Links for 02/09/15 | National Catholic Reporter

Links for 02/09/15 | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: Cardinal Burke is like a little child, testing his limits, while the Pope has only responded to him with collegiality and love.  Shame on him.  Of course, the Pope's response will likely be to not invilte the Cardinal to Synod II, since his current post does not make him an ex officio attendee.  While His Holiness will never say it, I would like to see the same reaction that Arsenio Hall gave to Marlin Fitzwater suggesting that President Bush 41 make an appearance on his show in 1992.  Hopefully you can Google it or find it on YouTube.  Very funny. (fair warning, not easy to find)



First Things has a lovely pastoral discription of Wells, England - although there is an equally charming Anglican Cathedral in Limerick (St. Mary's) although there is a mean rush hour on two roads - still, Ireland is as idyllic.  Still, I might check Wells out, as I am sure I have relatives married in that place (though back before that trouble with Henry).  I am in favor of an English language patriarch, although I would put him or her in Galway to play on the fact that there was a Galatian Church in Asia Minor made up of Celts (which brought guilt to Christianity - maybe a Galatian Matriarch could take some of that away).



I did not watch or read the full Obama address to the Prayer Breakfast, so I am not going to now read the Ross Douthat criticism - although I would say that of course Obama is a partisan, though I would not say progressive.  As for his adherence to founder of the Serenity Prayer, if it was used it was a speech writer's device and discussion of it is more relevant to a 12-Step Fellowship than a political prayer breakfast.  As for being on the right or wrong side of history - I can say that history will not be kind to either the Great Communicator, to Dick Cheney in any of his jobs or to the southern segregationists (or for the GOP for providing them succor under Reagan) - or for the pre-WWII isolationists.  Would he like to challenge my burning of his straw man?  In the Church, by the way, we do take some stand on history by recognizing sainthood - from John XXIII to John Paul the Great (but can we revoke Pius X?) - and of course Bachus and Sergius (the patrons of gay marrieds in whose honor such a rite for marriage already exists - and which you actually CAN find on the Internet).