Strange news that makes you think strange things.

Written by Dr. Jeff Miros (CV – Articles – Email) | February 29, 2024

Sometimes the news can seem downright strange. Sometimes the point becomes clear after further thought. Sometimes it doesn't happen. Sometimes it is clear that the characters in the story are completely missing the point.

Just for fun, I decided to round up ten examples of the weirdness of some very recent Catholic news:

1. The Church brokers a truce in the conflict between Mexican drug cartels: There is no reason why church leaders should not try to protect public safety in such cases, if they can. But at first glance the story seems strange. That the Church can reduce murderous violence without being able to limit the sins that underlie it is not inconceivable in a world turned upside down. But the whole situation is completely out of proportion.
   
    
2. Indian bishops urge voters to keep the country secular: This doesn't sound like a recipe for Christian perfection. But Catholics make up only 1.5% of India's population, while Christians overall represent 2.3%. By contrast, India's population is 80% Hindu, a religion that is strangely, violently, and even demonically pagan. In other words, politics remains the art of the possible.
   
    
3. The Vatican newspaper regrets the damage caused to the oceans caused by Ghana's disposal of used clothes: Yes, believe it or not, this is an environmental problem. But is this really the front-page news of the Pope's private newspaper, dominating, as our story notes, special coverage of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine? Maybe this is why L'Osservatore Romanounder Pope Francis, presents us with such an astonishing Catholic witness (using the word “cautiously”)….
   
    
4. Ending celibacy could attract more men to the priesthood: Cardinal HollerichWhile priestly celibacy is not a command from God, it is a great clarification for those who are confused about their vocation, and even the Orthodox demand it from their bishops. The universal tradition of emphasizing the disadvantages of combining marriage and the priesthood certainly represents a kind of divine value—an emphasis that at least cautions against conflicting obligations, however noble both may be. We must also ask why, when faith is weak in a given culture, liberal bishops often call for fewer demands. Indeed, based on some of his previous observations about the outdated anthropology that underlies the church's opposition to homosexuality, one might rightly wonder whether the cardinal has other ways in mind for broadening the appeal of the priesthood.
   
    
5. Report: The Cardinal calls for a “permanent” dialogue with the FreemasonsTo quote my previous (and more severe) comment (Whatever Happened to the Christianity of the Apostles?), “Nowhere in the Bible will you find a spirit of 'dialogue' except with those who had a serious interest in the truth. You will not find study groups designed to sift through error for remnants. “The truth is; you will not find common statements confirming what opposing groups agree on until they disagree peacefully.” Let’s just call this recommended reading!
   
    
6. Gay activists demand an apology from New York Cathedral: This is a perfect example of what you can do (without getting laughed out of town) if you are part of a group. A group of LGBTQ++++ activists arrange a quiet funeral for a transgender activist at St. Patrick's Cathedral with the intent of blatantly mocking Catholicism, and when their “service is cut short,” they demand that the diocese apologize for the “painful rejection.” and exclusionary language.” Christians should never forget that civic acceptability always follows the dominant culture.
   
    
7. Vatican spokesman: Ratzinger CDF document is an “important precedent” for Begging for trust: Maybe I'm cheating, but here's another “in case you missed it” moment. In my comment on February 13, hypocrisy in the opposition Begging for trust, I pointed out, almost no one has objected to the distinction between liturgical and personal blessings (indeed, the entire Church has probably always taken this for granted). case with Begging for trust It is not appropriate for personal blessings, but rather to bless same-sex couples As husbands– In other words, there is a responsibility to avoid blessing same-sex unions, or any other objective evil. The Vatican must stop manipulating Pope Benedict's alleged precedent, which has nothing to do with the problem in question.
   
    
8. France introduces pro-abortion amendment to the constitution: The puzzling thing about this story is that the best argument our writers can find to represent Archbishop Michel Aupetit's condemnation of this pending constitutional amendment is that the amendment threatens the conscience rights of healthcare workers. I wish he had more to say (he said matter-of-factly that “France has hit rock bottom”), but in addition to pronouns, there is a real life at stake.
   
    
9. The online program forms hundreds of lay spiritual directors: This story comes not from our Catholic World News Service but from my local diocese newspaper – and Arlington is a great diocese with a good newspaper. But in the email announcement that included this story, there was a photo of what appeared to be graduates of this program, and the photo was of a long line of women. I hope it is not a sign of chauvinism that feminine spiritual guidance for men is a foreign concept to me; Perhaps more importantly, a show that primarily attracts females, if it primarily attracts females, is a bit strange to me. In fact, any formal spiritual direction from the unordained or unconsecrated seems very strange to me. But what is most bizarre of all is the reduction of “spiritual direction” to a degree program. Again, I call this just being uncomfortable, but I can't help but think that something about the spiritual director industry is missing out on a vital spiritual point – although I'm open to knowing that I'm really the one who missed it.
   
    
10. 'Deimos II' – identified as Cardinal – writes 'Profile of the Next Pope': You may remember that the anonymous original Catholic insider and commentator named Deimos was later revealed to be the brilliant George Cardinal Pell. But Cardinal Pell died about thirteen months ago, on January 10, 2023. The name “Deimos,” of course, is taken from the Greek word for the common people of an ancient Greek city-state. Cardinal Pell wanted to represent the faithful in the pews – or more accurately, in the Catholic sense, which is Feeling of believers. Fortunately, Deimos returns as Deimos II — a cardinal who truly wants to represent Christ. As the Catholic people truly say: If the king dies, may the king live.

Jeffrey Merus He holds a Ph.D. in Intellectual History from Princeton University. One of the founders of Christendom College, he was also a pioneer of Catholic Internet Ministries. He is the founder of Trinity Communications and CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.

There are no comments yet for this item.