Top 5 'heresies' of 2016: 'One God,' biblical authority and more

Top 5 'heresies' of 2016: 'One God,' biblical authority and more: 58 percent of Americans believe there is little value in reciting historical Christian creeds and confessions, according to the 2016 State of American Theology survey by LifeWay Research.

MGB:The theological questions really boil down to agreement on things that we cannot prove one way or the other.  While new agreement could change them (and they are incomplete either way, we cannot comprehend God in this life), the questions are mostly settled.

As for scripture, understanding its evolution mostly impacts what we think of as the moral law.  That should be mutable because we are ever learning more about human nature.  Because we can use evidence (including history), we have to embrace change, especially regarding Leviticus.

Year in review: Change in the works for US church leadership

Year in review: Change in the works for US church leadership: Distinctly Catholic: Amid a divided church and a divided polity, look to Cardinals Blase Cupich and Joseph Tobin to increasingly drive the hierarchy's message in the public square.

MGB:_While having strong new Cardinals is important, as important is pruning those whose statements are at odds with Rome.  I will believe it when I see it. Of course, their attachment to the GOP is self defeating, because in victory, the Republicans will do nothing for them.  Indeed, they really cannot. Even their own goal of overturning Roe will so gut equal protection jurisdiction that it will never happen, though overturing gay marriage and legal sodomy are the fondest desire of some these bishops and their favorite organizations. They don’t see that human freedom is part of human dignity or that some of their moral positions are not as infallible as they believe. The issue is about more than cultural conflict, it is about their presumed absolute authority on sexual matters while science goes the other way.

As for Chicago gun violence, the problem is that the city bans guns but the suburbs do not. The state has to do something, and this is even less likely than action from the Hill.

On immigration, Trump may make things a bit worse than Obama already has in allowing deportations to occur at a rapid pace. Whether he will shift to a position more like George W. Bush’s is doubtful as his party won’t let him. The last Democratic proposal was not much different that the Bush initiative, which means it too was subpar.  Alt-Right influence is still too strong for much to be done without a great deal of courage, and I see only pandering. At least the Church is going the other way on immigration.

Links for 12/29/16

Links for 12/29/16: I sympathize with E. J. Dionne who, in this morning

MGB: The left needed the push provided by Trump's election to get the rest of the Democratic Party on board with a progressive socialist agenda. Whether Trump is a diagnosable narcissist or just plays one on TV will be seen shortly. If the former, we live in interesting times. If the latter, he may actually do the right thing from time to time, although that may not get him a renomination by his party.

Freedom does not mix well with traditionalism, especially when you have true believers in Leviticus - whether they consist of conservative Jews or conservative Catholics and those beliefs reinforce cultural as well as moral values - especially when there is a separatist impulse. Making the Hacidim more politically aware and savy is probably a worthwhile goal, but finding a way to include the Palestinians in the family is much more crucial to the survival of Israel, especially with the hard right unable to embrace the two state solution in all its implications (including the Arab north).  Freedom means rights in society enforceable by the Courts regardless of group opinion.  I doubt the Hacidim are ready for this, or some Evangelical or Trump voters.

Gushee is right about the split among evangelicals, although they have been headed that way for a while. Of course, it may simply be a transformation toward the Millennial generation, with the older conservatives having their last hurrah with Trump. Whether the anti-gay marriage crowd will be able to do anything is questionable. They could not do anything about interracial marriage either - and the religious freedom issue is likely dead at the hands of the courts (although the anti-abortionists are still trying to draw the magic court case they will never get) and the whole focus was more anti-Obama than anything else - just like the opposition to the Affordable Care Act (rather than just the taxes on the rich that fund it). If Pence were to do a Cheney on cultural issues, he would not get far. Most of these issues are constitutional law, which puts them safely (and thankfully) beyond popular opinion.

Year in review: Mercy shaped the life of the church in 2016

Year in review: Mercy shaped the life of the church in 2016: Distinctly Catholic: Pope Francis knows that only with the heart of the Gospel, God

MGB: Mercy should also include a continual examination of what is true in doctrine and what needs to be changed.  Ambiguity in this area is not good for those of us who have to navigate modern divorce and it is not good for the prelates who can't adapt without it.  This is also true of the Eucharist, as Garry Wills work on the subject lays bare.  That is also true in dealing with modern sexuality and abortion law.

On poverty, we demand not only mercy for the poor, but justice for those that exploit them, which the cultural warriors are squishy about.

Millennial relativism is simply an acknowledgement that truth exists for us in language.  It always has.  Indeed, the language of papal  infallibility is itself relativistic because it applies to the group, not the truth as a whole.  The Church is a family.  The washing of the feet should be 24/7, not the empty gesture of Holy Thursday. The new Cardinals are a breath of fresh air, but we need doctrinal change, not retreat directors.

Links for 12/28/16

Links for 12/28/16: At Religion Digital, the Spanish language website, Cameron Doody picks up my story about the outrageous "sample homily" posted by the USCCB as part of their materials for  National Migr...

MGB: I suspect that the senior staff who would remove it are on vacation and the bishops are busy with the Christmas holidays.  Even then, it might not be a quick task to change them as the pro-Trump bishops are feeling their ascendancy, regardless of what Francis would want.

If the Zionist neo-cons are displeased with the abstention and its defense, then it was well worth the effort.  They need to be made a bit uncomfortable in their unqualified support for Israel and their tone deafness to the needs of the Palestinians.  Given the change in Administrations, it may be a stupid and useless gesture, but sometimes those are necessary, if only to give hope to the hopeless.

Theoretically, everything is renewable if the waste is valuable enough or can be eliminated.  When fusion ripens the question is getting around the fossil fuel industry when that happens.

Year in review: Americans wanted change and, with Trump, they got it

Year in review: Americans wanted change and, with Trump, they got it: Distinctly Catholic: Trump won for a reason, a singular reason. While we in the media were focused on him, he was focused on his core message: He would bring change. MGB: Trump is rejecting the neo-liberal, free trade consensus of the Clintons, but his part in Congress mostly has not. Whether they change in response to his victory is doubtful. Also doubtful is whether there will be much social retrenchment on abortion or gay marriage. I suspect his upcoming appointment to the Supreme Court will reflect the best the ABA has to offer - moderate conservatives on economic issues and liberal on social issues. The moderate Republicans will get their way and the blue collar ones will not, even with Trump's best efforts. Interestingly, some claim Trump is a Democrat in sheep's clothing. This could very well be true, although some of his appointments are still pandering to the right.

Links for 12/27/16

Links for 12/27/16: At Politico, former president Jimmy Carter is, so far, the only former president to RSVP that he will be attending the inauguration. My respect for George W. Bush is on the uptick.

At RNS, reports on...

MGB:_Carter is honoring the office - even if the next incumbent is a fascist idiot.  After his non-endorsement, I can see why W. is begging off (H.W. had the excuse age). I wonder what the Clintons will do?

Moore, not to be confused with Roy Moore, is joining the religious liberty pander, but at least he knew that Trump is fake. His followers, however, are very tribal and they love their Trump and his authoritarianism, which is not liberty. The line about social dominance is priceless and could easily fit Lori or Chaput.

Eternal rest on George Michael and gentle healing for his husband.

The UN and Obama mock peace

The UN and Obama mock peace: Distinctly Catholic: President Barack_MGB:_It is a pity that Israel was used to George W. Bush having is thumb on the scale in favor of Israel.  I think that this resolution is just enough embarrassment for Israel to realize that it cannot have a free hand to build settlement and especially walls, although with Trump coming to power the thumb will again be on the scale in favor of Israel, where Michael Sean seems to like it.  I am of the opinion that we have a defacto one-state solution and that the wall is essentially apartheid.

Joseph is marvelous example of Jesus' message

Joseph is marvelous example of Jesus' message: The Peace Pulpit:


MGB: Joseph's initial action was profoundly pro-life. He could have chosen to force Mary to drink the bitter herbs and then be stoned when she miscarried. Instead, even without the dream, he let the child live. Jesus followed this example when dealing with the woman caught in adultery. Neither spoke out against the current law, but both followed a higher path with their examples.

Scorsese, my dad, and Christmas

Scorsese, my dad, and Christmas: Tomorrow, Martin Scorsese  MGB: The command to forgive is from God.  It is the only antidote to human violence.  Of course, sometimes we get upset as part of life, as when someone dies.  I treasure hearing Adeste Fidelis at Midnight Mass, especially in Latin, because it helps me remember my father and I always weep before the end of the first verse.  Deliberately going to this Mass is like seeing some movies - both the one mentioned and the one with Wil Smith that is just out, Collateral Beauty, which is about coping with the death of a daughter - my greatest fear.  Movies and Masses allow us to experience these things for a moment, hopefully without ruining our day.

