Someone is confused...

'Votive Mass', Picnic by Candlelight or simply a sandwich short?

Priory Motivationals IX

SS Collins Mix takes to new translation like oil to water...

ANOTHER LOOMING ROMAN DISASTER - This time with the liturgy says priest forever, Paul Collins. But the drivel that follows shows why he and others on that Ship of Fools the SS Collins Mix struggle with the noble simplicity of the Vatican II reforms.

Rabbiting on as he is prone in order to establish his personal map of the relevant 'Tradition' Collins runs his dissident flag up the proverbial to herald the aCatholic push to scuttle meaningful liturgical reform...

"Catholics will be pulled up short right at the beginning of Mass if the priest uses the greeting 'The Lord be with you', because the new response is 'And with your spirit' replacing 'And also with you'. Of course this is a literal translation of Et cum spiritu tuo but it is meaningless in modern English. Since this greeting recurs several times throughout Mass people are going to be constantly struggling with 'And with your spirit'.

Immediately flowing this is the Penitential Rite (which ICEL now calls the 'Penitential Act' because the Latin uses the word actus). The text of the 'I confess' will change with the insertion of the word 'greatly' for it to read 'I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned …'. In case that was not enough emphasis on sinfulness, ICEL have added 'through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault' to the text. This kind of overly dramatic repetition is inappropriate, even embarrassing in contemporary English. It may work in an operatic, romance kind of language; it doesn't in more phlegmatic, matter-of-fact forms of speech used by ordinary English speakers. The other optional penitential formulas have been changed, again with a strong emphasis on sinfulness.

The Gloria has undergone a considerable rewrite. The easiest way to deal with it is to contrast the two texts one after the other. Firstly, here is the text (text 1) we've been using since the late-1960s:

I think most of our pilgrims know it so I have edited it out...

Here is a copy of the new text (text 2)

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will.
We praise you,
we bless you,
we adore you,
we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father ,
you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

There is real modesty about text 1. It has a directness and an economy of words. It follows the rhythms of contemporary speech without awkward word juxtapositions. In text 2 the kinds of problems we are going to see with the rest of the text become apparent. You have the feeling that the word order has been changed just for the sake of it: 'and on earth peace to people of good will'. There is no apparent reason why this has been changed except to follow the order of the words in Latin (et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis). 'God' is no longer simply God but becomes 'O God'; 'only son of the Father' now becomes 'onlybegotten son', a meaningless theological gloss for most faithful Catholics. Repetitions are introduced: 'you take away the sins of the world' (twice). The whole of text 2 has a kind of 'designer baroque' feel about it as Austen Ivereigh calls it. The same kinds of problems are even more apparent and exaggerated in the Creed. Again, I'll contrast the two texts one after the other. Firstly, here is the text (text 1) we've been using since the late-1960s:

Again I think most of you know it so it has been edited out... on with the rant!

Here is a copy of the new text (text 2):

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

And one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Many commentators have pointed to the fact that in text 2 we no longer believe as a community, but as individuals. Sure credo means 'I believe' but we are not at the Eucharist as individuals. For the sake of a pedantic translation of the Latin we have sacrificed the essentially communal nature of worship. Again Jesus is no longer just 'only son of God' but 'only begotten son'. And just in case you missed it a couple of lines later Jesus is 'begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father'. Again these are theological niceties with no real significance for worshippers. The aim is clearly to express a kind of 'high' Christology, but to what purpose? Apparently the CDW's answer is to get people to go and ask 'Father' what the terms mean. It is more likely that they will simple see this as arcane language of no significance to them or their lives. People may have anathematized and even killed each other over these terms in the fourth and fifth centuries. In the twenty-first they will simple shrug their shoulders and might even walk away. Jesus is no longer simply 'incarnate from the Virgin Mary', but now 'by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary'. Again this is a mere pedantic precision, meaningful only to theologians. Again, the English is contorted simply to fit into an arcane theology which has little meaning to most Catholics.

When we come to the Eucharistic Prayer, again there are changes made simply for the sake of change. At the beginning of the Preface when the celebrant says 'Let us give thanks to the Lord our God' the congregation now replies 'It is right and just', when in the old formula we said something that actually made sense conversationally: 'It is right to give him thanks and praise'. In the Sanctus the Lord is no longer 'God of power and might', but 'Lord God of hosts', whatever 'hosts' might mean for those not trained in the rhetoric of biblical warfare?

