Stories You Did Not See at Called to Communion

Published on by D. G. Hart

John Allen keeps it real for Jason and the Callers with the top five under reported stories of 2013. Here are three of the five:

2. Scalfari and the perils of projection

So far, Pope Francis has had four extended sessions with the press, and while all have been fascinating, none was more of a blockbuster than the text published by veteran Italian journalist and nonbeliever Eugenio Scalfari on Oct. 1. Among other things, the choice by Francis to sit down with one of Italy’s most prominent secular intellectuals was seen as further confirmation of his commitment to outreach and dialogue.

Memorable lines from the Scalfari piece included the pope criticizing a “Vatican-centric” worldview, the assertion that some clergy suffer from “the leprosy of a royal court,” and the mother of all sound bites, “God is not a Catholic.” It also featured Francis describing a moment before he accepted the papacy when he thought about refusing and exited the Sistine Chapel to pray in a small room off the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

4. The church’s Italian problem

It’s possible that the influence and reputation of the Italian bishops reached a new low in 2013.

One sign came in national elections in February, when both the Vatican and the Italian church wrapped technocratic Prime Minister Mario Monti in a warm, loving embrace, yet Monti barely drew 10 percent of the vote and finished in an embarrassing fourth place. While Monti had political handicaps of his own, it’s striking how little difference the bishops’ support meant.

Here’s another: The headline of a recent national poll about which institutions Italians trust was that the church has gained 10 points since the election of Francis. However, that bump brought its trust level up to just 54.2 percent, meaning fully half of the country remains skeptical. (For the record, the church finished well behind Italy’s forces of order.)

Say “church” to most Italians and they think “bishops,” so in effect, the survey was a referendum on the hierarchy.

5. Allam and heartburn for ideologues

The highest-profile Catholic convert during the Benedict years was Magdi Cristiano Allam, an Egyptian-born politician and essayist who rose to fame in Italy as a fierce critic of radical Islam. Allam was personally received into the church by Benedict XVI during the 2008 Easter vigil Mass, but announced in late March that he considered his allegiance “expired” because of a “softer” line on Islam under Francis.

Allam published an essay adding four additional reasons for his defection: what he called the built-in “relativism” of Catholicism, its inherent tendency to “globalism” (instead of defending Western culture and values), its “do-gooder” streak, and its imposition of unrealistic teachings on sex and money.

Aside from the debatable fourth point, Allam was basically right on the first three.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis shows no reluctance to continue to make news:

“You should be real witnesses of a world doing and acting differently,” the pope told some 120 leaders of male religious orders during a closed-door Nov. 29 meeting at the Vatican, according a new account of the event released Friday by the Italian Jesuit magazine La Civilta Cattolica.

“But in life it is difficult for everything to be clear, precise, outlined neatly,” the pope continued. “Life is complicated; it consists of grace and sin.”

“He who does not sin is not human,” said the pope. “We all make mistakes and we need to recognize our weaknesses. A religious who recognizes himself as weak and a sinner does not negate the witness that he is called to give, rather he reinforces it, and this is good for everyone.”

68 thoughts on “Stories You Did Not See at Called to Communion”

  1. Allen – Among other things, the choice by Francis to sit down with one of Italy’s most prominent secular intellectuals was seen as further confirmation of his commitment to outreach and dialogue.

    Erik – Either that or his cluelessness.

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  2. Pope Francis – “God is not a Catholic.”

    Erik – I need to remember that line.

    Allen – It also featured Francis describing a moment before he accepted the papacy when he thought about refusing and exited the Sistine Chapel to pray in a small room off the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

    Erik – That would have been a tragedy. We could have had another boring Pope who played things close to the vest.

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  3. Allen – Allam was personally received into the church by Benedict XVI during the 2008 Easter vigil Mass, but announced in late March that he considered his allegiance “expired” because of a “softer” line on Islam under Francis.

    Erik – Bryan needs to send him an e-mail on private judgment (a.k.a. thinking for one’s self).