Links for 12/21/16

Links for 12/21/16: A friend predicted that the right would be the first to turn on Trump. Politico reports on Newt Gingrich already sowing doubts, and Newt doesn't represent the Mike Gerson wing of conservatism but ...

MGB: Newt simply as foot in mouth disease again.  He was speaking academically and stupidly as well.

The declining priesthood, as well as Irish suicides, comes from despair - which leads to exit rather than resistance.  I shall stay and fight rather than leave and call out the Church where its doctrine and its politics are in error.  If more followed this lead, there would be no exit from the pews.

Most Zionists know the difference between a President who will be highly supportive of Israel (even when this is against Israel's long term interest and the interest of peace) and what is essential constituent service to the alt-right - which comes in crumbs.  The question is, how will Trump direct the Justice Department to act in response to Alt-Right racism?  Sadly, I don't believe that Trump's stated prowess in negotiations will benefit the Palestinians.

A conservative lesson for liberals

A conservative lesson for liberals: Distinctly Catholic:  MGB: When Paul wrote, faith was really faith in Jesus and his preached message.  There was no dogma, had been no Church Councils (save the first at Jerusalem).  The Curia did not exist and people were beginning to explore for themselves what faith meant.  Most importantly, a social gospel was much more important than a strict pelvic morality and there was no hierarchy that insisted on loyalty.

The reason we enter new life, by the way, is to be free from sin - not for God's sake but for our own.  It is a gift to us, not a requirement for us.  Morality is the ultimate therapy.  Pastors should be involved, but they must be freer to challenge some of the teaching which is, inf fact, wrong.  Gay people should end promiscuity and find a spouse appropriate to them - that is the moral course - not assuming that all gay sexuality is anathema (which it is not, if you are gay - especially if you are a gay priest).

This does lead to Christ, who is gentle and humble of heart, whose yoke is easy and his burden, light.

Links for 12/20/16

Links for 12/20/16: In the New York Times, Ross Douthat takes aim at Austen Ivereigh on the issues surrounding Amoris Laetitia. I just want to tell Douthat to exhale. We are not in a

MGB:Amoris meant to give priests and bishops more latitude in dealing with the remarried.  That latitude is seen as ambiguity, which bothers the Trads to no end. The reality is that, unless Communion is just a symbol, remarried Catholics and others who receive Communion when told not to experience for themselves in their encounter with the Lord whether they receive rightly or not.

I suspect that Lifesitenews is listening to a few Curia staff who think that their jobs may be in jeapordy if they continue to obstruct. That is not a bad thing. Send them home to retire.

Unless someone knows Trump is faux pro-lifer, I suspect the Trumpsters would think that this quote honors their leader, although he is more reactionary than conservative, although some would say that these two are the same thing, much to Gershon’s chagrin.

What is going on with US bishops' ministry to migrants and refugees?

What is going on with US bishops' ministry to migrants and refugees?: Distinctly Catholic:

MGB: The right to contraception coverage, albeit with a copay, was established by the EEOC in December 2009.  It is going nowhere and will still cover religious groups (all that changed was taking away the copay).  Getting rid of the mandate is not worth throwing immigrants under the bus.  The USCCB staff is playing coalition politics again.  Eventually, Cupich will be USCCB chair and heads should roll.

Links for 12/19/16

Links for 12/19/16: In Politico, a story about how the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, by giving the homeless a job for a day, is helping some of them find a bit of human dignity and even longer term employment. Is it t...

MGB:A day job is good, although stable temporary housing is essential, along with good case management.

Control boards tend of have financial people. That is expected.  They can either be an obstruction or a resource to Puerto Rico.  We can’t tell yet.

The presidency changes all of its occcupants, some for the better, some for the worse. The biggest part are the events that none of us expect. I suspect he is more likely to break than to break the country, as his entire team will face the reality of a government of laws.  Unlike the private sector, they can’t fire every discordant voice.

Erroneous autonomy: Third edition

Erroneous autonomy: Third edition: Distinctly Catholic: The third conference on the relationship of Catholicism to libertarianism, sponsored by the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies, is coming January 10.

MGB:Libertarianism takes many forms, not all of which are inconsistent with Catholicism.  The economic libertarianism that puts the rich in the place of goverment, but with no accountability to anyone (including the workers) is very much against Christianity. Social libertarianism which is pure license is not compatible, but it is if it affirms human dignity and the individual’s right to not only deal with her own moral situations, but also to decide what’s moral. The governmental libertarianism which encourages the Church to take on social functions is very much consistent with Christianity. Social solidarity in unionism is how you deal with economic libertarianism. It is also how we get things like gay marriage recognized - including in the Church at some point (with input from more accepting sects).

The ageda of the conference and its focus on consumer capitalism is interesting, although it is missing a discussion of consumerism as a substitute for worker empowerment in the workplace.

Links for 12/16/16

Links for 12/16/16: Politico refers to its "surprise" that former Vice President Dick Cheney has become a Trump surrogate. Now that Trump has decided to put corporate America in charge of the government, why th...

MGB:There are those of us who think Cheney should have been sent to the Hague for war crimes trials. That did not happen for the same reason Trump won’t investigate Hillary.

Sadly, John is writing for his funders, who have their definite POV.

Syria was broken when Donald Rumsfeld fired the Baathist from the Iraqi military and they took refuge in Syria, taking their chemical weapons with them.  It was impossible to know which rebels were ISIL/al Queda, which is why there was no action once the ill-advised Arab Spring came to Syria. At some point, rebels are responsible for engaging in a failed rebellion, not Obama (although maybe McCain).

Russia's alleged 'fake news' raises questions about existing media bias

Russia's alleged 'fake news' raises questions about existing media bias: Distinctly Catholic: Russia's alleged use of fake news to affect the election raises questions about how we in the media operate.

MGB;While the Russian press is noted for treating propoganda as news, in the case of the eleciton, they simply hacked what was embarrassing to Debbie Wasserman Schultz.  Some people can be forgiven for fake news.  People speaking for the Church, like the inaptly named Susan B. Anthony Fund, cannot.  At some point they are knowingly committing evil.  Sadly, the bishops let them get away with it. Of course, some would say on the left that doctrinal errors on gay marriage (and ordinateion) and birth control are also deliberate falsehoods undertaken for institutional reasons, even when the truth is obviously the other way. Faith is where we realize that the truth wins in the end.

Links for 12/15/16

Links for 12/15/16: At the Washington Post, Jack Jenkins on how Donald Trump is stoking a revival....on the religious left!

At the National Catholic Register, Monsignor Charles Pope not only demonstrates his refusal to ...

MGB:I will believe that the religious left is ascendant when, after 12 years of blogging, someone gives me a byline.

Msgr.Pope is the type of dinosaur that has become a museum piece. He is best ignored (including by his flock).

Cardinal Cupich shows why he is an emerging leader in the Church. We need more like him.

Climate change is probably a more important issue because we might be able to do something about it, although enacting a carbon tax is probably as hard as increasing the Child Tax Credit to levels high enough to eliminate the economic need for abortion.  Overturning Roe is still a pipe dream.

Tillerson and Trump: Are they pragmatists?

Tillerson and Trump: Are they pragmatists?: Distinctly Catholic: Are Rex Tillerson, the nominee for secretary of state, and President-elect Donald Trump properly understood as pragmatists?

MGB: There is nothing un-Catholic about the moral pragmatism which is humanism. Indeed, I would call God a practical humanist and not thinking of God that way is to exercise an unhealthy amount of moral pietousness. Of course, there is no danger of humanism from the Trump Administration. The key question is whether the Cabinet Secretaries allow themselves to be informed by legal advice from the permanent government. Unless they actively work against it, there are many more SES member and high level managers who have a commitment to enforcing the law - which is the governmental substitute to the will of the shareholders. If they become "captured" in that way, they will mostly behave - although they may have fights with the White House. If they do not, we are about to have one scandal after another for the next four years.

Different popes, different personalities -- and underlying continuity

Different popes, different personalities -- and underlying continuity: Distinctly Catholic: Part 3 of a three-part series discussing the theologies of Pope Francis and his predecessors: embodying the six touchstones of post-conciliar life.

MGB:Sometimes the question is not between one’s particular circumstances and submission to the Magisterium, but rather whether the Magisterium is not so infallible as the Hierarchy thinks it is.  This seems especially true in pelvic issues nowadays.  In some of these cases (especially ordaining women), infallibility is subjective, meaning you don’t sin by following the teachings of the Church, even when those teachings are in error.  Sadly, Popes are loathe to acknowledge errors in doctrine, even when they are obvious and change is inevitable. Usually, they try to have things both ways when change occurs, like in the recent Synods on the Family. More sadly, the yeast of the Church is often persecuted for insisting on the truth.  It is not what the Master wished.

