child, I could not possibly have explained to myself or anybody else. But one day, much later, the echo of Tarara-boom-de-ay fused itself unexpectedly with something that would seem to have nothing to do with it--a more or less random remark by one of my college instructors in Contemporary Civilization. Contemporary Civilization, a course required for all freshmen at Columbia College, was taught by several young men whom I remember chiefly as rather lugubrious--disillusioned veterans of the First World War, and a conscientious objector who had refused to take part in it. One day, the objector, staring at some point far beyond the backs of our heads, observed that "the world is entering upon a new Dark Ages."

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Exposing the Language of the Culture of Death

Exposing the Language of the Culture of Death | An Interview with William Brennan, author of John Paul II: Confronting the Language Empowering the Culture of Death | Ignatius Insight | July 10, 2009

William Brennan, Ph.D., is a Professor of Social Work in the Saint Louis University School of Social Work. He has written and spoken extensively on how euphemisms and dehumanizing language facilitate massive oppression. Hisbook, Dehumanizing the Vulnerable: When Word Games Take Lives (Loyola University Press, 1995), was a Loyola bestseller. Professor Brennan is currently working on a book-length manuscript tentatively titled, Killing in the Name of Healing: Technology, Rhetoric, and the Medicalization of Destruction. Carl E. Olson, editor of Ignatius Insight, recently spoke with Dr. Brennan about his most recent book, John Paul II: Confronting the Language Empowering the Culture of Death (Sapientia Press, 2008), and current events relating to that book's focus and arguments.

Ignatius Insight: How did Pope John Paul II define the culture of death?

Dr. Brennan: He defined the culture of death as a lethal mentality possessing an unlimited  capacity for engulfing a wide range of victims and employed an inclusive perspective for highlighting "whatever is opposed to life itself," such as genocide, abortion, euthanasia, suicide, experimental exploitation of human beings, slavery, torture, mutilation rituals, and a host of other infamies. An ominous feature of this increasingly monolithic mindset, the pope revealed, is "a war of the powerful against the weak: a life which requires greater acceptance, love and care is considered useless, or held to be an intolerable burden, and is therefore rejected in one way or another." He called this phenomenon "a truly alarming spectacle, if we consider not only how extensively attacks are spreading but also their unheard-of numerical proportion, and the fact that they receive widespread legal approval and the involvement of certain sectors of health-care personnel."

Besides the numerous forms of devastation brought about by the death culture, John Paul singled out another casualty—the demise of conscience itself. Through the manipulation of language, the forces of death have proven extraordinarily successful in numbing the moral sensitivities of many to the horrors actually taking place. This process leads to an "extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense" in which conscience is rendered increasingly indifferent, blind, and impotent in the face of the evils being perpetrated.

Ignatius Insight: What are some of the most influential and significant ways that language is misused, manipulated, and abused in the field of medicine on behalf of the culture of death?

Dr. Brennan: Doing away with unborn humans is routinely portrayed as simply the removal of nondescript "tissue" or "material" from the womb. According to sociologist Amitai Etzioni, "the dominant scientific and public view is to view the fetus" during the first four and one-half months as "subhuman and relatively close to a piece of tissue." Aborted remains at the Oregon Health Sciences University are called "suctioned or curetted material" and "cellular material." Abortionist Dr. Warren Hern characterizes the post-abortion task of re-assembling dismembered body parts as "the tissue examination."

Read the entire interview...

The Pope gifts the President with Vatican document on ...

...  bioethics and the right to life—the 2008 document Dignitas Personae. From the CNA report:

 Pope Benedict XVI received President Barack Obama this afternoon in his private library, and after 36 minutes of private conversation, the pair emerged without providing any details about their topics of conversation. Nevertheless, the Holy See revealed that the Pope gave Obama an “unannounced gift”--a Vatican document on bioethics and the right to life.

"The G8 has been very productive, 20 billion dollars have been allocated [to poor countries]; that's something concrete," President Obama told the Pope when he asked about the summit, as photographers and journalists were ushered out of the Papal library.

The meeting between the Pope and the U.S. President started at 4:25 p.m. local time, after an unusually short meeting of ten minutes with the Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

After the private conversation, and again in front of the cameras, President Obama gave the Pontiff a stole that was drapped upon the body of St. John Neumann from 1988 to 2007. The Pope instead presented the president with a mosaic portraying St. Peter's Square and the Vatican Basilica, and an autographed copy of his latest social encyclical “Caritas in Veritate.”

