For readers in the Boston archdiocese, the new weblog Boston Catholic Insider is certain to be of interest: it’s got a skeptical perspective on the diocesan bureaucracy’s inner circle and its public and private maneuverings.
At the moment, the top issue of various questionable dealings is the proposed sale of the Catholic hospital system Caritas Christi to a for-profit company. The institutions’ Catholic identity and medical ethics would have slim protection in the transaction: after a waiting period, the buyer could turn around and absolve himself of any Catholic obligations by merely paying an extra fee (estimated at 3% of the capital amount), at any time of the buyer’s choosing.
A well-organized thinker lands on the skeptical side
Wade St. Onge has been reading about the alleged Medjugorje apparition for some time, and has written a seven-part series about the case for his theology blog.
He reviews commonly posed arguments for and against the phenomenon and makes distinctions among the stronger and weaker elements in each case. St. Onge does not always put emphasis where I would, but is trying to be balanced. For readers not familiar with the controversy, I think his article will be a good introduction to the subject.
They may have to give this up at some point.
Whoops!
The graphics department at EWTN stuck the “Gospa” of Medjugorje on their highlights flyer for the summer. Are they back to promoting the would-be apparition, or was it just an inadvertence?
Oh, well, it’s no big deal: maybe they’ll give it up if and when the Vatican finally rules the case false.
For now, I call this: putting the “Ew!” in EWTN. :-)
(h/t: semperficatholic)
Well, he asked.
The pastor asked how I was feeling, and, actually, I had wanted to talk with him, so I responded with about five minutes on how I was ready to give up on the parish, because all but one of the four clergy there (the two residents and the retired helpers) like to present their stupid unfunny comedy acts during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
“Are we the comedy parish?” I asked rhetorically.
“Maybe we are.” He’s not going to change anything, and I’ll just go elsewhere, but I’ve done my duty.
I still think people should avoid TFP
A friend asked today:
Does anybody see any problem with one becoming a Rosary Rally Captain [in the…] Public Square Rosary Crusade operated by The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP). Does anyone on [this list…] know anything about this organization?
I advise people to steer clear of TFP.
Most of its activity in the US seems to be in two areas: organizing protests against anti-Catholic manifestations in society, and exploiting anti-Catholic manifestations in society to raise funds.
TFP started out well, but degenerated for a long time into a personality cult for its founder Plinio Correa de Oliveira (now deceased); he claimed prophetic powers and a grandiose role for himself in world history and even in salvation history. His followers wrote hymns about him and devotional prayers about his mother (!).
I would compare the group to the Moonies: a personality cult using religious elements for political purposes.
Here are two articles about TFP:
One by a former member, John Armour:
http://catholicforum.fisheaters.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=48d48e0a68a48ae1ab6e40d8e6d44a18&topic=2649714.msg25491502#msg25491502
One by Rick Salbato, who writes about Catholic fringe movements:
http://www.unitypublishing.com/NewReligiousMovements/FatimaCult.html
For TFP’s official status: in Brazil, where it was founded, the bishops’ conference warned Catholics not to join or support it, in 1985. TFP defenders claim that this opposition stems from TFP’s opposition to then-trendy liberation theology.
However, traditionalists, including Lefebvrists, are equally adamant against the group. They got to see it up close when TFP cultivated relationships with them, until traditionalist leaders in Brazil such as the retired Bishop of Campos, Antonio de Castro Mayer, found out about Plinio’s secret doctrines. (See Bp. de Castro Mayer’s 1984 letter.)
Most people involved in TFP groups in the US, of course, including priests who might opine about it, have no idea of any of the above. It’s possible that the errors of the past have been eliminated in practice, but I think it would be better to organize Catholic lay apostolate in groups with no connection to the apparently heretical Plinio.