It is doubtful that bishops’ conferences are to be the engines of change, unless of course we create more autonomous national patriarchies to rule on moral questions and the ordination of women. Individual bishops might be instrumental in this and would hopefully rise to the new offices. Those that oppose any change, whether from Vatican II or Francis, cannot see that the Church that they themselves inherited has been through several changes before. It is a sad thing to oppose the winds of the Spirit.

https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/links-121316

https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/distinctly-catholic/links-121316

MGB:The Russians influence in the election was minor, unless it can be proven that the information released moved enough Sanders voters to Stein or Trump to change the outcome.  This is doubtful.  It is also not worth a congressional investigation.

When the bishops speak unanimously on immigration, it prevents some of them from putting their Republican partisanship first.  Immigration is a life issue.

Here is hoping that the joke comparing a young clerical dandy to women priests presages some movement in that area rather than being unthinking misogyny.

Links for 12/12/16

Links for 12/12/16: In yesterday's Washington Post, Michael Kinsley makes the case that Donald Trump is a fascist in the clinical sense of the word. How many people who voted for Trump expected the titans of corporat...

MGB: Kingsley is correct. Many of us have been saying the same thing for over a year. Of course, he will only go so far in suppressing dissent, so he won't become a full blown fascist.

The Republican answer has always been to replace comprehensive insurance with health savings accounts and catastrophic care, thus adding market mechanisms to reduce costs. They know they can't do that. Their second choice was what the Heritage Foundation created and Romney used in Massachusetts that became Obamacare. It is likely that the only thing they will do is get rid of the financing mechanism which hits the wealthy hardest.

Trads can't cope with ambiguity, which is the essence of mercy. If Francis had changed doctrine, things would be easier to understand, but they would still dissent.

I hope Koch talks about the fact that Newman was probably gay, although he will likely not speak ill of other Republicans.

Pope Paul VI's greatness lies in his church leadership after Vatican II

Pope Paul VI's greatness lies in his church leadership after Vatican II: Distinctly Catholic: ​Part 2 of a three-part series discussing the theologies of the papacies of Pope Paul VI and Pope Francis: Why were Paul VI

MGB: Paul was still a man of the Curia, which explains Humanae Vitae.  The Curia did not make him do anything he did not want to do and he brought some of them into the modern world, until John Paul did all he could to bring it back to a more traditional bent - with Benedict continuing - especially with the translations of the liturgy.  Could the Church have accepted a more liberal successor to Paul?  Probably not.  If it had, we would have liturgical gay marriage by now and would not have returned to the more literal translation of the Roman Rite.  Still, he moved to ball forward enough so that Francis could pick it up again - although I don't expect that much change here either.

Criticism of Pope Francis rooted in misunderstanding of Vatican II

Criticism of Pope Francis rooted in misunderstanding of Vatican II: Distinctly Catholic: Part one of a three-part series discussing the theologies of the papacies of Pope Paul VI and Pope Francis, who is facing unprecedented opposition.

MGB: The uncomfortable truth is that St. John Paul was a dissident at the Council and spent his papacy limiting its effects, with Benedict continuing this work.  One look at the ad Orientum movement shows the truth of this.  Francis and the bishops he appoints were formed during the Spirit of Vatican II era.  It is beginning to show and it is about time.  Of course, God's timing is exact - something that the neo-cons need to consider when denigrating Paul and resisting Francis.

The anguish of Aleppo

The anguish of Aleppo: Distinctly Catholic: Given the stakes in Syria, the time for

MGB:The Syrian uprising was part of the Arab Spring, which was based on the insane notion that civil disobedience could remake the region to become suburban San Jose. It was never a sane idea.  It was, however, not Obama’s and he is not responsible for its failure or for Russian opportunism.  In Syria, Rumsfeld is partly to blame for chasing elements that became ISIL out of Iraq into Syria. The best we can do is to help hunt those elements down and kill them.  The ”good rebels” supported by Senator McCain have always been on their own.

Links for 12/07/16

Links for 12/07/16: At UVAToday, a profile of Professor Nicole Flores, one of the bright young Catholic theologians making a name for herself. Nicole is a regular participant in the Catholic Conversation Project, an annu...

MGB:It is hopeful that Professor Flores can maintain some level of independence by staying away from universities where the local bishop can harrass her for thinking.



The USCCB should stop doing publicity stunts, even for the right reason.



LifeSiteNews is as fringe as the rest of the Trump coalition. They should be treated as such.

Gen. Mattis to the Pentagon

Gen. Mattis to the Pentagon: Distinctly Catholic: No one doubts Gen. James Mattis' competence in the field to which he is being assigned, the next secretary of defense. But, the nomination raises other questions.

MGB:_I would prefer Wesley Clark, but Mattis seems like he might keep Trump in check.  Trump may be the kind of president to appoint people and set them loose.  We will see how Trump’s latest tantrum about Air Force One turns out and how Mattis defuses the issue.

Links for 12/06/16

Links for 12/06/16: In this morning__MGB:_The Rocket Pizza incident is part of a brief moment where the fringe is empowered.  It will be over soon. The Trump fringe, Sandro is best ignored.  Weigel is too, but because he is a member of the club of Vatican scholars, get gets seen.  I hope he is smart enough not to try to be heard. He would likely find that the Pope thinks faster on his feet than he credits him for.

Dr. Ben Carson to HUD

Dr. Ben Carson to HUD: Distinctly Catholic: Yesterday,

MGB: Everyone knows that this is the "black" appointment.  It is an exercise in Republican tokenism (he should instead be the Surgeon General).  Will he do OK in this position?  I suspect that he will be given GOP housing policy wonks and White House direction to prop him up.  Cabinet secretaries are essentially the public voice of the administration in the department.  His deputy secretary will run things.  The question is how badly Trump wants to ruin this department.  Carson is not the person to prevent that.

Time for compromise on gay rights and religious freedom

Time for compromise on gay rights and religious freedom: Faith and Justice: The struggle between activists for gay rights and religious freedom has been presented as a zero-sum game where no compromise is possible.

MGB: Theology tells us that couples, not priests, make the marriage and that fecundity is not a requirement to wed (just functionality).  The Church needs to embrace the theology of marriage as it can apply to gays and reject its biases.  If a Church can extend benefits to an employee with a civil hetero marriage (which it disapproves of), it can do the same for a gay marriage.  Indeed, it can embrace its gay children and recognize these marriages as sacramental.  This history of opposition to homosexuality was cultural separatism in both Babylonian Judaica and in the early Church.  We can abandon such group dynamics and treat our children with love, once and for all. (and please, don't baptize bigotry by claiming it is God's will - it is not).

Links for 12/05/16

Links for 12/05/16: At RNS, Mark Silk wonders if the chatter about schism within the Catholic Church is real or not. Like him, I think it will not happen or, if it does, it will be a sliver of people who bolt. But, I do ...

MGB: The issue of marriage is not enough for schism.  Any Cardinals who doubt the unity of the faith can keep talking like they have the option and they will find plenty of orthodoxy.  There is the larger question of whether the Church can adapt itself to a modern understanding of human sexuality.  My bet is that we will and the clergy will follow suit.  The laity is too advanced to not pull the rest of the Church into modernity.  Let's not confuse stubbornness with piety.  Treating people decently in matters sexual is not a sin, its a virtue.

Sessions will go as far as Trump lets him.  Obama and Holder decided to not counter local marijuana laws with federal authority.  That was entirely their discretion and can be undone with a memo.  That was always the danger in not changing federal law at the same time.  Of course, if Sessions provokes backlash, federal change may be the result, although possibly not for two years.  We will see with the neo-liberals do.  Like with Daniel Burke.

The prophet Isaiah and the president-elect

The prophet Isaiah and the president-elect: Distinctly Catholic:  MGB: Neo-liberalism failed in its commitment to austerity in the face of economic crisis. Its fear of appearing socialistic was its undoing. More taxes on the rich and higher benefit levels would have preserved the neo-liberal governments, although taking these steps would have taken them out of neo-liberalism. Clinton would have been more of the same and the jury is out as to what Trump is. While some see potential fascism, that view is probably alarmist. I fear that the corruption impulse is what we will see, although that is harder to do with a 24 hour news cycle - even with the gutting of the media's investigative reporting muscles.

Links for 12/01/16

Links for 12/01/16: At CNN, Fr. Antonio Spadaro, SJ, editor of Civilta Cattolica, responds to the four cardinals with their five dubia. He hits the nail on the head: Dialogue presumes good faith and the "clarity&quo...

MGB:_Perhaps the four Cardinals really believe we need explicit doctrinal change, rather than having it implied under a the banner of mercy.  Of course, if there were real change the same cardinals would be the ones objecting the loudest.

I am not sure that dealing with homophobic (and possibly self-loathing) priests is a matter for the Pope. The problem here is the local bishop, unless you are advocating rethinking how we deal with gay sexuality (and not just orientation).