In the actual Eucharistic Prayers there are a whole series of changes with which priests are going to have to deal. However, the most contentious change is in the actual words of the consecration of the wine. The old formula was: 'This is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and ever-lasting covenant; it will be shed for you and for all'. This expresses the clear, constant and unequivocal teaching of the Catholic Church that Christ died for all, that his death had a universal impact. But this is changed in the new translation to 'For this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many'. The reason given is that this is a more accurate translation of the Latin pro multis. That is correct linguistically, but it is incorrect theologically.

Bishop Donald Trautman of Erie Pensylvannia discusses this in some detail in an article in The Tablet (3 February 2007). Trautman quotes a commissioned piece in the official periodical of the CDW, Notitiae (May 1970, pp 138-140) by the expert exegete and linguist, Max Zerwick, SJ, where the Jesuit clearly states: 'According to exegetes, the Aramaic word which in Latin is translated pro multis means pro omnibus. The multitude for whom Christ died is unbounded, which is the same as saying Christ died for us all.' Zerwick then goes on to quote Saint Augustine in support of his position. This leads Trautman to challenge the CDW and Benedict XVI to explain what the translation means and he asks them to justify why they have allowed what is essentially a distortion of a central tenet of Catholic belief: the universal salvation brought about by Christ. As he says '"Many" does not mean everyone. On a pastoral level we must have from the Vatican a better rationale for this major change than what has been given … We need a pastoral approach. How many people in the pews will hear a universal inclusive meaning in "for many"?' This is a vivid example of the result of the literal approach taken by the CDW: essentially they end up with a translation that is at best misleading, at worst, effectively heretical.

When we get to the Our Father the simple, straight-forward words 'Let us pray with confidence to the Father in the words our Savior gave us' become the pompous 'At the Savior's command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say'. At the Communion it is no longer sufficient to say 'Lord I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed'. Now ICEL wants us to say: 'Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed'. Again one is faced with the question of the purpose of this. Sure, it refers back to the centurion who asks Jesus in the gospel to cure his servant, but why is this complexity introduced which obscures the meaning?

Bishop Trautman gives voice to the kinds of questions that occur to anyone who has read the new ICEL translation: 'In evaluating the translations we need to consider whether the texts are both understandable and proclaimable, and whether they use a word order, vocabulary and idiom of the mainstream of English-speaking people. If these texts are to be the prayers of the people, are they owned by them and expressed in their language? The texts include new words … such as "consubstantial to the Father" and "incarnate of the Virgin Mary", while words in the various new Collects include "sullied", "unfeigned", "ineffable", "gibbet", "wrought", "thwart". Do these texts communicate in the living language of the worshipping assembly?' These are the real pastoral questions we have to ask.

Austen Ivereigh is perhaps less measured that Bishop Trautman, but nevertheless his comments ring completely true. Having conceded that the new ICEL translation may work, he concludes 'it is also conceivable that the new Missal will prove a disaster, stuffed with archaisms and artificiality, reeking of a restorationist putsch, reflecting a fundamentalist response to modernity … In that case history may record that at the precise moment when liturgical translation was finding its own better balance between inculturation and fidelity, a fearful Rome intervened aggressively, alienating experienced liturgists just when they needed them.'

My own view is that this exercise will be a disaster, the last nail in the coffin of the credibility of the leadership of the Church. The history shows that this whole process has been ideologically driven by a tiny, unrepresentative minority who are insensitive to the real pastoral needs of the Catholic community and who, at heart, reject the Second Vatican Council. Worse, they don't care about what happens, they are not interested in how many more people are driven out of the Church by the pomposity of what is essentially mid-Victorian English rather than some type of 'sacred' language.

Perhaps the time has come for those of us who are still actively committed to Catholicism to finally make a stand and reject outright this exercise in nostalgia which will make it even more difficult to hand on the faith to coming generations.

Paul Collins
Canberra. 19 April 2009.

It's a translation Paul not a rewrite. There seems little point critiquing banality as I feel it critiques itself...

But let us never lose sight of the FACT that the responsibility for the bitter fruits of the Church and in particular the liturgy that we suffer today lies squarely with those who sail with the SS Collins Mix and its rather extensive flotsam and jetsam...

Here in The Cloister we can thank God for the Holy Spirit, for only through its blessed persistence is there any promise left of sweet fruit!

In the words of Ship's-mate and priest forever Paul Collins...

"Perhaps the time has come for those of us who are still actively committed to Catholicism to finally make a stand and reject outright this exercise in nostalgia which will make it even more difficult to hand on the faith to coming generations".

We could not agree more Paul!