Reuters reports:

The pope's private secretary later told reporters after the meeting: "This reading can help the president better understand the Church's position on these issues."

Obama told the pope during a picture-taking session after the private part of the audience: "We look forward to a very strong relationship between our two countries."

The pope told Obama, who is a Christian, "I pray for you."

 And from Holly Bailey of Newsweek:

 Your Gaggler did get to watch Obama introduce the pope to members of his inner circle, who looked collectively thrilled. Among those on hand: National Security Adviser Jim Jones, Deputy Chief of Staff Mona Sutphen, Senior Adviser David Axelrod, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and NSA adviser Denis McDonough. Upon meeting, Gibbs and McDonough kissed the pope’s hand—though other advisers, including Axelrod, who is Jewish, did not. Obama, Michelle and the aides posed for a group picture with the pontiff. For the record, McDonough, who confessed to reporters earlier this week that he was pretty excited about this event, looked the happiest we’ve ever seen him.

Some observers, I'm betting, will emphasize that since President Obama is not a Catholic, the gift of Dignitas Personae means little or nothing. That argument, however, is implicitly addressed in the opening of the document:

In presenting principles and moral evaluations regarding biomedical research on human life, the Catholic Church draws upon the light both of reason and of faith and seeks to set forth an integral vision of man and his vocation, capable of incorporating everything that is good in human activity, as well as in various cultural and religious traditions which not infrequently demonstrate a great reverence for life.

The Magisterium also seeks to offer a word of support and encouragement for the perspective on culture which considers science an invaluable service to the integral good of the life and dignity of every human being. The Church therefore views scientific research with hope and desires that many Christians will dedicate themselves to the progress of biomedicine and will bear witness to their faith in this field. She hopes moreover that the results of such research may also be made available in areas of the world that are poor and afflicted by disease, so that those who are most in need will receive humanitarian assistance. Finally, the Church seeks to draw near to every human being who is suffering, whether in body or in spirit, in order to bring not only comfort, but also light and hope. These give meaning to moments of sickness and to the experience of death, which indeed are part of human life and are present in the story of every person, opening that story to the mystery of the Resurrection. Truly, the gaze of the Church is full of trust because "Life will triumph: this is a sure hope for us. Yes, life will triumph because truth, goodness, joy and true progress are on the side of life. God, who loves life and gives it generously, is on the side of life".

The present Instruction is addressed to the Catholic faithful and to all who seek the truth. (par. 3; emphasis added)

Related IgnatiusInsight.com Columns, Essays, and Book Excerpts:

• Dignitas Personae: On the Originality of Every Human Person | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• "The Dignity of the Person Must Be Recognized..." | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• "Always More Than Is Seen": Benedict XVI on the Meaning of Man | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• The Case Against Abortion | An Interview with Dr. Francis Beckwith, author of Defending Life
• What Is "Legal"? On Abortion, Democracy, and Catholic Politicians | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• The Illusion of Freedom Separated from Moral Virtue | Raymond L. Dennehy
• The Dignity of the Human Person: Pope John Paul II's Teaching on Divinization in the Trinitarian Encyclicals | Carl E. Olson
• What Is Catholic Social Teaching? | Mark Brumley
• Introduction to Three Approaches to Abortion | Peter Kreeft

Dan Brown's editor pulls back the veil on...

... the funniest line of the week.

Enthralled dwellers of Brownsville were semi-literately thrilled to learn that the cover of Dan Brown's new novel, The Absent-Mindedly Misplaced Metaphor (ahem, I mean The Lost Symbol), was finally being revealed, accompanied by the sort of overblown rhetoric Brown inspires among editors, sycophants and others who benefit from his abuse of grammar, language, and facts:

Showing a blood red wax seal, cryptic symbols and a shadowy skyline of the Capitol, the cover hinted at the setting for the book in Washington D.C. — “though it’s a Washington few will recognize,” said Jason Kaufman, Mr. Brown’s editor. “As we would expect, he pulls back the veil — revealing an unseen world of mysticism, secret societies, and hidden locations, with a stunning twist that long predates America.”