Having employers pay education taxes rather than their employees would make vouchers very possible, although unionization should be an essential part of any such scheme.

Sanchez is emiently qualified.  Her election is also a delightful slap in the face for Atl-Right racism.  Bravo.

Review: Cloutier's 'The Vice of Luxury'

Review: Cloutier's 'The Vice of Luxury': Distinctly Catholic:_MGB:_It is important to distinguish luxury and consumer consumption.  The former is only possible by being coopted by the ruling class.  The latter is simply a begining of just compensation, although it is often part of settling for less than a just system.

The DNC chair contest: Get beyond the Beltway

The DNC chair contest: Get beyond the Beltway: Distinctly Catholic: The Democratic Party\

MGB:_The main critereon for being DNC Chair is wanting the job.  While going back to Dean is attractive, going with Sanders’ choice in Ellison portends the change the party needs the most.

Links for 11/29/16

Links for 11/29/16: At Catholic New World, Cardinal Blase Cupich writes about the Church's commitment to universal access to health care. The article was published before Donald Trump nominated Cong. Tom Price to be ...

MGB: The Cardinal was writing about global health needs rather than domestic health care reform.  Of course, such needs are likely nowhere on Trump's radar.

The Attorney General will have a huge impact undoing things Obama did by discretion.  That will be true of any Trump A.G.  That we can get Sessions out of the Senate is a bonus.

As Michael is using it, hypocrisy is really realpolitik.

Trump and the 'War on Christmas'

Trump and the 'War on Christmas': Distinctly Catholic: The faux-War on Christmas is

MGB: The War on Christmas meme is not about the loss of religious freedom or the quiet enjoyment of one's faith - it is about Christian symbols dominating the landscape in a show of religious power - something the ACLU will never defend, nor should it.  As for consumerism, for some people it is important because they have little else.  Let us not preach against it unless we also preach against the economic exploitation of workers and for solidarity among workers, even as they consume.  Don't attack consumption unless you are ready for a fully radical message on the workplace.

Links for 11/28/16

Links for 11/28/16: At Politico, a report on the growing infiltration of the Trump

MGB:_The Koch’s fund most of the significant GOP intellectual infrastructure (not always with doctrinal control).  This does not necessarily create a shadow government.

I would count the Russian attempts to incluence the election with College Republican Club pranks.

Every issue advocate wants their issue to be number one.  Sadly, Ilyse would add more heat and less light, more women’s empowerment and less constitutional understanding. More’s the pity.

The death of Fidel Castro

The death of Fidel Castro: The Church in Cuba: Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez of San Juan Puerto Rico reflects on the more than 60 trips he has made to Cuba since 1989.
MGB: When I was a teen, I saw that socialism might be a good thing if everyone were able to grow their own food and without the repression - a view I formed after viewing a news magazine show on Cuba. Cuba still provokes intellectual challenges and can hopefully advance without becoming a consumerist paradise.

Links for Thanksgiving

Links for Thanksgiving: An open letter from a Bishop Papamanolis, OFM Cap, of Greece to the four cardinals, asking them to retract their challenge to the pope and stop causing scandal.

MGB: Bishop Papamanolis is missing the point of A.L if the tells the four bishops to not take Communion for their dissent.  The irony is thick.

It is not too big a leap from appearing regularly with Joe Scarborough to being the token liberal in the Trump Administration.

Lilla is very funny, considering the self conscious white identity of the other campaign - and their propensity to have large dinner checks.

The 4 cardinals and their 5 doubts

The 4 cardinals and their 5 doubts: The case of the four cardinals and their five dubia has been well reported and garnered plenty of commentary. Cardinals Brandmuller, Burke, Caffarra and Meisner decided to publish their letter contain...

MGB:_Doctrinal humility should never be a scandal. We just need to admit that sometimes we have gotten it wrong in the past, rather than trying to complicate things.  Human nature exists in a changing world.  It is not fixed and we should not expect it to be.  Francis tried to fudge it. A bit of humble courage would be welcome right now.

Links for 11/22/16

Links for 11/22/16: At Millennial, Meghan Clark has another great article on the election, this time focusing on the inexplicable silence of Church leaders on the subject of sexual assault.

MGB: Trump claimed braggadocio rather than true confession and his voters gave him the benefit of the doubt - mostly because they have the same talent for exaggeration in such matters.

Koch think tank money is too widespread to not have a major influence in a Republican regime.

Americans are optimistic.  They don't like to believe that they have totally incompetent government - so they will build up Trump's positives until he proves himself totally incompetent.  We will see if he grows in the job or hires the kind of staff that protects him from himself.

Trump: The view from Rome

Trump: The view from Rome: Being away from Washington for five days, not reading the Washington Post first thing, and speaking with Italians and ex-pats, as well as other Americans in town for the consistory who came from other...

MGB:_Will there be a Gospel based opposition to Trump on immigration, poverty and the environment? I hope so.  Is there a chance that Trump’s campaign statements were pandering?  Also possible.  Will the next president have to go on another apology tour? Most likely. In the long term, the environmental trend lines and our international relations won’t be too terribly damaged by Trump’s worst. That is the true message of last week’s Gospel.

The new cardinals

The new cardinals: If Pope Francis had lived in the United States all of his life, he could not have selected three finer, more able, more pastoral bishops to become cardinals than Blase Cupich, Kevin Farrell and Joe To...

MGB:_Let the creation of these these three cardinals be a signal to to those culture wariors in archdiocese that traditionally get a red hat but were passed over yet again.  May they respond with humility rather than envy or denial.

Review: 'Mercy Matters' part II

Review: 'Mercy Matters' part II: Distinctly Catholic: While reading Mathew Schmalz's book, one catches glimpses of spiritual insight which reveal the way mercy is the foundation of any authentic Christian spirituality.

MGB:_Mercy, whether in the context of AA or Catholicism, includes fogiveness, praying for God’s will rather than our own and service to other. A wonderful book.

Review: Mathew Schmalz's book 'Mercy Matters'

Review: Mathew Schmalz's book 'Mercy Matters': Distinctly Catholic: Mercy Matters: Opening yourself to the Life-giving Gift is not the kind of book I normally review because it is not the kind of book I normally read.
MGB: I do hope that this book finds its way into AA circles.

Links for 11/16/16

Links for 11/16/16: At First Things, Michael Novak delivers his sigh of relief about the loss of Hillary Clinton. It is appalling. He writes: "Whatever the inward intentions of President-elect Trump, one of the cons...

MGB:_Michael Novak and the pro-lifers write like abortion was not already legal and that it is a legislative question. Sadly, those on the other side let them get away with such lies because they help them get out their base.

For the military-industrial complex and the rich, the Trump Administration will be an improvement, even as it is a disaster for the rest of us.

Bannon has Trump’s ear. Whether both he and Trump are dangerous bigots or were merely pandering to them is the question of the hour.

Hogue should not chair the DNC, not because she is pro-choice but because she used the wrong strategy in countering the pro-life con job. She preferred to rally the base. While I doubt this issue cost the election, it did not help.

USCCB and Pope Francis are singing from different hymnals

USCCB and Pope Francis are singing from different hymnals: Distinctly Catholic: At a time when the country desperately needs a strong moral voice, the USCCB is fretting about things that don't matter and tepidly addressing the things that do.

MGB:_If you read religious liberty as religious power, all becomes clear on gay issues. On climate change, action reduces religous power among some of our biggest donors, so their reticece is not a surpirse. Their view on abortion is also as much coalition politics as moral. The same is true for capitalism.  As for consumerism, a consumer surplus is what keeps capitlaism from being slavery. A.L. is considered housekeeping, so the lack of metntion at the conference is no shock. I suspect that many of the bishops liked Trump, so going after him on immiration would diminish their religious power in the Republican coalition.)  Some of the bishops can hardly stop the vandals when they are caught holding a can of pray paint.

Links for 11/15/16

Links for 11/15/16: At Commonweal, Tony Annett

MGB: Listen Liberal by Thomas Frank is the best take down of the Democratic elitist economics. That also had Tim Kaine as VP rather than Corey Booker. The game was demographics and the Dems did not play. What Tony called social individualism is more rightly thought of as egalitarianism because the low rules environment is mixed with solidarity with gays and women. Sexism is as big a part of the GOP victory as white backlash (although Obama's election did prime the latter). Many white traditionalists would simply not vote for a woman. The right-wing ideology mentioned was bought and paid for by the Kochs and their friends. The worship of the rich is a part of the prosperity gospel, which Catholics are not immune to. As for abortion, Clinton thought her strategy would rally women. Instead, she should have focused on the unlikelihood of there being any action to change abortion policy - that the pro-life movement is a scam and the bishops are complicit.

At some point, Catholics need to reject both Arroyo and Coulter. They are more right wing loyalist irritants than thought leaders.

I will look at Dave later.