Let's embrace the new translation and do away with this aCatholic nostalgia which plagues the present liturgy. Perhaps a keel haul of dissenters too, might lend itself to the renewed sense of penance you identified for us in the new translation!

The Annual Day of Atonement

As Cathcom news reminds us, the Very New Covenant is one year old, and a celebration marking the anniversary was held in the mediocre Catholic Cathedral in Newcastle. (We have previously reported on the Very New Covenant here, and here, and here. And then there was the plug-pulling incident here)

Cathcom helpfully report the words of the Anglican bishop, B. Farran:

"This evening we will give thanks for these and other significant ways in which we are living out our Covenant together. We will also acknowledge and lament the ways in which we are unable to come together and those things which are still left undone."

"We are saddened that we cannot mark the stages of our faith journey by celebrating sacraments together," Bishop Brian said. "We regret that we are unable to gather together in small rural communities to worship on Sundays. We also feel very deeply the reality that we are unable to share a common Communion table. This means that when we worship together, we cannot receive Communion together."

There IS a solution to that, Bishop: stop pretending Anglicanism is legitimate, convert to the Catholic fath and receive the sacraments. But maybe that's not in the spirit of the Very New Covenant.

Archbishop of Canterbury

Augustine, a man with solid faith.

Williams - this latest 'successor' really isn't any match to spread the Christian faith.

The old days were so much better. Br Pelagius, how is that Church of England going? Is Africa still in communion with Canterbury?

No longer saving Fr Ryan, rather a case of Fr Ryan's savings...

Regulars to our curious corridors will appreciate our passing interest in all things brown... indeed, pilgrims who have not yet encountered the Missionaries of God's Love (MGLs) may like to check out an earlier contribution which captures some of the finer details of the identification process but suffice to say in summary that they wear Brown Trousers.

The MGLs claim to be radically committed to living the Gospel and are not surprisingly experiencing a great deal of success in attracting young people to vocations. Word has it that, bucking the aCatholic asserted trend, they appear to have outgrown their existing seminary in Melbourne and urgently need to build additional facilities to accommodate a growing number of seminarians!

In a phenomenon rarely experienced of religious orders today, especially those who highlight their vow of poverty, (usually understood as an act of renouncing all personal property in the cause of the common good), so radical is the MGLs vow that they actually do depend entirely on the providence of God (code for the 'insane generosity of others').

The Cloister's beloved and insanely supportive Dionysius Melburneii (hello Your Grace!) officially launched the worldwide MGL Seminary Building Appeal in August last year, but the cruel irony here gentle pilgrim is that in spite of attracting vast numbers of vocations, our charismatic Brown Trouser brigade aren't attracting enough green to achieve their goal!

Sources reveal that the man tasked with attracting funds is none other than the same Fr Ryan whose last smallish task was as leader of the WYD JCI teams. In 2007 we ran the story Saving Fr Ryan but today's contribution is more of an attempt to promote the cause of Fr Ryan's savings!

The MGLs may not be your cup of tea. There charism may not extend to any 'extraordinary form', but with a clergy in Australia that is frequently criticised for lacking holy, committed and enthusiastic 'young' men the MGLs would seem to be worthy of some financial support if for no other reason then to ensure that the rest of us are spared the wearing of brown trousers!

Perhaps we might conclude with the famous words of Elwood in The Blues Brothers, as he and Jake head off on their Mission from God: “It’s a hundred and six miles to Chicago, we’ve got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing BROWN TROWSERS!” What we wouldn't do for some "dry white toast"!

Watch out Mel...

... you're in danger of going to Hell.

Well really, who are we to judge? Perhaps it's that we expected so much more of this great Catholic man.

A marriage failure three years ago is probably bad enough but to get his latest girlfriend pregnant while still legally married... Oh dear.

You still have to feel for the man. Just like all of us other sinners, he is fighting:

Mel, perhaps a screening of a film called The Passion of the Christ will do your soul a world of good.

The More Obscure Traditional Rites And Usages, No. 4

4. The Jamming of Fingers on the Feast of St DomNiall.

What Lies Beneath

We suspect that appearing on Australian Story tonight will prove to be a strategic error for the disgraced priests formerly of St Mary's, South Brisbane.

While those who dislike the Catholic Church will no doubt draw reassurance from the programme, those who love the Church, even those on the more liberally-disposed fringe, will see something of the depth and ugliness of the rot which had taken hold. Sympathy will dissipate once people see how far these two have drifted away from our Church's faith, and how much they have abandoned the commitments they made at their ordinations.