Mr. Kaufman, unexpectedly and unwittingly, coughed up some words of truth: "...though it’s a Washington few will recognize." This, in fact, makes surprising but perfect sense.

Consider how The Da Vinci Code presented a relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene recognized by no serious blblical scholar, a woman in Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper recognized by no acknowledged art expert, a history of the Bible recognized only by conspiracy theorists, and an albino monk recognized only by those who thought Opus Dei was an ecclesial factory for Romish assassins/pain junkies.

And how about Angels and Demons? How many readers recognize the history of science and religion posited by Brown? How many recognize the physics and science described by Brown? Or the Catholic Church and Vatican described by Brown? How many could have found their way through Rome employing the directions given in the novel? How many could still recognize the English language, correctly employed and artfully rendered, after reading any of Brown's novels? How many would recognize real research in a police line-up including four Brown novels and a scholarly tome on third-century Coptic gnostic scrolls filled with 1,537 foonotes in seven languages?

Fortunately, the fun has already begun. National Lampoon kicks it off:

In his follow up to best sellers Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown has revealed the cover art to his next Robert Langdon adventure. His novels are known for their fast pace and fast pace. This book, like the others, will soon be adapted into a film by director Ron Howard and actor Tom Hanks, both in a much needed break from critically acclaimed films.

The story concerns Langdon using his increasingly handy knowledge of symbology in Washington D.C. Whereas previous books have taken place within a 24 hour period, Brown has stated this book, The Lost Symbol, will take place over a 33 minute period.

National Lampoon has gotten its hands on the first few chapters of the fast paced book.

FACT:
Many of the founding fathers were Freemasons

FICTION:
The rest of the book.

Read the rest (warning: contains some crass material).

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch blog makes an interesting and even compelling comparison: "Author Dan Brown seems to be book lovers’ Sarah Palin: They either love him or hate ‘em. And his stories seem just as open to diverse interpretation."

Think of it: the MSM has tended to ignore the facts about Palin while obsessively creating all sorts of strange fiction, and the many reporters and reviewers who drank the Dan Brown Kool-Aid (the ingredients are secret, of course!) have likewise gulped down the fiction while ignoring the facts. Or, worse, have accepted the fiction as fact.

The true and continuing brilliance of the Brown blitzkrieg is the marketing of thrillers/romance novels—wrapped in conspiracy theories and covered in a veneer of intellectual pretension—as being both refreshingly escapist and seriously learned. Those of us who get overly annoyed with Brownmania are regularly treated to choruses of "Ah, you stupid fundamentalist nut case! It's just a novel! No one thinks it's anything more than a fun read!" So it is necessary to recall the gallons of intellectually-challenged drool that spilled when the The Da Vinci Code was published just a few years ago: "An exhilaratingly brainy thriller," wrote The New York Times about the novel. "Brown doesn't slow down his tremendously powerful narrative engine despite transmitting several doctorates' worth of fascinating history and learned speculation," cooed The Chicago Tribune. "Intellectually satisfying," marveled The Houston Chronicle, and The Boston Globe judged the novel to be "a delightful display of erudition." Reviews used the term "intelligent" so often I began to wonder if the word had been changed (by a secret, bloody Vatican group, no doubt) to mean "banal, vapid, and insulting to people who read real books about true events backed up by actual facts."

Anyhow, come September 15th, the veil will be pulled back and we'll be able to judge exactly how much research went into Brown's story of Robert Langdon sprinting through the nation's capitol uncovering an "unseen world of mysticism, secret societies, and hidden locations." And, no, I'm not judging the book by its cover. After all, I think the covers to Brown's books are far more attractive and creative than what the author and his editor have secretly sandwiched between them.

Back in the saddle!

Regular readers of this blog may have noticed a drop in posting the past week. Perhaps you asked yourself, "I wonder if Carl is attending Michael Jackson's funeral?", or, "Could it possibly be that he is in Rome for the release of Caritas in Veritate?" Fortunately, the former was not the case; unfortunately, neither was the latter.

However, I was away from my home base for a week-long vacation, splitting time between two beautiful but quite different locations. Here is a montage of clues; correctly guess the two locations and I'll start sweeping my traveling bags for bugs:

Meanwhile, I'm catching up on e-mails, work stuff, and such. I've printed out Caritas in Veritate, but have yet to read it; it is, of course, high on the list of things to do. For now, back to unpacking and wading through the backlog...

