Confusing your religion and your politics tends to make for bad politics and worse religion. Throughout the history of the Church, popes have often been less than wise in political matters, most of them having no particular expertise or ability in such matters. Sometimes popes are thrust against their will into political questions that they would rather avoid. A prime example of this is the Church in Communist dominated Poland. Other times, as in the case of Francis I and Francis II Leo XIV, they gladly run into the political world where wiser popes would tread very carefully, if at all. Christ and Peter said nothing about the crucial political issue of their time and place, the political domination of Israel by Rome. Christ’s mission was to all mankind. Our clerics would do best to usually follow their example.
Thought for the Day
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
None would dare say it, but I do believe some (or even many) of our current clerical class think it: that Christ was wrong.
Alas, pride didn’t stop at Eden.
11 “When Peter came to Antioch, I told him face to face that he was wrong. 12 He used to eat with Gentile followers of the Lord, until James sent some Jewish followers. Peter was afraid of the Jews and soon stopped eating with Gentiles. 13 He and the others hid their true feelings so well that even Barnabas was fooled. 14 But when I saw they were not really obeying the truth that is in the good news, I corrected Peter in front of everyone and said:
Peter, you are a Jew, but you live like a Gentile. So how can you force Gentiles to live like Jews?”. —Galatians 2: 11-14
Amen! How many migrants have been accepted in Vatican City??
“On this rock I Will Build My Church… ” has Infinite meaning. And It certainly did not imply that the man who holds that office is never wrong. The good, the bad and the ugly must have been Known and taken into Account.
God Knows Everything.
Amen! How many migrants have been accepted in Vatican.
Well if you include the Swiss guards 135 of them. Apparently it’s the same thing as serving in the US Military.
😉
Oh c’mon! Doesn’t anyone here remember when St. Leo the Great went out from Rome to welcome Attila the Hun and his
armygroup of mostly peaceful migrant dreamers who were simply seeking a better life for themselves?I agree that the Pope is overemphasizing one aspect of the immigration/migration issue (the need to respect human dignity and show compassion to the truly needy) at the expense of a much bigger and more urgent issue: the fact that illegal, unregulated immigration has gotten out of control in many Western nations to the point that it threatens public order and societal stability. It is kind of a textbook example of, to quote C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, “running around with fire extinguishers when there is a flood, and crowding to that side of the boat which is already gunwale under.”
That said, while leftists are, at this time, much more likely to confuse their religion and politics, don’t forget that right leaning folks aren’t immune to doing the same. Trump is our president, the best choice we had last time we had a choice, but he is not our savior, and there MAY be some legitimate criticism of the manner in which his administration is handling deportations — although given the way the media lies and distorts the whole issue (by refusing to distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants) it’s nearly impossible to tell what is really going on.
It’s the repetition of selective, one sided and repetitive takes that ensure he won’t be heard.
Boilerplate about sovereignty followed by clouds of admonitions nullifying the boilerplate.
Welcome the stranger and paying the worker his wage are very much at war in the American migration issue. The former has depressed the wages of the latter, and very much by design. And the next time I hear a member of the Vatican’s pointy hat cadre express sympathy with the victims of migrant crime and hostility to natives and the host nation’s way of life will be the first time. By now, it would have to be at gunpoint.
There is never any seeing the face of Jesus or expressing closeness with those victims.
Related fun fact: Pakistan has kicked out over 800000 “undocumented” and refugee Afghans the part 2.5 years, and is intensifying it now.
Any special pondering we need on that? And since the answer is no…why?
Slightly OT
“political questions that they would rather avoid. A prime example of this is the Church in Communist dominated Poland.”
I think it might be fairer to say the issue the Church was avoiding was communism in Catholic dominated Poland!
The previous regime, for social and political reasons, allowed 12 million people to walk across the border. Almost none of whom had any claim to refuge. (There hasn’t been an active insurgency in the Western Hemisphere in 15 years). We have to have ‘deep reflection’ about sending them back to where they came from just why?
I’m remembering Nicholas Sandmann was denounced by the press agents of the Diocese of Covington and denounced by an editor at National Review who Richard Lowry had hired off the Catholic press for smirking at some rude aboriginal poseur. The church-o-cracy is given to reminding you that whatever side they’re on, it isn’t yours.
The church-o-cracy is given to reminding you that whatever side they’re on, it isn’t yours.
That explains the war on the traditional Mass. An excuse to torment people they despise. Francis was always motivated by what he hated more than anything else.
The illegal invaders shouted complaints about the food they were being given. The children are being used as sex slaves. Maybe the Pope wants the government to give more tax dollars to the USCCB?
There’s always the option of after reflection one comes to the conclusion of speeding up sending some home.
He did offer Mass for climate deniers and the next thing you know, Gates doesn’t think we will kill the planet. Prayer works