Sure, we can all acknowledge that doubts can occur and that weaknesses can be a trial, but in the Cloister we predict that it will be evident to anyone who watches the TV show with objectivity that the behaviour of these two has been unacceptable to not only the hierarchy but to ordinary faithful Catholics. Even people who are generally unsympathetic to Catholic doctrine and ecclesiastical discipline, may acknowledge that Kennedy and Fitzpatrick's positions as Catholic clergy are untenable.

The ABC publicity refers to this case as one which "split the Church", few in the Church will feel like supporting these disgraced and disgraceful wolves when they see what lies beneath. Its a pity that these fellows weren't properly held to account much, much sooner.

Thank heavens for Tess!

Tess Livingstone's piece in yesterday's Weekend Australian, The father, the shun and the holey spirit, is on the money. She must have been reading this blog.

Let's just look at the last part:

Jokingly, Kennedy referred to himself on radio as "a good Protestant". In fact, most church-going Anglicans, Uniting church-goers and other Christians would abhor his doubts about the existence of Christ.

Kennedy described as a "problem" traditional Christian belief in "a Jesus who was the divine son of God, who died upon the cross ... and rises from the dead to make up for the terrible injustice perpetrated against God his father perpetrated by the sin of Adam". That, he insisted, was "the great lie that Christianity has perpetrated".

Perhaps "in persona Jedi" would be a better fit.

Tess, sorry, but we have to disagree. A lightsaber would be too powerful a weapon to give to the unbelievers.

Gaudeamus Omnes in Domino or Salve Sancta Parens?

Here in The Priory we are a bit confused. Is the 24th of May the feast of the Patroness of Australia, or is that now 1st September, the feast of Our Lady of the Southern Cross set up in 1998?

We know that the Australian Bishops re-dedicated our country to her in 2001, but what do we do now that a WYD committee thought otherwise? Sr Magdalene is diligently preparing the music for us to practice and needs to know whether to set out Salve Sancta Parens or Gaudeamus omnes - how vexing!*

This whole issue has a sense of the republican vs monarchist debate. Will we see Our Lady Help of Christians borne with the Australian Flag on the 24th of May and Our Lady of the Southern Cross borne with the Eureka flag on September 1st?

*just in case any liturgical police email to correct, we chanted 'Viri Galilei' on THURSDAY, not on Sunday.

"Habemus Rectorem Parvorum Adultorum!"

Thus went the announcement recently that the Archdiocese of the Big Apple has a new director of young adults.

Of course, we know that New York had been waiting for the words "Habemus Archepiscopus" for some time until the See of Neo-Eboracensis/Magnus Malum Pomum was finally filled by His Grace, Timothy Dolan.

Since that event the Catholics of New York had waited with bated breath for the next appointment, which has finally been announced after a very long consistory to choose the next director of young adults.

The benefice is to be filled by none other than Parick Langrell of Redfield College and Notre Dame Sydney fame.

Patrick is well known for his leadership of the Notre-Dame Sydney based 'Theology on Tap,' an an event that has superb success. He took the idea from the U.S.A itself, which began its first TOT in 1981, and formed it into its Australian form.

We wish him all the best in his new position, congratulate New York on such a fine choice and offer condolences to his girlfriends.

Word has it that the ceremony of installation for the new role includes the drinking of a litre of Guinness and the eating of steak and chips, interspersed by a recitation of the Apostles' Creed, after which he is led by the archdeacon to a special stall in the Cathedral while verse 5 of Chapter 2 of the Song of Songs is chanted (Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples*).

Good Luck Pat, and Cheers!

*We use the King James translation to present the most explicit alcohol and apple reference.

Art Wars, Ascension

I apologise that I am behind in this assignment as Br Prior had me represent him at the enthronement of +Nichols at Westminster. It's been a busy few days but here in the Internet cafe I have finally got around to my submission.

As usual, I prefer to be different and present the following from an early fourteenth-century book of rites and processional from St. Agnes in Strasbourg.

Not the usual iconography we are used to, but quite a common way of depicting the Ascension in the days before the Protestant Revolt.

digitus paternae dexterae

The almost official Cloister Preferred Candidate for Archbishop of Westminster, Doctor Vincent Nichols, gives the special "mission accomplished" signal to the Cloister's London agent after his enthronement yesterday in the Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood etc. in Westminster: the 80th legitimate successor to St Augustine of Canterbury.

Ascension of Christ - Art Wars II

Br Jasper, I know you are the eldest member of The Priory but really, did you have to spite Sr Magdalene this may? You know we were arguing about when we celebrate the Ascension - in line with the calendar of the Extraordinary Form or that of the Ordinary in Australia?