Catholic World Report round table on "Caritas in Veritate"

Catholic World Report Round-Table: Caritas in Veritate | Web Exclusive

When Pope Benedict XVI's third encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, was released on July 7, it sparked world-wide discussion and commentary. Catholic World Report asked a group of leading Catholic intellectuals to reflect on the encyclical, its place in the larger body of Catholic social teaching, and Pope Benedict's vision of a well-ordered and just society.

J. Brian Benestad, Francis J. Beckwith, Father Joseph Fessio, S.J., Richard Garnett, Thomas S. Hibbs, Paul Kengor, George Neumayr, Tracey Rowland, Father James V. Schall, and Rev. Robert A. Sirico share their thoughts on Caritas in Veritate, below.

Continue reading...

Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J., on "Charity in Truth"

From ZENIT:

Pope Places Charity and Truth at Heart of Debate

By Father Joseph Fessio, SJ

NAPLES, Florida, JULY 7, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI has something for everyone in "Caritas in Veritate" -- from praising profit (21) to defending the environment (48). But in these cases, as in all the others, he calls for a discernment and a purification by faith and reason (56) that should temper immoderate and one-sided enthusiasms.

Once again, Pope Benedict shows himself to be a theologian of synthesis and fundamental principles. In the titles of his three encyclicals he has used only five nouns: God, Love, Hope, Salvation, and Truth -- the most fundamental of realities. And in the opening greeting of this encyclical he succinctly describes the contents: "on integral human development in charity and truth."
Note that from this very greeting Pope Benedict has changed the whole framework of the debate on "the social question." This was expected to be -- and is -- his encyclical on "social justice." And indeed "justice" and "rights" find their proper place in a larger synthesis. But the priority is established from the outset, the foundation is laid, with "charity" and "truth." "Charity is at the heart of the Church's social doctrine" (2). "Without truth, without trust and love for what is true, there is no social conscience and responsibility, and social action ends up serving private interests and the logic of power" (5).

Another fundamental principle, and a central theme of this pontificate, is the continuity of the Church and her teaching. Surprisingly, the central ecclesiastical text from the past is Pope Paul VI's "Populorum Progressio," and Pope Benedict makes it clear that we do not have "two typologies of social doctrine, one pre-conciliar and one post-conciliar, differing from one another: On the contrary, there is a single teaching, consistent and at the same time ever new" (12). This principle of continuity was expressed centrally in Benedict's first address as Pope on April 20, 2005, and again to the Roman curial cardinals on Dec. 22 of that year.

Read the entire piece.

Catholic World Report will soon be posting links to commentary from various sources about the encyclical.

Charity in Truth Released

The embargo on the new encyclical Charity in Truth has just been lifted.  (Sorry, we couldn't publish the text before the embargo was lifted.)  Already an unofficially-recognized text is appearing online in various places.  American Papist has a Word document of it here.  Here is the Vatican website's html version: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html.  Here is the first part of the text.

ENCYCLICAL LETTER

CARITAS IN VERITATE

OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF

BENEDICT XVI

TO THE BISHOPS

PRI ESTS AND DEACONS

MEN AND WOMEN RELIGIOUS

THE LAY FAITHFUL

AND ALL PEOPLE OF GOOD WILL

ON INTEGRAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

IN CHARITY AND TRUTH

LIBRERIA EDITRICE VATICANA

VATICAN CITY

INTRODUCTION

1. Charity in truth, to which Jesus Christ bore witness by his earthly life and especially by his death and resurrection, is the principal driving force behind the authentic development of every person and of all humanity. Love — caritas — is an extraordinary force which leads people to opt for courageous and generous engagement in the field of justice and peace. It is a force that has its origin in God, Eternal Love and Absolute Truth. Each person finds his good by adherence to God's plan for him, in order to realize it fully: in this plan, he finds his truth, and through adherence to this truth he becomes free (cf. Jn 8:22). To defend the truth, to articulate it with humility and conviction, and to bear witness to it in life are therefore exacting and indispensable forms of charity. Charity, in fact, “rejoices in the truth” (1 Cor 13:6). All people feel the interior impulse to love authentically: love and truth never abandon them completely, because these are the vocation planted by God in the heart and mind of every human person. The search for love and truth is purified and liberated by Jesus Christ from the impoverishment that our humanity brings to it, and he reveals to us in all its fullness the initiative of love and the plan for true life that God has prepared for us. In Christ, charity in truth becomes the Face of his Person, a vocation for us to love our brothers and sisters in the truth of his plan. Indeed, he himself is the Truth (cf. Jn 14:6).