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  4. Pope Francis – “You should be real witnesses of a world doing and acting differently,” the pope told some 120 leaders of male religious orders

    Erik – I think members of male religious orders have got that one covered.

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  6. Allen, is too generous on Ratzinger. Ratzinger got humiliated by his butler and decided enough was enough. ” I don’t feel well, I’m old, modernity is a sumbit$#(he actually said that, like sheriff Buford T. Justice) and if I can be bamboozled by my butler, imagine what the roman curia is gonna do to me. I’m rich, I don’t need this shi#, I’m headed to the abbey with my title, access, but no responsibility. Elvis has left the building”(He said that too).

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  7. Using John J. Allen as a cudgel

    The author is the Rome reporter for the National Catholic Reporter, and, as the subtitle suggests, he does not stray from that paper’s enthusiasm for dissent and hostility to an allegedly oppressive pontificate whose theological dirty work is done by Cardinal Ratzinger and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith…

    against the traditional/orthodox Called to Communion blog is fun, but not probative. The National Catholic Reporter is reliably non-normative. If there’s an entropic current anywhere in American catholicism, NCR can be counted on to embrace it.

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  8. The National Catholic Reporter is reliably non-normative. If there’s an entropic current anywhere in American catholicism, NCR can be counted on to embrace it.

    And yet it’s writers and editors remain in good standing with the church that’s supposed to help us avoid such problems…

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  10. Robert
    Posted January 3, 2014 at 4:25 pm | Permalink
    The National Catholic Reporter is reliably non-normative. If there’s an entropic current anywhere in American catholicism, NCR can be counted on to embrace it.

    And yet it’s writers and editors remain in good standing with the church that’s supposed to help us avoid such problems…

    Not every teaching is held out as infallible, not every norm is immutable. And the NCR is not known as an honest broker of Catholic ideas, esp the traditional ones.

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  11. TVD, they may not favor all the prot-cath’s ideas, they are american cradles after all, they ‘caught’ what Vat II was selling, but, that doesn’t mean they misrepresent the ‘trad’ ideas, they may merely disagree with them. Vat II actually happened, after all.

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  15. Tom’s been Kelly Leak-like in his ability to carry the Callers’ water around here of late.

    Someone e-mail Bryan and ask him if Tom goes to the bathroom for him, too.

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  16. Erik,

    Tom has been destroying all comers for a very entertaining few days. Bringing in the new year quite strong. My favorite part is when y’all result to name calling, insults and adhom and he gets to call you out on the poor fruits you display in Christs name. Really good stuff.

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  18. Tom – Using John J. Allen as a cudgel

    Erik – You’ve reached your quota for the word “cudgel” for awhile. We did get together and decide that you can use the phrase “jack-booted thugs” to describe us four times for the price of three during the month of January, so enjoy that.

    Like

  19. Kenneth,

    If you knew the history of the characters at Old Life who have aligned themselves with Tom you would be afraid — very afraid,

    We don’t “result” (I think you mean resort) to name calling with Tom, but we do relish it.

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  21. First of all,

    I’m way better looking than Doug. I’ve never met the guy, but with a name like Sewers I just know I’m better looking.

    Second,

    do reformed parishes generally evangelize the lost? Or do they catch converts from other Prot denominations? It was an off the cuff comment on Jasons “Coming Home” interview by the host of the show but based off of my convos here I would imagine becoming “reformed” is like going to grad school. Like moving up the ranks of protestant intelligencia. I don’t have any numbers but I would be willing to bet your micro denomination wins very few over to the lord. I see reformed being more “collectors” of arrogant combative Christians. Maybe that’s why I like you guys so much.

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  22. Kenneth,

    Mostly cradles and people coming from evangelicalism. We do have a young kid (20 or so) coming right now who has been out of church and has figured out he is Reformed through his own research. He found us online.

    Don’t judge Presbyterian & Reformed churches solely by Old Lifers. We have all sorts of people — many of whom would never discuss theology online and if they did it wouldn’t be in the manner we do it. Hart is a unique guy and he attracts similarly unique guys.