Yet to be resolved, I shall challenge you with this:


~Garofalo

The Ascension - Art Wars I

I got in first!

Giotto di Bondone

Re-thinking Notre Dame

Members of The Priory were sitting around the formal dining room tonight more than satisfied with the meal Sr Magdalene had prepared for us when Br Belvedere posed the following question:

"What does it all mean for Notre Dame as a university institution? Will there be a decline in enrollments?" he asked.

"Or at very least a dramatic fall in donations," suggested Br Momus.

Sr Magdalene, always concerned with the local issues, wondered whether the local variations in Western Australia and more recently in Sydney will be affected in the same way?

"What will the American bishops think when they hear reports of the good Cardinal giving his next address at Notre Dame here?" questioned Br Jasper. "They aren't known to be acutely aware of anything outside the US."

Yours Truly, who had been browsing the pages of Internet Explorer just prior to dinner, alerted the rest to the words of Cardinal Arinze, who spoke at the commencement address at the Thomas More College, New Hampshire.

“In the complicated world of today, where all kinds of ideas are struggling for the right of citizenship, a university student needs a clear and viable orientation on the relationship between religion and life. The Catholic College or University is ideally positioned to help him see the light and equip himself for a significant contribution in society.”

“But what does it profit us if a student is an intellectual giant but a moral baby… if he or she can shoot out mathematical or historical facts like a computer but is unfortunately a problem for the parents, corrosive acid among companions in the College, a drug addict and sexual pervert, a disgrace to the school, a waste-pipe in the place of work and Case number 23 for the Criminal Police? It is clear that intellectual development is not enough.”

“A person who holds that certain actions, like direct abortion, are always objectively wrong, is regarded as ‘judgmental’, or as imposing his views on others.”

“If a Catholic college or university answers to its vocation in the ways outlined above, then it will be educating, forming and releasing into society model citizens who will be a credit to their families, their college, the Church and the State. It will prepare for us members of Congress or the Senate who will not say ‘I am a Catholic, but...’ but rather those who will say ‘I am a Catholic, and therefore...’”

Hear! Hear! from us. Perhaps Br Prior will re-think our suggesting to open our classes to the public.

The President Prefers his Catholics Wet

As Father Jenkins, the priest in charge of Notre Dame, was being affirmed by Mr. Obama, his minions were having an 80-year-old Catholic priest arrested for carrying a cross on the University grounds.

Now try to imagine if the University of Notre Dame Australia invited former Senator Natasha Stott-Despoja their Fremantle campus to give a graduation address and gave her an Honorary Doctorate. Scary stuff.



Trying to think of an Australia equivalent of the U.S. Notre Dame scandal, Natasha is the best I could come up with. (Sorry, Julia.) Fortunately, the Spot Destroyer is not yet our Head of State, but you never know what might happen.

President Obama’s speech at Notre Dame in the U.S. should have American Catholics worried – even the wet ones who have supported him politically thus far, and whom he appears to be trying to boost in return.

Here’s part of what he said:
“Your class has come of age at a moment of great consequence for our nation and the world - a rare inflection point in history where the size and scope of the challenges before us require that we remake our world to renew its promise; that we align our deepest values and commitments to the demands of a new age. It is a privilege and a responsibility afforded to few generations - and a task that you are now called to fulfill.
This is the generation that must find a path back to prosperity and decide how we respond to a global economy that left millions behind even before this crisis hit - an economy where greed and short-term thinking were too often rewarded at the expense of fairness, and diligence, and an honest day's work.
We must decide how to save God's creation from a changing climate that threatens to destroy it. We must seek peace at a time when there are those who will stop at nothing to do us harm, and when weapons in the hands of a few can destroy the many. And we must find a way to reconcile our ever-shrinking world with its ever-growing diversity - diversity of thought, of culture, and of belief.
In short, we must find a way to live together as one human family. “

OK, so who wouldn’t want to fix the global economy. But since when is God’s creation threatened with destruction by climate change? “Change”, yes, “destruction”, no! Not unless they really are going to build that Intergalactic Bypass, and even then its only the Earth, not the whole of creation. And notice how it is “God’s creation”, but God doesn’t come into the solution: no, that’s apparently up to us. Hmm.

But the bit about finding “a way to reconcile our ever-shrinking world with its ever-growing diversity - diversity of thought, of culture, and of belief” is more ominous. Mr Obama went on to explore further this “diversity”:


“The gay activist and the evangelical pastor may both deplore the ravages of HIV/AIDS, but find themselves unable to bridge the cultural divide that might unite their efforts. Those who speak out against stem cell research may be rooted in admirable conviction about the sacredness of life, but so are the parents of a child with juvenile diabetes who are convinced that their son's or daughter's hardships can be relieved.”

