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Apr. 23rd, 2004 12:28 pmToday's nugget of joy from boston.com:
Vatican says no to communion for pro-abortion politicians
Just to start with a particularly obnoxious bit: "pro-abortion"? C'mon, don't you think the appropriate words there would be "pro-choice" instead? I can honestly say I don't know anyone who's pro-*abortion* (and Kerry, at whom this is obviously aimed, has said he's personally opposed to it), but lots and lots of people who believe that a woman should be able to make the choice to have one safely or not. I'm quite sure the word choice is deliberate though, because lord knows that all of us godless heathens are just masking our desire to kill babies by framing it in terms of giving a woman control over her own body. I've often wondered what percentage of the most rabid "pro-life" movement also supports the death penalty; it seems like the label "pro-life" is equally misleading if you're anti-abortion but all in favor of the electric chair, no? It's all about the spin, baby.
I spent the first 18 years of my life immersed in Catholic schools and then went on to a Jesuit college, but these days I describe myself as an agnostic with a live-and-let-live attitude about religion. While I don't think that Christianity is really for me, I have to admit that I still find myself missing the ritual of High Mass at times. ("But you hate people!" "But I love gatherings. Isn't it ironic?") I like ritual and find it comforting, and when you add to that all the associated trappings, it can be quite an experience. (My high school was attached to the cathedral, so lots of marble and candles and stained glass and paintings and gold embroidery were involved.) I don't actually *go* to mass anymore, because I wouldn't quite feel right being there as a non-believer. That said, my entire life has been post-Vatican II, so I never really experienced the Latin services or any of that and missed out on a lot of the *serious* tradition. I don't believe though that the current push to roll back changes (did I mention I'm not at all a fan of the current pope?) is a good idea, even with my love of tradition. I'm not talking about barring non-Catholics from taking communion (why would they?), I'm talking about cutting the laity further out of the process and discouraging any adaptation to local culture. It's an especially bad idea when you're facing such an image crisis already and yet still trying to attract new worshippers, I would imagine. As I said, I found some comfort in the idea that I could walk into a church anywhere and know exactly what to expect, but I don't think that the idea of incorporating new ideas is necessarily a bad thing so long as the basics remain. I doubt this makes much sense, but I'm really just procrastinating to take a break from debugging for a bit, I haven't really had time to assemble a well-thought-out discussion.
Vatican says no to communion for pro-abortion politicians
VATICAN CITY (AP) A top Vatican cardinal said Friday that priests must deny communion to pro-abortion Catholic politicians, but he would not comment on whether it was right for John Kerry to receive communion.
Cardinal Francis Arinze spoke at a news conference to launch a new Vatican directive clamping down on liturgical abuses in Mass which bars lay people from giving sermons, non-Catholics from taking communion and rites of other religions from being introduced in the service.
Just to start with a particularly obnoxious bit: "pro-abortion"? C'mon, don't you think the appropriate words there would be "pro-choice" instead? I can honestly say I don't know anyone who's pro-*abortion* (and Kerry, at whom this is obviously aimed, has said he's personally opposed to it), but lots and lots of people who believe that a woman should be able to make the choice to have one safely or not. I'm quite sure the word choice is deliberate though, because lord knows that all of us godless heathens are just masking our desire to kill babies by framing it in terms of giving a woman control over her own body. I've often wondered what percentage of the most rabid "pro-life" movement also supports the death penalty; it seems like the label "pro-life" is equally misleading if you're anti-abortion but all in favor of the electric chair, no? It's all about the spin, baby.
I spent the first 18 years of my life immersed in Catholic schools and then went on to a Jesuit college, but these days I describe myself as an agnostic with a live-and-let-live attitude about religion. While I don't think that Christianity is really for me, I have to admit that I still find myself missing the ritual of High Mass at times. ("But you hate people!" "But I love gatherings. Isn't it ironic?") I like ritual and find it comforting, and when you add to that all the associated trappings, it can be quite an experience. (My high school was attached to the cathedral, so lots of marble and candles and stained glass and paintings and gold embroidery were involved.) I don't actually *go* to mass anymore, because I wouldn't quite feel right being there as a non-believer. That said, my entire life has been post-Vatican II, so I never really experienced the Latin services or any of that and missed out on a lot of the *serious* tradition. I don't believe though that the current push to roll back changes (did I mention I'm not at all a fan of the current pope?) is a good idea, even with my love of tradition. I'm not talking about barring non-Catholics from taking communion (why would they?), I'm talking about cutting the laity further out of the process and discouraging any adaptation to local culture. It's an especially bad idea when you're facing such an image crisis already and yet still trying to attract new worshippers, I would imagine. As I said, I found some comfort in the idea that I could walk into a church anywhere and know exactly what to expect, but I don't think that the idea of incorporating new ideas is necessarily a bad thing so long as the basics remain. I doubt this makes much sense, but I'm really just procrastinating to take a break from debugging for a bit, I haven't really had time to assemble a well-thought-out discussion.