    Most of us would be way more laid back in person than we are here, too. People come here for the polemics and they quickly figure out if it’s for them or not. I don’t argue with anyone about religion outside of this forum (well, maybe occasionally at church).

    One thing that makes Reformed evangelism a little more difficult than the norm is (1) the regulative principle of worship, and (2) we’re not going to water ourselves down just to try to please everyone. Our churches grow slowly, but they tend to be pretty solid. Both our church and the OPC in Des Moines appear to be doing well with pretty small memberships (40-60 on Sunday, I would guess). The people there are committed, get along for the most part, and money isn’t a problem. It’s slow and steady, the kind of churches you would like to be a member of for 40 years.

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  23. Kenloses, and I like it when you talk about how Rome is the church Christ founded and how we may squeak by on judgment day, and then you concede Rome is a mess and you need to take refuge in some small group of pure priests. You weren’t around for the days when Doug Sowers scorched us — another one up to whom sidled. But you remind me of Doug, except in a bi-polar way (sorry Jed).

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  26. Kenloses, are you kidding about converts? CTC and Jason were all unchurched? And now, they’re slumming with the peeps with that paradigm and logic meme? Do you think before your comment?

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  28. Meanwhile Bugay continues to dialogue with TVD. Making a strong push to win the Job award.

    Kenneth cracks a decent joke from time to time, so that’s promising. But then he thinks TVD is helping him, so that knocks him back to square one.

    Like

  29. Kenneth,

    Takes Jason’s comments about P&R people being mean with a grain of salt. He chose to become a Presbyterian minister in his last reinvention. In his most-recent reinvention he has been rubbing P&R people’s noses in how he is now right and they are now all wet on their theology (all while saying he has taken everything that was great about Reformed theology — and Calvary chapel before that — into the Roman Catholic Church with him). If we’re mean to him we’ve been adequately provoked.

    If he would have just laid low for a few years I don’t think anyone would have been mean to him.

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  30. Ken, don’t make the mistake of thinking how we are here is all we are. This is a hang, and the culture is purposeful. In fact, no less purposeful than CtC but a whole heck of a lot more congenial and if you’re of the right temperament, enjoyable. If we could Erik to stop scaring the women it might even smell better.

    Like

  31. Actually women and smells and haunts made me think of this;

    …..”But most of all what I resent, is your perfume, however subtle, interfering with the scent of my fine three-dollar-and-seventy-nine-cent cigar.”

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  32. Pretty easy to catalogue the OL women folk. There was Lily who came in swinging a cudgel for all things Lutheran. Then there was a woman who would drive up, throw garbage at Darryl’s feet and drive away. Maybe Liza? Katy got concerned enough to do a background check on Erik before entering a witness protection program. Now there’s Susan, the Catholic Aimee Semple McPherson I guess.

    This has been the Gravel Report.

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  33. And now can we have a warm welcome for our very special guest vocalist . . . [Cue, for the Charter singing the chart toppin hit from yesteryear, “Nobody loves me, I think I’m going to go eat some worms”.]

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  37. Maybe the Cats don’t get OL because they smell freedom, grace, individuality, dissent, and reality. None of which they want floating in the RC punch bowl. And we’re weird about/to women.

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  39. Re: Classic television…
    I’m gathering that traditional Romanists want to bring back the good ole days of the Inquisition, judging by the pile of skulls behind the host.

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  40. It’s not easy Darryl, I wouldn’t bother. It was another exercise in audacity. It started with the impossibility of photogs from the street viewing buds training. It’s a friggin island off the coast of Cali. There are no civilians outside of contracted workers. Don’t get me started, the list is long.

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  41. Erik,

    that sounds pretty nice actually. The LCMS parish I attended was very different than that. Very much minded towards evangelism and young families. I mean literally packed with couples on their first/second kid. We loved it. My wife had a real hard time leaving.