So you see the terms in which this is being presented: look, everybody has an opinion and no-one’s opinion is better than anyone else’s. Convictions about the sacredness of life are “admirable”, BUT….


He went on:
“How does each of us remain firm in our principles, and fight for what we consider right, without demonizing those with just as strongly held convictions on the other side? Nowhere do these questions come up more powerfully than on the issue of abortion.”
I guess this means that convictions are always admirable if they’re “strongly held”. Goodness me, we wouldn’t want to “demonize”, say, people who deny the holocaust, would we?


More from the U.S President: “That's when we begin to say, "Maybe we won't agree on abortion, but we can still agree that this is a heart-wrenching decision for any woman to make, with both moral and spiritual dimensions."



Well, there’s nothing like calling a spade a spade, I suppose. But then what do you DO about it, Mr O?

“So let's work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, and making adoption more available, and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term.” By all means, but what might he mean by “reducing unintended pregnancies” I wonder. Are our American Catholic cousins being asked to favour one evil over another?


“Let's honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded in clear ethics and sound science, as well as respect for the equality of women." Hello? “Grounded in clear ethics”? “Sound science”? How about clear morals and sound law? (Oh, and apparently abortion has something to do with “the equality of women”. Go figure that one!)


But now we get to the real lecture from Mr President:
“Understand - I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away. No matter how much we may want to fudge it - indeed, while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory - the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable.”

So there you are: the debate should not go away. The unborn should have to constantly have their right to life asserted against those who would take it away. Interesting view of the future: “the views of the two camps are irreconcilable”, so we’re just going to keep going on as if they both had equal value.


The American Head of State continued: “In this world of competing claims about what is right and what is true, have confidence in the values with which you've been raised and educated. Be unafraid to speak your mind when those values are at stake. Hold firm to your faith and allow it to guide you on your journey.” Ah, yes, “values”, Catholic “values”. We all know about them in education, don't we? Hmmm.


BUT:
“But remember too that the ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt. It is the belief in things not seen. It is beyond our capacity as human beings to know with certainty what God has planned for us or what He asks of us, and those of us who believe must trust that His wisdom is greater than our own.” So don’t listen to the bishops when they teach what God asks of us, I guess. And he went on: “For if there is one law that we can be most certain of, it is the law that binds people of all faiths and no faith together. It is no coincidence that it exists in Christianity and Judaism; in Islam and Hinduism; in Buddhism and humanism. It is, of course, the Golden Rule - the call to treat one another as we wish to be treated.”


What an astonishing effort at marginalising the vast majority of Catholics within their own community! And all with the grinning approval of the priest in charge of the university.


Natasha, stay away from Fremantle!

Poor Mother Mary

The Archdiocese of Brisbane now dedicates itself to Mother Mary of the Driftwood.


I wonder if they allow incense or even real candles in that chapel?

Quote of the Day

If Karol Józef Wojtyła were alive today, it would be his 89th Birthday.

The Truth is not always the same as the majority decision.
~ Pope John Paul II

Something Fr Kennedy should meditate on of course.

And for what?

The situation of Fr Peter Kennedy is bothering us. The Cloistered are still hoping for reconciliation of the group so-called St Mary's in Exile. News.com.au carried the story over the weekend that Fr Peter Kennedy, formerly Administrator of South Brisbane Parish, is likely to have penalties imposed upon him, not excluding dismissal from the clerical state.

At this point, we Cloistered should like to raise the following question: Is the canonical process of reconciliation or exclusion of Fr Kennedy clear to those other than the Archbishop, Fr Farrelly and Fr Kennedy? For what offence(s) is Fr Peter Kennedy to suffer penalties soon? Loss of the clerical state would seem to be the tieing off of the very last loose ends of the sorry affair.

And yet, news.com.au's perception, not unjustified if you ask me, is that he's being punished for "engaging in unorthodox practices, such as having a Buddhist statue in the church and allowing women to preach the homily," when it's really about denying the Virginal Conception of Jesus and the repudiation of apostolic authority.

Just when you thought it was nearly over...

We get this to add to the controversy regarding the ownership of liturgical items take from St. Mary's.

REBEL priest Father Peter Kennedy may soon be dismissed from the priesthood, but he says he will continue to conduct services regardless.