End of the Abp Kurtz tenure

End of the Abp Kurtz tenure: Yesterday, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz gave his last presidential address as leader of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The speech, like his tenure, was a missed opportunity, reflecting a...

MGB:_Kurtz essentially cast his lots during his tenure in pursuit of religious power, rather than religious liberty, which in turn continued the bishops; embrace of the Republican Party.  How said it did not work for social justice with the same fervor, especially in the reign of Francis.

Links for 11/14/16

Links for 11/14/16: Our Republican friends went in to a hissy fit when someone, not a Catholic, emailed John Podesta calling for reforms in the Catholic Church. There were other emails among Catholics who worked for...

MGB:_It is no secret that Kurtz has his finger on the partisan scale and little respect for the opinions and complaints of others.  A Church that had that respect would ordain women.  That they do not is not counter-cultural, it is misogynistic.

The Gallego situation shows why that the DNC does not like departures from the party line (like the Sanders candidacy).

Americans are mostly decent in private, but give them group expectations and things can get ugly.  Churches are the kind of groups that lead to such personal license. Ordain some women or I will continue to hold that view.

Trump's election: What it means for the USCCB and the Church

Trump's election: What it means for the USCCB and the Church: Last week, I wrote about how the election of Donald Trump as our next president challenges both parties. Today, as the bishops gather in Baltimore for their annual plenary meeting, it is worth asking ...

MGB:_The prosect of parents being ripped from their children in the name of enforcing a misdomeanor immigration violation is heart breakig.  Cardinal Burke confuses the moral law on abortio with the constitutional issues.  Sadly, no Catholic politician has explained the difference to him. They seem to be using him as a foil out of central casting. That did not work out so well.

Trump v. Francis is a false dichotomy. I suspect that the Trump views on abortion, immigration and climate changed were tailored to his base. What he really believes or will do is not known, although it seems that his base is opposed to the views of Francis, which(is inconvenient)for the bishops, some of whom have an affinity to the Republican Party. They also really like their capitalist donors (and friends).  While Clinton likes them too, she is not one of them, unlike Trump (who like his class, considers wealth a divine reward - even when you cheat to get it).

The pro-life movement’s recent concern for women is a sham. Mostly the movement is conerned with sexuality, which is evident when you propose a sufficient child tax credit (say $1000 per month per child), at which point they start talking about personal responsibility.  If they want collective responsibility to stop abortion, they must must accept it for funding children. That would show a commitment to the dignity of mothers and of all women (as would ordaining them). The latter should be the next project for the Catholic laity. Trump is a small thing in comparison.

Catholic church can play vital role in healing the nation

Catholic church can play vital role in healing the nation: Faith and Justice: The Catholic church is uniquely placed to help in the healing of the country. But will the church foster the reconciliation that America needs?

MGB:_Sadly, the bishops put their thumb on the scale on the GOP side.  They have become part of the problem. The trumpeting of repealing Roe v. Wade as the essential issue shows no knowledge of costitutional law or how to really reduce abortion.  Very sad.

Links for 11/11/16

Links for 11/11/16: At Whispers, Archbishop Jose Gomez delivers a strong defense of immigrants and shares his worries about the fears that have been stoked in that community. This is a good sign that the bishops intend t...

MGB:_Immigration goes beyond electoral politics. The task now is to make sure no punitive immigration reform measures are allowed to pass. We have enough votes in the Senate to also hold out for a path to citizenship.  Then we can see if the GOP can put expanding its base before pandering to its current base.

I am heartened that the Pope has a few things to say to Burke out his loud mouth. Perhaps Burke will be given the Secretary of State’s latest interview. Sadly, Burke is too wrapped up in his own ideology to notice such things. So are too many American bishops, who could have used these views a month ago. A day late and a dollar short.

Thank you for linking to the Navy Hymn.

Trump's win and the challenges it poses to the Democrats

Trump's win and the challenges it poses to the Democrats: Yesterday, I discussed the various ways the election of Donald Trump as president makes life challenging for the Republicans. On the Democratic side, the path ahead is currently obscured by a mix of s...

MGB: This election was a demographic war.  The cynical play would have been to put Corey Booker on the ticket.  It would have also had the Democrats win Pennsylvania and maybe Florida and Michigan.  Thomas Frank was right in Listen Liberal and Obama should have been more muscular on bringing back unions - although Republican obstruction is partly to blame - with the GOP reaping the rewards of it.  Vocational training should have been championed - but that is also a union thing.  The Democrats need to not be Republican Light because doing so has then lose on the demographics.

Trump and the challenges he poses for the GOP

Trump and the challenges he poses for the GOP: Distinctly Catholic: While the government is now entirely in the hands of the Republican Party, the party faces some major, immediate challenges.

MGB:_Trump is a member of the glitterati and his voters like famous people on reality TV. He is their hero.  He has the image of effectiveness and acted as if the biases of some of his vocal voters were his own.  I doubt that this is really the case.  Social conservatives will realize that they got played (including the bishops).

The government was in GOP hands under most of Bush.  They muffed it anyway. Trump will too, which would be fun to watch if the stakes were not so hi. He is more showman than businessman. He will be great in front of the cameras, but not in day to day policy, especially on defense and foreign policy.

The consumerist white voters who like reality TV got their wish.  They should be careful what they wish for (since the person they elected is not who will govern).

Catholic scholars react to Trump's election

Catholic scholars react to Trump's election: Distinctly Catholic: Speaking today with Catholic scholars who study the intersection of religion and politics, it is apparent that the mood is somewhere been fearful and apocalyptic.

MGB: K: I wonder if Trump can imagine his future in the White House now that he won, above some kind of manic fantasy.  I don't worry about the nuclear issue, the SECDEF has to concur.  

S: Trump can't undo gay marriage and with his Congress, there will be no ENDA.  Most of the xenophobic stuff was playing to the crowds.  Now that they have been fooled, nothing will come of it.  Junking common core would be lovely.  Of course, the prospect of authoritarianism is troubling, especially as the Donald meets a permanent bureaucracy which will not follow him into lawlessness.

K : Trump is experienced in going with his gut, however if he has any kind of professional staff they will chafe at letting him.  Of course, this gives us the prospect of clever Republican operatives playing him like a fiddle.  Kind of like Cheney played Bush.

The question is, what will Trump do when he figures out he is being handled (and if he won't let himself be handled, what kind of disaster will ensue).

The disaster that we chose

The disaster that we chose: Distinctly Catholic: Donald Trump

MGB: This is Reagan all over again, without the capable handlers or the electoral experience. Could this have all been an act? It is possible, but not likely. Is he mentally ill or just amoral? We will see. If the latter, we may have Pence using the 25th Amendment disability in office provisions as a safety valve.

Trumps supporters know about and don't care about the irregularities in the campaign or in Trump's character. He is their savior - from what we are not sure since most of the programs they decry often benefit them directly. Authoritarians cultivate their victims that way.

What the Catholic left should have done was to double down on the child tax credit and to explain why abortion is not going anywhere in the Supreme Court - nor should it. Pluralism does not get you there and calling out the pro-lifers as another scam was the essential act that no one took (because it makes it harder to gin up NARAL - who would go for HRC anyway).

By the way, consumerism is what makes a middle class voting base possible - otherwise workers would become revolutionaries - which kind of happened while the Democrats were doing other things than look after workers. The only way to have prevented what happened yesterday was to nominate Bernie. With last night's win, unless Trump is a total idiot while governing, the GOP will be ascendant and there will be no schism in the Democrats that will create a workers party. Workers will have to organize by other means - which was always the case.

Nervous?

Nervous?: For the third election in a row, Virginia is turning out to be much closer than the Democrats had hoped. Florida is going to be a nail biter: Are there enough votes in Broward County's remaining q...

MGB:_Terrified from the second PA was too close to call.  Et tu Wisconsin.

Florida, Florida, Florida

Florida, Florida, Florida: Looking at Florida county by county, Miami Dade is coming in strong for Clinton, and she is already garnering more votes there than Obama got in 2012, and only 80 percent of the vote is in yet. In Ora...
MGB:_Oops

Live Blogging Tonight

Live Blogging Tonight: It is early in the evening and already I am getting mixed signals. Exit polls indicate that the Latino vote in Florida is only up from 10 to 11 percent, but a GOTV expert on the ground told me that th...MGB:_When PA was not called early it was not a good sign.

Links for 11/08/16

Links for 11/08/16: At Vox, Ezra Klein has one of the smartest pieces written about the election I have read all year. His diagnosis is that we have a real problem in America today, namely, that we have weak parties and ...
MGB: The problem with the parties is the problem with America - inequality in all its forms.  Racism, sexism, classism and the opposition to each define our society.  Usually the GOP elects people who don't pander so directly to those interests.  The question for the future is whether Pandora's box is now open.

