Author: Pete Vere

I’m a Catholic nitwit

It appears that Philip Pullman thinks I’m a Catholic nitwit.
Here is the response I just emailed to the Times On-line:

I pity poor Philip Pullman
The man spends years of his life objecting to Christianity, and now he apparently objects to Christians objecting to his objections. Mr. Pullman even resorts to stereotyping and name-calling when responding to critics like myself. Ironically, his are the same tactics employed by the evil magesterium in his novels.
I would believe such behaviour unbecoming of an award-winning children’s author. Certainly Mrs. Rowling has always been graceful in responding to her critics. (And as both a fan and a critic of her work, I was disappointed when the last chapter of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” neglected to Luna Lovegood’s future). However, when the average reader is trusted as Mr. Pullman suggests, the number of book sales establishes Mrs. Rowling – a Christian – as clearly the better author.
Cordially,
Pete Vere
Catholic nitwit and co-author of the forthcoming Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children’s Fantasy

Much ado about Bishops

I must disagree with Deal Hudson’s latest column attempting to interpret Bishop Paprocki squeaking out Archbishop Burke for chair of the USCCB’s canon law committee.
I have nothing but respect for Archbishop Burke. Back when he was bishop of Lacrosse, WI, his chancellor Ben Nygen and I often consulted on canonical issues that would prove controversial in the media. Archbishop Burke would have been an excellent candidate for the position.
But Bishop Paprocki is also an excellent candidate. He may not be as visible in media, but he is extremely respected in canon law circles for his orthodoxy and his knowledge of the law. He too has given me excellent advice when approaching the media with controversial points touching upon canon law, and I have been the recipient of his hospitality at canon law conventions or when visiting Chicago. And like Archbishop Burke, he too is not scared to publicly correct politicians who pass legislation at odds with Church teaching. This was the case here.
It was during my last visit to Chicago that Bishop Paprocki invited Michael Trueman and I to breakfast, and urged us to begin writing Surprised by Canon Law volume 2. The book, which was released by Servant last week, is available by clicking here. Bishop Paprocki is one of the individuals who encouraged us to write it.
This is one of the reasons I’m happy to be a lay canonist and not a bishop. Both men were strong, orthodox, knowledgeable candidates for the chair. I don’t know which one I would have voted for.
Which is why I disagree with Deal that this is a sign of the USCCB giving Archbishop Burke the shaft. Given the caliber and orthodoxy of these two bishops, I think the real sign here is that the USCCB is committed to moving in the right direction with regards to canonical issues.

Published
Categorized as Canonical

Pied Piper of Atheism

Thanks RC! To put it bluntly, the Pullman articles have probably been the most spiritually stressful articles I have ever written. From the blasphemous depiction of God, the nasty depiction of the Church, and the cruel treatment of children throughout the books – I’m not sure how anyone can call this “children’s fantasy”.
Anyway, here’s a collection of articles available on-line that I have written on the topic:
Seventeen Questions about Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials
Atheism for kids
Philip Pullman and the seduction of children
Book Review for Catholic Insight

Freedom of religious expression under attack in Canada?

In case you haven’t already picked it up from Kathy Shaidle, a number of Canadian bloggers are worried over the following, which appears in today’s Washington Times on-line:
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Activist’s remarks about Islam and sex probed
By Pete Vere
July 24, 2007
SAULT STE. MARIE, Ontario — Organizers of a conservative online forum in Canada say their free-speech rights are under attack after they received a letter saying a complaint has been filed with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
The complaint, filed by a private citizen and accepted for further investigation by the commission, protested a critical posting on the forum’s Web site regarding Islam and homosexuality.
The remarks were posted on FreeDominion.ca, a sister site to the conservative U.S. forum FreeRepublic, by FreeDominion member Bill Whatcott, a former homosexual prostitute turned outspoken Christian activist.
“I can’t figure out why the homosexuals I ran into are on the side of the Muslims,” Mr. Whatcott wrote on the Web site. “After all, Muslims who practice Sharia law tend to advocate beheading homosexuals.”
[continue reading]

On Chris Benoit’s death – or why I’m Catholic

By now most wrestling fans, especially Canadian ones, will have heard of the murder-suicide of Chris Benoit and his family. The following is an editorial I wrote this morning for the local secular media:
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On Chris Benoit’s death
By Pete Vere
SooToday.com
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Initially I was going to write this editorial on last weekend’s fun at the St. Jean Baptiste Day festival, the opening of the Desbarats farmers’ market this Friday, and this weekend’s Canada Day celebrations. I had not intended to devote another editorial to professional wrestling so soon after the last one.
Nevertheless, like most other fans of this sport, I was both shocked and saddened by the death of Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their seven-year-old son Daniel, in what now appears to have been a murder-suicide.
Although he struggled at his mic skills, Benoit was a gifted technical performer and rose to become Canada’s best after injury forced Bret Hart into retirement. In an industry where egos often clash, my contacts within the industry tell me Benoit was a good guy in the locker-room who always treated other wrestlers with respect. This certainly was the case with the fans, for whom he never gave any less than 100 percent.
I regret never having had the opportunity to see Benoit perform live. Yet he certainly entertained me on many a Monday and Thursday night. His flying headbutt was one of my favorite moves. His departure from WCW after the company aborted his championship run angered me – enough to reconsider my boycott of the WWE.
But this is now in the past.
This morning I find myself, along with many other fans, struggling with the following question: How do I reconcile Chris Benoit the humble performer who consistently gave his all, with the Chris Benoit who reportedly killed his family before ending his own life?
Was it steroids? A mid-life crisis? Had he suffered some sort of brain injury in the ring of which nobody was aware? Is there some other medical or scientific explanation that the experts don’t know?
I certainly don’t.
So this is one of those times when I must set aside logical explanations for the comfort of my Catholic faith. As a Catholic, I believe both murder and suicide to be acts of great evil. Each of these acts ends one of God’s most precious gifts to us: the gift of human life. Those who take innocent life are worthy of eternal damnation.
Yet as a Catholic I also believe in forgiveness and redemption. I believe that Jesus Christ gave His own life to bring us an even greater gift, namely, salvation which is the gift of eternal life. Because Christ is an infinite God who became man, whereas we are finite human creatures who desire to come to God, I believe there is no sin of which we are capable that Christ cannot forgive.
This includes sins against human life.
There is no way of knowing what went through Chris Benoit’s mind as he struck out against his family and himself. Yet there is also no way of knowing what conversation took place between him and God in the final moments of his life. Therefore, what sustains at moments like these is the hope that Chris, Nancy and Daniel, in their dying moments, each made their final peace with God.
May their souls, and the souls of all the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.