Fr Kennedy has ignored two official letters from the Archbishop of Brisbane John Bathersby demanding he stop conducting services or face penalties, "not excluding dismissal from the clerical state".

The priest has been involved in a long-running dispute with the Brisbane archdiocese, which sacked him as administrator of St Mary's for engaging in unorthodox practices, such as having a Buddhist statue in the church and allowing women to preach the homily.

Fr Kennedy led most of his congregation away from the South Brisbane church the weekend after Easter and has since been conducting religious services in the nearby Trades and Labour Council (TLC) building.

Archdiocesan chancellor Fr Adrian Farrelly said the way was now open for serious penalties to be imposed on the rebel priest.

Fr Farrelly said sending the two letters - dated 30 April and 5 May - was a canon law requirement before penalties could be imposed for serious breaches of Church law. Penalties range from suspension from all priestly activities to dismissal from the priesthood.

Suspension would mean Fr Kennedy would remain a cleric but could not lawfully celebrate Mass and the sacraments in public, officiate at weddings, preach or hear confessions.

Fr Farrelly said a priest's dismissal was a significantly more serious penalty.

"In such a case, the person involved could only return to active ministry as a priest with the approval of Rome," he said.

But Fr Kennedy told AAP the two letters "changed nothing" and he would continue to conduct services even if dismissed.

"We will go on maintaining that we are within the Catholic Church," he said.

"The archbishop wrote prior to the sacking that he can't stop me going elsewhere but if I did and people followed me, that they would be outside the archdiocese and the Catholic Church.

"That's his call. But bishops make mistakes and we believe he is making a gross mistake.

"We belive the archbishop and Father Farrelly have done something incredibly unjust.

"This should never have happened. We did nothing to deserve this," he said.

Fr Kennedy said his congregation was "particularly strong" and that more than 300 people came to each of the three services at the TLC building every Sunday.

He said a number of priests and bishops privately supported him and his congregation, which have named themselves St Mary's in Exile.

Another Covenant

Following in the footsteps of the Dioceses of Maitland-Newcastle and Broken Bay, which entered into a "covenant" with the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle as reported here, the Archdiocese of Brisbane and the Diocese of Toowoomba are about to enter into a "covenant" with the Anglican See of Brisbane. The happy trio will consumate the pact at St Stephen's Cathedral on May 29th.

We all know from the Old Testament that every Covenant needs a "sign." It is not yet clear whether Doctors Bathersby, Morris and Aspinall have chosen circumcision or a rainbow.

The saint and the...

Certainly no doppelganger!

We really wonder what Christopher West has been smoking. Obviously too much incense.

Budget09

In such a horror budget, what did Bishop Justin Bianchini do right to receive volunteer funding for Centacare in his diocese of Gerladton? He is the only congregational beneficiary and $119,466 will go down nicely.

New Vestments in case of 'flu pandemic

It is rumoured that a new set of vestments has been secretly made up for priests in the event of the swine 'flu pandemic reaching these shores.

Coo-ees has been able to obtain a preview of the suggested apparel, which comes in the various liturgical colours - orange being the new approved colour in times of pandemic.

A nod to Ship of Fools

Priory Vatican Contrasts

It seems they have added some obscure ancient language to the Vatican website.

BEFORE

AFTER

My gosh, they also discovered that there are Catholics in Asia!

Priory Captions III

Go for it pilgrims...

The More Obscure Traditional Rites And Usages, No. 3

3. Pontifical Blessing of Basements "In Times of Revolution and Sans-Cullottes Uprising"

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles

1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.

2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Denis also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

5 Denis therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Denis was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.

7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Denis on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.

10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.

11 And when Denis was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the LORD hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

An Ancient Australian Tradition?

There has been significant murmuring for some time about World Youth Day's adoption of 'Our Lady of the Southern Cross Help of Christians' as its patroness, which was, so they say, taken from the Diocese of Too-woom-bah, her image's enshrining in St Mary's Cathedral Sydney and word of it adorning the chapel of Australia House in Rome.

What is good is that at least the WYD image of 'Our Lady of the Southern Cross Help of Christians' is not as wildly minmalistic and boring as that used by Too-woom-bah (even if WYD did publish it as a holy card with their similarly boring offcial WYD prayer on the back).

People are rightfully concerned that the title 'Help of Christians', under whose patronage Australia was placed, has been replaced due the need for constant novelty of some in the WYD office with the usual new-Pentecost syndrome.

When the 'new' title was originally released it was stand alone. Later it seemed that they attached 'Help of Christians' to it like some form of footnote after obviously concerned queries. However, as usual with footnotes, they are often ignored and the image now in St Mary's Sydney, is referred to everywhere as Our Lady of the Southern Cross.