Tobin shows why he received a red hat, which is why he was moved east.  Now he can keep an eye on Dolan.

Gerson is one of the few conservative commentators still worth reading and is a frequent contributor to the Center for Public Justice web magazine.  Of course, I am not sure the nation is any more amenable to healing than it was after Obama was elected.  It needs an awakening more than a healing. (or maybe an exorcism).

What does it mean for goverance to have an issue-free election?

What does it mean for goverance to have an issue-free election?: Most Americans are only too happy to see the election come to a close. Unlike the life of man in the state of nature as described by Thomas Hobbes, this election has been nasty, brutish, but it wasn&#...

MGB:_Taxes are always an issue, at least for tax geeks.  Every candidate releases a tax plan and it is scored by the Tax Policy Center.  The fact that this is not covered is on the media, not the candidates.

Abortion got its brief mention, which is all this non-issue ever deserves. The Partial Birth Abortion discussion was a total farce because there is already a law in place that survived consitutional scrutiny.

The immigration reform bill that passed the Senate was a joke designed to embarrass Republicans. It would never have gotten through the Senate if people thought it was the final product, which should be much less draconian.

Links for 11/07/16

Links for 11/07/16: I was wrong this morning: The alt-right affiliations and sympathies may not be the most important reason to defeat Donald Trump. At the New York Times, they provide an inside look and analysis of his ...

MGB:_That Trump is patholigical is not news. Nor is it news that EWTN and National Catholic Register put party above sanity.

It is amazing that the Vatican is now more progressive than the Alt-Right Catholic media.

Links for 11/04/16

Links for 11/04/16: At RNS, Mark Silk both applauds and chides Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Conference. Hats off for Moore's distancing himself from Trump and calling out the Old Guard in the religious right...

MGB:_The same can be said of the pro-life movement, which is the Evangelical Right and the Catholic Bishops and those who believe their line. Both are entirely partisan and disgustingly authoritarian. The theology is pretty bad too about sex, including ordaining women. Someone like Russell Moore should talk about them too.

Like E.J., I remember arguing with my father about religion and politics.  I think that fathers who allow this also allow their kids to become intellectual. He is correct on the need for religion and politics to relate.  Brooks is correct about the narcisism of writing. His experieces of spirituality are inspiring.  He talks about communitarian religion over utilitarianism, but I favor a more humanistic morality that is, essentially, utilitarian. If God is not a humanist than he is a fairy tale. Sin, therefore, is a problem because of its effect on us, not its effect on God. The comments about Russell Moore are interesting, given Mark Silk article. What both Brooks and Dione say about the Trump campaign being worse than Clinton’s is telling.

I don’t read anything from First Things and if Weigel is in a snit, all is right with the world.

Why do we Americans think business is good training for government?

Why do we Americans think business is good training for government?: My colleague Jamie Manson had a fine piece on how residual attitudes about gender continue to stalk Hillary Clinton. Manson recalled a PBS Newshour segment in which David Brooks asked Clinton campaign...

MGB:_The essential attribute of CEO capitalilsm is authoritarianism.  It is the last thing we need in a president.  Ideed, we don’t need it in the workplace either.  People sought it with Perot and with Bloomberg.  I hope the Trump experiece has gotten it out of our system and that Trump becomes a watch word for any time someone suggests a CEO for political office.

Links for 11/03/16

Links for 11/03/16: Dr. Jeff Mirus, one of the founders of Christendom College and President of CatholicCulture.org, has a post up ironically entitled

MGB: The Magisterium is the letter of the law.  It killith.  It is a feature of the hierarchical Church that is best dispensed with.  The spirit of the Gospel is what we need to seek, especially the saying where Jesus says he is gentle and humble of heart, his yoke is easy and his burden light.

Except when the right-wing goes to far, most abortion politics is about symbolism.  Roe is not going anywhere and there are not enough states to ratify a human life amendment.  Sadly, the Democrats use the issue to whip up feminists, rather than explaining it in such a way so as to defuse it by showing how much it is truly settled.

It is not hostility to note how partisan certain bishops have become on any issue they see as having to do with abortion or contraception.

Previewing the USCCB meeting: Will there be a new direction?

Previewing the USCCB meeting: Will there be a new direction?: Yesterday, I wrote about the good the U.S. bishops conference is capable of achieving, and made the case that those who are tempted to give up on the conference should think twice. Today, I would like...

MGB:_Some of out bishops should listen to a Catholic pro-choice politician, who should have the courage to explain to them the logic behind Roe. Law is about the reasoning and the precidents, not the result.  Federal supremacy in equal protection is not going away (which also gives us gay marriage), nor should it.  The cultural warrior bishops (and USCCB staff) have put Republican coalition poltiics above truth, which is bad for the Church and the bishops, who most of us simply ignore at election time.  As for who should be elected president of the conference, the obvious choice is Cupich.

Links for 11/02/16

Links for 11/02/16: If you are addicted to checking Nate Silver

MGB: It is too early to say it is going to be close. The Electoral College margin will likely still be over 100 votes, if not more if Trump puts his foot in it again.

Let us hope that local election officials are strong enough to throw out any "monitors" who are there to intimidate. This time the opposition to such racism is more organized. Interesting times.

There are no Justices on the Supreme Court who believe that Roe should be overturned on states rights grounds. The bishop is pushing a hopeless cause. Sadly, the movement is still pushing it rather than adopting a strategy that will reduce abortions - which involves a larger child tax cut and voting for Hillary Clinton.

Previewing the USCCB meeting: the good the conference achieves

Previewing the USCCB meeting: the good the conference achieves: Week after next, the plenary meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will be held in Baltimore. The conference has some clear choices: Will they follow the direction charted for th...

MGB:_The Conference can be very effective when it wants to be, or it can let the cultural warriors act unchecked. It’s work on nuclear war helped untarget civilians, not that this means much when the missiles start flying. One would hope that it takes a stand on expanding the Child Tax Credit.  Hillary has proposals, but the Bishops should demand an even higher credit that is paid with wages rather than refunds.

Pope Francis confirms finality of ban on ordaining women priests

Pope Francis confirms finality of ban on ordaining women priests: Pressed on whether women are 'forever' barred from priesthood during in-flight press conference, Francis says, 'The last word is clear,' citing St. John Paul II.

MGB: The pronouncements on this issue are not part of the Deposit of Faith.  They are a question of discipline and Church politics and reflect a deep misogyny, just as much of the commentary on gay marriage is bigoted (to whit, if the Church employs people in a hetero civil marriage, which it considers invalid, it cannot treat those in a homosexual civil marriage differently).  I suspect the reluctance to ordain women comes from the fact that they would think clearly on this issue.

Links for 11/01/16

Links for 11/01/16: In this morning

MGB: Hillary is not as bad as Gerson portrays.  Trump may be spot on, or he could be cynically appealing to the worst angels of his base.  Either way, he is correct - although if you look at policy and the fact that Clinton picked up much of what Sanders was saying, the choice becomes easy and positive, unless you hate the poor - the only reason to vote Trump.

The link to Catholic Health does not work.  The bishops need to leave issues of Obamacare implementation (last I checked, it is passed and won't be repealed) to CHA, since they have to deal with the nuts and bolts.  If they want to speak about anything, it should be the desirability of single-payer, even though there can be no Hyde Amendment in such a regime.  They need to pull out their  copies of Fagothy's Right and Reason and remember that abortion coverage is so remote for any taxpayer that it is a non-issue in such a scheme.

Catholic politicians have such distinctions on abortion. They should explain Roe to the bishops rather than hiding behind pluralism.

Ecumenism in our time: A fruit of the Council

Ecumenism in our time: A fruit of the Council: Distinctly Catholic: The Holy Father seemed pitch perfect during his visit to Sweden to join with Lutherans in a joint celebration of the Reformation.

MGB:_It is good that we are joining the Lutherans in prayer. Hopefuly we can join them in ordaining women. The key relationship to mend is with the Orthodox, particularly in recognizing the primacy of the Ecumenical Patriarch of New Rome. Old Rome became a backwater and the papacy’s continued claims of primacy have led some fundamentalists to retain the view that Luther started that Pope was anti-Christ.  Recognizing the primacy of New Rome will go a long way to overcoming that belief.

Links for 10/31/16

Links for 10/31/16: At RNS, Mark Silk argues that the Al Smith dinner exposed Donald Trump for the boor that he is. This is true. But, what if Trump had used the event to normalize himself? It turns out that Lester Holt

MGB: Given Trump's poll numbers, I think this democracy is well on its way toward stopping this particular demagogue, the Catholic vote included.

The FBI is independent and the Justice Department felt perfectly free to advise Comey on not releasing the existence of Houma's e-mails to Congress (who leaked it anyway).  Much ado about nothing, at least for me.  I just voted - and it wasn't for Trump, Stein or Johnson.  The drama comes from the press, not the Clintons.

