Limbo apologist Kevin Kukla is at it again. In the comment section of one of his many posts on this topic, he makes a concession and throws the game; then, he forthwith denies that he has done so: As others have rightly pointed out, no pope has defined limbo by an ‘ex cathedra’ statement. [That’s the part that matters.] Therefore, they conclude, any opinion on the matter is a valid one. This is false. No pope needs to define this... Read more
In a recent post, I noted that Cardinal Cajetan, in his commentary on the Summa III.68.11, posited that parents can supply baptism of desire to their children who die in the womb. “[C]hildren still within the womb of their mother,” Cajetan says, “are able to be saved … through the sacrament of baptism that is received, not in reality, but in the desire of the parents.” Just four days later, Kevin Kukla at ProLife365—apparently in response to my post, though... Read more
Note: This is Part 2 of a five-part response to Dr. E. Christian Brugger’s critique of Amoris Laetitia. Part 1 can be found here. Dr. Brugger’s article can be found at Catholic World Report here. Amoris Laetitia can be found here. The second of five “serious problems” that Dr. Brugger finds in Chapter 8 of Amoris Laetitia is that it is “inconsistent” in its treatment of not judging others. He deals with this “problem” much more succinctly than he... Read more
At Catholic World Report, Dr. E. Christian Brugger has posted an article entitled “Five Serious Problems With Chapter 8 of Amoris Laetitia.” It is a long article, which my own never are; a full five thousand four hundred twelve words; longer than Chapter 8 itself. (For indeed, dear reader, I counted.) So this will take some time to work through. Dr. Brugger’s article—unlike so many wailing panic attacks about Amoris Laetitia that can be briefly scoffed at, and refuted, and... Read more
At the National Catholic Register, Dr. R. Jared Staudt has responded to my two articles there about Limbo [first / second]. In order to avoid back-and-forth blog posts at the Register, I am going to use this blog to reply to some of the points Dr. Staudt raises. Before I do that, though, I want to clarify, once again, what I do not say. I made these same disclaimers in the second of my two posts; but a few folks... Read more
And it’s by Jon-Henry Westen again; wonders! Been there, done that. In this latest example of errant reportage, which you can read here, Life Site News proclaims: “Pope Says Schonborn Interpretation on Communion is the Final Word”! (That’s the title.) Hmm. Don’t recall reading that. I looked at the pope’s interview; Zenit has the transcript here; can’t recall the pope saying anything that can fairly be summarized as deferring to Schonborn the “final word.” Nor was Schonborn’s presentation of Amoris... Read more
Mr. Steve Skojec, of 1 Vader 5 infamy (he calls it 1 Peter 5; he’s allowed), was quick to pounce, claws unsheathed, on the latest papal interview. He did so in order to make the self-affirming claim that Pope Francis gave an unambiguous, full-throated “Yes!” to communion for the divorced and remarried. Shazaam. The pope, says Mr. Skojec, gave “a very straightforward affirmation” in response to a “very direct question” from a reporter. “Straightforward,” you say? “Very direct,” you say?... Read more
In Chapter 8 of Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis speaks of the “law of gradualness”; John Paul II was the first to write of such a law, in Familiaris Consortio 34. Here is what John Paul II says: It is always very important to have a right notion of the moral order, its values and its norms; and the importance is all the greater when the difficulties in the way of respecting them become more numerous and serious. Very much so.... Read more
Everybody’s talkin’ ’bout communion, confusion, disunion, second union, this union, that union, revolution, evolution Let’s take a look at what else the pope is saying. (My emphasis in bold.) Marriage is between one man and one woman. Same-sex unions are not marriage. 29. The word of God tells us that the family is entrusted to a man, a woman and their children, so that they may become a communion of persons in the image of the union of the... Read more
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