Pope’s Encyclical Launches Publisher’s Expansion in Electronic and Audio Books

Ignatius Press, the primary English-language publisher of the works of Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger), is now publishing its titles in three formats—print, electronic, and audio -- beginning with today's release of Pope Benedict's ne w encyclical, Charity in Truth, on the world economy.

"As we release Charity in Truth – obviously a very important document, given the far-reaching economic crisis – we want it to be as widely accessible as possible," said Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio, Editor and Founder of Ignatius Press, and former student of Joseph Ratzinger.

Releasing the encyclical in three formats is part of Ignatius Press’ expansion of its work into electronic and audio publishing.  

“It’s important that people have as many options as possible to read or hear it.  Because we believe the other writings we publish are also important, we want to make them available in all three formats, too.  So it makes sense that we would launch the new program with the publication of Benedict’s new encyclical and rapidly expand the program as we can,” Father Fessio noted.

Ignatius Press remains committed to the traditional print book—its publications use high-quality paper and first-rate bindings, as well as beautiful covers.  Nevertheless, as preferences of book readers diversify, the San Francisco-based publisher is diversifying its offerings to include electronic and audio editions.  As new books are published, Ignatius Press plans to make them available in the three major formats.

Along with the publication of Benedict XVI’s Charity in Truth, Ignatius Press is adding to its print editions electronic and audio versions of the Pope’s previous encyclicals, God is Love and Saved in Hope.  Already the publisher has over two dozen electronic and audio books available in Kindle and other formats.  The plan is to add weekly to its offerings as its extensive backlist is converted.

“We want to make sure that as many people as possible can obtain our books,” according to Father Fessio.  “These additional formats help us to widen our audience.”

For more information on Ignatius Press’ electronic and audio editions of Pope Benedict’s Charity in Truth and other works, go to www.ignatius.com.

Charity in Truth

We're told that the official English-language title for Caritas in Veritate will be "Charity in Truth".  That's what is says on the as-of-yet unofficial translation and that's what we have been told by the official powers-that-be.  So I am trading out the banner below, which has "Love in Truth", for "Charity in Truth".  You can see that Carl Olson already did the quick change out of the banner ad on the side of this page.

The President's hovering, morally superior political rhetoric

The President's worn method of argument and same old attitude of moral superiority is getting tired fast. And, yes, in making that remark I am purposefully highlighting the comment made by President Obama a few days at his "Hey, You're Gay, Hurray!" Day, when he stated—of those who stubbornly withhold their complete and unquestioning support of something called "LGBT Pride"—that they "still hold fast to worn arguments and old attitudes." More on that in a moment.

I watch hardly any news and I've watched little to none of candidate/President Obama's speeches over the past eighteen months or so. Instead, I read the transcripts of those speeches. I find it lends a bit more clarity of thought—not because I am mesmerized by his oratorical skills (overrated, I think, in many ways), but because the printed word is not so easily clouded and blurred by oratorical techniques and methods. In the end, it saves both time and energy.

What I have noticed is the President, when addressing certain controversial issues, often resorts to a simple but misleading method. It is not so much a form of argument as it is a way of largely avoiding argument while appearing to address the controversial subject at hand. This involves, first, speaking about the two opposing sides as if he is essentially objective about both and, in some way, is morally superior to both. Then he often renders an opinion that is actually in favor of one side of the debate, but makes it appear as though he has rendered an objective sort of opinion based on a morally (and intellectually) superior third way.

This has been especially evident, I think, with the issues of abortion and homosexuality; however, I'll begin with a speech that has nothing to do with those issues.

Example #1: In his July 24, 2008, speech in Germany, then-candidate Obama said:

Saint Maria Goretti

Today is the feast day for St. Maria Goretti, the 12-year-old Italian girl who was brutally murdered in 1902 by an 18-year-old neighbor boy.