The Clinton dramas return

The Clinton dramas return: Distinctly Catholic: The reinvestigation of Hillary Clinton's emails has cast a shadow on a campaign that already was full of ethical questions.



MGB:_First of all, this little side track relates to Huma e-mailing Clinton and is probably nothing. The disclosure was from an excess of caution. Second, the Clintons got rich from speaking fees, not from the foundation, which gives them nothing (unlike the Trump Foundation). As for Huma turning over the computer, did the FBI seize the cmputers of everyone who sent Clinton e-mail? Did’t think so. She will be Chief of Staff and she deserves to be.  Trump, by the way, is noted for hiring yes men. It looks to me that the Democrats are going to win everything they could in a gerrymandered House and the Senate was an obvious flip. As for Bill, there is nothing illegal about cashing in on public speaking.  That the plan was Bill Clinton, Inc. is no news. As for Comey releasing news on notifying Congress, Congress would have released it anyway, but on Monday rather than Friday. There will be no effect at all.  Finally, there is nothing to hold your nose over.  Clinton makes history by winning and it is about time. I wish she had been Governor of New York first, but you can’t have everything.

Links for 10/28/16

Links for 10/28/16: A colleague suggested to me that I might have been wrong about Raymond Arroyo auditioning for a job at Fox in my post this morning. Maybe he was auditioning for a job at Trump TV!

MGB: Trump TV is a good guess for Arroyo and the bishops are a house divided, so expect no comments.  Unlike the bishops, Fr. Jenkins is not shy in getting his point across.  Crisis gets their point across too - that they are both crazy and undeniably Republican before all else.  I doubt that their objections can save the Republican Party, as Wall Street Republicans will likely flock to Clinton.  The Pastor in Phoenix is also dividing our house, which is a shame.

EWTN, Trump and the bishops

EWTN, Trump and the bishops: Last night, EWTN aired an interview with Donald Trump, conducted by Raymond Arroyo, the host of their weekly news magazine show. The whole thing was not exactly surreal, but it was closer to that than...

MGB:_My mother was a big EWTN fan. She and some friends even made a road trip to Alabama (from Iowa) to visit.  She is gone now and I suspect many other viewers have joined her in the afterlife. Likewise, many of Trump’s supporters are white males from another era who are having their last hurrah.  As for the bishops, my hope is that Barron and Chaput are the exception, not the rule. We are in the era of Vatican II/Pope Francis bishops. The counter-revolution may be over. (and no, I am not whistling past the graveyard).

Links for 10/27/16

Links for 10/27/16: At the Atlantic, Emma Green on the dissent among young evangelicals at Liberty University, and beyond, over the embrace of Donald Trump and of politics in general by some of their elders. 

At Po...

MGB:_That young Evangelicals are no longer accepting the authoritarian party line is the best news of the year.

As long as Republican activists and scholars are essentially craven, the Kochs and their money will always have influence.

Trump and the Freedom Caucus are a function of FoxNews and CNBC. The propoganda drives the politicians.

The Catholic vote reflects more than guides the rest of the electorate.  The pro-life Catholics who include immigration and economic justice are likely to vote Democratic.  The Catholics who think abortion is the key issue are also likely to be anti tax Republicans.

The Catholic vs. libertarian debate continues

The Catholic vs. libertarian debate continues: Distinctly Catholic: John Gehring recently published a nicely done article at the American Prospect on the influence of libertarians on Catholic institutions and thought.

MGB:_There are two types of economic liberty.  The one that people trumpet Is the classic perfectly competitive market for wages and prices where the market price is a true indicator of supply and demand.  The second type glorifies the ability to exercise corporate (and) management power over both product markets and labor markets.  That is liberty for the few and it is what Cato, Acton and company are really defending because, after all, the wealthy and their CEOs deserve what they are getting. This secular form of the prosperity gospel (which is the heart of conservatism) is what the Church condemns.  The question that we argue about is how to remedy this concentration of power without making things worse.  Traditionally, the Church has supported regulatory action, as well as a third way cooperative economy.  There are companies that nibble around the edges of this, but none have gotten to what is possible (where workers control both the means of production and the means of consumption).

Social liberty is different. It can also be seen in two ways. The first is as autonomy, which is a blank check for individuals on morality. The second is humanisticly, that morality is meant for individuals to lead the most fulfilling lives possible, rather than being some test to see who gets to go to Heaven.  In the second rendering gays are encouraged to marry rather than be celibate and late term abortion are allowed if they are obviously necessary.  Indeed, the whole obsession with allowable sexual pleaseure goes away.  That is what the Church growing up looks like. (It would also ordain women).

Links for 10/26/16

Links for 10/26/16: Bishop Eusebio Elizondo speaks out on immigration issues which continue to be the one public policy people Trump still focuses on. 

At Millennial, Robert Christian reports on his trip to Hondura...

MGB:The bishop is very clear about who we should be voting for.  Unlike promising to overturn Roe, we can actually do something about immigration.



“Daniel” would never have been in the drug business if drugs were legal.  Until then, the system will replace him easily.



Someone needs to tell Trump that if he wins, he needs to move away from his toys and giving them to his kids is not enough.



Black Jeopardy was poignant and very funny.

What the non-culture warrior prelates have to say: Wuerl and Flores at Notre Dame

What the non-culture warrior prelates have to say: Wuerl and Flores at Notre Dame: Distinctly Catholic: Talks by Washington

MGB: Cardinal Wuerl mentions a failure of allegiance, but allegiance goes both ways.  The Cardinal is not even considering that the Church is wrong on some of the issues we are confronting (birth control is an easy one, as is the reaction to Roe and the legal implications of the Church's position).  Jesus was humble of heart, especially on moral issues.  The Church must be as well.

Flores hits the nail on the head, which is a huge contrast to Chaput.  You can tell how each bishop is voting.  Flores knows that the essential part of teaching is example.  Of course, to offer a really good example on Life, ordaining women is essential.

I bet we could get coverage if we spun Flores as anti-Trump (which is an easy guess) and highlight that both POVs were presented at the conference.

Updating the race for control of the Senate

Updating the race for control of the Senate: Distinctly Catholic: As of this morning, Nate Silver



MGB: The odds have always been long for the GOP to hold the Senate because they had so many seats at stake and no real record of accomplishment, since they don't believe in that kind of thing.  I am hoping that either the House turns or that the Republican Freedom Caucus is so decimated by retirements and losses that it can no longer force obstruction on the GOP.  As far as abortion, its a non-issue unless you can name five achievable and constitutional legislative goals to accomplish in the next congressional term.  I'll even take two and a larger child tax credit does not count (unless you want to start calling Hillary a pro-lifer).

Links for 10/24/16

Links for 10/24/16: At Our Sunday Visitor, Bishops Chris Coyne and Danny Flores discuss Amoris Laetitia in a very interesting podcast. 

A contrary view, at the Catholic Herald, from Fr. Raymond de Souza. He thinks ...



MGB:_Coyne and Flores get it.  de Souza does not. AL is a departure in the importance of personal ministry over doctrine  and that bloviating about the Magisterium will no longer cut it. Still, it would have been nice if Francis had changed some doctrine. Annulments are fine, but in some cases divorce is justified, with the injured party able to remarry and the injuring party only able to move on if the injured party both frees and forgives them.



Right-wing personality Eric Metaxas should not have brought up Bonhoeffer, as it let Marsh bring up the Nazi thing in regard to Trump. Marsh’s take down supports what a lot of us have bee saying about Trump’s authoritarianism.

The culture warrior model on display

The culture warrior model on display: Distinctly Catholic: Last week, Archbishop Charles Chaput delivered another classic culture warrior speech, and his view of the church concerns me.



MGB: Bluster about cultural elites plays into the Fox News crowd.  Last I checked, the enjoyment of elite culture (whatever that is - it used to have something to do with Judaism) was voluntary.



The views of the Catholic Democratic elites are not a cultural phenomenon.  They come from a legal ethic that prizes individual liberty vs. the power of  mass bigotry driven by those seeking religious power.  That the bigots do not win the day is a good thing.  Sadly, we can't force aid to the poor in the same way we can stop official acts against minorities.



Sadly, the Catholic politicians in question have not spoken powerfully on how and why Roe works and is essential.  Then the mass of Catholics may understand it more clearly and we can end this debate - or transform it into a way to give parents the help they need to keep the child.



Acceptance of mainstream constitutional law is not a sin.  Until Chaput realizes this, most of us will simply ignore him.



If Chaput want to be relevant, he can excommunicate Catholic business owners who don't pay a living wage (varying with family size) - starting with Catholic institutions.

Links for 10/21/16

Links for 10/21/16: In the Washington Post, Charles Krauthammer reminds of what was really disturbing about the Wikileaks emails: Clinton is not entirely sure why she is running to be president according to her closest a...