    Your avg tun of the mill Catholic Parish is different than both of these. RCs in the US “evangelize” by giving birth and marriage. Most RCIA classes are filled with people becoming Catholic because their husband or wife is making them. You add this disinterested bunch to the cradles brought up in the post V2 carnage and you have a whole lot of poorly catechized apathy going on all over the place. I think I identify with Trads more because they care. Its really a completely different experience. Scott Hahn was struggling with this kind of apathy in the Church after conversion an ld hot connected in Opus Dei. Its kind of what you have to do to find other believers that are well catechized and love the Lord…. Find some niche that would attract people who care. Its a strange time to be Catholic. Definitely unique. I respect the reformed because they care. I enjoy your company because I love to discuss religion and you can only do that with people who care. However, it does seem like the reformed are missing something in love and charity. Perhaps that’s just the online representation. (not just OL but across the board).

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  42. Joel, but it’s the catacombs the theos want to avoid. Not to be Pollyanna, but isn’t persecution a mark of God’s favor?

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  43. Kenneth, speaking of families, we also have reproductive Catholics in Reformed ranks, as in single families taking up whole pews. And here I always thought restraint and moderation were Reformed virtues. (That’s a joke, Reformed homeschoolers. Sort of.)

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  45. Erik,

    if he would have just laid low for a few years I don’t think anyone would have been mean to him

    You sure about that? Lol I’m not so sure… Frank Beckwith laid low for a long time after conversion and he took all kind of crap all throughout. I think conversion just bothers people.

    DGHART,

    Kenloses, and I like it when you talk about how Rome is the church Christ founded and how we may squeak by on judgment day, and then you concede Rome is a mess and you need to take refuge in some small group of pure priests. You weren’t around for the days when Doug Sowers scorched us — another one up to whom sidled. But you remind me of Doug, except in a bi-polar way (sorry Jed).

    Yes…. But that’s all true. I really don’t think you have a very good chance at all on judgment day. I really do agree with you that tue RCC is a mess right now.( I’ve never said anything about taking refuge with “pure priests” I merely prefer the traditional mass). I would still call you all home to the Church despite the fact that we are in a crises for the salvation of your souls. There is only one Church Daryl. One priesthood. You don’t get to be a window shopper.

    Isn’t the remnant great? Classic TV indeed and a growing movement. Again, if we are all alive in 20 years I would be willing to bet that the Trad RC movement will be the predominant force in the Church…..

    Not every conversation is about Jason and Bryan you phsycho.I was talking about the reformed sect in general. In Jasons interview the former reformed pastor made the comment that most of his congregation was “former this or that” but rarely a convert from atheism off the street. I think that reality fits well with the heart of those at OL. No one will read these comments and see the love of Christ for the first time. But some Methodist might be impressed with y’all theologically and come over.

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  46. Chortles – When the Chartographer goes on serial comment spree and talks to himself I sometimes think that I deserve the Job Award.

    Erik – You need merely to take the advice of Boon with respect to Bluto.

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  47. Kenneth,

    It’s no wonder the Callers are so into evangelizing Protestants. It probably depresses them to hang around Catholics.

    You might be a little too honest and transparent for Rome. Don’t take that to Called to Communion or you’ll be shown the door after being given a rebuke for your faulty logic.

    Like

  48. Kenneth, this is a good illustration of what happens here. We punch in, we punch out. You’re the coyote.

    Like

  49. Zrim,

    From the Wikipedia entry on Scott Hahn:

    “His conversion began when he and his wife became convinced that contraception was contrary to God’s law. He was also bothered that the Catholic Church was the only Christian church tradition that upheld the ancient teaching of prohibiting contraception that Protestants abandoned in the 1930s.”

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  51. Ken, I don’t know about the love of Christ part, but if evanjellyfish looking to remain evanjellyfish but with more history and sacramentalism are making their way to Rome and simultaneously turned off by our brand, I’m not sure we’re getting it wrong.

    Like

  52. In other words, Chartmeister, he joined the RCC because it agreed with his private opinion. But then they took away his right to private opinion. What a deal.