What is also usual is that what someone thinks is a novelty is actually not.

I recalled recently that something of this nature was around during my Melbourne Seminary days and I leafed through my old breviary and this gem flew out onto the floor.

While the iconography is of Mary Help of Christians, the date of Archbishop Little's imprimatur is May 24th and she is reffered to under that title in the prayer on the reverse, one can just make out in the scan that the title written on the front of the 1975 holy card is:

"Our Lady of the Southern Cross."

An Apposite Quote

"How many priests have been called "backward" or "anticonciliar" because of the mere fact of celebrating in a solemn or pious manner or simply for fully obeying the rubrics! It is imperative to get out of this dialectic." Cardinal Canizares, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship.

Tip of the cowl to Fr Finigan via Fr Z

A Cut Above

The economic downturn is even inspiring some good thoughts by our government. This news breaking today that the Commonwealth Government is considering placing a limit on the number of IVF cycles a woman can have and/or an upper age limit is most encouraging.

Now we know that it's not exactly a blanket ban on a practice (which has more failure rates than Jesuits have proportionate reasons), but it is a good sign that the Government is starting to see how IVF treatment is too costly, albeit in economic terms, to allow it to go on unchecked as it is now.

The time may well come when IVF is seen for what it is.

May it be soon, Lord.

Dr Uren- Finally!

News today is that Bill Uren, S.J. was finally granted a doctorate- an honorary one from the Australian Catholic University. Our brethren at The Cloister explain his contribution to bioethics here.


Uren, infamous for his opposition and attempted stifling of the first visit here in 1996 of Jesuit firebrand Joseph Fessio, was never granted his first doctorate after another Australian, Professor John Finnis, failed his Phd which forced Uren to accept a Master of Letters instead.



Fr Uren joins the prestigious ranks of other ACU Honorary degree holders. We suspect there will be a special formal dinner at Newman College tonight.

Congratulations Dr Uren!

Out of Proportion

Fr Bill Uren SJ, one time and once again Rector of Newman College, was made a Doctor of the Australian Catholic University this week for his work in Bioethics. What a nice thing to do for an old Jesuit of great proportions.

Take this article Uren wrote back in 2005 for Off-Line Catholics, advocating the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. He maintains that there may be proportional reasons for using these artificial contraceptives, and that disease is one of them. Entering a plea of Double Effect may not get him a Get Out of Gaol Free card any time soon - the Bishops of Rome and Sydney have contributed to this public debate in the recent months.

Bill, even a seminarian will tell you that for the principle of Double Effect to apply, the deed bringing about a bad effect must be at least morally neutral. Condom use doesn't fit the bill.

We've commented on the choices of honorary doctorate recipients at that place before. It ought be said that ACU National is tacitly, and perhaps explicity, canonising Uren's vast proportions by doctoring him when the question is already resolved against the Jesuit's position. But this one brings a whole new category. In awarding the degree to Fr Uren, who is a man of great proportion, ACU National is showing itself once again to be that authority-snubbing and death-courting institution it really is.

Pity ACU National isn't listed on the stock market. I'd organise a hostile take over if it was.

Papal Odds on the Biff

With the appointment of +Vincent Nichols to Westminster it's time to check Paddy Power and the latest novelty betting.

They are yet to poll for the next Bishop of Westminster but the odds on the next Pope have changed.

Cardinal Angelo Scola, the Patriarch of Venice is favourite at 6-1.

Of the 41 'candidates' notably 12 are Italian. Of those 12 the most notable is Cardinal Giacomo Biffi, the former Archbishop of Bologna, at 40-1. (Cardinal Pell is at 50-1.)

Biffi believes the antichrist is among prominent philanthropists promoting the ideas of ecumenism, vegetarianism, and pacifism.

One wonders what he thinks of the Green Churches fad.

Maybe it's time to bring back the BIFF!

Movement in the Ranks

The appointment of Monsignor Les Tomlinson VG as Auxiliary Bishop of Melbourne has fueled speculation that one or more of the current auxiliaries - Costelloe, Elliott, Prowse - may be on the move.

Tomlinson's appointment adds to the extraordinary number of Melbourne clergy to be ordained to the higher order of Priesthood over the last decade. Kudos to those clergy and of course their Ordinaries - Pell and Hart.

Melbourne Bishop

Because you can never have too many.

Priory Motivationals VIII

Caption Please

This, from the Catholic Leader, deserves a caption contest. Suggestions please.