MGB: The lack of purpose to her candidacy (aside from the demographic victory) is why Bernie took off and why much of Bernie's agenda is part of her own.



Trump represents a very old disease in this country.  The answer is education, although there are certainly young cops that are still part of the same problem.  Of course, the older cohort is not being replaced as fast as it is dying out, so this may be its last stand.



Republicans being loyal to their congressman may or may not be a problem, since these districts are gerrymandered anyway.  The question is whether members of the House Freedom Caucus are coming back.  The smaller that group is, the better.



Any ad dissing Trump is a good thing. I doubt there is a downside.  Anyone who would be taken aback by Khan's religion and ethnicity was not voting for Hillary anyway.

Trump, the boor, ruins the Al Smith dinner

Trump, the boor, ruins the Al Smith dinner: To be clear: Donald Trump insulted the Catholic Church last night at the Al Smith dinner in a way that was far worse than anything ever emailed to John Podesta. Completely misunderstanding the nature ...



MGB:_Trump has absolutely no self control and he surrounds himself with people who refuse to advise him differently.  He is prime example of why we don’t elect CEOs to the White House. Good for the members of the audience who booed him.  Sadly, he was incapable of getting the hint and just kept going.  As for Clinton, she is using the abortion issue to her advantage.  Pity that she does not explain the prospects of overturning Roe to the masses in a way that would end the issue instead.  It would be the best thing for the pro-life movement to understand.  Until someone does, it will be locked in a strategy that will never succeed (nor should it).

Clinton, Trump spar over abortion issue as final debate opens

Clinton, Trump spar over abortion issue as final debate opens: In the final presidential debate Oct. 19, Republican Donald Trump used his most explicit language to date to denounce late-term abortions.



MGB:_Hillary ignored laying the truth out in order to play to her base and to undecided women.  The fact is, partial birth abortions are already illegal and the law banning them is constitutional.  She also left out that of the five justices who upheld the law, three of them declined to overturn Roe in order to do so (and one who did is dead).  Scalia was also the only justice who would have turned the issue back to the states.  Of course, by claiming victory, this issue loses its political punch.  This is a shame, because we need more truth on this issue, which really is not an issue at all because there are few reasonable options for change-and none of them involve overturning Roe.  Still, I would have liked Clinton to emphasize she is proposing an increase to the child tax credit, which will actually reduce abortions.

Links for 10/20/16

Links for 10/20/16: At Politico, the influence of Kris Kobach on Trump. Kobach is one of the most sinister political influences in the country. 

At Commonweal, John Gehring is upset that the Al Smith dinner is goin...



MGB:_Trump is responsible for who he listens to and he listens to fringe.  Kobach is simply another example.  I am surprised he is not a 9/11 truther.  As for rigging elections, voter ID is more of an attempt to rig the result than any voting scheme.  Luckily, the federal courts are catching them.  Sadly, states seem to be igoring the courts.



The Al Smith dinner is always a respite from the election.  It is not a time for debate.  Sadly, the pro-choice Democratic establishment has not made an effort to explain to the bishops the error in their analysis of Roe and why it can’t be overturned without overturning much of the rest of federal equal protection law.  Of course, even a concerted effort won’t change the views of true believers (like MSW) unless, of course, the bishops look at this honestly.



Garvey’s comments are idiotic.  He needs to talk to someone in the CUA law school about Roe.  I agree that he is too easy on Trump, although one can never be sure when Trump is playing to the rabble.

Trump's meltdown in the third debate

Trump's meltdown in the third debate: Distinctly Catholic: Clinton was steady last night, but she did not "win" the debate so much as Trump lost it.



MGB:_On abortion, I was disappointed that Clinton did not point out that Trump was formerly pro-choice when it suited him.  She should have also said that Partial Birth Abortion is already illegal, so that it is not an issue, that it does not occur anyway, and that the law was a stalking horse for repealing Roe v. Wade. Most importantly, when given the opportunity, seven justices, including the two Bush appointees rejected repealing Roe and one of the justices who would have is dead.  Repealing Roe and sending the matter back to the states would also repeal federal supremacy in equal protection law, including gay marriage and consenual sodomy and it will never happen.  Finally, she could even call abortion a non-issue because there are few options for change, although she is proposing one of them, expanding the child tax credit, which will make abortion less likely.  Of course, calling abortion a non-issue does not help her pro-choice advocates, but it would be worth seeing this issue go away.



Trump was his usual unqualified self and Wallace seemed to be coming from FoxNews POV, especially on economics.  On the issue of not accepting the result, which is pretty obvious by now, Trump showed himself to be a two-bit thug.  Sadly, he may have planned to say this.  He has been ill-served by his campaign staff, some of which are also quite fringe.  They should be fired.



Clinton did well debating.  She was able to articulate policy while pushing Trump over the edge.  This won’t help her dealing with Ryan but it did win her the election.  The real change, of course, would come if Pelosi becomes Speaker instead.  It is time to end the unpatriotic obstruction of the Tea Party once and for all.

Links for 10/19/16

Links for 10/19/16: At the Washington Post,  MB: Hale is right about the fact that Trump will probably lose.  As to the civil war in the Church, sadly there is a desire among conservative Catholics and the hierarchy for renewed religious power for the Church - but in moral/cultural affairs, not economic justice.



Trump's real beef with the system is the electoral college, which heavily favors Democrats at the moment.  The GOP represents the power of the wealthy few over the many - so of course they need to continually delegitimize any movement by the many.



Trump believes a variant of what Nixon believed, that if he says it, it has to be the truth.  Sadly, many believe him.

Mr. Trump and Archbishop Kurtz

Mr. Trump and Archbishop Kurtz: Distinctly Catholic: The video and statements by USCCB president Archbishop Joseph Kurtz about the U.S. presidential election are puzzling and disturbing.

MB:Sadly, the Kurtz video is easily explained.  There are knee-jerk Republicans on the USCCB staff, especially in the Pro-Life Directorate.  Kurtz seems to agree with their commitment to coalition politics.  Ironically, this action validates the leaked e-mails.

Links for 10/18/16

Links for 10/18/16: At Commonweal, Anthony Annett on the faux scandal about Catholics who work for Clinton talking about Catholicism. Annett never holds back and he is spot on about the hypocrisy of conservative RCs...



MGB:Tony hits the spot.  I sometimes wonder if the Catholic right believes their own nonsense when it totally ignores the Pope.  Of course, the stick to abortion because they know that their economic arguments are extreme fringe and would never survive wide discussion.



One Eye of the Tiber, I love the mention of NCR.



Trump is calling the election rigged because they are telling the truth about them and no loger beating the dead horse on the e-mails and servers.  What he really hates the most, I suspect is the Electoral College and the fact that a large portion of America was never going to buy his malarky.

Death: Catholics versus the 'nones'

Death: Catholics versus the 'nones': Reflection: Last week, we buried my father. In the time from his death until his burial, I was acutely aware of what a priest friend said to me a long time ago: "The church is her best at a funeral." It is so true.



MGB:After a certain age, we all are grieving somone.  The funderal liturgy unites us in that grief instead of trying to bury it.  Our answer is in another hymn.  I know that my Redeemer lives.

Links for 10/17/16

Links for 10/17/16: It looks like NCR's Joshua McElwee struck a nerve with his interview with Cardinal-designate Kevin Farrell. Over at 1 Peter 5 they are in full meltdown mode. 

You have to admire Ra...



MGB:_I do agree with one thing, it would have been easier if Francis had said the magic words in adjusting doctrine in AL.  Of course, it may be that he thinks the use of those formulae add nothing, which would be radical.  If Francis were trying to stop controversy from the right, he did not succeed.  Ultimately, of course, people are and will go to Communion as they see fit.



The Neo-Trads like Raymond cannot stand that they are on the outs, because they think they have taken the pulse of God.



The key will be turnout and a quick response to any obstruction by Republican elected officials.  Trump’s racism makes that all the more possible.



Tobin’s openness to immigrants is a stark contrast to Trump, as it should be.

What if the Dems take the House?

What if the Dems take the House?: Distinctly Catholic: Donald Trump is tanking in the polls. If Clinton wins nationally by something like 7 or 8 percent, would the House of Representatives flip?



MB:_Unless the House Freedom Caucus is eliminated in the election, and notion that the House GOP will cooperate with President Clinton is pure fantasy.  There is no downside to winning the House-now.  The challenge of redistricting is on the state level.  As for the Hyde Amendment, most states pay for abortions for the poor with state funds or the medical charities account - which is how hospitals pool their money to pay unpaid bills.  Of course, most abortions cost under $200 and 80% are paid for with cash (often from low wage work, like that Big Mac you bought last week). This is not enough of an issue to not hope for a Democratic win - especially because single payer is inevitable and it can’t include the Hyde Amendment.