    Like

  53. DGH,

    But you remind me of Doug, except in a bi-polar way (sorry Jed)

    No offense taken – my inner monsters have been relatively quiet lately – but, how come the guy who is actually bipolar doesn’t track with some of the crazy being proffered here. The recent debates with Kenneth, Susan, and Tommy Boy have been pretty interesting to follow, but have left me scratching my head here. I have especially appreciated John Bugay and sean’s comments, lots of very interesting analysis.

    … back to my OL commenting exile. I’ll check in again from time to time, but until I get that degree completed this spring, I have just about more than I can handle on my plate. Afterwards I plan on out-commenting Erik, if such a thing is possible.

    Like

  56. Look out Kenneth, he’s kept you guys clearly in his sights the WHOLE time. I don’t see any back up in this guy

    http://news.yahoo.com/leave-comfort-zone-serve-poor-pope-tells-priests-155328485.html

    “If this does not happen we then run the risk of being abstract ideologists or fundamentalists, which is not healthy.”

    “The ghost to fight against is the image of religious life understood as an escape or hiding place in face of an ‘external’ difficult and complex world,” he told them.- This isn’t necessarily against the prot-catholics but nevertheless a long standing problem in priestly formation

    “Formation (of future priests) is a work of art, not a police action. We must form their hearts. Otherwise we are creating little monsters. And then these little monsters mould the people of God. This really gives me goose bumps,” he said.

    Francis is showing acute awareness of the parochial pressure points. And he’s got up to 14 cardinal appointment possibilities, I believe, just in Feb 2014.

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  58. Kenloses, you’re not pope and your recent popes have not said there is only one church. What they say is “there is kind of like one church.” Don’t you love it when the holy father sounds like Terry Gros?

    Like

  61. Sean,

    Oh yes and we all know it. I’m not betting on conservative appointments of Cardinals and bishops per se although it would be a boon. The thing is… It really doesn’t matter how many liberals are appointed. That experiment has already been run. The rubber has hit the road. We’ve already had the Kaspers, Kungs and Rhine theologians influence run rampant. It just doesn’t inspire. It doesn’t challenge. It doesn’t grow. Look for Novus Ordo Parishes to continue to crumble and decay. Watch the convents, seminaries and schools board up their windows. Meanwhile we will keep booming like we have been. All the best statistics suggest the “Francis effect” has caused ZERO growth in mass attendance. The liberals really cant go anywhere but down from here. No one cares.

    Like

  62. “In comments made in November but only published on Friday, Francis also said priests should leave their comfort zone and get out among people on the margins of society, otherwise they may turn into ‘abstract ideologists’.”

    Erik – Does this mean they will fail to engage the substance of people’s arguments, instead confining themselves to logic-based nitpicking?

    Like

  63. “The Italian Jesuit journal Civilta Cattolica published an exclusive text of the comments, made in a three-hour, closed-door meeting the Argentinian-born pontiff had in late November with heads of orders of priests from around the world.”

    How would you like to be a Bishop? One month you’re telling fart jokes with your fellow Bishop from Argentina. The next month he’s lecturing you sanctimoniously for three hours.

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  64. “Taking over an institution reeling from child sex abuse, financial and other scandals and losing members to other religions, Francis has tried to refocus on the basic Christian teachings of compassion, simplicity and humility.”

    The gospel of Jesus Christ saving man from the wrath of a holy God? Not so basic anymore.

    “Barack Obama has tried to refocus the Democratic Party on the basic teachings of compassion, simplicity, and humility.”

    No one needs a Pope for that.

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  65. “If this does not happen we then run the risk of being abstract ideologists or fundamentalists, which is not healthy.”

    From now on I expect three articles at Called to Communion telling us how they are serving the poor for every one that discusses how their paradigm is superior to protestantism. They are clearly out of balance with the new priorities of their church.

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  66. Chortles,

    “‘Demonic” possession manifests itself in people babbling in languages foreign to them, shaking uncontrollably and vomiting nails, pieces of metal and shards of glass, according to those who believe in the phenomenon.”

    Maybe all they need is a lecture from Bryan on their skewed logic and faulty paradigm.

    Like

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