Let’s close our eyes for a moment and dream of an ideal world in which all the three (two?) presidential candidates oppose abortion and embryonic stem cell research. Everything else remaining the same as it stands today: who would you vote for and why? I’m not particularly a fan of hypotheticals, but I would like to set the stage for discussing their respective positions on issues that concern us from a Catholic perspective. The truth of the matter is that... Read more
In relation to my previous post, it goes without saying that Deal Hudson is at the front of the line in terms of demanding that pro-abortion politicians be denied communion. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Bush’s outreach man, the original Republicath. He is now fixated on whether nuncio Sambi gave communion to Kerry, Dodd, and Pelosi at the papal Mass in Washington DC– because Bob Novak said so. Well, Deal has the pictures (can you believe these characters sent people... Read more
Moral principle, which is essentially recognized by all normal people (although on different grounds and with different degrees of precision), affirms that human dignity must be respected in each person, and that, therefore, it is not possible to make anyone whatsoever only a means or an instrument for anyone’s use. But in the theory of deterrence, the punished criminal is ultimately considered to all intents and purposes as only a means of instilling fear in others for the sake of... Read more
I guess this should have been predictable. While those of us lucky enough to attend a papal Mass will always treasure that wonderful and unique experience, a small embittered group immediately starting jumping up and down and waving their fists– first about how they didn’t like the liturgy (yes, it’s about them, isn’t it) and second, how certain abortion-supporting politicians had the gall to receive communion. Actually, that really encapsulates the priority of this loud group of fringe Catholics: traditional... Read more
Capital punishment is a very controversial issue. Some would say that, regardless of what evils a person has done, it is not right to kill him, for human life is sacred, and further that there is something especially noxious about the death penalty because it is irrevocable, and if a person is ever wrongly executed there is nothing that can correct this. Others claim that we must take from the criminal something equivalent to what he has taken from his... Read more
McCain and Clinton seem to think so. Obama disagrees and perhaps rightly so. I have heard many economists on the radio and read several articles that do not support the gas tax cut either so enthusiastically. Based on my conversation with people in the refining industry and friends in general, I’m getting the sense that they are on board with Obama as well. Is an average $2 more at the pump every time we fill our tanks this summer really... Read more
I’m pleased to note the publication of what looks like a fantastic book on the consistent ethic of life, which appears to be a reappraisal of the “seamless garment” approach to life issues. The book, which will in print tomorrow, is entitled Consistently Opposing Killing: From Abortion to Assisted Suicide, the Death Penalty, and War. It consists of a number of essays by researchers in sociology, political science, psychology and theology. Sr. Edith Bogue, professor of sociology at the College... Read more
Part I Part II-1 Part II-2 Part II-3 Even though he has left us with a great number of letters to friends and treatises on a unique variety of subjects, much of Synesius’ life is hidden from us. Born around 370 into a prominent family of Cyrene, we do not know if his parents were Christian or not.[i]He was very well educated and his mores were fully in tune with classical civilization. Prominent in his education was his study of Platonic... Read more
In the aftermath of the U.S. visit by Pope Benedict XVI, traditional Catholics are asking a troublesome question: Did pro-choice politicians receiving Communion at the papal Masses indicate the pope had softened on the abortion question? The answer is no. On the contrary, it reflected disobedience to Benedict by the archbishops of New York and Washington. [We’ll see how well he proves this assertion.] (more…) Read more
We forget that clerics playing an important role in temporal affairs of state is nothing new. Whether it is wise is another story (Cardinals Richelieu and Wolsey come to mind!). I, for one, do not think that priests and bishops should become active in the political sphere of the modern nation state. But if the person leaves the priesthood, well, that is another story. I see nothing wrong with that. And I applaud Bishop (ex-bishop?) Lugo’s victory on a platform... Read more
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