Sunday, March 10, 2013

"The Pope We Need"



Russell Shaw expresses my sentiments about the Conclave to elect our next Holy Father, which will begin on Tuesday March 12th.

 He concludes:
... by all means let the next pope be nice--and a great deal more. Let him have the charm of John XXIII, the earnestness of Paul VI, the charisma of John Paul II, the intellectual brilliance of Benedict XVI. But above all let him be a brave teacher of Catholic truth in the face of all the demands that he be something less.


The secular world is raging at the Church. Vatican II was a sublime reconfiguration of the face of the Church to the world. It was an engagement of Catholic truth to the world in terms the world could better understand. 

Indeed the world does now better understand the Church and Her Message-- Christ is the last best hope-- the only hope-- of man. The world's response to this plain truth in the past half-century has been slander and unfettered fury.   

We need a wise and stalwart pilot at the helm of our beloved Bark. 

Please pray that the grace of the Holy Spirit will guide the Cardinal electors in their sacred duty.  

5 comments:

  1. I wasn't going to comment, but since no one else has...

    Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI have been doing their best to reverse Vatican II.

    Anyway, I was amused that you compared the Catholic Church to a Bark. Besides the unusual variant spelling of barque, it's hardly a flattering comparison - a small 3-masted sailing ship.

    I would have thought that you would have used a more flattering comparison. An aircraft carrier, perhaps, which is one of the largest and most complex structures humans create?

    Although, barques are good. I wouldn't be here in Australia if the British Admiralty hadn't sent Captain Cook in the barque Endevour to observe the 1769 transit of Venus, after which he explored the eastern coast of Australia and noted that Botany Bay would be a good site for a penal colony - which happened in 1788 after Britain lost its American colonies following the American Revolution (putting convicts in Canada wasn't an option since escaping convicts could easily cross the border).

    I'm bemused that you reckon that Jesus is the last hope for 'man' not 'Man'. You have heard of non-sexist terminology haven't you? 'Humans' though would have been better.

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  2. Canada was a temperate, decently populated, resource rich region in the late 18th century, Bach.
    Even more so were the Maritime Colonies, the Islands, Newfoundland, and much of the American (13) Colonies.
    There were farms, easy access to water, roads, plantations, huge markets that rivalled Europe's, walled cities, cathedrals, citadel fortresses, big ports and harbours building fleets of vessels etc. etc. These places were reached in just a few days sail from Britain or the Continent.
    Not the ideal type of places for 'transportation'.
    These were the colonies that the Europeans had invested centuries in developing.

    Australia, on the other hand...

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    Replies
    1. Crusade Rex,

      No, you're clueless as usual. North America wasn't 'a few days' sail from Britain or the continent'. How long would the Titanic have taken to reach New York on its maiden voyage in 1912?

      North America was used as a dumping ground for convicts in the 18th century. Having an independent United States meant that Canada was no longer an option because escaped convicts could find refuge if they managed to cross the border.

      Escaped convicts in Australia could stow away in visiting American ships. Many convicts had the misconception China was just up the coast, and China was the destination of some escapees, not realizing how far away China actually was.

      And anyway. The population of North America, at least European, wasn't large. Less than 3 million in 1775. Very little compared to Europe.

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    2. Bach,

      "No, you're clueless as usual."
      I have a grasp of history and geography, you obviously do not.

      "North America wasn't 'a few days' sail from Britain or the continent'"
      The transatlantic crossing is measured in days, not weeks and months like the sail to Australia.

      "How long would the Titanic have taken to reach New York on its maiden voyage in 1912?"
      How long did it take the Banque Populair in 2009? Or for that matter how long did it take the Atlantic in 1905?

      "North America was used as a dumping ground for convicts in the 18th century. "
      It was a 'dumping ground' for humanity from the 16th century onward. The term is 'colony'.
      But that does not make the USA or Canada penal colonies, Bach.
      In fact some very famous criminals from Canada were sentenced to 'transportation' after having their death sentences commuted (treason).

      "Having an independent United States meant that Canada was no longer an option because escaped convicts could find refuge if they managed to cross the border."
      The border? LOL
      Convicts have been running BOTH ways across that border since it was there ... actually LONG before it was there. Slaves, escaped, convicts, outlaws, entire tribes of natives, rebels etc.
      They all run for the border. In most cases, however, it is to run FROM the US authorities. The Slaves and the 'Indians' on the trail of tears would be the the best examples, but also we see death penalty cases and draft dodgers in modern times.
      This is possible because North America is NOT an isolated island continent on the far side of the globe. It was easier in the late 18th through early 18th century because we we're constantly in conflict.
      Not so easy post US civil war.

      "Escaped convicts in Australia could stow away in visiting American ships."
      Stowing away in vessels bound for North America is still popular. It's also still illegal, especially for escaped convicts.

      "And anyway. The population of North America, at least European, wasn't large. Less than 3 million in 1775. Very little compared to Europe."
      I did not state they had comparable populations. I stated they had been colonized for hundreds of years by the time Australia had been 'discovered'. North America had a significant population that was well settled. It was a place that captured the imagination of Europeans from that day to this.
      By the time of the 18th century there were nations forming among the peoples of the Americas.
      I also noted there was markets in the Americas that rivalled those of the old world in size and wealth and there was.

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  3. Hopes and prayers on the Pope, Mike.

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