Maria Goretti
DVD | 105 minutes

The story of Saint Maria Goretti is retold in this beautifully made new film from Italy. It tells of the plight of the poor laborers of the time, struggling to survive in a swampy area with rampant malaria and extreme poverty. Luigi and Assunta Goretti keep their faith despite the hardship, and instill in their children a deep love for God. Their daughter Maria especially is devout. But tragedy strikes more than once: sickness and death affects the Goretti family, and then their young neighbor Alessandro does the unthinkable… This film, made on location and filled with authentic detail, stars Martina Pinto as Maria, Flavio Insinna (Saint John Bosco) as the brave local Passionist priest, Luisa Ranieri and Massimo Bonetti as her parents, and Claudia Koll as the Countess Mazzoleni.

Newman's miracle

From the Cardinal Newman Society:

The Congregation for the Causes of Saints on Friday, July 3, announced that Pope Benedict has approved as miraculous the healing of Deacon Jack Sullivan, who attributed his cure from a crippling spinal disorder to the intercession of Cardinal Newman.  In April, 2008 doctors assigned to scrutinize the healing said that science offers no explanation for Deacon Sullivan’s cure on the Feast of the Assumption in 2001.

The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) gives thanks to God for the approved miracle of our patron, John Henry Cardinal Newman.  We urge Catholics worldwide to pray for his intercession, especially in the ongoing renewal of Catholic higher education.

Deacon Sullivan’s miraculous healing took place after watching a program on EWTN by Cardinal Newman Society Advisory Board Member and noted Newman scholar Father C. John McCloskey, III who encouraged viewers to pray for Cardinal Newman’s intercession for their intentions.

In an article, "Who Is John Henry Newman?" (sub. required for full article), I wrote for the March/April 2009 issue of The Catholic Answer, I briefly traced the long road so far for Newman's canonization:

Given Cardinal Newman's reputation during his lifetime, both for his prodigious intellect and for his personal sanctity, support for his canonization not surprisingly began at his death. His formal cause for sainthood has been underway for some time now, making headlines, at times, even in secular publications.

An article in America magazine in 1941, along with Pope Pius XII's support of the 1945 "Centenary of Newman's Conversion," played essential roles in moving the process along.

In an address to the Cardinal Newman Academic Symposium in 1975, Pope Paul VI acknowledged the powerful and ongoing witness of Cardinal Newman:

"He who was convinced of being faithful throughout his life, with all his heart devoted to the light of truth, today becomes an ever brighter beacon for all who are seeking an informed orientation and sure guidance amid the uncertainties of the modern world -- a world which he himself prophetically foresaw."

In fact, the Pope had hoped that he might celebrate the Holy Year of 1975 with the beatification of the English cardinal. But more research was needed before that event could take place.

Finally, in January 1991, Pope John Paul II declared Cardinal Newman to be "Venerable." Then, on the feast of the Assumption in 2001, Deacon Jack Sullivan of Marshfield, Mass., was healed of a severe spinal disorder after praying to Cardinal Newman. That cure was declared miraculous in April 2008 at a meeting of the Consulta Medica in Rome.

Related Books from Ignatius Press:

• Parochial and Plain Sermons, by John Henry Newman
• Prayers, Verses, and Devotions, by John Henry Newman
• Literary Giants, Literary Catholics, by Joseph Pearce
• Literary Converts, by Joseph Pearce
• Classic Catholic Converts, by Fr. Charles Connor

Encyclical to Be Available in Three Formats from Ignatius Press

Ignatius Press plans to publish the Holy Father's new encyclical in three formats: print, e-book, and audio.  Above is one of the banners we are using to promote these formats; it links to a simple web page from which you can pre-order the print book now.  The e-book and audio book formats will be available shortly after the encyclical's release.

You can follow the link of this banner to find out more and to sign up to be notified about the availability of the encyclical and other Ignatius e-books and audio books available for download.

(You'll notice that the English title of the encyclical given in the banner is "Love in Truth".  When you follow the link, the title on the descriptive page is "Charity in Truth".  No, that's no mistake.  We've created two different covers.  There is still some discussion about which way the title will be translated in the official version of the document.  We'll find out soon.  Meanwhile, we're prepared for either scenario!)